Brennan's House of Printing, Inc. v. Brennan

65 So. 3d 165, 10 La.App. 5 Cir. 428, 2011 La. App. LEXIS 482
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 26, 2011
Docket10-CA-428 C/W 10-CA-429
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 65 So. 3d 165 (Brennan's House of Printing, Inc. v. Brennan) 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
Brennan's House of Printing, Inc. v. Brennan, 65 So. 3d 165, 10 La.App. 5 Cir. 428, 2011 La. App. LEXIS 482 (La. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinions

CLARENCE E. McMANUS, Judge.

|2This is an appeal by plaintiffs from the trial court’s granting of defendants’ exception of prescription. For the following reasons, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

In 1972, Robert and Norma Brennan formed Brennan House of Printing, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “BHOP”), with Robert as the sole shareholder with 200 shares of common stock. Robert and Norma had four children: Daniel, Fonda, Sheila, and Marleen. Daniel and Fonda eventually began working for BHOP. In 1981, Robert and Norma transferred 100 shares of stock to their children. Daniel received a majority 51 shares, Fonda received 24 shares and Sheila and Marleen each received 12½ shares. Robert died in 1984 and Norma later died in 2003. Following his father’s death, Daniel assumed control of the company and became president of BHOP. In 1988, Brennan’s Direct Mail, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “BDM”) was formed and was operated in connection with BHOP.

|sOn October 15, 1990, BHOP purchased a lot on Blessey St. in Elmwood Industrial Park on which to construct a new building for the business. BHOP paid $146,625.00 for the lot. On October 17, 1991, Daniel and his wife, Anne, purchased the Blessey St. property from the company, for the same amount originally paid for the lot. The building was then built on the lot in 1992 and BHOP/BDM has occupied the building since that time. The company paid rent to Daniel and Anne for the use of the building.

Daniel died in January 2003 and Anne was then named director of BHOP/BDM. Sheila, Fonda and Marleen (hereinafter collectively referred to as “plaintiffs”) claim they first discovered that Daniel and Anne had purchased the lot from BHOP when Daniel died in January 2003. On March 25, 2004, plaintiffs filed a petition entitled In Re: Brennan’s House of Printing, Inc. and Brennan’s Direct Mail, Inc, No. 605-676 seeking involuntary dissolution of the corporation and rescission of sale of the Blessey St. property. Plaintiffs sought dissolution and liquidation of BHOP and BDM, rescission of the sale of the Blessey St. property from BHOP to Daniel and Anne, and return of all rent collected by Daniel and Anne for the companies’ use of the building.

In 2006, four more related lawsuits were filed. On July 5, 2006, a petition was filed by Fonda, Sheila and Marleen, on behalf of [168]*168the BHOP, (hereinafter collectively referred to as “plaintiffs”) entitled Brennan’s House of Printing, Inc. v. Anne E. Brennan, et al, No. 633-030, again seeking rescission of the sale of the Blessey St. property and return of all rental payments. On July 5, 2006, in case number 633-030, a writ of sequestration was issued and a motion to deposit rent payments into the registry of the court was granted by the trial court allowing the company to retain ownership of the property with rental payments being deposited into the registry of the court.

|4On July 14, 2006, a petition was filed entitled Brennan’s House of Printing, Inc. v. Brennan’s Direct Mail, Inc., No. 633-425, in which BHOP sought money that BDM owed. And finally, on August 6, 2006, two more petitions were filed entitled In Re Brennan’s Direct Mail, Inc., No. 634-044, in which the plaintiffs sought the involuntary dissolution of BDM, and Brennan’s House of Printing, Inc. v. Anne E. Brennan and Robert Michael Brennan, No. 634-384, in which BHOP sought damages from Anne Brennan for the alleged breach of her fiduciary duties.

On October 27, 2008, all five related lawsuits were consolidated upon consent judgment of the parties. Thereafter, on March 16, 2009, defendants, Anne Brennan and her children, filed an exception of prescription with regard to the claims in case numbers 605-676 and 633-030 for rescission of the sale of the property. Defendants argued that the sale of the property occurred in 1991 and the earliest filed lawsuit was filed in 2004. Thus, defendants argued that plaintiffs’ claims were prescribed pursuant to the ten year prescriptive period for personal actions, the five year prescriptive period for actions asserting a relative nullity, and the ten year prescriptive period for claims pursuant to LSA-R.S. 9:5681, now LSA-R.S. 9:5646. In opposition to the exception, plaintiffs argued the sale of the land was an absolute nullity, which never prescribes.

A hearing on the exception was held before the trial court on January 9 and 10, 2009. The trial court issued a written judgment on September 23, 2009 granting the exception of prescription, finding the claims for rescission of the sale and for return of the rent payments are barred by liberative prescription. The trial court dismissed all rescission claims and requests for related ancillary relief in case number 605-676, and dismissed all claims in case number 633-030. The trial court also dissolved the writ of sequestration in ease number 633-030, awarding defendants damages for the wrongful issuance of the writ, in an amount to be ^determined at a subsequent hearing. Written reasons for judgment were issued by the trial court January 15, 2010. The trial court found plaintiffs’ claims are barred by the ten year prescriptive period of LSA-R.S. 9:5681, the five year prescriptive period of LSA-C.C. art. 2032, and the ten year prescriptive period of LSA-C.C. art. 3499.

Plaintiffs now appeal the judgment granting the exception of prescription. For the following reasons, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

DISCUSSION

This is an appeal from the trial court’s granting of the exception of prescription and dismissal of the claims for rescission of the sale of the Blessey St. property. In reviewing an exception of prescription, an appellate court will review the entire record to determine whether the trial court’s finding of fact was manifestly erroneous. Babin v. Babin, 08-776 (La. App. 5 Cir. 3/10/09), 10 So.3d 784.

Plaintiffs’ petitions in case numbers 605-676 and 633-030 seek rescission of the sale [169]*169of the Blessey St. property. Plaintiffs allege Daniel lacked the authority to sign the act of sale on behalf of BHOP. Defendants urge several possible applicable prescriptive periods, but ultimately argue that under any of these prescriptive periods, plaintiffs’ claims are prescribed. In their exception of prescription, defendants argued plaintiffs’ claims for recession of the sale of the property are barred by the ten year prescriptive period for filing personal actions pursuant to LSA-C.C. art. 3499, the five year prescriptive period for actions asserting a relative nullity pursuant to LSA-C.C. art. 2032, and the ten year prescriptive period under LSA-R.S. 9:5681, now LSA-R.S. 9:5646. In opposition, plaintiffs alleged the sale is an absolute nullity, therefore, their claim never prescribes.

IfiThe trial court granted the exception of prescription and found that all of the prescriptive periods argued by defendants applied and the claims of plaintiffs are barred. Plaintiffs now appeal this judgment. Plaintiffs argue the sale transaction is an absolute nullity because Daniel and Anne purchased the property without shareholder approval, in violation of LSA-R.S. 12:84. Plaintiffs contend that the sale transaction is an absolute nullity and therefore, their claims for rescission of the sale do not prescribe. The trial court found an absolute nullity does not exist and applied a five year prescriptive period for a relative nullity pursuant to LSA-C.C. art. 2032.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Richards v. Choice Hotels International, Inc.
142 So. 3d 249 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2014)
Brennan's House of Printing, Inc. v. Brennan
65 So. 3d 165 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
65 So. 3d 165, 10 La.App. 5 Cir. 428, 2011 La. App. LEXIS 482, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brennans-house-of-printing-inc-v-brennan-lactapp-2011.