Opinion ID: 2348125
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Standing of administrator d. b. n. c. t. a. to appeal

Text: The record discloses that the plaintiff-appellant did not designate for inclusion in the record on appeal the complete record [below] and all the proceedings . . in the action, and, for that reason, he was obligated, pursuant to Rule 74(d), M.R. Civ.P., to serve with his designation of contents on appeal a concise statement of the points on which he intended to rely, any point not so stated being deemed waived. [3] The statement of points on appeal actually filed reads as follows: The points on which plaintiff-appellant will rely on appeal are: 1. Since the deceased's son predeceased her, there was no property standing in the name of the deceased and her son jointly at the time of the deceased [sic] death and therefore there can be no gift to Eleanor G. Wade under paragraph `Second' of the deceased's will. The Law Court, except for questions of jurisdiction, is not bound to travel outside the scope of the points on appeal and will consider only the errors specifically assigned for review. See In re Noonday Club of Delaware County, Inc., 433 Pa. 458, 252 A.2d 568 (1968); Charlton Press, Inc. v. Sullivan, 153 Conn. 103, 214 A.2d 354 (1965); Bishop v. Board of County Commissioners, 230 Md. 494, 187 A.2d 851 (1963); Moses v. Wilkinson, 90 R.I. 253, 157 A.2d 478 (1960); 5 C.J.S. Appeal & Error § 1218, page 37, note 98, and cases cited. From his very points of appeal it appears that the plaintiff-appellant seeks review of the adjudication in the Superior Court underlying the granting of the motion to dismiss, whereby the presiding Justice ruled that title to the Northport property passed to Eleanor G. Wade, the widow of Marie A. Wade's son, John E. Wade. We are faced, initially, with the question, whether the plaintiff-appellant has standing in his capacity of administrator d. b. n. c. t. a. of the estate of Marie A. Wade to bring this appeal and have a determination respecting the proper construction of the second clause of Marie A. Wade's will. We answer in the negative. Section 1851 of Title 14 provides that [i]n any civil case any party aggrieved by any judgment, ruling or order [of the Superior Court] may appeal therefrom to the law court within 30 days or such further time as may be granted by the court pursuant to a rule of court. Hence, an appeal cannot be presented by a party not aggrieved, any more than it could be by a stranger to the record. Perkins v. Kavanaugh, 135 Me. 344, 345, 196 A. 645 (1938). This requirement applies to any order, judgment or decree rendered pursuant to our Declaratory Judgments Act (14 M.R.S.A., §§ 5951-5963), under which the plaintiff-appellant purportedly brought his complaint in the instant case. See 14 M.R.S.A., § 5959. [4] For the plaintiff-appellant to be a party aggrieved by the specific ruling of the presiding Justice of which he presently complains in this appeal, it must appear that the Court's ruling, order or judgment operates prejudicially and directly upon his property, or his pecuniary or personal rights. Jamison v. Shepard, Me., 270 A.2d 861 (1970). The legal title to devised real estate vests in the devisees, when the will becomes operative, that is, after it has been proved and allowed by the court having jurisdiction for that purpose, i. e. the probate court or, if an appeal is properly perfected or allowed, the supreme court of probate. See Cousens v. Advent Church, 93 Me. 292, 45 A. 43 (1899); Martin, Appellant, 133 Me. 422, 179 A. 655 (1935). The title of the devisees, following the legal establishment of the will, relates back to the time of the death of the testate decedent. Gray v. Hutchins, 150 Me. 96, 101, 104 A.2d 423 (1954); Wright v. Williamson, 67 Me. 524 (1877); Spring v. Parkman, 12 Me. 127 (1835). In the instant case, title to the Northport property vested as of the time of death of Marie A. Wade on November 10, 1969 in either the specific devisee, Eleanor G. Wade, or the residuary devisees, Lucie M. Desmond, Gertrude Moisan and Helen Moisan, depending on the legal construction to be given to the second clause of Marie A. Wade's will. But under no circumstances did the title vest in the plaintiff-appellant in his capacity of administrator d. b. n. c. t. a. of the estate of Marie A. Wade. See Brown and Appleton v. Strickland, 32 Me. 174 (1850). An administrator, as such, is not interested in the real estate of the deceased in an intestate estate; it is the heir who has a vested interest therein. In a testate estate, an executor or administrator c. t. a., as such, also has no interest in the real estate of the decedent; it is the devisees that do. Berry v. Whitaker, 58 Me. 422, 424 (1870). In Webb v. Dow, 120 Me. 519, 115 A. 279 (1921), an executor attempted to appeal from a Superior Court decree which had construed his testatrix' will in favor of one devisee over another. In determining whether the executor could properly prosecute an appeal, this Court reasoned that the appellant's rights and duties in the discharge of the duties of his office as executor in relation to the estate of his testatrix were not affected in any manner by the Superior Court decree. The Court viewed the executor as duty bound to perform his fiduciary responsibilities without regard to the possible rights on appeal of the aggrieved devisee. This Court accordingly held that the executor did not have standing and his appeal was dismissed. Whether the instant appeal be considered within the scope of 14 M.R.S.A., § 5956(3) [5] or § 6051(10), [6] the plaintiff-appellant must demonstrate that he was aggrieved by the Superior Court decree in order to prosecute an appeal from the judgment. The Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act does not dispense with the necessity that an appellant must be aggrieved by the ruling which he seeks to attack on appeal. Killies v. Williams, 208 Or. 238, 300 P.2d 408 (1956). The ruling underlying the Superior Court judgment clearly did not infringe upon the plaintiff-appellant's personal, pecuniary or proprietary interests. See Stilphen, Appellant, 100 Me. 146, 148, 60 A. 888 (1905). The plaintiff-appellant's sole interest in seeking a reversal of the decision below, as appears from this record, is to vindicate his opinion as to the true legal meaning of the will, but such is insufficient to give him standing to appeal. See Barnhart v. Madden, 39 Ohio Op. 473, 84 Ohio App. 323, 85 N.E.2d 591, 592 (1948). Furthermore, as administrator d. b. n. c. t. a. of the estate, the plaintiff-appellant represents all the beneficiaries under the will and, in so doing, must adopt a neutral position respecting their conflicting claims. His duty of impartiality compels him to refrain from asserting appellate rights of one beneficiary against another. The beneficiaries must protect their own rights. In re Estate of Morine, Me., 363 A.2d 700 (1976).