Eliza Miller's Estate
Eliza Miller's Estate
Opinion of the Court
In their petition for the discharge of appellant as trustee etc., the appellees aver that in his second and final account filed, appellant expressed his desire to be discharged etc., and pray the court to enter a decree discharging him at his own request. In his answer, appellant avers that while he then desired to be discharged, or intended making an application for his discharge, he has since been advised and believes that it is to the best interest of the estate that he should continue as executor and trustee. A replication was thereupon filed by the appellees denying that it is to the best interest of the estate that appellant should continue to act, etc., and, in support thereof, they aver actual or prospective insolvency of appellant, mismanagement, etc. This was bad practice. Instead of filing a replication, and averring therein new matter as ground for appellant’s discharge, they should have asked leave to amend their petition by inserting therein other grounds for appellant’s discharge; or the appellant might have moved to strike out the irrelevant matter. But, so far as the record shows, neither party attempted to correct the pleadings. On the contrary, they acquiesced therein, and proceeded to take testimony, upon consideration of which the court found such gross mismanagement, on the part of appellant, as clearly justified his removal from office.
It is now too late for appellant to take advantage of an irregularity in the proceeding which might have been corrected, if he had moved therein at the proper time, and in an appropriate manner. It is idle to say that he objected to the proceeding. If he had done so in the proper way, the fact should appear of record. Merely verbal objections, without more, would of course be of no avail.
Decree affirmed, and appeal dismissed with costs to be paid by appellant.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Eliza Miller's Estate. George T. Brooks's Appeal
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Practice, O. G. — Petition and answer — Replication—Irrelevant matter. A petition for the removal of a trustee averred that the trustee in his second and final account filed expressed his desire to be discharged. The petition prayed the court to enter a decree discharging him at his own request. The trustee filed an answer averring that while he formerly desired to be discharged he had since been advised and believed that it was to the best interest of the estate that he should continue as executor and trustee. A replication was thereupon filed denying that it was to the best interest of the estate that the trustee should continue to act, and averring actual or prospective insolvency of the trustee, and also mismanagement. Held, (1) that this was bad practice; that instead of filing a replication averring new matter, the petitioners should have asked leave to amend their petition by inserting therein other grounds for the trustee’s discharge; (2) that the trustee, by acquiescing in the proceeding and by taking testimony upon the consideration of which the court discharged him, could not after entry of the final decree against him take advantage of the irregularity in the proceedings; (8) that merely verbal objections to the irregularity without any objection filed of record would be of no avail to help him after final decree.