Dyer's Appeal
Dyer's Appeal
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
What may have been the domicil of the decedent at the time of his death has no material bearing upon the present controversy. We have before us an administrator duly commissioned in this'State, who has filed his account exhibiting a balance of unadministered assets in his hands, and we have claimants upon that fund. Of these claimants the appellee is
It is insisted, however, that the heirs of the decedent cannot be regarded as having been parties to the action at law, and therefore that no judgment therein would conclude them; hence it is deduced that the appellee is not barred by a judgment against him. This is also an error. The heirs were represented by the administrator. Had judgment been recovered against him, it would have been conclusive upon the - heirs in any distribution of the personal estate of the decedent. This is the common law rule, and we have no statute which varies it. So it is decided in Walthaur's Heirs v. Gossar, 8 Casey, 259. It is only when a creditor seeks to charge the lands of the decedent, that he is obliged to call in the heirs, in any other way than’through the personal representative. The 34th section of the act of 24th February, 1834, did not attempt to make any change in the law previously existing, except when the creditor seeks to levy or claim payment of his judgment out of the lands of a decedent, in the hands of the heirs
It does not appear affirmatively in this case whether the fund for distribution is a part of the personal or real estate of the decedent, though presumptively it is personalty. Indeed, if it be no't, the appellee can have no claim upon it, for he brought no suit against the heirs at all, and more than eight years have gone since the death of Eelix Dyer, his alleged debtor.
It is further urged in support of the decree of the Orphans’ Court, that the Orphans’ Court has exclusive jurisdiction of the claims of auditors against the estate of a decedent, and hence it is inferred that tbe suit at law was comm non judice. Here again the premises are untenable. The jurisdiction of the Common Pleas and Orphans’ Court is concurrent. This was directly ruled in Sergeant's Exr. v. Ewing, 12 Casey, 75. Being courts of concurrent jurisdiction, the judgment of the one upon the claim of the appellee was conclusive in the other. We think, therefore, the Orphans’ Court erred in holding that Aaron Dyer was not estopped by the judgment against him, from asserting a right to participate in the distribution'of the fund in the accountant’s hands.
Decree of the Orphans’ Court reversed, and the distribution reported by the auditor confirmed at the costs of the appellee.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.