Bordelon v. Cobb

596 So. 2d 268, 1992 La. App. LEXIS 614, 1992 WL 46311
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 11, 1992
DocketNo. 90-1041
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 596 So. 2d 268 (Bordelon v. Cobb) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bordelon v. Cobb, 596 So. 2d 268, 1992 La. App. LEXIS 614, 1992 WL 46311 (La. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

GUIDRY, Judge.

In this partition proceeding, intervenors, the heirs of Elfie Lafleur (hereafter La-fleur heirs), appeal a judgment of the trial court maintaining an exception of prescription filed by the heirs of Lydia Fontenot Lafleur (hereafter Fontenot heirs) in response to the Lafleur heirs’ intervention in a suit for partition by licitation filed by the Fontenot heirs against Cynthia F. Cobb. We reverse and remand.

Lydia Fontenot Lafleur and Elfie La-fleur, a childless couple, left reciprocal wills granting the usufruct to his/her survivor over all the property of which they died possessed, both separate and community. Lydia died on October 11, 1985. On the ex parte petition of Elfie Lafleur, her will was probated and Elfie Lafleur was ultimately sent into possession of all community property, including the family residence, and was recognized as owner of a usufruct over Lydia’s separate property. This judgment of possession is dated January 29, 1985.

The record reflects that the family home was built with community funds on a 44.9 arpent tract of land which was Lydia Fon-tenot Lafleur’s separate property. As noted hereafter, under La.C.C. art. 2366, the home when built became Lydia’s separate property and was improperly designated as community property in the judgment of possession in her estate. In that same judgment, the Fontenot heirs were recognized as her legal heirs and, as such, owners of all of Lydia’s separate property, subject only to Elfie Lafleur’s usufruct.

Elfie Lafleur died November 16, 1989 and on ex parte petition of the Lafleur heirs, they were recognized, by judgment of possession signed December 11, 1989, as owners of all of his property. This judgment included the family home among the properties recognized as belonging to the Lafleurs.

On February 13, 1990, the Fontenot heirs, except Cynthia Cobb, who was made a defendant, filed the instant suit to partition by licitation the 44.9 arpent tract of land they had inherited from Lydia.1 The Lafleur heirs intervened in this suit seeking $35,000 or such amount to be set by the court as the value of the home formerly owned by Lydia and Elfie. The Fontenot heirs, in response to the intervention, filed an exception of no right of action based upon La.C.C. art. 2366, which provides as follows:

“If community property has been used for the acquisition, use, improvement, or benefit of the separate property of a spouse, the other spouse is entitled upon termination of the community to one-half of the amount or value that the community property had at the time it was used.
Buildings, other constructions permanently attached to the ground, and plantings made on the separate property of a spouse with community assets belong to the owner of the ground. Upon termination of the community, the other spouse is entitled to one-half of the amount or value that the community assets had at the time they were used.”

Thereafter, the Lafleur heirs also filed a petition for declaratory judgment seeking to be declared the owners of the house in dispute.

The Fontenot heirs and the Lafleur heirs each filed peremptory exceptions of prescription based on La.C.C. art. 2369, which states:

[270]*270“A spouse owes an accounting to the other spouse for community property under his control at the termination of the community property regime.
The obligation to account prescribes in three years from the date of termination of the community property regime.”

The Lafleurs and Fontenots each argued that prescription began to run upon the death of Lydia on October 11, 1985, the date the community terminated. The Fon-tenot heirs urged that inasmuch as Elfie Lafleur had not demanded an accounting within three years of the termination of the community regime by Lydia’s death that his claim and that of his heirs were barred and, therefore, the intervention and the petition for declaratory judgment should be dismissed. On the other hand, the Lafleur heirs argued that Elfie inherited Lydia’s community interest in the house and inasmuch as the Fontenot heirs did not seek an accounting within three years of Lydia’s death, any claim they may have had to the house was barred.

The exceptions of prescription were considered by the trial court and a judgment, without supporting reasons, was rendered August 27, 1990 in favor of the Fontenot heirs and against the Lafleur heirs, dismissing both the Lafleurs’ petition for intervention and their petition for declaratory judgment. The judgment of the trial court makes no reference to the exception of prescription filed by the Lafleur heirs. Presumably, the trial court intended to overrule same. The Lafleur heirs appeal.

The Fontenot heirs admit that inasmuch as the house was built with community funds on Lydia’s property, that Elfie had a claim for reimbursement from the community for one-half (V2) of the funds used to build the home. They argue, however, that, upon Lydia’s death, Elfie had three years to seek an accounting for his one-half (V2) of the community funds which were used to construct the family home and his failure to do so bars the claim of his heirs to now assert such claim.

The provisions of La.C.C. art. 2369 are not applicable under the circumstances of this case and the trial court erred in concluding otherwise. Article 2369 has reference to an accounting in relation to community property over which one of the spouses had exclusive control at the termination of the community. As set forth in this article’s revision comments:

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(b) This provision establishes the obligation of a spouse who has community property under his control at the termination of the community property regime to account to the other spouse for his administration. This is a heritable obligation. Thus, a spouse, or his heirs, may demand an accounting under this provision from the other spouse, or his heirs.
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In contrast with Article 2354, the obligation for accounting under Article 2369 is not predicated upon a showing of fraud or bad faith in the administration of the community. A spouse having control of community property at the termination of a community property regime occupies the position of a co-owner under the general law of property. Thus, he ought to be accountable for any loss or deterioration of the things under his control attributed to his fault, and for the fruits produced by the things, since the termination of the community property regime. Article 2369 thus reiterates a rule that governs the relations between co-owners.”

The house in question became Lydia’s separate property when it was constructed, albeit with community funds (C.C. art. 2366). Upon Lydia’s death, ownership of the home was acquired by the Fontenot heirs subject to Elfie’s usufruct and his right to claim reimbursement for one-half (V2) of the community funds expended in constructing the home. Since the home was Lydia’s separate property, La.C.C. art. 2369 is clearly not applicable. Further, the erroneous characterization of the home as community property in Lydia’s ex parte succession proceeding was ineffective as concerns the Fontenot heirs. Likewise, the ex parte judgment of possession rendered in Elfie Lafleur’s succession, which errone[271]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
596 So. 2d 268, 1992 La. App. LEXIS 614, 1992 WL 46311, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bordelon-v-cobb-lactapp-1992.