Adams v. Adams
Adams v. Adams
Opinion of the Court
The only question presented by the record in this case, which we deem it important to notice, is, whether this action can be maintained, while the accounts of Adams, Sen., are pending for settlement in the orphan’s court of Philadelphia.
Letters of administration were granted in Pennsylvania, where the estate of Mrs. Adams, the intestate, wass ituated. The administrator, from whom a distribution of that estate is now sought, gave bond and took upon himself the duties appertaining to the trust, under the jurisdiction of the proper court of that state. He proceeded without improper delay, to file his accounts for settlement, which were referred to an auditor, to whose report made thereon, exceptions were taken by the plaintiffs in this action. That report, and the exceptions thereto, are still pending in the orphan’s court, where complete jurisdiction has attached, and must, from necessity, be exercised over the property of the decedent. The plaintiff in error can not, therefore, until his accounts are settled by the court in which they are thus pending, and the amount
Thus far it' is our duty to recognize foreign administration, and to afford to tbe party who bas undertaken it, and is conducting it to completion, the same protection against tbe prosecution of suits here, which could, in Pennsylvania, be set up by him; and also to extend to him tbe law of our own state, which restricts tbe right of action by heirs and distributees, to tbe time when tbe proper court shall adjudicate tbe amount to be distributed. But we design to give no further effect to tbe proceedings of tbe foreign court, than to bold that their pendency and tbe unliquidated amount in tbe bands of tbe administrator for distribution, are sufficient to abate tbis action, and that tbe court below erred in not so ruling.
Judgment reversed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.