Case Title: Meyer v. Anderson Banking Co.

Citation: 177 N.E.2d 662, 243 Ind. 145

Docket Number: 30,033

State: indiana

Court: Indiana Supreme Court

Date: 1961-10-30T00:00:00Z

Document:
243 Ind. 145 (1961)
177 N.E.2d 662
MEYER
v.
ANDERSON BANKING COMPANY.
No. 30,033.

Supreme Court of Indiana.
Filed October 30, 1961.
Rehearing denied June 25, 1962.
*146 O'Neill, Scott, Schrenker & Norton, Paul E. Schrenker and William J. Norton, both of counsel, all of Anderson, for appellant.
Wayne O. Wimmer, of Elwood, De Armond, Booram & De Armond, and Lawrence Booram, of counsel, of Anderson, for appellee.
JACKSON, J.
This appeal comes to us by order of the Appellate Court pursuant to Acts 1901, ch. 247, § 13, p. 565, being § 4-217 Burns' 1946 Replacement.
Michael Meyer, Jr., was duly appointed and qualified as the co-administrator of the estate of Mary Meyer, deceased, on the 19th day of March, 1956, in the Superior Court of Madison County, Indiana, and continued to act as such co-administrator until the 27th day of June, 1957, on which date the special judge of the Superior Court, on his own motion, removed Michael Meyer, Jr., and William Meyer as co-administrators of said estate, ordering them to file their final report within 30 days and appointed the Anderson Banking Company as successor administrator. *147 The Anderson Banking Company accepted the appointment and letters of administration were issued to it. The court's action was based upon its finding that an emergency existed for removal of the co-administrators, and was taken without notice, hearing or citation.
Upon learning of said order of removal, Michael Meyer, Jr., on the 16th day of July, 1957, filed his motion to set aside the order removing him as administrator. Such motion was overruled by the trial court.
The issue presented here is whether or not an emergency existed upon which the special Judge of the Superior Court could, upon his own motion, without a citation, petition, notice or hearing remove the said Michael Meyer, Jr., as co-administrator of the estate of Mary Meyer, deceased. Appellant's assignment of error, in pertinent part, reads as follows, to-wit:
The record discloses that on the 21st day of June, 1957, Michael Meyer, Jr., and others filed a motion for a change of venue from the Judge.
Objections of Tillie Leisure, et al., were filed to the motion for change of venue, which in view of the issue before us we set out in detail.
To the motion for change of venue and the objections thereto the court entered the following order:
Thereafter on the 27th day of June, 1957, the Court appointed the Anderson Banking Company as administrator de bonis non.
While the state of the record is far from perfect, it appears therefrom that, other than the recital that a hearing was had, embodied in the order of removal, no evidence was heard, no citation was issued or notice given of a proceeding for the removal of the administrator. On the contrary it appears that the hearing held was on the motion for change of venue, and that the removal of the administrator was incidental *150 thereto and not pursuant to notice or citation against the administrator. Other than the recital in the order itself, there was no showing of emergency and no evidence adduced from which an emergency could be inferred, nor was there any evidence taken in said hearing on the removal question disclosed by the record.
The removal statute, Acts 1953, ch. 112, § 1006, p. 295, being § 7-406 Burns' 1953 Replacement, reads as follows:
We assume that the removal in the instant case was predicated upon subsection (b) of the removal *151 statute. In such event we think it incumbent upon the trial court to have the record disclose, in substance at least, the facts constituting the emergency in order that a judicial review may be had of the actions of the court, where, as in this case, it is claimed there was an abuse of judicial discretion. May v. Sansberry (1949), 119 Ind. App. 523, 86 N.E.2d 88, 47 A.L.R.2d 316; State ex rel. Cassel v. Johnston (1933), 204 Ind. 563, 185 N.E. 278. See also: Henry's Probate Law and Practice, § 154, p. 162, (5th Ed.), and authorities there cited.
Appellant seeks to raise the constitutionality of Acts 1953, ch. 112, § 1006, p. 295, being § 7-406 Burns' 1953 Replacement. That question, being raised for the first time in this court, was waived by the appellant and need not here be considered.
Appellees contend that the overruling of the motion to reconsider the judgment removing said appellant as co-administrator of the estate of Mary Meyer is not properly in the record and that by reason thereof no final judgment is here for consideration. On that proposition we point out that the entry of the judgment removing said administrator constituted a final judgment of the trial court, and is therefore appealable and properly the subject of review by this court.
The judgment of the trial court is reversed, the cause is remanded with instructions to set aside the order removing appellant as co-administrator of the estate of Mary Meyer, deceased, and for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.
Achor, Arterburn and Bobbitt, JJ., concur.
Landis, C.J. concurs in result.
NOTE.  Reported in 177 N.E.2d 662.