Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1850

Morton v. Ingram

Morton v. Ingram
Supreme Court of North Carolina · Decided December 15, 1850 · Pearson
33 N.C. 368

Morton v. Ingram

Opinion of the Court

PearsoN, J.

There is no error. The only question presented is, whether the person, named as executor, is competent as one of the attesting witnesses to a will of personalty. It is settled, that the witness must be disinterested at the time of the attestation, and it is decided in Allison v. Allison, 4 Hawks 141, cited and approved in Tucker v. Tucker, 6 Ire. 161, that a right to commissions is such an interest as disqualifies a witness. An executor has a right, by law, to commissions upon the receipts and disbursements of the assets. The fact, that the witness renounced, and executed a release, does not remove the disqualification, which existed at the time of the attestation.

No unnecessary costs were incurred in reference to the will, so far as it concerned the real estate. It was, therefore, right to require the propounders to pay the costs of the proceeding.

Per Curiam. Judgment affirmed.

Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.