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39 Ga. 130

Lovelace v. Smith

Supreme Court of Georgia

Decided June 15, 1869

Supreme Court of Georgia · decided 1869-06-15

<p>A suit was instituted on a guardian’s bond against the principal and security to recover the amount of a judgment alleged to have been rendered against the guardian, and when the judgment was offered in evidence it appeared to have been rendered against the defendant therein in his individual capacity, and not as guardian. The plaintiff then moved the Court to amend the judgment, upon the ground that it was rendered upon a note signed by the defendant in his individual capacity, but in the body thereof promised to pay the plaintiff the amount specified in the note “as guardian,” without stating for whom, he was guardian. The Court refused the motion to amend the judgment, and non-suited the plaintiff’s case upon the evidence offered to charge the guardian and his security in a suit upon his guardianes bond for the amount of the judgment claimed by the plaintiff: Held, that the guardian could not, by any contract, bind the estate of his ward so as to render his security liable therefor, other than such as are specially allowed by law, as provided by the Code, and that there was no error in the refusal of the Court to allow the judgment to be amended, and in granting the non-suit, upon the statement of facts contained in the record.</p>

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1869-06-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 9 later decisions — most recently March 1978

7 state decisions

30186918701880189019001910192019301940195019601970decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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Warner, J.

¶1This Avas a suit instituted in the Court below on a guardian’s bond, against the principal and his security, to recover the amount of a judgment alleged to have been rendered against the guardian. When the judgment was offered in evidence, it appeared to have been rendered against the defendant therein, in his individual capacity, and not as guardian. Objection having been made to the introduction of the judgment in evidence, for the purpose of charging tire guardian and his security in a suit upon the bond, for a breach thereof, the plaintiff’s counsel then made a motion to the Court for leave to amend the judgment, upon the ground that it was rendered upon a note signed by the defendant, Smith, in his individual capacity, but, in the body thereof, promised to pay the plaintiff the sum of money specified therein, “ as guardian,” without stating for whom he Avas guardian. The Court refused the motion to amend the judgment, and then non-suited the plaintiff’s case upon the evidence offered, as contained in the judgment, to charge the guardian and his security in a suit upon the bond, to recover the amount of such judgment as claimed by the plaintiff. The judgment offered in evidence Avas rendered against Smith, in his individual capacity, and the question is, Avhether it could'have been amended so as to be entered up against Smith, as guardian, upon the statement of facts disclosed by the record. The notes on which the judgment was rendered read as follows: “ I, as guardian, promise to pay John H. Lovelace or bearer, etc.,” and were signed “ Charles A. Smith.” Story on Promissory Notes, states the rule in- such cases to be, that, “ As to trustees, guardian’s, executors, and administrators, and other persons acting en autre droit: they are, by our law, generally held personally liable on promissory notes, because they have no authority to bind ex directo the persons for whom, or for whose benefit, or for whose estate they act, and hence, to give any validity to the note, they must be deemed personally bound as makers. It is true, that they may exempt themselves from personal responsibility *133by using clear and explicit words to show that intention; but in the absence of such words, the law will hold them bound. Thus, if an executor, or administrator should malee or indorse a note, in his own name, adding thereto the words “ as executor,” or “ as administrator,” he would be personally responsible thereon. If he means to limit his responsibility, he should confine his stipulation to pay out of the estate f’ Story on Promissory Notes, sec. 63. A promise to pay, “ as guardian,” comes within the same principle. The more especially is this so, under the special provisions of the Eevised Code. By the 1821 section, it is declared that “guardians may make contracts for labor or services with persons of color, or with white persons, for the benefit of the estates of their wards, upon such terms as they may deem best; and all such contracts, made in good faith, shall be a charge upon and bind said estate, whenever the same are approved by the Ordinary of the county.” The 1828 section of the Code declares that “ the guardian cannot borrow money and bind his wards therefor, nor can he, by any contract other than those specially allowed by lato, bind his ward’s property, or create any lien thereon.” The object sought to be accomplished here is, to bind the ward’s estate, (that is to say, some ward’s estate, for the name of the ward is not stated in the notes,) by the individual contract of Smith, which, in our judgment, cannot be done in view of the facts of this case. There was no error, therefore, in the refusal of the Court to allow the judgment to be amended so as to bind the ward’s estate, nor in granting the non-suit for the want of evidence to entitle the plaintiff to recover the amount of the judgment in a suit therefor, on the guardian’s bond.

¶2Let the judgment of the Court below be affirmed.

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