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71 N.C. 36

Thompson v. Joyner

Supreme Court of North Carolina

Decided June 15, 1874

Supreme Court of North Carolina · decided 1874-06-15

This was a petitioN by the plaintiff, as administrator, to sell the land of his intestate for assets, filed in the Probate Court of Nash county, in which the sale was refused, when the administrator appealed to the Superior Court of said county, where it was heard at Spring Term, 1874, before his Honor Judge Waits.

Decided 1874-06-15

Reade, J.

¶1The plaintiff, administrator, files a petition against the heirs for license to sell real estate for assets to-pay debts. The heirs, defendants, answer that the personal estate is more than sufficient for that purpose. His Honor refers it to a Commissioner to take an account, and pending the controversy about the sufficiency of the personal estate, his Honor orders a sale of the land, and closes his order as follows:

¶2This is signed by me upon the necessity shown for a sale, and not as a confirmation of any account stated by the Com*370missioner so as to prejudice the heirs-at-law in any subsequent settlement of accounts with the said administrator.

¶3This is manifestly erroneous. The necessity for the sale of the land” can appear only by taking the account and showing the personal estate to be insufficient. Sell the land and settle the accounts afterwards, says his Honor. That is reversing the order of things, settle the accounts first, and then sell the land, if the personal estate is insufficient to pay the debts. And if there has been a devastavit, then the administration land must be embraced. Latham v. Bell, 69 N. C. Rep. 135.

¶4There is error. Let this-be certified.

¶5Per Curiam. Order reversed.

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