In re the Guardianship of Oliver
In re the Guardianship of Oliver
Opinion of the Court
From the foregoing statement it is apparent that the question on the surface is as to the jurisdiction of the court of common pleas to entertain the application, and involved in that inquiry, at least in one aspect of it, the further question as to the jurisdiction of the common pleas in the appealed case to make the appointment of a guardian complained of. It is not claimed that the appointment is invalid because of any mere informality in the steps taken by the court of common pleas in respect to such attempted appointment, but simply and only that that court was restricted to a finding whether or not Oliver was an imbecile, and whether or not a guardian was needed, and was. wholly without power to do other upon a finding in the affirmative upon these questions than to certify the matter to the probate court for its action as to an appointment.
The argument of counsel centers principally around the question whether or not the common pleas had jurisdiction to make any appointment of a guardian, the claim of counsel for plaintiff in error being that the jurisdiction to appoint guardians for imbeciles is exclusively vested (in the absence of disability on the part of the probate judge) in the probate court, and that jurisdiction having properly attached by the application for
By the constitution, section 8 of article IV, the probate court is given jurisdiction in the appointment of guardians. But this jurisdiction is not by this provision made exclusive, and so we go to the statute law for an answer to the question raised.
Section 524 of the Revised Statutes, the statute chiefly relied upon by counsel for plaintiff in error, provides as to guardians, that “The probate court shall have exclusive jurisdiction, except as hereinafter provided: * * * Fourth, to appoint and remove guardians, to direct and control their conduct, and to settle their accounts.” Further provision in respect to such appointments is made by section 6302, which is that: “The probate court, upon satisfactory proof that- any person resident of the county * * * is an imbecile * * * shall appoint a guardian for such person.” But the section which is made more particularly the subject of inquiry in this case is section 6407, relating to appeals from the probate court to the common pleas. The pertinent provisions of that section are: “In addition to cases specially provided for, appeals may be taken to' the court of common pleas from any order, decision or judgment of the probate court in settling the accounts of * * * a guardian; from an order removing or‘ refusing to remove
It is not questioned that, by virtue of the statutes, exclusive original jurisdiction to appoint
We are of opinion that when the cause was appealed the entire case went up and the.common pleas had all the power that was lodged in. the probate court originally, and that this necessarily included the power to appoint a guardian. So that in that particular there was no sufficient ground presented to the court of common pleas in the application made to that court to remove Shelley. And inasmuch as the probate court, by section 524, has exclusive original jurisdiction in the matter of the removal of guardians, the common pleas can have no original jurisdiction in such matter, and it follows necessarily that the probate court is the court to which application to remove should in the first instance be made. The common pleas, therefore, for this additional reason had no jurisdiction to entertain the application to remove Shelley and the sustaining of the demurrer to the application and dismissal of the proceeding was the proper finding to make and judgment to render.
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.