Colonial Homes Realty & Investment Co. v. Sample

66 So. 788, 136 La. 195, 1914 La. LEXIS 1928
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedNovember 16, 1914
DocketNo. 20806
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 66 So. 788 (Colonial Homes Realty & Investment Co. v. Sample) 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
Colonial Homes Realty & Investment Co. v. Sample, 66 So. 788, 136 La. 195, 1914 La. LEXIS 1928 (La. 1914).

Opinion

Statement of the Case.

MONROE, C. J.

The petition of the relator herein was presented to a member of this court, at Shreveport, on July 29th (this year), and an order was made thereon directing that the writ of prohibition should issue and [197]*197that the judge of the district court for the parish of Bed Biver should show cause why said writ should not be made perpetual. The allegations upon the faith of which the order was made are substantially as follows:

That relator is defendant in a suit brought by A. N. Sample in the district court for the parish of Bed Biver; that on June 12, 1914, it (relator) obtained an injunction prohibiting the sale of its property under an order therein made; that on July 6th defendant (in injunction) filed an answer, admitting that the causes set up in plaintiff’s petition as reasons for injunction were, true, and attempted to convert the suit into an ordinary action to foreclose a mortgage; that the court immediately ordered the cause to be set for trial on July 30th; that, upon being furnished with a copy of said answer, counsel for relator filed a motion to strike out certain allegations therein and prayed for judgment on the pleadings; that on July 27th the court “adjourned and took its vacation until October 1, 1914,” and all cases, including the one thus mentioned, were continued until the October term of the court, and that said court “is now in vacation”; that the judge, nevertheless, on the evening of July 28th, notified counsel “by phone” that he proposed to try said case on July 30th; “that such trial, if had, will be in chambers, and not in open court,” in violation of relator’s legal rights; that relator has made no preparation for the trial, because the court adjourned on July 27th “and declared that its vacation then began,” and that it is impossible for it to procure its witnesses for a trial on July 30th; that an amount exceeding $100,000 is involved; that relator will be unable to present its case on July 30th; that judgment will be rendered against it; that it will be unable, on account of its financial condition, to appeal suspensively from such judgment, and that the trial, under such circumstances, will operate a denial of justice; that the court, “being in vacation,” is without jurisdiction to hear and try said cause; that relator has given due notice of this application; and that a writ of prohibition is necessary.

From the exhibits annexed to the petition it appeared that A. N. Sample had caused a writ of seizure and saTe to issue, on mortgage notes to the amount of $125,500; tfiat the mortgaged property had been seized and advertised to be sold on June 13, 1914; that on June 12th relator herein (defendant in the seizure) had enjoined the sale, on a bond of $1,000; that Sample had answered the petition for injunction, admitting certain allegations and denying others; and that plaintiff in injunction had filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings, which had been made returnable on July 30th.

The respondent judge makes return and shows cause to the following effect, to wit:

That the writ was not served upon him until July 31st, the day after he had decided the case in question and signed the judgment, and that he had no notice that said writ'or order had been filed in the office of the clerk of this court until after said proceedings had been finally completed, and then only by a telephone message from the clerk of the court at about 12 o’clock m., July 30th, and later, by wire, at 1:45 p. m.; that the proceedings in the case were regular, legal, and equitable; that the case was regularly fixed in open court, on July 6th, in the presence of relator’s leading counsel; that the statement in the petition herein filed that the district court went into vacation on July 27th, and “is now in vacation,” is not correct; that the week beginning July 27th is the regular civil term of the court, and was fixed by respondent’s predecessor; that relator’s said leading counsel requested that court would not be held during the week beginning July 27th “as all [199]*199the lawyers desired a rest, and there were no urgent cases that anyone desired to try, whereupon the—

“judge stated that the civil cases could go over, if all the lawyers so desired, but that, if one lawyer insisted on the trial of his case, the judge would feel compelled, both by law and equity, to hear him, and it was only upon the assurance of Mr. Nettles and other lawyers of the Coushatta bar that it was agreeable to all the lawyers that court was adjourned, after the misdemeanors were tried, on Monday morning, July 27, 1914; that the district judge went from Coushatta to Shreveport, after adjourning court, and remained in Shreveport until Tuesday evening, July 28th, when he was met at the depot of the Natchitoches branch by Judge W. P. Hall, of the firm of Hall & Jack, attorneys for plaintiff, Sample, who inquired if the report that court in Coushatta had adjourned was true, and, on receiving the reply of the district judge, Judge Hall informed the district judge that he (Hall) represented a client in a case that had been regularly fixed, in open court, at Coushatta, on or about July 6th, to be tried at the regular term of court at' Coushatta on July 30th ; that he had not agreed to any adjournment of said term of court, and that he had not even been consulted or advised with about any contemplated adjournment of said term of court, and that, on account of protecting the interests of his client, he was very anxious to have the. case tried on the day fixed, Thursday, July 30, 1914. Whereupon the district judge, recognizing the legal and equitable rights of Hall’s position, stated that his case would be tried on the day fixed, unless a legal showing should be made by the defendant in the case. The district judge inquired of Hall the names of the attorneys who represented the defendant, requested Hall to notify the said attorneys at once, and assured Judge Hall that he (district judge) would also notify the defendant’s attorneys, by phone, as soon as he reached his home at Natchitoches, La. Accordingly, on reaching home, the district judge called up Mr. W. A. Wilkinson, * * * and informed him of the situation as above stated, and informed him that the case would be tried on the day as fixed. Wilkinson informed the district judge that he was only associate counsel, and to please inform T. W. Nettles, of Coushatta, who was the attorney in chief, who explained to the district judge, when informed of the situation as above stated, that he (Nettles) had understood ‘all the lawyers interested’ to mean all the lawyers of the Coushatta bar who were interested, and that he would be present ¿ind ready on the day of trial, July 30, 1914. This correction was made known to all the interested parties on Tuesday evening of July 28, 1914.
“Respondent further shows that court was opened on July 30, 1914; that Mr. T. W. Nettles was present and requested that he be given 30 minutes in order to prepare a showing why he should not be forced to trial; the 30 minutes’ time was granted and also an additional 30 minutes, * * * at the end of which * * * he informed the court that he did not intend to make an appearance in the case. Whereupon the plaintiff was permitted to prove up his case. The evidence of the plaintiff was filed in open court, and not in chambers (as stated in the petition for the writ of prohibition), and satisfied the court that the demands of plaintiff were true and just, and accordingly judgment was rendered in favor of plaintiff, read, and signed, and court adjourned about 11:50 a. m. * * *

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Related

State v. Turner
152 So. 567 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1934)
Colonial Homes Realty & Investment Co. v. Sample
66 So. 794 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1914)

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Bluebook (online)
66 So. 788, 136 La. 195, 1914 La. LEXIS 1928, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/colonial-homes-realty-investment-co-v-sample-la-1914.