Riley v. New York Trust Co., 315 U.S. 343 (1942)

Riley v. New York Trust Co.

No. 81

Argued December 16, 1941
Decided February 16, 1942
315 U.S. 343

CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF DELAWARE

Syllabus

1. Consistently with the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Federal Constitution, when a State court, in probating a will and issuing letter testamentary, in a proceeding to which all distributees were parties, expressly finds that the domicile of the testator at the time of his death was in that State, the adjudication of domicile does not bind one who is subsequently appointed as domiciliary administrator c.t.a. in a second State in which he will be called upon to deal with the claims of local creditors, including the claim of the State itself for taxes, and who was not a party to the proceeding in the first State, and in this situation, the courts of a third State, when disposing of local assets claimed by both the personal representative, are free to determine the question of domicile in accordance with their own law. Pp. 348 et seq.

2. In the absence of a contrary ruling by the courts of Delaware, held that, by the law of that State, cases cited and relied on in an opinion of the highest court of another State -- which opinion is properly in the record -- may be considered as evidence of the law of such other State. P. 351.

16 A.2d 772 affirmed.

Certiorari, 313 U.S. 555, to review a decree determining the disposition of property belonging to an estate which was claimed by each of two personal representatives appointed in other States.