Dodds v. Lanaux

45 La. Ann. 287
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJanuary 15, 1893
DocketNo. 11,176
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 45 La. Ann. 287 (Dodds v. Lanaux) 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
Dodds v. Lanaux, 45 La. Ann. 287 (La. 1893).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

McEnery, J.

The plaintiff, an emancipated minor, alleges in his petition that be is the sole issue of the marriage of Amelia Bouchereau and the late James A. Dodds: that in the matter of Robert N. Sims vs. Mrs. James A. Dodds, on the docket of the Twenty-second Judicial District Court for the parish of Ascension, an order of sale issued, and the sheriff, on the 6th day of February, 1886, sold'at public auction, according to law, a plantation situated in the parish of Ascension, on the right bank of the Mississippi river, six miles above the town of Donaldsonville, measuring fifteen arpents front by a depth of forty arpents, bounded above by the lands of Raphael Anthony and below by Pierre Fevrier and others, which was adjudicated to Robert N. Sims for the price of 16500, of which amount the said purchaser, according to the terms and conditions of sale, paid in cash the sum of 84062.50 and for the balance of the price, amounting to 82437.50, the whole of which belonged to the petitioner as joint owner of the property sold, the purchaser bound himself to pay the same to petitioner at the date of his majority, or emancipation, in pursuance to the conditions of sale, with interest from said date at the rate of 8 per cent, per annum payable annually. The purchaser, [290]*290to secure said credit portion, interest and attorney’s fees, did specially mortgage said property to the petitioner, who also retained on the property the vendor’s lien and privilege.

That Sims, the adjudicatee of said property, sold the same to Geo. A. Lanaux, and that the said Lanaux assumed in the act of sale the above amount due the petitioner. The interest has been paid on the mortgage debt to 6th February, 1890.

The petitioner further shows that he has an additional claim on said property for the sum of $5104.85, with legal interest from the-24th March, 1892, and that he is entitled to a mortgage on all the immovable property owned by his mother at the date of her appointment as tutrix; that at said date she owned one undivided half of the Home place, the property above described, and the same was covered and affected by the legal and general mortgage in his favor resulting from said tutorship. The petitioner, while enforcing his mortgage rights under the sheriff’s deed of 6th February, 1886, to R. N. Sims, reserves the rights on said property resulting from said tutorship from the 29th March, 1876.

In the event of the seizure and sale of the property he asks that the funds be regulated and distributed conformably to the standing and rank of said mortgages.

He prays that the property described in the sheriff’s deed to Sims, 6th February, 1882, be sold in default of payment to satisfy his-mortgage debt.

The property was seized and advertised to be sold. Edward J. Ortenbach prayed for and obtained an injunction arresting the sale.

In his petition he alleges that he bought said property from Geo. A. Lanaux, 1st September, 1890; that the sheriff, purporting to act under an order of seizure and sale issued by the Twentieth Judicial District Court, had seized the property and advertised it for sale, and he denies that, said court issued or granted the order, and that he was without power or authority to act in the premises. Should this objection to the writ be overruled, he declares that a sale was made by the sheriff of this property, in the case of R. N. Sims vs. Mrs. Dodds, tutrix of J. L. Dodds, the minor Dodds being the owner of an undivided half of said property. At that sale Sims became the purchaser, and a part of the consideration was that R. N. Sims was-to pay said minor the sum of $2437.50, with interest from the date of sale, with vendor’s privilege on the property.' In the sale to[291]*291Lanaux he assumed to pay, as part of the purchase price, this-, obligation of Sims, and the purchaser from Lanaux, Ortenbach, plaintiff in injunction, obligated himself to do the same thing, securing said minor’s debt by the vendor’s privilege on the whole property. He avers that he has always been ready and willing to pay the amount of 3aid obligation to plaintiff resulting from-said assumption, but that he demands of said Dodds, the plaintiff, that he will give to him a full and clear receipt of all claims of the-indebtedness of said property to him.

Referring to plaintiff’s legal mortgage as set forth in his petition, he avers that he occupies the position of vendor and warrantor of the property; that he was originally the vendor, and as such he is estopped from setting up or claiming any mortgage against the property other than for the price of sale of the property to Sims,, and that the plaintiff has fully recognized his title by his suit to enforce the mortgage against Lanaux, reserved in the sale of sheriff to Sims, 6th February, 1886. He denies the existence of the legal mortgage resulting from the tutorship. He further states that there is a judgment of Melancon against plaintiff, rendered against his mother individually and as tutrix, 9th September, 1885, which affects, the property, and which plaintiff should pay before attempting to enforce his mortgage.

All of these facts, he alleges, constitute a cloud upon the title to the property, and as vendor and warrantor, said Dodds, the plaintiff, is bound in law to quiet and maintain him in peaceable possession of the property.

There was judgment for plaintiff and the defendant appealed.

The first ground for the injunction was abandoned in the lower court, and has not been urged in this. As there is no force in it, it-will not be reeessary to discuss it.

The facts admitted by counsel are as follows:

“James A. Dodds died in the parish of Ascension on the 20th day of November, 1875. His succession was opened in said parish and an inventory with appraisement was made of the property belonging to his succession and to the community of acquets and gains formerly existing between him and his wife, Emilia Bouchereau, showing property to the amount and value of $11,458.74, which inventory embraced among other things the plantation seized, in the present suit! This inventory was filed in court on the 13th o [292]*292December, 1875, and on the 14th day of December, 1875, a correct abstract thereof was recorded in the mortgage book of the parish of Ascension.
“ And on the 14th day of December the said widow was duly appointed and confirmed as natural tutrix of her minor son, James Lewis Dodds, sole issue of her marriage with said deceased.
“ She qualified as such and letters of tutorship were issued to her on said day.
“ On the 1st of August, 1885, all of the right, title and interest of Widow Dodds in and to the Home plantation was sold at sheriff’s sale under a writ of fi. fa. in the suit of B. Lehman & Bro. vs. Mrs. James A. Dodds, and said interest, consisting of the undivided half thereof, was adjudicated to R. N. Sims for the price of 8335, part of which he paid cash and the balance he retained as owner of the judgment under which the execution issued. On the 22d of August, 1885, Sims, the purchaser of the widow’s half of the plantation, brought a suit against Widow Dodds, as tutrix of her minor son, for a partition of the property held in common between him and said minor. A decree of partition was subsequently rendered ordering a sale of the property, and the same was sold on the 6th of February, 1886, and adjudicated to R. N.

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Related

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
45 La. Ann. 287, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dodds-v-lanaux-la-1893.