Steele v. Maness
Steele v. Maness
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
This is an insolvent bill filed in the chancery court of Lauderdale county, by a creditor of said estate. ' It is charged that the administi’ator had, before that time, suggested the insolvency of the estate to the county court, that the assets, real and personal^ exceeded one thousand dollars in value, with all other allegations specified in the statute for such a bill.
The bill as originally filed was amended by showing that, after the suggestion in the county court, publication had been made for creditors to file claims, and some seven or eight had filed claims with the clerk of the county court for allowance.
The bill was demurred to by several defendants on the ground that, after the publication and filing of
The action of the chancellor seems to have been based on what he understood to be the ruling of this "court in several cases. The first, Parks v. Gilbert, 1 Baxt., 97. This case was not a case of an insolvent estate at all, but a sale of land for partition and distribution of • the fund among parties entitled, which was sought to be transferred to the chancery court. The case of Pardue v. West, 1 Lea, 729, was another case for partition of land. The case of Rhea v. Meredith, 6 Lea, 607, 608, might seem to give some countenance to the view of the chancellor. But when ■the point decided is seen, the only question decided was, whether a bill could be filed to contest the propriety of the action of the county court, in laying off ■dower and homestead in an insolvent proceeding, and whether ‘ the court would permit a transfer of the ad■ministration to the chancery court solely for this purpose. The court held it could not be done, and that the •county court had complete power over the subject-matter, and the parties had their remedy in that court; .and could have made all the questions presented by 'their bill in that proceeding, if they had chosen to do •so. The dower and homestead had already been laid off.
From this it is seen, the administration, already commenced and in progress in the county court, is to be transferred to the chancery court, and that court and clerk have no further power to act in such administration, but the powers of said court and clerk are to be exercised by the chancery court.
From this it cannot be questioned, that while concurrent jurisdiction to the extent provided is given the two courts over insolvent estates, when the estate amounts to over one thousand dollars, the administra
We have repeatedly sustained bills in such cases,, though the precise question now presented has not probably been raised in any case.
As a matter of course, the court will see that the transfer to the chancery court is bona fide sought, and not as a pretext -to contest some other question, as in the case in 6 Lea, of dower and homestead, and if it should clearly appear to have been unnecessarily and improperly done from mere litigiousness, the additional cost might be taxed to the party filing the bill. But where the facts required by the statutes we see exist, no ground on which such a bill can be dismissed, simply because the county court has a limited concurrent jurisdiction with the chancery court, in insolvent cases, as provided by our statutes on the subject.
Reverse and remand for further proceedings, with costs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.