Judges: Daly, Pryor
Filed Date: 5/7/1894
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 11/12/2024
The action was brought to remove the defendant, Charles G. Stevens, from his office as trustee under the will of Paran Stevens, deceased, which was admitted to probate by the surrogate of New York county on May 31, 1872. The deceased died seised of valuable real estate in the three states, namely, New York, Massachusetts, and Bhode Island (in the cities of New York, Boston, and Newport), respectively, and that which is situated in the city of New York is subject to certain trusts created by the will; one equal third part of the estate being devised to the widow, Marietta B. Stevens, to Charles G. Stevens, and to John L. Melcher, in trust for the testator’s daughter, Mary F. Stevens, now Mary F. Paget. Marietta B. Stevens and Mary F. Paget are the plaintiffs herein, and Charles G. Stevens and John L. Melcher are defendants. Mrs. Stevens is a resident of the city of New York, Mrs. Paget resides in England, and Charles G. Stevens is a resident of Boston, Mass. The last-named defendant questions the jurisdiction oi the court in this action, and its power to order substituted service of the summons upon him by publication.
If the contention of the defendant be correct, then it would seem that the courts of this state are powerless to interfere for the protection of the trust estate, which includes a large body of real property within their jurisdiction, so long as any of the trustees remain out of the state, so that personal service therein of the summons in an action cannot be made upon such nonresident; and it would also seem that, so long as the trustees reside in different -states, it would be impossible to find any court having jurisdiction to reach them, no matter what interference might be necessary for the enforcement of the. trust, and the protection of the interests
The cases which it-is assumed hold a contrary view differ in character from that before us. They concern chiefly the construction of a section of the Code relating to the place of trial of actions of the character specified in section 263 (Code, § 982); and it was held that an action to compel the cancellation of a satisfaction piece of a judgment did not affect a lien upon real estate in a particular county, because the judgment affected the real and personal property of the judgment debtor generally (Insurance Co. v. Clark, 22 Hun, 506); also, that an action to compel the assignment of a mortgage was not of that character, because the mortgage continued to be a lien upon the property, no matter to whom it was transferred (Bank v. Blake, 43 Hun, 162). And so with regard to an action merely to recover the money due upon town bonds, although they were a lien upon real property in the county. Becker v. Town of Cherry Creek, 70 Hun, 6, 24 N. Y. Supp. 19. In Gibson v. Trust Co., 58 Hun, 446, 12 N. Y. Supp. 444, it was held that the court ha,d jurisdiction of an action to remove a trustee who resided, and was served with process, within the state, though the trust property was situated in another state. But this decision in no wise questioned the right of the tribunals where the property was situated to entertain an action for the same purpose.
The special jurisdiction of the court of common pleas, as a superior city court, also attaches by reason of the residence of the plaintiff Mrs. Stevens in the city of Hew York. Code, § 263, subd. 6, above. The fact that Mrs. Paget, the cestui que trust, who is a nonresident, is joined with her, does not oust the court of jurisdiction acquired by the fact of her residence in the city. The two plaintiffs are not jointly interested. Their interest is common, but not joint; and Mrs. Paget is not a necessary party plaintiff. She might have been made a defendant; and if she voluntarily appeared, and submitted her rights, she would have given the court jurisdiction. The fact that she voluntarily comes in as plaintiff in company with a resident plaintiff cannot have a contrary effect, and go even further, i. e. to destroy the jurisdiction which the court acquires by reason of the coplaintiff’s residence.
The court having jurisdiction of the cause of action, as appears from the papers (Code, § 435), an order of publication was properly granted, the proof showing that the defendant to be served was a nonresident of the state, and that a cause of action exists, affecting the title to real property within the state (Code, § 438, subds. 1, 5); and the special term properly denied the motion of the defendant to vacate the order of publication. Order appealed from affirmed, with costs and disbursements.
GIEGERICH, J., concurs.
In an action to remove defendant from the position of testamentary trustee of local and foreign property un.der a domestic will, an order for service of summons upon him by
Meither can jurisdiction for this court be claimed on the ground that the cause of action arose in the city of Mew York. Code, § 263, subd. 2. The cause of action is the violation of his trust by the defendant; and that violation is alleged to be his hostile attitude towards his cotrustee,, resident in Mew York, while he resides in Massachusetts, and part of the trust property is there situate. Obviously, the animosity against the cotrustee imputed to him, and the manifestation of that ill feeling, must be in the place of his personal presence,—Massachusetts.
Mor yet has the court jurisdiction because the action is by a resident of the city against a nonresident. Code, § 263, subd. 6. One of the plaintiffs is a resident of England, and the joinder of that party necessarily defeats jurisdiction. An action by a resident and nonresident, jointly, is not the action by a resident, simply, of which the Code gives jurisdiction. Walsh v. Railroad Co., 6 Fed. 797.
Mindful of the principle on which substituted service of summons on nonresidents proceeds, I cannot hesitate to declare the case not to be within the policy and purview of the statutory provisions. “Substituted service by publication, or in any other authorized form, may be sufficient to apprise parties of the object of proceedings, where property is once brought under the control of the court by seizure, or some equivalent act. Such service may also be sufficient in cases where the object of the action is to reach and dispose of property in the state, or of some interest therein, by enforcing a contract or lien respecting the same, or to partition it among differ