Austin v. Succession of Austin

73 So. 2d 312, 225 La. 449, 1954 La. LEXIS 1235
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedApril 26, 1954
Docket41275
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 73 So. 2d 312 (Austin v. Succession of Austin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Austin v. Succession of Austin, 73 So. 2d 312, 225 La. 449, 1954 La. LEXIS 1235 (La. 1954).

Opinion

MOISE, Justice.

The plaintiff filed an opposition to the homologation of the First and Final Account of Horace R. Austin, Testamentary Executor. The executor filed an exception of no cause of action, which exception was maintained by the district court and judgment entered dismissing the action instituted by the plaintiff or the oppositions filed by her. From this judgment, plaintiff prosecutes this appeal.

The chronological listing of the facts of the case has been so ably presented by the judge of the district court in his reasons for judgment that we will adopt that offering as our own:

“Charles Henry Austin departed this life on Sept. 7, 1951, while a resident of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, leaving a last will and testament which was duly probated by this Court. In accordance with the provisions of that will, Horace R. Austin, one of the decedent’s surviving sons, was appointed and qualified as testamentary executor.
“On August 11, 1952, the testamentary executor filed his ‘First and Final Account,’ and notice of the filing of this account' was ordered published. Before the account came up for homologation, however, a petition was filed by Mrs. Mai Marie Austin, surviving widow of the decedent, opposing the account filed by the executor and the plan of distribution therein set out, urging several alternate grounds as a basis for that opposition. To this petition the executor filed an exception of no cause of action, which exception *453 was regularly scheduled for argument on Oct. 2, 1952. On that date, however, with consent of the Court counsel for Mrs. Austin filed a supplemental and amended petition. Counsel for all parties thereupon stipulated (a) that the exception of no cause of action theretofore filed by the executor would apply to the supplemental and amended petition as well as to the original petition; and (b) that a plea of presciption could be filed in behalf of the executor at a later date, but that oral arguments on that plea would be presented by counsel on that date, Oct. 2, 1952, which arguments subsequently thereto would be supplemented by written briefs, and that upon the filing of such briefs both the exception of no cause of action and the plea of prescription would be considered as having been submitted.
“In accordance with the stipulations so entered into, oral arguments were presented on that exception and plea of prescription. The plea of prescription was duly filed by the executor on Oct. 7, 1952, and written briefs were supplied thereafter. At- the time counsel for petitioner filed their original brief, however, there was presented to the Court a ‘Second Supplemental and Amended Petition,’ which they proposed to file in behalf of petitioner, Mrs. Mai Marie Austin. The Court took under advisement the question of whether petitioner should be permitted to further amend the petition at that stage of the proceeding, and later concluded that she should be permitted to do so. Accordingly, an order was signed permitting the pleading to be filed, and the amendments accomplished by filing this second supplemental and amended petition were considered in disposing of the matters now at issue.
“The issues before the Court at this time, therefore, are those presented by the exception of no cause of action and the plea of prescription filed by the executor to the original and supplemental petitions of Mrs. Austin. A number of other pleadings have been filed, but it is not necessary to list or to consider them in disposing of the questions here presented.
“The petitioner alleges, and for the purpose of this exception it is considered as true, that decedent and Mrs. Mai Marie Austin were married on July 27, 1926. On March 11, 1936, however, Mrs. Austin filed a suit against decedent in this Court seeking a judgment decreeing a separation from bed and board between them * * *. An examination of the record reveals that all proceedings in the separation suit were regular. Both Mrs. Austin and the decedent were represented by counsel, inventories were made of all property owned by either of the parties by Court appointed notaries and com *455 petent appraisers and several issues were presented in the trial of the case, including the amount of the debts owed by the community. After the case was tried on its merits, judgment was rendered on April 23, 1936.”

The above judgment awarded Mrs. Ausa separation from bed and board and ordered a dissolution of the community of acquets and gains and a partition of its effects.

“Thereafter, but on the same day, the parties to that suit entered into a partition agreement which purports to partition all of the community property. By joint petition, the parties through their respective counsel sought to have this partition agreement approved and homologated, and accordingly in response to the prayer of that joint petition another judgment was rendered in the same proceeding on April 23, 1936, which reads as follows:
‘It Is Therefore Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed that the partition of the community as settled before N. F. Anderson, Notary Public, between the said Mrs. Mai Marie Austin and Charles H. Austin, be and the same is hereby homologated and approved by this Court.
i
‘It Is Further Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed that the injunction granted at the issuance of said suit and confirmed in the judgment of separation, he and the same is here ordered recalled and cancelled.
“ ‘It Is Further Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed that the judgment for alimony pendente lite having been fully satisfied, is hereby ordered cancelled and of no further legal effect.
“ ‘It Is Further Ordered that there is reserved to the said Mrs. Mai Marie Austin any legal rights she may have in the future to claim any further alimony if entitled to same under the laws of Louisiana.’
“Petitioner further alleges that thereafter, during the month of May, 1936, she and the said Charles H. Austin again began living together as man and wife, and they continued to live together from that time until the death of the latter. At the time the partition agreement was entered into and homologated by judgment of the Court it is alleged that decedent’s separate estate was valued at approximately $14,000.00. The inventory and appraisement made after his death, however, reveals that his property at that time was valued at $196,841.83.
“In his last will and testament, defendant bequeathed to a trustee the sum of $50,000.00, out of which his widow, Mrs Austin, was to be paid $350.00 per month as long as she lives, and in addition thereto he bequeathed to Mrs. Austin the use of the home and its furnish *457 ings as long as she maintains her residence there, all taxes and insurance to he paid out of the estate. These are the only bequests made to the widow.

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Bluebook (online)
73 So. 2d 312, 225 La. 449, 1954 La. LEXIS 1235, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/austin-v-succession-of-austin-la-1954.