Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

14 Abb. Pr. 206

Danvers v. Dorrity

New York Supreme Court

Decided January 15, 1862

New York Supreme Court · decided 1862-01-15

Trial by the court. This was an action for the partition of certain real estate situated in the city of Eew York, owned jointly by the plaintiff and defendants. The answer set up that the property in question was owned by the parties to the action as tenants in common. That the parties were partners in trade, and had carried on business on the premises in question, and that the property sought to be partitioned had been owned by them as such co-partners.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently November 1926

1 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1862-01-15

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Clerke, J.

¶1The right to a partition of undivided real estate is not, I conceive, absolute. The relations of the joint-owners towards each other may be such that it would be exceedingly unjust to grant to any one owner such a right,—unjust not only to the other owners, but productive of injustice to creditors of other owners. Besides, no man has a right to make another a party to an action when the controversy is in a course of settlement in another court.

¶2This is precisely the position of affairs between the parties to this action. The real estate sought to be divided constituted a part of the capital of the copartnership which existed between *209them, and although it has not been positively proved that there are any liabilities of the firm remaining due, yet it would not be safe to take the testimony of any one witness upon that point as conclusive. Nothing but a final accounting can be satisfactory on that point, or on the question of the claims of the respective parties.

¶3The action pending in the Superior Court involves the property now sought to be divided, and until that action is terminated, it would not be proper to entertain any suit for the partition of it. The commencement of this action was totally unnecessary.

¶4The complaint should be dismissed as to all the defendants, but with costs only in favor of Dorrity.

/14/abbpr/206 · .json · Public domain