OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Hooorabls Jesse Janes 

State Treasurer 

AuBtin, Taxes 

Dear Mr. Jemset 

Litate Trees 

he above subjeot 

of ,the County C 

81ent 0r g3,ss 

hart aa state 

era tiow available 

idon that the enuw3 mm-iOlsnc 

y payment es ord8rau’; 

80 mQe ie the State Treaercrpozwibility to the heimi 

ex or any other& that might appear in the rutursV* 

The following krticlem of the RevlseQ Civil 3tatutan 

are psr*fnentr 

-Article 965%. men funds 0r an estate iuAos 

been *id to the State Treasurer, any heir, Qsvlsee 

or legatee of such estate, or their assignees, or 

any of them, may recover the portion of such funQs 

to w:~ich he or tkay wogld have baen entit3.eQ.w 
Honorable Jesse James - 

"hx%iQlS 3665. The person claiming such fun&s 

shall institute his sult ttersfor, by p;,tition filed 

in the county court of the aounty in w%icb the sstate Was adoiuiatered, a&ainst the State Treasurer, 

Setting forth the petiticner*s 

ant? the acount clclxacd by hh.- 

right to such funds, 

"Artlcls 9654. 

the Clark sbdl 

Upon the filing of such ;Iatition, 

lsaw a oitrrtion for the County AttorfieY of the County or the Cistrlot ht,torney of the &istrict ti. anwar and reprcssnt the int0rsst of the 

State in Such suit, antI It shall bs tno duty ot such 

C0UIIty or riiStriQt Attqrnsy to do 8s." 

"Prticls 6666. 'Rho prosssdings in mah suit 

shall bs gorarnsd by ths rules ror othsr oivil 

Suits1 and shsuld the ylaitilf'f l stsblish his 

.

‘. 

:c: +4:,:t: ’ $l.j. 

IB'ith rsspwt to ths vsl.tdity of suoh judgasnt, fnvolrlng as It does, a suit in #&s COIloty Court to TeOeTQr ths 

8~ of $S,85&.95, wb beg to advise that the statuts authorizing the county Court to sxsroiso ~urisdlctlon has boonupheld 

by thr aqmsme Court sines ah Sarly day. 

Ih Dodson v. Worthem, 8t8to Trsssurcr, 46 8. ,U., 888, 

Justim Ply, writing the oplnlon for the Co.Wt oi Clril,A.p- 

.peals. said: 

** * *+ fn utiole BE11 (rhieh 8 Mund und.s 

title ~91, relating to estates ofdec' 3 deDt8, it 18 

provided that when the tund8 belonging tQ as 88- 

state have nct,bsen claiard by heirs, mQ him besn 

pid to the state treasurer by wdu oi the oouato 

judge, that any hairy, dsrises, Qr ls&xats~ Qf ths 

decedent *~laiaing such runds, or any portion thornor, shall institute his milt thrrsfor, by petltioa 

riled in the oounty court o? the county is which tha 

estate was a&s.Iclsterod, against the txeasurar of 

tne mite, satti& rorth tiia pstitiossrSs rl$ht to 

suoh funcs, and the amount claimed by hibe' It 1s 
E'Jriorable Jeaae Jomae - r~aga 5 

bVideAtly contaapleted by this Btatuta tket the 

%:.it in question can ha brought in the cwnty 

t! urt r?&ardleSs of the amount, e,Ad the etntate 

ie conatitutfonal, in aas8 the amount should be 

less tlan ;,POO oi- more than $1,000, only on the 

growid that the county court ha6 obtained Juriadiction of the estate S.y the administration, and 

that the suit 1s a mettar ;Isrtaia!ng to such admicistration. In this case the suit ia for 

$1,7%lG?.Q, a. ,Isatter in exoesa of tha j;lr:\adlation of the county oourt except on the @wnd 

mntioned, that it 3.8 5 mattar pertaf:A,ng to en 

estate. iTe have found no ceee in thlm 8tata dirsctlg in point, but in the case oi heaeurer 

v. Wygali, 46 Tsx. 447. suit use instituted in 

ths county oourt for tundr belongiag to an emtate, amountIng to over #50,000, ,and, although 

thb Potter of jtiiedietlan was not disour8e6, wa 

muat presume it ~4x114 have been aotioed had them 

been in the minds af WAS .oourt ,any .questlog a& tr, 

jux$adiotien. bhen the same oaae was agaia before tha supreme oourt (51 Ter. (Bgl), it w6 held 

that ,a Judgmant In favor of other holm was m* 

,!.& ..I.~:I.~:;;:;t,~,:*~~~~~:er,~:La*,l~*o::~~~ i::~:~~:,rrrri~~ii,~i~~*:i;~~~'::i;!;!': .Il;i:;:,;;::;I;<~.~,,, .'...i

that a proceeding like the one we are aonslder~ing 

ia one in rem, in wtioh the partlerr claiming the 

eatate should have intervened' tht*t is to sap, it 

a8 a oontinuetion of the fxbdkiietmtian of a5 es- 

$e$b,of ridah the oou5ty etmrt had jurisdiatfon. 

