Gottsche v. Attorney General of United States of America

This is an appeal from a decree determining that the Attorney General of the United States was entitled to succeed to the real property of the estate of Henry Peter Ronkendorf and denying the claim of Henry A. Gottsche.

Henry Peter Ronkendorf, a citizen of the United States, died intestate on May 6, 1943. He was unmarried and without issue. At the time of his death he was the owner of certain real property in the county of San Joaquin. In 1947, the administratrix of the estate informed the Attorney General that the closest living relatives of the decedent were two first cousins who lived in Germany. Thereafter, in accordance with the provisions of the Trading With the Enemy Act, by Vesting Order Number 10174 dated November 17, 1947, the interest of the German cousins in the estate became vested in the Attorney General. Subsequently, as a result of an overseas investigation another first cousin was discovered and his interest was vested by Vesting Order Number 14654 dated May 15, 1950. Thereafter, upon the administratrix’s unopposed petition for distribution which set forth that the German nationals mentioned above were the heirs of the decedent and that their interest had been…