Clarke v. Palmer
Clarke v. Palmer
Opinion of the Court
This is a bill in equity, which as originally brought sought to restrain the defendant from selling certain real estate, under a mortgage assigned to her as collateral security for a note of $1500, signed by George F. Clarke, one of the plaintiffs, and guaranteed by Isaac P. Clarke, the other plaintiff
The master has found the value of these services, and, after allowing the same, he finds that there is due to the defendant on the note the sum of $967.75. To this finding no exception is taken by either party.
While the case was pending before the master, the plaintiffs filed an amendment to their bill, in which they alleged that William W. Palmer was, at the time of his death, in February 1874, indebted to Isaac P. Clarke in the sum of $2059, and that the defendant agreed to assume and pay this sum; that a portion had been paid since the death of William W. Palmer, and that the balance remaining due should be allowed in settling the amount due upon the note for $1500. It is not contended that the defendant ever executed any agreement in writing by which she promised to pay, out of her own estate, the sum thus alleged to be due from the estate of which she was the executrix. Gen. Sts. o. 105, § 1. This would seem to be fatal to the claim against the defendant; but, as the plaintiff contends that she is liable, upon the facts found by the master, on other grounds, it becomes necessary to deal with the facts as presented.
On this branch of the case, it appears from the master’s report that William W. Palmer, some time previous to his death, held three mortgages on a certain parcel of real estate; and that there was a fourth mortgage on the same, in which Isaac P. Clarke held one third interest, and Moses Pond the other two thirds. This one third Clarke assigned to Pond, who gave to Clarke an agreement that he would account to him for one third of the profits arising out of the sale of the estate. Pond then foreclosed the mortgage, and became owner of the equity of redemption. Neither Pond nor Clarke was liable for the payment of the notes secured by the three prior mortgages held by Palmer.
We do not find in these facts any ground for holding that the estate of W. W. Palmer was no longer liable for this debt, and it does not appear that Clarke, in any maimer, released his claim against the estate. Nor was Clarke under any legal obligation whatever to continue the allowance of one third interest on the mortgages in reduction of the debt; and it was part of his proposal, that he would allow one third only so long as Pond paid the other two thirds.
The master has found that the defendant never admitted that the debt was a valid claim against the estate, and never agreed orally or in writing to assume it, to which findings the plaintiff has excepted. The evidence is reported, and we cannot say the master’s finding that she never orally agreed to assume it is erroneous. Nor is there any evidence that she ever admitted
There is no evidence that she made any agreement on the subject, oral or written, after she received the mortgages and notes, as residuary legatee under the will. The fact that, after that time, she allowed the interest to be indorsed upon the notes, cannot be taken as a promise in law by her to assume the debt due from the estate ; whatever may be the effect of her making, or allowing the same to be made, when the question arises what is due on the mortgages, or what is due from the estate to Clarke. Such indorsements thus made cannot be held to be equivalent to an assumption of a debt due from the estate, any more than they could be held to impose upon Clarke an obligation to pay one third of the three mortgage notes. It would be inequitable thus indirectly to place this burden upon her, while Clarke had assumed no legal obligation to pay his proportion of the mortgages and interest, and had only undertaken to pay one third the interest thereon while Pond continued to pay the other two thirds.
We cannot, therefore, hold that the Gen. Sts. e. 105, § 1, have no application to this case, because, on the facts disclosed, the defendant had a fund in her hands from which she was bound to pay this debt due from the estate. The exceptions to the report of the master were properly overruled, and a decree must be entered that the plaintiff may redeem on paying the sum found due by the master on the note of $1500.
Decree accordingly.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Isaac P. Clarke & another v. Mary E. Palmer
- Status
- Published