Baker v. McDonald

97 So. 262, 154 La. 1, 1923 La. LEXIS 1880
Supreme Court of Louisiana·Decided April 2, 1923·No. No. 154·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

O’NIELL, C. J.

Plaintiffs have appealed from a judgment dismissing their suit on an exception of no cause or right of action. Several of the defendants first filed exceptions to the method of citation, and then joined the other defendants in their exception of no cause or right of action, saying that they reserved the benefit of the exception to the method of citation. The judge sustained the exception to the method of citation, only to the extent, however, of directing that the defendants who had excepted should be properly cited. On the same day, the court rendered a judgment maintaining the exception of no cause or right of action, as to all of the defendants, and dismissing the suit. The plaintiffs appealed from both judgments. The defendants did not appeal from the judgment, which allowed the plaintiffs another opportunity to have the citation properly served; nor do they ask that the judgment be amended so as to dismiss the suit for want of citation. They prefer, of course, that the suit should remain dismissed for want of a cause or right of action. That ground for dismissing the suit was and is yet applicable to the defendants who excepted to the method of citation, as well as to those who were properly cited.

Appellants contend that, by joining in the exception of no cause or right of action, the defendants who first excepted to the method of citation have abandoned that exception, notwithstanding their expressed intention to reserve it. That is a matter of no importance if the exception of no cause or right of action was well founded. The argument that the filing of the exception of no cause or right of action was a waiver of citation is an acknowledgment that the defendants who had excepted to the method of citation are subject to the ruling of the court on the exception of no cause or right of action. And the attorney for those defendants also concedes that they were and are yet subject to the ruling of the court on the exception of no cause or right of action. In other words, the judgment dismissing the suit for want of a cause or right of action has done away with the previous ruling on the exception to the method of citation. Therefore we need not consider this latter exception if we affirm the judgment sustaining the exception of no cause or right of action.

The plaintiffs are the testamentary executor of the estate and some of the collateral-heirs, nephews and nieces, of the deceased, John W. McDonald. The defendants are the nephews and nieces who attacked the will of the deceased, averring that he was not of sound mind when he made his will. The judgment,of the court in that suit was that John W. McDonald was of sound mind when he made his will. See McDonald et al. v. Baker et al., 150 La. 1084, 91 South. 519. The object of the present suit is to revoke the bequests made to the defendants in John W. McDonald’s will, because of the alleged “grievous injury done to the memory of the testator,” by the allegations made by the present defendants, as plaintiffs in the other suit. The allegations were:

[?]*?“That the said John W. McDonald, deceased, was, for a number of years prior to his death, afflicted with an incurable malady, and that the said John W. McDonald was notoriously insane, and was incapable of making a will.”

It is alleged in the present suit that John W. McDonald had enjoyed an excellent reputation, socially and commercially, in the community in which he lived.

The action is founded upon articles 1559, 1560, and 1561 of the Civil Code, laying down rules for the revocation of donations inter vivos, and upon articles 1710 and 1711, seeming to apply the same rules to donations mortis oausa.

Article lo59 enumerates the four causes for which “donations inter vivos are liable to be revoked or dissolved,” the first cause stated being “the ingratitude of the donee.”

Article 1560 specifies the only three manifestations of ingratitude for which a donation inter vivos is liable to be revoked, viz.: (1) If the donee has attempted to take the life of the donor. (2) If the donee has been guilty towards the donor “of cruel treatment, crimes, or grievous' injuries.” (3) If the do-nee has refused the donor food, when in distress.

Article 1561 declares that actions for revocation of donations for ingratitude are barred by the prescription or limitation of one year from the day of the act of ingratitude, or from the day on which the donor became aware of the act of ingratitude. And this article declares that the action for revocation on account of ingratitude cannot be brought against the heirs of the donee; and, that it cannot be brought by the heirs of the donor against the donee unless the donor himself has first brought the action or has died within the year after the act of ingratitude was committed.

The provisions of articles 1559, 1560, and 1561 are in the chapter treating only “Of Donations Inter Vivos,” and are not at all ap¡ propriate to donations mortis causa. Articles 1710 and 1711, however, in the chapter treating “Of Dispositions Mortis Oausa,” seem very significant. Article 1710 declares that the causes for which donations inter vivos are subject to revocation are also causes of action for the revocation of testamentary dispositions. And article 1711 declares that the action for revocation of a testamentary disposition, “founded on a grievous injury done to the memory of the testator,” is barred by the prescription or limitation of “a year from the day of the offense.”

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Baker v. McDonald, 97 So. 262, 154 La. 1, 1923 La. LEXIS 1880 (La. 1923).

97 So. 262 (Baker v. McDonald) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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