Carr v. Huff

The plaintiff having attained her majority on the 23d day of April, 1889, brought this action to charge certain lands, particularly described in the complaint, with the payment of a legacy of $2,000 given to her by the will of her father, William G. Huff, who died in the town of Gates, Monroe county, 1ST. Y, January 14, 1879, leaving a last will and testament bearing date three days before his death, and which was subsequently duly probated in the surrogate’s court of Monroe county.

' By this will the plaintiff was bequeathed the sum of $2,000, and the defendant David C. Huff was appointed not only the executor thereof but also the testamentary guardian of the plaintiff. The testator died seized in fee of three acres of land in Gates; an undivided ninth part of fifty-four acres, an undivided one-half of three and "one-half acres, and an undivided' one-half of a six acre parcel in the town of Chili.

In the month of January, 1880, the defendant, David C. Huff, brought an action in this court individually and as executor, and also as testamentary guardian of this plaintiff, for the purpose, among other things, of charging the lien of the plaintiff’s legacy upon the real estate of the testator, and procuring a sale of the lands owned by him at the time of his death. This resulted in a judgment in December, of that year, adjudging that this plaintiff had a lien upon the real estate for the payment of such legacy, and directing a sale thereof, upon which sale, which was 'thereafter had, the net sum of $1,023.51 was realized, applicable to the payment of such legacy, and was put into a mortgage of the purchaser of a portion of the premises, with directions by the court

The case is silent as to what has been done with the income of this security from 1880 until the beginning of this action. There is nothing, however, to show that the plaintiff has, since she attained her majority, estopped herself from making the claim now set up by her in this action by having received the proceeds of such sale so procured in the action of David C. Huff. Unless, therefore, she is bound by the judgment procured in the suit of David C. Huff, instituted in her behalf, by him, as testamentary guardian, her right to recover in whole or in part in this action is indisputable.

Very little need be said touching the three acres of land in the town of Gates, above mentioned, because whatever claim the plaintiff may have had therein was entirely extinguished by the foreclosure of the Crittenden mortgage, in which action this plaintiff was made a party, and was properly represented therein by a guardian ad litem duly appointed.

' In respect to the other lands mentioned in the complaint, the plaintiff’s rights have not been foreclosed, except as above mentioned by the action of David C. Huff.-

The argument of counsel for the appellant is, that the action of David C. Huff, although he was the testamentary guardian of this plaintiff, was not a bar to the maintenance of this action, for the reason that the plaintiff herein was not represented in such action by a guardian ad litem, or otherwise than by David C. Huff, the testamentary guardian.

Inasmuch as the action of David C. Huff, which resulted in the above mentioned judgment was, in reality, for the benefit of this plaintiff, the objection so made by the counsel for the appellant is technical, and therefore unavailing, unless there is some positive statute which renders the judgment so taken in the year 1880 nugatory. The title of that action was as follows: “ David C. Huff, and David 0. Huff as executor of the last will and testament of William G. Huff, deceased, and as testamentary guardian of Louisa Huff, a minor, plaintiff against Ferdinand Huff, and others.” The recovery therein was solely for the benefit of this plaintiff.

The general rule now is, undoubtedly, that where an infant has a right of action he is entitled to maintain suit thereon immediately, without delay on account of infancy, and that before such action is brought a competent and responsible person must be appointed and appear as guardian for the purposes of the action of such infant. Sections 468, 469 and 1686 of the Code of Civ. Pro.

In'the case of Perkins v. Stimmel, 114 N. Y., 359 ; 23 N. Y. State Rep., 657, while it is stated that the theory of the Code is that all actions for an infant should be brought in his own name by a guardian ad litem, yet such had not been a fixed and unalterable rule so as to render null actions brought by a testamentary guardian designed solely for the benefit of the infant, and where it was apparent that the same was brought directly in the interest of such infant. In the same case, at general term, 42 Hun, 520 ; 4 H. Y. State Rep., 459, it was held that the action

On. the whole, while we agree that the better practice is at present to bring an action designed for the protection or the recovery of an infant’s property in the, name of the infant, represented by a guardian .appointed for the purposes of the action in hand, yet an action brought by the general guardian, where by the title and the averments in the complaint it is plain to see that the same is solely in behalf of. the infant, and where the recovery is for his benefit, is, in the absence of fraud or collusion, binding upon the infant. By the statute, 2 R. S., 150, § 3, the guardian is required to take the custody and management of the personal estate of the minor, together with the profits of his real estate, and is authorized to bring such action in relation thereto as guardian in socage might by law. We perceive in the provisions of the Code no language which works a repeal of this statute, and consequently the same must be deemed in force, although, as, above stated, under the general scope and purpose of the Code of Civil Procedure, an infant should be represented by a person specially designated by the court or judge to take care of his interests in each particular action.

The judgment appealed from should be affirmed, with costs.

Dwight, P. J., and Corlett, J., concur.