Donohoe Oil & Gas Co. v. MacK-jourden Co.

144 So. 169
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided November 10, 1932·No. No. 4347.·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

■ DREW, J.

■ Plaintiff sued defendant, alleging it' to be an ordinary partnership, composed of Walter Mack, a resident of the .state of Texas, and W. L. Jourden, a resident of the state of California, and numerous other persons alleged to be partners in commendam, and that they are indebted unto petitioner in the sum of $650, the balance of the purchase price of a standard rig sold to defendant on October 9, 1931.

It alleged the rig was installed by defendant and used to equip Mack-Jourden Well No. 1, on the Lockett property, in township 13 north, range 10 west, in Red River parish, La.

It further alleged that the copartners are all nonresidents of the state of Louisiana, and there is no representative within the state or the jurisdiction of this court upon whom service of process may be made; that said partnership and nonresident copartners own property within the state of Louisiana and within the jurisdiction of this court; and that petitioner is entitled to the issuance of writs of attachment against the property of said “copartnership, and said copartners, defendants, absentees.” That under its vendor’s lien and privilege on the said standard rig sold to defendant,- it is entitled to have the rig seized and sequestered, and also its lien as furnisher of materials recognized and enforced, in preference to any other person’s claim whatsoever.

It further avers that an attorney at law should be appointed curator ad hoc to represent the “defendants', absentees,” and prays for the appointment of a curator ad hoc and for service and citation, as the law directs, and for judgment against the said partnership, and against the copartners, Mack and Jourden,, as ordinary partners, and against the remainder of the named copartners, as partners in commendam, together with the recognition of petitioner’s vendor’s lien and privilege, and also for recognition of its lien and ¡privilege upon - said standard rig, equipment, and appurtenances, as a furnisher of materials. It further prays that the writs of attachment and sequestration be maintained and enforced, with recognition of its lien and privilege resulting therefrom.

Attached to the petition is the following affidavit and order:

“State of Louisiana, Parish of Caddo.
“Before me, the undersigned authority, a duly qualified Notary Public in and for the Parish and State above written, came and appeared S. E. Davies, who declared that he an employee of the Donohoe Oil & Gas Company, plaintiff in the foregoing suit; ■ that the amount sued for is justly and truíy owing and due by the defendants to the said Donohoe Oil & Gas Company, as the balance of the purchase price of that certain Standard Rig and equipment sought to be sequestered herein; and that it lies within the power of the defendants to conceal, part with and dispose of said movable properties, which are in their possession, and he verily fears that the said defendants will so conceal, part with or dispose of said properties during the pendency of this suit.
“Affiant further declared that he verily believes that the debtors have left the State permanently, or are on the eve of leaving the State permanently, or that they reside out of the State, or conceal themselves so that citation cannot be served upon them, or that they have mortgaged, assigned, or disposed of, or are about to mortgage, assign or dispose of the property, rights or credits with intent to defraud their creditors, or give an unfair preference to some of them, or that they have converted or are about to convert the property into money, or evidences of debt, with intent to place same beyond the reach of their creditors, and that said copartners are nonresidents of the State of Louisiana.
“S. E. Davies.
“Sworn to and subscribed before me, on this the 18th day of December, 1931.
“Percy N:‘ Browne, Notary Public.
“State of Louisiana, Parish of Caddo.
“Before me, the undersigned authority, personally came and appeared Sidney G. Myers, who, being duly sworn, deposed and said that he is one of the attorneys for the petitioner in the above and foregoing petition, and that all of the allegations therein contained are true and correct to the best of his knowledge, information and belief.
“Sidney G. Myers.
“Sworn to and subscribed before me, on this the 18th day of December, 1931.
“Percy N. Browne, Notary Public.
“Order.
“The foregoing petition and affidavits considered, and it appearing that all of the defendants herein are nonresidents of the State of Louisiana, let W. H. Walmsley, an attorney at law. be and he is hereby appointed Curator ad Hoc, to represent the defendants herein, *171 absentees; let writs of attachment and sequestration issue' herein as prayed for, on petitioner’s giving bond, with good and solvent security, according to law, in the sums of $250.00, for said writ of attachment, and $250.00, for said writ of sequestration.
“This 28th day of December, 1931.
“James W. Jones, Jr., Judge.”

Bonds in the sum of $250 eaph were executed, in accordance with the order of court. All persons made defendants herein appeared by counsel solely for the purpose of the motion to dissolve and alleged that the writ of attachment should be dissolved for the following reasons:

“(a) That the Mach-Jour den Company is not a non-resident company, but is a partnership formed under the laws of the state of Louisiana, with its' domicile at Coushatta, Bed Biver Parish, Louisiana.
“(b) That no action lies, and accordingly no writ of attachment1 should issue against the individual partners thereof, even though they may be nonresidents of the State of Louisiana, until the.sum claimed is first legally adjudged to be due and owing by the partnership, Maek-Jourden Company; and that an action could not, under any circumstances, lie against the partners in commendam unless it was an action for- the unpaid portion of said partners’ subscriptions to said company.
“(c) .That the affidavit made to secure the issuance of said.wjfit of. attachment was made and executed by persons unauthorized by law to make the same.
“(d) That the statements of fact made and contained in the affidavit to secure the issuance of said writ are false and unfounded in fact.”

And prayed for damages for the unlawful and wrongful issuance thereof, for the following causes:

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Donohoe Oil & Gas Co. v. MacK-jourden Co., 144 So. 169 (La. Ct. App. 1932).

144 So. 169 (Donohoe Oil & Gas Co. v. MacK-jourden Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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