Chamberlain v. Bussey
Chamberlain v. Bussey
Opinion of the Court
This case having been argued last year, and continued for-advisement, the opinion of the Court was delivered in this term, by
The premises demanded are what the demand-ant claims as his share in common, as one of the members or proprietors in a corporation called “the Ten Proprietors,” which has long existed, and still continues to exist, under that title. No objections are made to the derivation of what the demandant considers as his right or property; though some have be'en urged as to the proportion claimed; but this needs not to be examined, as our decision has no connection with that point.
In the argument two grounds of objection are relied upon, against the demandant’s right to maintain this action; — first, that the land, of which an undivided proportion is claimed as the demandant’s property, never belonged to the Ten Proprietors; — and secondly, that if it did, and does now, no action can be brought to recover it, except in the name of the Ten Proprietors ; and that no individual proprietor can
By the operation of the provincial statutes, in force when the Ten Proprietors were incorporated, by virtue of a warrant issued on the application of a certain number of those proprietors, the seisin which the individuals had of their respective shares in common, became tra> sferred to the proprietary; and thereupon the Proprietors could sue writs of entry, declaring on their own seisin as such, witho'ut giving the names of the members composing the corporation. The seisin being, in the company, they could, at a legal meeting, manage and even disDo se of any part of the property, by a major vote in interest of the Proprietors. The statute of this State,' on this subject, contains nearly the same provisions as the provincial statutes. So long as'a man remains a member or proprietor, his common interest is subject to that control which the law has given to a majority in interest. But he may withdraw from the company, and by process of partition have his share assigned to him to hold in severalty; though such a partition would not be granted, until all liens legally created and existing on the property by him owned, had been re
Reference
- Full Case Name
- CHAMBERLAIN v. Bussey
- Status
- Published