Scott v. Levy
Scott v. Levy
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
On October 4, 1859, Robert Scott leased a lot in-Memphis for forty-four years in consideration of the payment of a moderate ground rent and all taxes and-assessments. Scott died on August 16, 1864, leaving a. widow, and two children, Thomas and Robert J. Scott, the present complainants. Shortly after his death, his widow qualified as administratrix of his estate. On July 22, 1866, the widow intermarried with Alexander Findley. On April 13, 1868, Findley and wife-sub-let the premises to Moses Levy for five years from that date, he paying a certain snm of money, and agreeing to nay “ all taxes due and past due during the lease, and assessments special and otherwise except for -street paving.” On October 26, 1872, Findley and wife conveyed the unexpired term to R. S. Capers in trust to secure the individual notes of Findley and wife to third persons named, amounting in all to $500, with power in the trustee, in default of payment, to sell the property. Afterwards, Capers, as trustee, sold and conveyed the premises to one Walker, who, on January 21, 1874, sold and conveyed to Theresa Levy, the wife of Moses Levy, and she has remained in possession ever since. Moses Levy died in May, 1873, and Joseph Reiser qualified as the administrator of his estate, and held possession of the leasehold property as such until • bought by his sister, Theresa Levy. Alexander Findley died in October, 1873. This bill was filed February 2, 1876, by Thomas and Robert J. Scott by their next friend, they being still infants,
It is now said by these appellants that a demurrer filed by them to the original bill for multifariousness and want of jurisdiction should have been sustained. The bill was, perhaps, multifarious in seeking, in connection with the relief against the principal defendants, an account with Johana Findley of her administration of the estate of her first husband, and of the rents of the leasehold received by her. The only effect of sustaining a demurrer on this ground would have been, under our statutes, to separate this part of the litigation from the other by the filing of a distinct bill. But this result has been practically attained by dropping the litigation against the administratrix. The record shows that the only matters noticed in the litigation relate entirely to that part of the bill which sought relief against Levy and Reiser. To go back
The main ground insisted upon for reversing the decree upon the merits is, that Findley and' wife had the right as administrators of the estate of Robert Scott, deceased, the wife as administratrix and the husband as administrator in her right, to sell and convey the leasehold property. But the trust conveyance to Capers does not purport to be by. the husband and wife in their representative capacity, nor to secure a debt of Robert Scott’s estate. On the contrary, the notes, which are set out in the trust deed, are the individual notes of these parties, and the deed itself is executed by them in their own right. Whatever power personal representatives may have to pass title to chattels by an absolute sale to a bona fide purchaser for value, they have clearly no right to charge the chattels of the estate -they represent with a liability for their own debts, and any person who takes under them by an instrument which shows the breach
The defendant Reiser, in his answer to the bill, says that the leasehold estate in controversy was levied on by an execution issued on a judgment against Johana Scott as administratrix of Robert Scott, deceased, and sold by the officer, and that Moses Levy, his intestate, became the purchaser at the sale. And there is in the record a sheriff’s deed to Moses Levy, under date of July 1, 1869, reciting the recovery of judgment by one Edward McDonnell against the said Johana Scott, administratrix of Robert Scott, on October 31, 1867, before a justice, the issuance of execution, levy thereon on the same day, and sale on June 30, 1869, to Moses Levy, at the price of §77.25. The counsel of the complainants has submitted an -an-
There is nothing' in 'the objection that the decree for a partition is not justified by the bill. The settled rule of a court of equity is to dispose of the •entire litigation, and if either party desires the partition, after their rights as tenants in common are declared, the order follows of course.
We express no opinion on the point suggested in the argument that leasehold property is realty under •our statutes, the case not requiring its decision.
Affirm the decree with costs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.