Whiting v. Pritchard
Whiting v. Pritchard
Opinion of the Court
Curia, per
It does not appear from any of the proceedings in this case, whether the intestate left any estate at all, either real or personal, liable to be sold under execution, on a debt recovered against him in his lifetime. But if he had left any such estate, situate or being within reach of the process of the City Court, I can see no reason why it might not have been levied on; or if there was a necessity to make new parties for the purpose of reviving the judgment, it was proper that an administrator should have been appointed. Heirs, as such, do not represent the intestate, so as to be under an obligation to perform the functions of an administrator. An heir may have assets by descent, in contradistinction to assets in hand, that is, such as are in the hands of an administrator or executor. In such case, it should be made to appear that the deceased w;as under an obligation, and died seized of
But there are other objections, equally fatal, to the plaintiff’s proceedings. As the City Court is a local and limited jurisdiction, its processes cannot operate beyond the limits assigned and prescribed by the Acts which have created that jurisdiction. As to strangers, such as the defendants are, the judgments of this court must be regarded somewhat in the nature of foreign judgments. They may authorise an action of debt to be brought on them, and an exemplification of the record would be held as sufficient evidence to establish it against proper parties. But a sci. fa. to revive a judgment, can only be issued against those who are within the jurisdiction of the court. Por as to others, a proceeding cannot be continued against them,
It must not be assumed, because we have given no specific judgment on the point, that the plaintiff, as assignee, could maintain the action. We have thought it unnecessary to consider that question.
The Recorder having attained a correct result in his judgment, the motion to reverse it is refused;
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.