Case Name: In the Matter of the Estate of Josephine F. McElroy, Deceased
Court: New York Surrogate's Court
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1981-09-22
Citations: 110 Misc. 2d 792
Docket Number: 
Parties: In the Matter of the Estate of Josephine F. McElroy, Deceased.
Judges: 
Reporter: New York Miscellaneous Reports
Volume: 110
Pages: 792–792

Head Matter:
In the Matter of the Estate of Josephine F. McElroy, Deceased.
Surrogate’s Court, Nassau County,
September 22, 1981
APPEARANCES OF COUNSEL
Virginia B. Fitzpatrick, pro se.

Opinion:
OPINION OF THE COURT
C. Raymond Radican, J.
In this application for voluntary administration under the Small Estates Act (SCPA art 13), the decedent is alleged to have died leaving a handwritten will consisting of one sentence in which she leaves her entire estate to her sister-in-law without naming an executor. The sister-in-law, Virginia B. Fitzpatrick, has applied to act as the voluntary administratrix.
SCPA 1303 (subd [b]) provides that the named executor or alternate shall have the first right to act as administrator. If they renounce or fail to qualify, then voluntary administration shall be granted to any adult who would be entitled to letters of administration with the will annexed under SCPA 1418. While the statute literally seems to require that a named executor or alternate renounce or fail to qualify before voluntary administration may be granted, the court is of the opinion that the statute should be liberally , interpreted so as to permit the sole beneficiary to act as the voluntary administratrix. The application is accordingly granted.