Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/137/300/
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 10:21:50+00:00

Document:
Where, in an action pending in a state court, two grounds of defense are interposed, each broad enough to defeat a recovery and only one of them involves a federal question, and judgment passes for the defendant, the record must show, in order to justify a writ of error from this Court, that the judgment was rested upon the disposition of the federal question, and if this does not affirmatively appear, the writ of error will be dismissed unless the defense which does not involve a federal question is so palpably unfounded that it cannot be presumed to have been entertained by the state court.
the payment of each and all the debts and liabilities of every kind whatever of each and both of the said firms of Johnson, Risk & Co. and Risk & Johnson, and bound and obligated himself to pay the same and protect and keep the said Johnson harmless from the payment of any part thereof."
L. Tiff Risk as his sureties; that the administrator, on the 21st of August, 1882, filed an inventory of the assets of the estate, showing certain cash on hand, and giving a list of personal property on which no value was set; that, on the 27th of September, 1882, the said Thomas L. Risk, as such administrator, filed in the probate court his final settlement of the estate of E. F. Risk, without giving the prescribed statutory notice to creditors and others interested in said estate, and that on the same day an order was entered confirming the settlement and discharging Thomas L. Risk as administrator, canceling his bond, and releasing his sureties from further liability. Upon this settlement, it was shown by the administrator that the personalty had been disposed of and that the whole amount with which he should be charged was $1,028.49, and he also showed the debts paid, the expenses of administration, and the sum remaining for distribution, and credited himself with the sums paid the distributees of E. F. Risk, deceased, being as follows: to Mrs. Jennie Duncan, to L. Tiff Risk, to Alice H. Risk as guardian of Eben L. Risk, grandson of E. F. Rish, deceased, and himself, $202.56 each.
Complainant averred that Thomas L. Risk made the payments to the distributees without taking any refunding bond as required by the statute, and in his own wrong and without the authority of law, and that he and his sureties on his administration bond are now liable to complainant on account of the matters set out in the bill for the full amount of said payments and interest thereon until paid. Complainant further showed that on December 1, 1883, Thomas L. Risk was appointed by the probate court administrator de bonis non of the estate of E. F. Risk, deceased, and at that time gave a bond as such administrator, with defendants L. Tiff Risk and H. C. Warriner as sureties, and thereupon qualified and had since continued to be such administrator, but had filed no inventory of the assets of said estate since his appointment, and had taken no steps in the administration, so far as the complainant knew or believed.
said E. F. Risk did not discharge him or his assets from liability to the plaintiff on the contract of indemnity, a copy of which is marked 'Exhibit A,' and a part of this bill, but such liability remains upon his estate, and the said Thomas L. Risk, as administrator thereof, personally, as if no discharge in bankruptcy had been granted, and the plaintiff further submits that the said distributees to whom the said Thomas L. Risk distributed the sums aforesaid in the manner aforesaid, to-wit, [naming them], are liable, and are bound by law to refund and pay the said sums so distributed to them respectively in order that the same may be applied toward the payment of the demand herein set up by the plaintiff against the estate of the said E. F. Risk, deceased, and the said Thomas L. Risk, as administrator."
The bill prayed process, and that on the final hearing complainant might have a decree against the defendants and each of them, or such of them as were liable, jointly or severally, for the sums they respectively owed him, and for general relief.
"This instrument further witnesseth that the firms of Johnson, Risk & Co. and of Risk & Johnson are this day dissolved, the said Johnson selling all his interest in the machinery, tools, and stock of every kind on hand belonging to both firms, to the said E. F. Risk, and part of the consideration for said sale and the above conveyance is that the said Risk assumes payment of each and all the debts and liabilities of every kind whatsoever of each and both of said firms, and binds and obligates himself to pay the same and protect and keep said Johnson harmless from the payment of any part thereof,"
"together with a lien equal to and like a mortgage upon his other undivided half of said foundry property, both land and machinery, to secure to Johnson the faithful performance of the undertaking herein made by the said Risk, which are that he will pay over to Johnson at the end of each month $150, one-half of all other collections eight months after they are made, with interest thereon at eight percent per annum, and pay all the debts outstanding owing by the said two firms or either of them."
"in the event that Johnson should have to pay any of said debts or be sued thereon, or should not be paid his half of the collections made as stipulated above, then he may proceed forthwith to enforce the liens herein retained and granted by proper proceeding therefor."
prayed an appeal to the supreme court of the state, which, on the 28th of April, 1887, affirmed the decree. Complainant then sued out this writ of error.
