Brightwell v. Bare
Brightwell v. Bare
Opinion of the Court
Mary L. Bare, a married woman, the wife of W. W. Bare, owned as her sole and separate estate, a house and lot in the town of Alderson, West Virginia. She, with her husband, executed to appellee, Brightwell, a joint obligation for a sum of money, for the payment of which, she bound the said property.
Brightwell commenced his suit in equity in the circuit court of Monroe County, and filed 1ns bill against said Mary L. Bare, her husband and others, to charge said estate with said indebtedness, and some other small demands in favor of the other defendants. On the 14th day of September, 1892, a decree was entered in the cause in favor of the defendants, Bare, jointly, for fifty-seven dollars and eighteen cents, with interest and costs, and in favor of the other defendants for small amounts. The decree also provided for the renting of the property, in
In March, 1893, said Mary L. Bare died intestate, leaving surviving her, W. W. Bare, her husband, Stella Bare, who intermarried with Oscar Brust, and Nellie Bare, an infant, her only children and heirs at law. On the 3rd day of October, 1894, W. W. Bare, by his deed of that date, conveyed his curtesy in said real estate to J. Orr Nickell. In 1894, Joseph N. Alder-son commenced his suit in equity in the -said circuit court against said W. W. Bare and others to"subject said property to the payment of a debt alleged to be due him from W. W. Bare.
Certain decrees were made and entered in said last named suit, including a decree to rent the property to satisfy Alder-son’s demand. Both suits were removed to the circuit court of Sxunmers County and consolidated, or further heard together, as appears from the imperfect and confused record presented.
The property was rented under the decree in Alderson’s suit to G. W. Graves for a term of years.
In 1898, Brightwell filed his amended bill in his said suit, and made parties defendant thereto, said W. W. Bare, C. E. Lynch, as administrator of Mary L. Bare, deceased, G. W. Graves, James Mann, alleged to be a creditor of Mary L. Bare and W. W. Bare, Stella Brust and Nellie Bare. Summons was issued on this amended bill, and served on all of the defendants thereto. W. II. Boude was appointed guardian ad liSem for Nellie Bare, and filed her answer to said amended bill, to. which answer plaintiff replied generally. None of the other defendants made any appearance in said cause. There was a reference to a commissioner who made a report. On the 18th day of September, 1899, the cause was again heard by the court, upon the papers formerly read, and proceedings had therein; upon the answer of Nellie Bare, by her guardian ad litmn, and general replication thereto; and upon the commissioner’s report, whereupon the court pronounced therein personal decrees, as follows: That plaintiff, Brightwell, recover from W. W. Bare and C. E. Lynch, administrator of Marjr L. Bare, out of any money in the administrator’s hands unadministered, twenty-four dollars and forty-five .cents, with costs, less twentjr-seven dollars and twenty cents alreadjr j>aid thereon; that James Mann recover from W. .W.
On the 18th day of May, 1901, E. Chase Bare, as administrator of J. Orr Nickell and said Stella Brust, presented to the court, their several and respective petitions, and asked leave to file the same in said cause, to the filing of which the plaintiff, Brightwell, objected. The said objection was, by the court, sustained and said petitions rejected.
From this last decree, rejecting the petitions, the said B. Chase Bare, administrator as aforesaid, and Stella Brust, obtained from a judge of this Court, an appeal.
The petition 'of Stella Brust, alleges in substance, that she is the daughter of W. W. Bare and Mary L. Bare, against whom the bill in chancery was filed by said W. J. Brightwell in the life time of said Mary L. Bare, she having since, died, leaving petitioner, and another daughter, Nellie, an infant, her only children and heirs at law; that, at the time of her death, said
The petition of said E. Chase Bare, administrator of J. Orr Nickoll, alleges that his intestate was in his lifetime a creditor of W. W. Bare, and to secure him, the said W. W. Bare, on the 3rd day of October, 1894, made a deed by which he conveyed to said J. Orr Nickell all his interest in the real estate of his deceased wife, being a life estate as tenant by the curtesy in a certain house and lot in the town of Alderson of which said Mary L. Bare was seized and possessed at the time of her death; that while the said deed is an absolute deed of the life estate of the said W. W. Bare, it was in fact only intended as a mort-
He also asks such other and general relief as the court may see fit to grant.
It is contended by appellee that the appeal was improvidently awarded, and should he dismissed.
Neither of said petitions makes any person a party thereto; and neither of them prays any process thereon. Ho party to either of said suits, except the appellant, appeared to said petitions or to either of them. The said petitions are defective and insufficient. Shinn v. Board of Education, 39 W. Va. 499; Sturm v. McGuffin, 48 W. Va. 595. Said J. Orr Hiekell was not a party to either of said causes, and so far- as the record shows no mention of him, or of his alleged interest in the subject matter of the suits-, was made in any of the pleadings therein. “It is well settled that to entitle a party to obtain and prosecute a writ of error or appeal in this Court, he must not only be a party to the controversy, but the record must affirmatively show that he has been prejudiced by the order, judgment or decree from which the writ of error, or appeal is taken.” Miller v. Rose, 21 W. Va. 291, and cases cited; Williamson v. Hays, 25 W. Va. pp. 609-613. In Reed v. Nixon, 36 W. Va. 685, the Court says: “At all events, it is a well established principle that an appellant must show by the record not only that there is error in the judgment of the circuit court, but that he, himself, has been thereby injured.”
In Stout v. Phillippi M. & M. Co., 41 W. Va. 339, it is held: “One not a formal party cannot appeal, though effected as a pendente life purchaser.”
The decree in favor of appellee, Brightwell, is for twenty-four dollars and forty-five cents, and costs, and being simply a pecuniary decree for less in amount than one hundred dollars, exclusive of costs, the appeal as to him should not have been allowed to either of the appellants. McClaugherty v. Morgan, 36 W. Va. 191; Faulconer v. Stinson, 41 W. Va. 546.
Heither the estate of said J. Orr Hiekell nor his personal representative is bound by any of the decrees in said chancery cause. Therefore, admitting to be true, the' allegations of the petition of said administrator, his remedy, if any, is by original bill..
The circuit court did not err in rejecting said petitions. For the reasons stated, the appeal was improvidently allowed and must be dismissed.
Dismissed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.