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1 S.C. Eq. 27

Garlick v. Patterson

Court of Appeals of South Carolina · decided 1839-07-01

Heard by Johnson, Ch. The defendants were the heirs at law of Reuben Patterson, who died intestate, possessed of real and personal estate, but insolvent to a large amount. At the time of his death there were judgments and executions against him; under which, after exhausting the personalty, the sheriff proceeded to levy on and sell part of the real estate. Of the proceeds of the latter, there remained in the sheriff’s hands a surplus of about ninety-seven dollars.

Decided 1839-07-01

¶1Curia, per

Johnson, Ch.

¶2At the hearing, I was inclined, to think that the fund in the sheriff’s hands, although the proceeds of the sales of real estate, had become assets in the hands of the administrator for the payment of debts, and that, therefore, he might maintain an action at lavy tg recover *28it; but, if he was not entitled to it and had no authority to dispose of it in the regular course of administration, still, the bill could not have been maintained. I therefore dismissed so much of it as relates to this subject.

.Clinton, for the motion. Withers, .contra.

¶3On reviewing th.e case upon the argument here, I am satisfied that there was no foundation for the opinion that the complainant, as administrator, was entitled to the fund. On the death of the ancestor, the legal estate in the realty vests immediately in the heir or distributees, — subject, it is true, to. the payment of debts, but if any thing remains, they, and not the administrator, are entitled to pursue the fund. They are not parties to the bill, and there is no other allegation of the .existence of outstanding debts than the voluntary declarations of the administrator. If there are unsatisfied creditors, they are undoubtedly entitled to the fund; but it is their right, and not the administrator’s, to complain. ’

¶4The motion to reverse the decree of the Circuit Court is therefore dismissed.

Dunkin, Ch. concurred.
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