Opinion ID: 1701473
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: summary administration

Text: Lastly, the plaintiff asserts that the trial court, in determining the intestate succession to the North Dakota estate of John Coulton after his death in 1943, erred when it relied on Chapter 56-01, North Dakota Revised Code of 1943, as determinative in the matter, because Chapter 30-17, N.D.R. C.1943, was the applicable law under the circumstances. [10] We disagree. It is settled law that the real property in an intestate's estate devolves to the heirs according to the intestate succession statutes immediately upon the intestate's death. Section 30-17-01, N.D.R.C.1943, provides as follows: There may be a summary administration of the estate of a deceased person as provided in this chapter, if: 1. Upon the return of the inventory of the estate of a deceased person it appears that: a. The value of the whole estate does not exceed the sum of fifteen hundred dollars; and b. There is a surviving husband or wife or minor child or children of the deceased; or 2. A petition for summary administration is filed as provided in section 30-17-02. This statute makes it plain that the probate court does not sua sponte apply or put into effect the summary administration permitted by Chapter 30-17, N.D.R.C. 1943, unless the statutory prerequisites are first met by either the filing of a probate inventory return showing qualifications for summary administration (which implies probate proceedings have been initiated) or the filing of a petition for summary administration. The plaintiff in the instant case attempted neither. In any event, he is not now in a position to claim the privilege of summary administration and the benefits therefrom which might have accrued to him if summary administration would have been permitted had he pursued the matter in the fashion required by statute. The decision of the district court is affirmed. ERICKSTAD, C.J., and PAULSON, PEDERSON and VOGEL, JJ., concur.