Gruner-ellis Case Reversed Costs Against Gruner Est

Gruner = Ellis Case Reversed Costs Against Gruner Est.

Big Legal Victory in the Supreme Court for Attorneys Brown and Bogle

The Ellis Estate Claimed a Shrinkoge in Their Investments of About $30,000--Details of New Decree Not Yet Received

The supreme court Tuesday reversed the decree of the circuit court in the accounting of Leonhard Gruner as executor of the Ellis estate. This is one of the most important cases that ever went up from this circuit. It started about four years ago in the probate court. The lawyers began many different suits int he case and finally after Mr. Gruner's death, Judge N. W. Cheever, as executor of the Gruner estate, filed a bill for an accounting of Gruner as executor of the Ellis estate in the circuit court. The Ellis heirs embraced this opportunity of trying the whole case, which was so long winded that the record which went up to the supreme court covered 3,500 printed pages.

The Ellis estate claimed that Gruner should be charged with the shrinkage in the estate that was in his charges through bad investments, amounting to approximately $30,000.

The case was tried by the late Judge Babbitt and Mayor Arthur Brown for the Ellis estate and by Lawrence & Butterfield and DeVere Hall for the Gruner estate.

The decree of the circuit court allowed the account of Gruner practically as made and allowed $2,700 extra compensation for services as executor for 27 months.

Before the case could be heard in the supreme court Judge Babbitt died and Thomas A. Bogle was called in with Mr. Brown. The case was argued in the supreme court a year ago this month. The briefs were voluminous as was the record.

The telegram received by Mr. Brown announcing the reversal of the decree of the lower court with costs in both courts against the Gruner estate and stated that the supreme court would enter a new decree at Lansing.