Case Title: Ivinson Memorial Hosp. v. Swindler

Citation: 

Docket Number: 91-201

State: wyoming

Court: Wyoming Supreme Court

Date: 1992-04-10T00:00:00Z

Document:
Ivinson Memorial Hosp. v. Swindler1992 WY 39828 P.2d 1190Case Number: 91-201Decided: 04/10/1992Supreme Court of Wyoming
IVINSON MEMORIAL 
HOSPITAL,

 Appellant 
(Plaintiff),

v.

James P. SWINDLER, Jr., 
Personal Representative of the Estate of David Javens,

 Appellee 
(Defendant).

Appeal from District 
Court, Albany County, Arthur T. Hanscum, J.

Paul D. Schierer 
of Pence and MacMillan, Laramie, for appellant.

George L. 
Zimmers of Zimmers and Lopez, Laramie, for 
appellee.

Before 
URBIGKIT, C.J., THOMAS, MACY and GOLDEN, JJ., and GRANT, District 
Judge.

MACY, 
Justice.

[¶1]      Appellant Ivinson 
Memorial Hospital filed a complaint in the district court, seeking to recover 
$2,133.871 owed to it by Appellee James P. 
Swindler, Jr., as the personal representative of the estate of David Javens.2 The district court dismissed the 
petition because the matter was not within the district court's 
jurisdiction.

[¶2]      We 
affirm.

[¶3]      The hospital 
claims that the dismissal was erroneous as the district court had jurisdiction 
pursuant to Wyo. Stat. § 2-2-101 (Supp. 1991)3 (district court has exclusive 
jurisdiction in probate matters). Swindler asserts that the matter was within 
the exclusive jurisdiction of the county court pursuant to Wyo. Stat. § 
5-5-131(a)(i) (Supp. 1991) (county court has exclusive jurisdiction when prayer 
for recovery is for an amount not exceeding $7,000).

[¶4]      The complaint 
alleges that the hospital submitted a creditor's claim to Swindler and that 
Swindler rejected the claim by a notice mailed on May 13, 1991. The hospital 
filed its complaint on June 7, 1991. Section 2-2-101 vests the district court 
with exclusive jurisdiction "of all matters touching the settlement and 
distribution of . . . estates"; however, that grant of exclusive jurisdiction is 
tempered by the following sentence: "The jurisdiction over subject matter of the 
district court sitting in probate, sometimes referred to in this Title 2 as the 
`probate court', is coextensive with the jurisdiction over subject matter of the 
district court in any civil action." Wyo. Stat. § 2-7-717 (1980) authorizes the 
filing of a suit such as that at issue here once a creditor's claim has been 
rejected and the rejection has been filed with the clerk. Wyo. Stat. § 2-7-718 
(1980) directs that a suit filed against a personal representative must be 
brought in the proper court. In this instance, the proper court was the county 
court because its civil jurisdiction extended to this claim and the district 
court's jurisdiction did not. Wyo. Stat. § 2-7-719 (1980) also contemplates the 
suit at issue and requires that any judgment obtained in such a suit be filed 
with the clerk. The hospital did not follow this 
procedure.

[¶5]      The matters 
alleged in the complaint were within the exclusive jurisdiction of the county 
court as provided in § 5-5-131(a)(i). If a judgment on the complaint were 
obtained from the proper court, it could then be filed in the probate court, 
assuming all other relevant provisions of the probate code had been 
followed.

[¶6]      
Affirmed.

FOOTNOTES

1 The 
hospital also sought prejudgment and post-judgment interest, as well as 
attorney's fees.

2 The 
hospital performed the services in question for Javens during his last 
illness.

3 Section 
2-2-101 (emphasis added) provides:

     The district courts of 
the state have exclusive original jurisdiction of all matters relating to the 
probate and contest of wills and testaments, the granting of letters 
testamentary and of administration, and the settlement and distribution of 
decedents' estates. The court granting the letters has exclusive jurisdiction of 
all matters touching the settlement and distribution of the estates for which 
letters have been granted. The jurisdiction over subject matter of the 
district court sitting in probate, sometimes referred to in this Title 2 as the 
"probate court", is coextensive with the jurisdiction over subject matter of the 
district court in any civil action. A decree of distribution entered by the 
district court in probate, pursuant to W.S. 2-7-807 or 2-7-813 shall be a final 
determination of title as to assets described therein, as to all distributees 
served with notice, or who have waived notice, of the hearing provided for in 
W.S. 2-7-807 or 2-7-811, as the case may be. As to all other parties, an action 
may be brought and maintained at any time prior to the entry of final decree of 
distribution under W.S. 2-7-813, by or against the personal representative in 
the district court, sitting in probate, seeking any legal or equitable remedy as 
to any interest in property, real or personal, in which the estate asserts or 
claims any interest. In addition, all causes cognizable in the district court in 
any civil action may be brought and maintained, at any time prior to the entry 
of final decree of distribution under W.S. 2-7-813, by or against a personal 
representative in the district court sitting in probate which granted the 
letters to the personal representative.