Opinion

In re the Accounting of Stern

  • 17 Misc. 2d 396
  • 186 N.Y.S.2d 176
  • 1959 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 4135
Court
New York Surrogate's Court
Filed
Mar 12, 1959
Status
Published
Author
Moss
On the bench
Moss
Cited by
1 cases
Authority
More cited than 46.3%

The opinion

Maximilian Moss, S.

In this accounting proceeding the court is required to make a determination as to the manner of payment to creditors and priorities to be accorded. In Schedule D-l of her account, the administratrix designated seven general creditors of deceased as “ Preferred Creditors ” together with the United States Internal Revenue Bureau, New York State Tax Commission and City of New York. The United States Government filed its claim for unpaid income taxes. A stipulation entered into on behalf of the City of New York provides for its claim for sales taxes.

The United States Code (tit. 31, ch. 6, § 191) provides that whenever the estate of any deceased debtor, in the hands of executors or administrators, is insufficient to pay all the debts due from the deceased, the debts due to the United States shall be first satisfied. This priority is further established by sub *397 division 1 of section 212 of the Surrogate’s Court Act, and has long been acknowledged (Matter of Phillips, 169 Misc. 86, 90 , citing opinion of Chief Justice Marshall in United States v. Fisher, 2 Crunch [6 U. S.] 358, 395 [1805]). Similarly, the City of New York is entitled to priority in the payment of its claim for unpaid sales taxes since the unpaid sales tax is a debt due the State (Matter of McClatchey, 170 Misc. 696, 701 ; Matter of Brown Print Co., 285 N. Y. 47 ). The remaining creditors named in Schedule D-l, share pro rata, being general creditors within. the same class, 'there is no preference among them (Woodruff v. Claflin Co., 198 N. Y. 470, 473 ). Payments to creditors shall be made as herein directed.

Settle decree on notice.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

A word about cookies

We need a few to keep you signed in and the library working. The rest help us see which pages people use and where they get stuck. They stay off unless you say yes.