Coco v. Fuoco

339 So. 2d 1236, 1976 La. App. LEXIS 4528
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 10, 1976
DocketNo. 5575
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 339 So. 2d 1236 (Coco v. Fuoco) 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
Coco v. Fuoco, 339 So. 2d 1236, 1976 La. App. LEXIS 4528 (La. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

HOOD, Judge.

This action was instituted in the proceeding entitled “Succession of Marie Sydonia Mayeux.” The case has been consolidated for trial and appeal with another action filed in a separate proceeding entitled “Succession of Marie Anselmus Mayeux.” The decedent, Marie Sydonia Mayeux, will be referred to herein simply as “Sydonia.” The decedent, Marie Anselmus Mayeux, will be referred to as “Anselmus.”

Plaintiffs in the instant suit, Malcolm A. Coco, Sr., and Robert S. Coco, have sued in their capacities as co-executors of the Succession of Sydonia. They demand judgment against defendant, the Reverend Armando Fuoco, ordering defendant to make an accounting of his actions as agent for the decedent, and condemning him to pay the Succession of Sydonia the sum of $20,-506.28. The Succession of Anselmus is also named as a party defendant, and plaintiffs demand judgment alternatively against that succession for $20,506.28.

Defendant Fuoco filed several pleadings, one of which is an answer and a reconven-tional demand praying that the demands of plaintiffs be rejected, and that judgment be rendered in his favor, personally, and against the Succession of Sydonia, for the sum of $31,450.00. He also filed an answer and reconventional demand, in his capacity as Executor of the Succession of Anselmus, demanding judgment in favor of the Succession of Anselmus and against the Succession of Sydonia for $31,192.68.

[1238]*1238Judgment was rendered by the trial court on February 10, 1976, (1) condemning defendant Fuoco to pay to the Succession of Sydonia the sum of $20,506.28; (2) rejecting the reconventional demands of Fuoco, personally; and, (3) rejecting the reconventional demands of Fuoco, in his capacity as Executor of the Succession of Anselmus. Defendant Fuoco has appealed from that judgment.

As already noted, this case was consolidated for trial and appeal with another suit filed in a separate,proceeding entitled “Succession of Marie Anselmus Mayeux.” That action was instituted by all of the collateral heirs of Anselmus against defendant Fuoco. In that suit plaintiffs demanded judgment decreeing a bequest made to defendant Fuoco in the will left by the testatrix, An-selmus, to be null and void, dismissing and discharging Fuoco as Executor of the Succession of Anselmus, and ordering the execution of the balance of the will left by that testatrix.

After trial, judgment was rendered by the trial court on February 10, 1976, in favor of plaintiffs (1) decreeing that the bequest made to defendant Fuoco in the will of Anselmus is null and void; (2) discharging defendant as Executor of the Succession of Anselmus; and, (3) ordering that the balance of the testatrix’s will be executed. Defendant Fuoco also appealed from that judgment.

After the above judgment was rendered, Malcolm A. Coco, Sr., and Robert S. Coco, were duly appointed and qualified as co-executors of the Succession of Anselmus, and thereafter, on February 24, 1976, in their capacity as co-executors, they instituted another action in the same succession proceeding for judgment ordering defendant Fuoco to make an accounting and to pay to the Succession of Anselmus a sum of money. In that action plaintiffs also prayed for a preliminary injunction prohibiting defendant from withdrawing, disposing of or transferring funds belonging to the estate of Anselmus. A hearing was held on a rule directing defendant Fuoco to show cause why a preliminary injunction should not be granted, and after that hearing was held judgment was rendered by the trial court on February 27, 1976, granting the injunc-tive relief prayed for by plaintiffs. Defendant Fuoco appealed from that judgment.

There are before us at this time, therefore, appeals from three judgments rendered by the trial court. One of these judgments was rendered on February 10, 1976, in the proceeding entitled “Succession of Marie Sydonia Mayeux,” and the other two judgments, dated February 10, and February 27, 1976, were rendered in the proceeding entitled “Succession of Marie Anselmus Mayeux.”

We are rendering a separate judgment today in the companion suit, resolving the issues presented by the appeals taken from both of the judgments rendered in that proceeding. See Succession of Marie Anselmus Mayeux, La.App., 339 So.2d 1247.

In this court defendant filed a peremptory exception of prescription to the claim of the Succession of Sydonia for a money judgment against him.

A number of important issues are presented. Included among them are the following: (l)Whether the bequest made to defendant Fuoco in the will left by Ansel-mus is prohibited and void under LSA-C.C. art. 1489; (2) whether defendant is indebted to the Succession of Sydonia for $20,-506.28; (3) whether the Succession of Sydo-nia is indebted to defendant or to the Succession of Anselmus for any amounts; (4) whether the trial judge abused his discretion in discharging defendant as Executor of the Succession of Anselmus; and (5) whether the claim of the Succession of Sy-donia against defendant for $20,506.28 has prescribed under LSA-C.C. art. 3536.

Sydonia and Anselmus were elderly, unmarried sisters who lived together for several years prior to their deaths in Mansura, Louisiana. Sydonia became bedridden in 1968. Anselmus was a registered nurse, and she moved from New Orleans to Man-sura at about that time to live with and to care for her sister. Sydonia died on September 19, 1974, when she was 88 years of [1239]*1239age. Anselmus died about two months later, on November 18, 1974, at 90 years of age.

The home of the decedents was located near St. Paul’s Catholic Church, in Mansu-ra. Defendant Fuoco is an ordained Catholic Priest, and he has served as pastor of St. Paul’s Church since March 11, 1971. Sydo-nia and Anselmus were devout Catholics, and they were parishioners of Father Fuoco from the time he became pastor of the church in Mansura until the time of their deaths. Defendant’s residence was located near that of the decedents.

Because of their ages and infirmities, Sy-donia and Anselmus seldom left their home, and they relied largely on hired help and others to perform ordinary household duties. Shortly after defendant became pastor of the local church, be began to perform a number of chores for the decedents, such as running errands for them, purchasing groceries, providing transportation, and looking after their business matters. He handled substantially all of their financial affairs, including the receipt of monies paid to them, the cashing of checks payable to the decedents, the opening of bank accounts, the deposit and withdrawal of funds from those accounts, and the payment of bills. The sisters trusted him and became dependent on him.

On May 27, 1971, Sydonia executed a power of attorney appointing Fuoco as her agent, giving him full and general power to represent her in all matters. On June 15, 1971, Anselmus executed a similar power of attorney appointing Fuoco as her general agent. Acting in accordance with the terms of these powers of attorney, defendant exercised almost unlimited control over the finances of the two sisters. He opened numerous bank accounts, most of which were in his own name, and all of which were subject to withdrawal on his signature alone.

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Related

Succession of McNeal
188 So. 3d 1089 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2016)
Shapiro v. Darmstadter
43 So. 3d 326 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010)
Succession of Dimattia v. Bonfanti
357 So. 2d 583 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1978)
Succession of Mayeux v. Fuoco
341 So. 2d 1128 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1977)
Coco v. Fuoco
339 So. 2d 1247 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1976)

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Bluebook (online)
339 So. 2d 1236, 1976 La. App. LEXIS 4528, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coco-v-fuoco-lactapp-1976.