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90 Mass. 357

Field v. Craig

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Decided January 15, 1864

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · decided 1864-01-15

Bill in equity by the administrator of the estate of Loring Norcross, setting forth, among other things, that in September or October 1860 the said Norcross, having been previously connected with the defendant in the business of printing and dyeing goods at Lynn, entered into an agreement with him for the future transaction of the same business, by which the stock, machinery and fixtures then on hand were declared to belong to said Norcrosfc 5s Craig as tenants in common ;…

Decided 1864-01-15

Dewey, J.

¶1The matters alleged in this bill and the relief sought do not present the issue upon this demurrer as necessarily dependent upon the question of the right of one tenant in common of an article of personal property to compel a sale of the whole property against the wishes of his cotenant. The bill alleges not only a joint ownership of stock, machinery and fixtures, but a joint business, carried on by the parties. It alleges a refusal on the part of the defendant to render any account of the transactions between them, or of the manner in which the *359work was earned on, as well as a refusal to deliver to the plain tiff any part of the property, or to consent to a sale of the same, and a division of the proceeds according to the respective rights of the parties.

¶2The jurisdiction of a court of equity as to cases of tenancy in common, or joint interest in personal property, seems to be unquestionable. .Gen. Sts. c. 113, § 2. Ferry v. Henry, 4 Pick. 75. In what mode and to what extent the court will interfere and order a sale of machinery and other personal property owned by tenants in common for the purpose of closing the concern, in casé of the death of one of them, it is not necessary in the present stage of this case to decide.

¶3This general demurrer to the whole bill must be overruled.

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