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56 How. Pr. 232

Field v. Gibson

New York Supreme Court

Decided October 15, 1878

New York Supreme Court · decided 1878-10-15

Demubeeb to complaint. The ground of demurrer was that the court has not jurisdiction of the defendant, as executrix, &c., nor of the cause of action against her, as executrix, &c., &c.

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Decided 1878-10-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 4 later decisions — most recently July 1911

4 state decisions

2018781880189019001910decided

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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Van Vorst, J.

¶1This is an action for the recovery of rent due by the terms of a lease. The defendant is prosecuted as executrix of the last will and testament of Richard P. Gibson, deceased, who, in his lifetime, executed the lease under which the rent accrued.

¶2The complaint alleges, that the defendant, by an order or determination of the surrogate of Monmouth county, in the state of Hew Jersey, duly made, was, on the 16th day of March, 1875, appointed, and now is, the executrix of the will of the *233deceased, Rickard P. Gibson, and as suck took possession of tke premises which plaintiff had leased to the decedent.

¶3It is a general rule of law, that foreign executors are not recognized in their official capacity by domestic courts of law, and cannot be sued therein as such ( Campbell agt. Tousey, 7 Cowen R., 64; Vermilya agt. Beatty, 6 Barb., 429; 2 Kent's Com., 432, note C ; Leomard agt. Putnam, 51 N. H., 106; Metcalf agt. Clark, 41 Barb., 45 ; Dolittle agt. Lewis, 7 John. Chy., 45).

¶4I am, however, referred by the learned counsel for the plaintiff to Gulick agt. Gulick (33 Barb., 92), as an authority which sustains this action. But it is to be borne in mind that this action is at law to recover upon an obligation of the testator; no equitable relief is sought, but a money judgment only is demanded.

¶5Gulickagt. Gulickwas an action in equity, in which the defendants were asked to account and pay the avails of certain property, which had been received and converted.

¶6The property had been brought within this jurisdiction.

Bockes, J.,

¶7in Metcalf agt. Clark (supra), in alludnig to Gulickagt. Gulick, notices the fact that it was an action in equity.

¶8Actions in equity have been entertained, within this jurisdiction, against foreign executors who have brought, or had, in this state, property of the testator to prevent, upon proper allegations, its waste, and secure its application to the payment of the debts of the testator, according to the law of the state whence the executors derived their authority.

¶9This has been allowed to prevent a total failure of justice (Brown agt. Brown, 1 Barb. C. R., 189; McNamara agt. Dwyer, 7 Paige, 259).

¶10But when it is sought to recover a money judgment only against a foreign executor, the creditor should be remitted to the forum which has jurisdiction over him in his representative character. This court has no such jurisdiction, and there should be judgment for the defendant upon the demurrer with costs.

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