Coddou v. Gros

102 So. 2d 480, 235 La. 25, 1958 La. LEXIS 1179
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedApril 21, 1958
DocketNo. 43500
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 102 So. 2d 480 (Coddou v. Gros) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Coddou v. Gros, 102 So. 2d 480, 235 La. 25, 1958 La. LEXIS 1179 (La. 1958).

Opinion

SIMON, Justice.

In this petitory action the plaintiffs,1 widow and forced heirs of Louis Coddou, asserted title to and sought to recover possession of two adjacent tracts of land'situated in the Parish of Assumption, described as follows:

“A certain lot of ground situated in the Parish of Assumption, State of Louisiana, on the right descending bank of Bayou La-fourche, measuring one half arpent front on said Bayou Lafourche, on a depth of three acres, more or less; bounded below by Gaston Gros, now or formerly, above by Elphege Landry, and in the rear by Ernest LeBlanc; together with all the buildings and improvements thereon and thereunto belonging. It being the same property acquired by Chas. Gros from Leo LeBlanc on the 6th day of February, 1918 by act passed before Geo. S. Guión, Notary. Recorded in C. Book 56, folio 574.
“2nd: Another tract of land situated in the Parish of Assumption, and State of [482]*482Louisiana, on the right descending bank of Bayou Lafourche, measuring one half ar-pent front on said Bayou Lafourche on a depth of Eighty arpents, more or less; bounded below by lands now or formerly of Neville LeBlanc, above by lands formerly belonging to Aurelien Dosset, in the rear by land formerly belonging to Marcellin Landry, between converging lines from the front to the forty arpent line and from the forty arpent line to the eighty arpent line, between opening lines, and containing in superficies Thirty-five arpents, more or less. Being the same property acquired by Charlie Gros from Ernest J. LeBlanc by act passed before Geo. S. Guión, on Dec. 17th, 1918, recorded in Conv. Book 57, folio 18, of Assumption Parish. Together with all the buildings and improvements on said property.”

The trial court rendered judgment in favor of defendant and against the plaintiffs, dismissing their suit, and plaintiffs appealed.

The defendant acquired the two tracts of land by separate credit sales dated February 6, 1918 and December 17, 1918, respectively. The purchase price of the first tract was shown to be $700, in part payment of which the purchaser paid $100 in cash and for the balance he executed three promissory notes each for the sum of $200, payable one, two and three years after date. The second tract of land was acquired for the price of $1,000, for which price the purchaser executed one promissory note for the sum of $1,000 with interest at 8 per cent per annum, payable one year after date. The said notes were paraphed “ne varietur” with their respective acts, each act granting in favor of the respective vendors, and of all future holder or holders of said notes, a special mortgage, vendor’s lien and privilege on the property therein conveyed. Each act further authorized executory proceedings and confession of judgment in case of nonpayment of said notes after their respective dates of maturity.

Louis Coddou became the holder of the said promissory notes in or about the year 1919 and by certain payments made during the years 1919 to 1934 the mortgage indebtedness due thereon was reduced to $1140.

On January 10, 1934, Gros executed an act of sale to Louis Coddou, transferring the two above-described tracts of land for the price of $1140 cash, said act containing the following redemptive clause: “The purchaser, Mr. Coddou, hereby agrees that the said Charlie Gros, vendor, shall have the right to redeem the herein described property within two years from date hereof at the same price as in this sale.”

Following the sale of 1934 the vendor continued to occupy the land and as of January 10, 1936, the date the two-year redemptive period expired, he had not exercised his right of redemption. Prior to the sale of January 10, 1934, the vendor was assessed with and had paid all annual taxes levied on the property. Thereafter the purchaser, Louis Coddou, was assessed with and paid all annual taxes.

In addition to the payment of taxes Louis Coddou exercised other acts of ownership. On June 10, 1941 he executed a mineral lease on said property and on September 29, 1941 he sold an undivided one-half mineral interest in said land. Notwithstanding Gros’ personal knowledge of these acts of ownership by Coddou the same were at no time protested by Gros, nor did he ever demand an accounting for the rents or fruits received thereby until the filing of his answer to this suit.

There is a conflict of views as to an alleged rental agreement between Coddou and Gros. Plaintiffs contend that after the expiration of the redemption period Gros agreed to pay the annual taxes levied against the property in lieu of the payment of rent. Gros admitted that he was requested to do so, but thereafter failed and refused to pay the said taxes for the reason that the property was not assessed in his name. Nevertheless, Coddou permitted Gros to retain possession of the property whereon Gros operated a syrup and a rice mill, conducted farming operations and re[483]*483ceived the benefits from these activities. He also pursued a carpenter’s trade. Irrespective of his income from these activities, he paid no rental for the occupancy •and use of the property, remaining undisturbed until 1946, at which time he received a written notice addressed to him by Coddou to vacate the premises within a period of fifteen days. In spite of said notice neither party took any affirmative action in connection therewith until the filing of this suit on April 3, 1948. The only plausible explanation seemingly acceptable to both parties for the voluntary failure on the part of Coddou to have instituted eviction proceedings is the relationship that existed between them, Mrs. Gros being the niece of Mrs. Coddou. Apparently this is one of the many examples of the sense of loyalty and the close family ties which traditionally existed among the old French families of Louisiana, even including collateral relations to the second and third degree.

An indication of Gros’ intention and understanding of the effect of the 1934 transaction as to ownership of the property in. question was clearly made apparent by him when in giving his testimony in regard to an agreement to pay taxes in lieu of rent he said: “I didn’t owe him nothing after he took the place back.” A more positive indication of Gros’ intention and understanding of the effect on the 1934 transaction was disclosed by him when he was asked whether he sought permission of Cod-dou to sell a rice mill and other machinery situated on the premises prior to 1935, his response thereto being, “No, it was mine. That’s movable.”

Gros further testified that on two occasions during the redemptive period, specifically during the months of July and December, 1935, he attempted to redeem the property, with no avail. Thereafter it is shown that no further attempts were made. Gros, his wife and his sister, Mrs. Mattingly, testified that Gros tendered actual cash to Cod-dou, the tenders having been made at the shelter on a bridge occupied by Coddou as a bridge tender. The testimony of Mrs. Gros and Mrs. Mattingly is that on both tenders Gros had the full amount of the redemptive price, however, on the other hand, Gros testified that on the second tender he did not have the full redemptive price. Notwithstanding the asserted failure of Coddou to have accepted these alleged tenders, Gros failed to initiate any legal proceedings to enforce his contractual right of redemption assigning ignorance of the law as the reason for said failure.

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Bluebook (online)
102 So. 2d 480, 235 La. 25, 1958 La. LEXIS 1179, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coddou-v-gros-la-1958.