Heckendorn v. First Nat. Bank of Ottawa

This case presents the issue of whether a widow has the right to sue her deceased husband’s estate for a tort committed during coverture. Plaintiff sued the defendant, as administrator of the estate of her deceased husband, for personal injuries resulting from her husband’s alleged wilful misconduct on December 15, 1956. Upon motion of the defendant, the circuit court of La Salle County dismissed the complaint and entered judgment for the defendant on the ground that the action was barred by section 1 of “An Act to revise the law in relation to husband and wife.” (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1957, chap.…