Wittmer's Estate
Wittmer's Estate
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
In all essential particulars the case at bar is ruled by Kuntz’s Est., 230 Pa. 557. The decree in the present case was entered several months before the opinion in the case cited was handed down. This no doubt accounts for what was done in the present case by the learned court below. Appellant was removed as executor although neither in the original nor in the supplemental petition was there any request for his removal. The original petition asked for an accounting while the supplemental petition prayed for the appointment of an administrator pendente lite. There was then pending an appeal from the . probate of the will and the averment was, that the best interests of the estate would be conserved by the appointment of a disinterested person as administrator or trustee until the questions raised by that appeal were adjudicated. At no time was the. removal of the executor asked so far as is disclosed by the pleadings. As shown by the will and codicils the testator reposed great confidence in his son Albert who is the appellant in the present case. After nominating him as his sole executor and conferring upon him very full and comprehensive powers, he gave as his reason for so doing, “I place unlimited confidence in his honesty and ability to administer my estate as herein provided.” We have examined the record with care to ascertain whether the confidence reposed by the father in the son had been abused, but have failed to find any facts to warrant such a conclusion. Certainly the facts are not sufficient to show that the estate was in jeopardy, or that it had been mismanaged within any reasonable meaning of the term. The only evidence of mismanagement was that he had mingled the funds of the estate with his own by depositing them in his individual bank account. He explained that he was not aware that it was necessary to keep two bank accounts, one for himself and one for the estate.
Decree reversed and appellant reinstated as executor under his letters testamentary. Costs to be paid out of the estate.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.