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21 Mass. 97

Stebbins v. Smith

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Decided September 29, 1826

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · decided 1826-09-29

<p>A promise to pay a debt of a testator, by an executor who has given a bond to the judge of probate to pay the testator’s debts and legacies, is not within the statute of frauds, for the bond is an admission of assets.</p> <p>Giving up securities against the testator’s estate, is a «efficient consideration for such a promise.</p> <p>It seems that the creditor’s remedy on the bond is extinguished by such discharge of his demands.</p> <p>Where one of two executors, who had given such a bond, promised to pay the sum due to a creditor, and gave his negotiable note therefor, and the creditor then gave, up his securities against the testator’s estate, and afterwards the' note was avoided for usury, it was keld9 that the creditor might maintain an action on the paroi promise of the executor.</p>

Decided 1826-09-29

Wilde J.

¶1_ _ delivered the opinion of the Court. It appears by the report of the case, that only two questions of law were raised at the trial: — 1. Whether the consideration proved, were sufficient to support the promise ; — 2. And if so, whether the note subsequently given amounted to payment, and discharged the promise.

¶2That the note was given subsequently to the promise de • dared on, seems to be sufficiently proved, and we consider the fact as established by the verdict. It was not questioned at the trial; on the contrary, the defendant then contended that the note, being negotiable, discharged the promise, and was a payment of the balance now claimed. And t would have been, but for the avoidance of it by the defendant. That this avoidance lets the plaintiff into his previously existing demand against the defendant, is proved by the case of Johnson v. Johnson, 11 Mass. R. 359.1

¶3As to the question of consideration, it appears that the plaintiff discharged his accounts and gave up his notes against the estate of the deceased; which the defendant was bound to pay, having given bond to pay debts and legacies without returning an inventory. This is a sufficient consideration, whether the plaintiff’s security on the bond were extinguishe 1 or not. There seems, however, to be no doubt that the plaintiff’s remedy on the bond was extinguished by the discharge of the debt.

¶4The suggestion that the promise is void by the statute of frauds is clearly unfounded. It is not a promise by an executor “ to answer damages out of his own estate for the bond given to the judge of probate is an admission of sufficient assets, which the defendant is estopped to deny.2

¶5 Judgment according to verdict.

¶6 See Edgell v. Stanford, 6 Vermont R. 551; Rice v. Welling, 5 Wendell, 595; Hughes v. Wheeler, 8 Cowen, 77; Hammond v. Hoppings 13 Wendell, 505; Fugate v. Ferguson, 1 Blackford, 366; Turner v. Calvert, 12 Serg. & Rawle, 46; Ramsdell v. Soule, 12 Pick. 128.

¶7 See 2 Stark. Ev. (5th Amer, ed.) 346, n. (2).

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