"3087-2249. That all creditors may be duly apprised of the death of any person indebted to them, the executor or administrator of the deceased shall, within two months after qualification, advertise at the courthouse of the county where the deceased usually dwelt at the time of his death, and other public places in the county, for all persons to bring to him their accounts and demands."
"3112-2274. Executors and administrators shall have six months from the date of their qualification to ascertain the situation of the deceased's estate, and to arrange and settle it, without being liable to suit and cost, and all suits commenced within that period may be abated and dismissed at the plaintiff's cost except suits brought by sureties of the deceased, which may be brought without delay."
"3117-2279. The creditors of deceased persons, if they reside within this state, shall, within two years, and if without, shall within three years, from the qualification of the executor or administrator, exhibit to them their accounts, debts, and claims, and make demand and bring suit for the recovery thereof, or be forever barred in law and equity."
"3222-2377. Creditors whose debts are not due shall be under the same obligation to present their claims as those whose debts are due, and, upon failure to do so, shall be barred in like manner, but a creditor shall not be bound to present his claim before due, except where the estate is represented to be insolvent as herein provided."
"3454-2760. The time between the death of a person and the grant of letters testamentary, or of administration on his estate, not exceeding six months, and the six months within which a personal representative is exempt from suit, is not to be taken as a part of the time limited for commencing actions which lie against the personal representative."
embraced in the foregoing article, shall be commenced after the cause of action has accrued, within the periods prescribed in this chapter, unless otherwise expressly provided."
"3472-2775. Actions for the use and occupation of land, and for rent; actions against the sureties of guardians, executors and administrators, sheriffs, clerks, and other public officers, for nonfeasance, misfeasance, and malfeasance in office; actions on contracts not otherwise expressly provided for, within six years after the cause of action accrued."
"3481-2784. Actions against the personal representatives of a deceased person shall be commenced by a resident of the state within two years, and by a nonresident within three years, after the qualification of the personal representative, if the cause of action accrued in the lifetime of the deceased, or, otherwise, from the time the cause of action accrued."
disposed of by the decision of a federal question, should have obtained the certificate of the supreme court to that effect, or the assertion in the judgment that such was the fact.
"it must appear affirmatively, not only that a federal question was presented for decision to the highest court of the state having jurisdiction, but that its decision was necessary to the determination of the cause, and that it was actually decided, or that the judgment as rendered could not have been given without deciding it."
statute, Todd v. Wright, 12 Heiskell 442; that under section 3454, construed with section 3117, the resident creditor has two years and a half after qualification of the personal representative in which to sue on demands not barred by the general statute, Maynard v. May, 2 Coldwell 44; Todd v. Wright, 12 Heiskell 442; and that when the general statute has commenced to run in the debtor's lifetime, death suspends its operation for not exceeding six months after that event and prior to the grant of letters testamentary or of administration, and suit cannot be commenced against the administrator for the six months following such grant, Bright v. Moore, 87 Tenn. 186; Boyd v. Lee, 12 Lea 77.
promissory notes for them or not. The ruling of the Supreme Court of Tennessee in Gray v. Williams, 9 Humphreys 502, 505, is to the same effect. See also Atkins v. Scarborough's Administrator, 9 Humphreys 517.
This bill does not show when the debt to L. Tiff Risk became due, nor when suit for its recovery was commenced against Johnson, but it was, of course, prior to April 22, 1878, when judgment was recovered. The contract of E. F. Risk had therefore been broken prior to that time, and this action was commenced on the 28th of October, 1885, more than seven years and six months after the breach, and more than three years and four months after June 27, 1882, the date of the letters of administration to Thomas L. Risk. Johnson was a resident of Tennessee, and should have exhibited his claim to the administrator and commenced his action within 2 1/2 years after the letters were issued. Moreover, the cause of action on the agreement would have been barred as early as April 22, 1884, against E. F. Risk, if he had lived, and, so far as his death operated to give further time, that had also expired. Inasmuch, therefore, as if the supreme court of the state had sustained the defense of the statutes of limitation, we cannot perceive that such decision would have been erroneous, it does not appear that the judgment, as rendered, could not have been given without deciding the federal question, or that its decision was necessary to the determination of the cause, and that it was actually decided.

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