Bourgeois v. De Soto

280 So. 2d 271
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 7, 1973
Docket9119
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 280 So. 2d 271 (Bourgeois v. De Soto) 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
Bourgeois v. De Soto, 280 So. 2d 271 (La. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

280 So.2d 271 (1972)

Nancy Guedry BOURGEOIS
v.
Madge Fields DE SOTO et al.

No. 9119.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

December 26, 1972.
On Rehearing May 30, 1973.
Rehearing Denied July 5, 1973.
Writ Refused September 7, 1973.

Ferdinand J. Kleppner, Grisbaum & Kleppner, Metairie, for appellant.

Charles E. Cabibi, Jr., New Orleans, for Charlotte Staack.

Ronald W. Guth, Fritchie, Cooley & Guth, Slidell, Scallan E. Walsh, Baton Rouge, for Madge Fields DeSoto.

Before LOTTINGER, ELLIS and CUTRER, JJ.

*272 LOTTINGER, Judge.

This is a suit by Nancy Guedry Bourgeois, as petitioner, and against Madge Fields De Soto wife of and Anet De Soto and Charlotte S. Stack, as defendants, to have the Court declare null and void a Sheriff's Sale wherein Madge Fields De Soto was the successful bidder. Exceptions of no right or cause of action were filed by the defendants and were maintained by the Lower Court. The petitioner has taken this appeal.

The facts show that Jacob Richard Bauer held a first mortgage dated September 15, 1962, on certain property in St. Tammany Parish owned by Athen Sidney Tanner. The Small Business Administration had a second mortgage dated January 13, 1965, on the same property.

Jacob Richard Bauer has since died and defendant, Charlotte S. Stack, is the testamentary executrix of his succession. On December 18, 1965, Athen Sidney Tanner sold the real estate in question to petitioner herein. As part of the consideration for the said sale, petitioner assumed payment of the second mortgage on the property in favor of S.B.A., however, no mention was made of the first mortgage in favor of Jacob Richard Bauer.

On January 28, 1966, Athen Sidney Tanner died, leaving a will which has been probated and under which Madge Fields De Soto was named the testamentary executrix and universal legatee. On September 20, 1967, an order of executory process was filed by the Court ordering the seizure and sale of the property originally owned by Athen Sidney Tanner but subsequently sold to petitioner. A curator ad hoc was appointed to represent the estate of Athen Sidney Tanner. Petitioner was not aware that the succession of Mr. Tanner had been opened and that Mrs. De Soto had been appointed as testamentary executrix.

The notice of appointment, demand for payment and the petition for executory process was served on the curator ad hoc on October 13, 1967. The notice of seizure was served on the curator ad hoc on November 2, 1967.

On November 10, 1967, an amended and supplemental petition was filed in the executory proceeding stating that the succession of Athen Sidney Tanner had been opened and that Mrs. Madge Fields De Soto had qualified as the testamentary executrix of this estate and as such would be the proper person upon whom the suit should be served. The original petition and supplemental and amended petition were then served on Mrs. De Soto.

The sale was advertised, the advertisement stating that "the terms of the sale would be for cash without benefit of appraisement." Madge Fields De Soto was the highest bidder at the Sheriff's Sale held on December 13, 1967, and title was delivered to her.

On March 26, 1968, a petition was filed in the succession of Athen Sidney Tanner stating that there was a second will of Mr. Tanner's dated December 18, 1965, naming petitioner herein as executrix and, the appointment and confirmation of Madge Fields De Soto was revoked on March 26, 1968, some three months after the sale. The second will has never been filed nor probated and the right to do so has now prescribed.

The petitioner has filed suit seeking to annul the Sheriff's Sale of the property in question. Exceptions of no right nor cause of action were filed and maintained by the Lower Court. The petitioner has taken this appeal.

Petitioner maintains that the judicial sale should be annulled, first, because of the irregularities of the service of notice of demand and notice of seizure and sale of the property, second that the petitioner was a victim of fraud as a result of the Sheriff's Sale. The Lower Court held that the first contention was without merit, and that the second contention was not properly pleaded and gave petitioner a period of *273 fifteen days within which to amend and to set forth specific facts to maintain a cause of action for fraud, if such facts exist. Following the amendment to petitioner's petition the Lower Court again maintained the exceptions.

The sale from Jacob Bauer to Athen Tanner contained a confession of judgment and a pact de non alienando.

Article 2632 of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure provides that:

"An act evidencing a mortgage or privilege imports a confession of judgment when the obligor therein acknowledges the obligations secured thereby, whether then existing or to arise thereafter, and confesses judgment thereon if the obligation is not paid at maturity."

Article 2701 of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure further provides that:

"A mortgage or privilege evidenced by authentic act importing a confession of judgment, affecting property sold by the original debtor or his legal successor to a third person, may be enforced against the property without reference to any sale or alienation to the third person. The executory proceeding may be brought against the original debtor, his surviving spouse in community, heirs, legatees, or legal representative, as the case may be. The third person who then owns and is in possession of the property need not be made a party to the proceeding." (Italics supplied.)

Thus, as the original debtor was Athen Tanner, the petitioner in the executory proceeding had only to make Mr. Tanner, his executor or heirs defendant in the foreclosure proceeding. The rights of a third possessor, or person who has acquired the property subject to the mortgage and who has not assumed the payment of the indebtedness secured thereby, are set forth in Article 2703 of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, however, none of those rights are present in the instant law suit.

In First National Bank of Shreveport v. Houseman, 181 La. 886, 160 So. 618, the Court in dealing with the situation where property subject to a mortgage containing a pact de non alienando was subsequently transferred to a third possessor, said:

"All the transactions between, Houseman and the bank occurred prior to the transfer of the mortgaged property by Houseman to the opponent. As the act of mortgage contained a pact de non alienando, the subsequent acquisition by opponent of the mortgaged property was of no effect so far as the mortgage was concerned.
The pact de non alienando in a recorded act of mortgage makes a subsequent mortgage or other disposition of the property ipso jure void so far as the original mortgagee and his assigns are concerned. Maisonneuve v. Martin, 155 La. 938, 99 So. 704."

Now, when the executory proceeding was first instituted, the petitioner therein had a curator ad hoc appointed by the Court to represent the deceased, Athen Sidney Tanner. Subsequently, when the petitioner discovered that the succession proceeding had been opened and that Mrs. De Soto had been named as the testamentary executrix and universal legatee under Mr. Tanner's last will and testament the petitioner in the executory proceedings amended his petition so as to name her as a defendant therein.

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Related

Ross v. Marrero
117 F.3d 160 (Fifth Circuit, 1997)
Citizens Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Kinchen
588 So. 2d 1214 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1991)
Bourgeois v. DeSoto
282 So. 2d 141 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1973)

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Bluebook (online)
280 So. 2d 271, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bourgeois-v-de-soto-lactapp-1973.