. 

Yena are thersfora reo setfully sdvimed that the 5otmty 

Court OS El Paso County had jur ! ediction to reader ths $udgmeat 

IA rav0r of the plaintiffs, and It remains only to he EWIII 

whethar or not the order found in suah judgment direotiag the 

,dsfendaat, State Treasurer, to pay said ju@vmnt to Lom.l~ & Kirkland, attorneys oY reocrd for plaintiffa, i8 sufficient to authorize you to make paymant dirsctly to %uoh attorneys* 

We have oarsfully uamlnsdzthe authorLtlse with respeot 

to thie question. There Is nmah uacttrteinty in the law 6s to thirr 

point. Of oour8e, aucfi atto.rney may be olothsd with ruch power in 

the contract of am;soyuient., orhe may otherwise have such power 

conferred ~pon him. MI hnve nothing to show that such actual authority has beer; conrarred ul;on ati:orneya for plaintiffs in thi8 instance. 
Honorable Jeasi Jamerr - z;agcl 4 

W4 note the order of the Judge ir "that tho amount 

hereitartsr awarded and 8st rorth, bs paid to Loomi & Klrlcland, attorney8 0r record ror plOintfrr8, who fm authilri88d 

to alga receipt8 thoreror on rooeipt or name from the damda nt l* 

It 18 our 0p15105, howsver , this language add8 notht;: *+p the legal 8rrOOt 0r the 

f !I 

Onciml judgmmt ror the lainSuab matter vma not an 68~ for the court ts ds 

and tlk order ltaali a8 ruoh has no binding SOECO. 

e em:ns, 

Grd8rs naQo 

bsyoad the i88u~8 before the court are not for adjudioation. 

The ylalntlfi8 and their &ttorney8 wera, OS oour88, not adrelc 

86ry prtls8. 

P.wthrrmom, it l ppean the application upbnnhich 

tha ,Jtidgment'hcm under oonsidwatlon ua8 rendsrsd w8a1 ill8d 

orlglnrrlly en IMe:-mbor b, 192#, and tha Judgwnt rendered 

;8.& daadAu&a8t SI5, 1944.. Them are ten ditierent 

Whether ot not theacl plaintlrfs am 

in& is not ;hown. 

stl f 

18in1 llrmetlmr @r not they or any or th8m have 

horeiorors a8nignd 8aaoh udgant 18 not 8hown. The lap86 6s 

i:l;~-:,,,:~,,iv?i,;i.,ir.a.;,, &~u:.i*~~~~~~~<~~@!~ iI ~,*,&@@p~*~i~)3sh ..:b,h* .,.*.",**Q*",p@o 'i'. 2 

olte8 thrt'depo8l0lonr rim raad and oral testlmonf heard baa 

boon wmmal& 

In riow OS all the iact 8urounQing thlr sltuatlon, 

it i8'mr ~pif1185, a nd we 80 l dvtso, that you should sot pay 

the Judgm8nt to the 8ttoreeya for the plaintirfs. Thrlr l uthsrity to make 8uoh eollrotlo5 may la Saot exid)t, but the matter 

hnet made to appear wiiah ruSSloimnt olesrity an to authorisa 

you toe make papont. 

FO 8qa8t that you iakr pa&mat of t&o /uthpoat by 

rsgular tremmmsr*~ warranta mdrflY;ah& ;pb&rFz;r&- 

plaintffllu in tim 8mou5t8, reqm8 

mlt the86 lrarrrnts to the Clerk OS the &nt~ C&t oi El Pa80 

County at BJ Pa&b, andorelng upon oaoh ouoh warrant the Judgment in payment for rhiah it 18 lmuod. 

very truly your8 

APPROVFiD DIE 18, X014 ATTORNES omw OF TNxA3 

/a/ Carl,* C. h8hl.v 

FlR8T A33~3TMT ATTORIHT OXlti=A& m 

m-gpiw 

AlTRcXND OPINIOll COMMI~B BY /$/ 0. P;. B., CHAIRMAlI