Federal Land Bank v. Hall

171 So. 418
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 11, 1936
DocketNo. 5308.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 171 So. 418 (Federal Land Bank v. Hall) 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
Federal Land Bank v. Hall, 171 So. 418 (La. Ct. App. 1936).

Opinion

HAMITER, Judge.

Under date of August 25, 1919, the defendant executed in plaintiff’s favor an installment note in the principal amount of $300. This note was secured by a mortgage of that date signed by defendant, containing a confession of judgment, and covering and affecting 120 acres of land in Jackson parish.

As prayed for in plaintiff’s petition for the foreclosure of the mortgage, an order of executory process was granted on April 20, 1936, and the usual notice of demand for payment was issued. Thereupon defendant, through his counsel, filed a motion in which he challenged the 'validity of the order on several grounds, and prayed for a new trial or rehearing and that the order of executory process be annulled and set aside.

On the overruling of defendant’s motion, he was granted orders of suspensive and devolutive appeals to this court.

We first address ourselves to the complaint made by plaintiff’s counsel that “the so-called motion filed by the defendant in this case has no precedence in law and the judgment overruling same should be affirmed, as the defendant has his remedy either by appeal or injunction.” It is unnecessary for us to pass upon the legality of the procedure employed, for we are satisfied that the cause is properly before us on a suspensive appeal from the order of executory process. That order was signed April 20, 1936. According to the court minutes of April 29, 1936, counsel for both parties entered into an agreement, with reference to the court’s consideration of the matter, a part of which was: “It is further agreed that in the event that the court should overrule said motion, that the court may likewise enter orders of appeal from the orders of executory process or orders of seizure and sale at Ruston. $ * * >>

Those minutes also show that on the same date, viz., April 29, 1936, the motion' for rehearing or new trial was overruled, and that orders of suspensive and devolu-tive appeals to this court were granted on-behalf of defendant. The suspensive appeal bond, which is in the record, was dated and filed April 30, 1936, and recited that the appeal was taken from the order of ex-ecutory process and seizure and sale. Considering the minutes of court, and particularly that portion which relates to counsel’s agreement, and the bond referred' to, it can only be concluded that the appeal was taken from the granting of the order of executory process. The time within which the suspensive appeal must be taken from such an order is regulated by Code of Practice, art. 575. Borah & Landen v. O’Niell, 121 La. 733, 46 So. 788; Barrow v. Caffery, 161 La. 778, 109 So. 488. The dates above mentioned reveal that the appeal was prosecuted within the delay prescribed by that article.

It is defendant’s contention that the order of executory process was defective in that there was a lack of authentic evidence to justify its issuance. We shall endeavor to hereafter discuss the grounds relied on.

The first objection urged is that the act of mortgage was not signed by the mortgagee, the Federal Land Bank, but was executed only by the mortgagor, his wife, and by J. J. Lewis, the secretary-treasurer of the Jonesboro National Farm Loan Association ; and that therefore there was no authentic evidence of the mortgagee’s acceptance of it. We think that this is without merit. The act of mortgage, a certified copy of which is in the record, recites' that: “And the said promissory note having been paraphed ‘Ne Varietur’ by me, Notary, in order to identify the same herewith, has been delivered unto the said Federal Land Bank of New Orleans, through • J. J. Lewis, S'ecretary-Treasurer of-Jones-boro National Farm Loan Association, who hereby acknowledges the receipt thereof.”

This reveals that the said Lewis was acting as agent for the Federal Land'Bank in the execution and acceptance of the mortgage, to the knowledge of the mortgagor. This agency relationship was confirmed and approved by the filing of this suit. In view of this, and as the act of mortgage was authentic in form, we hold that authentic evL dence of acceptance existed.

*420 Defendant also insists that there was no authentic evidence of the mortgagee’s action in declaring all installments of the note due and payable.. The acceleration clause of the mortgage, to which mortgagor agreed, provides: “And the said mortgagor hereby confesses judgment in favor of the mortgagee herein, or any future holder or holders of said note, up to the full amount of principal and interest, attorney’s fees, premiums of insurance, taxes and costs, and does, by these presents, consent, agree and stipulate that, in the event of said note, or any installments thereon, not being promptly paid at maturity, or in the event of failure to comply with any of the obligations herein undertaken, said note shall ipso facto and at once mature and become due and payable, anything therein contained to the contrary, notwithstanding, and it shall be lawful for and the mortgagor hereby authorizes the then holder or holders of said note, without making a demand or putting in default, a putting in default being hereby expressly waived, to cause all and singular the property herein mortgaged and herein-above described, to be seized and sold, after due process of law. * * *”

Assuming arguendo that such clause does not dispense with the necessity of a formal maturing declaration, we find attached to the petition a certificate showing an alleged excerpt from a resolution passed by the executive committee of the Federal Land Bank at a meeting held on March 3, 1936. This excerpt declares loan No. L-12266 of General Hall to be immediately due and payable and directs the foreclosure of the mortgage given in connection therewith. The certificate bears the signature of an assistant secretary of plaintiff and also the seal of that institution. Although said attached instrument is not an authentic act, and some criticism might be made regarding its phraseology and composition, it is sufficient in form to mature the entire loan, according to the jurisprudence of this state. The case of Colonial Trust Co. v. St. John Lumber Co., 138 La. 1033, 71 So. 147, 148, presented an appeal from an order of executory process. A question involved related to the sufficiency of a declaration by the mortgagee corporation maturing the outstanding bonds. The Supreme Court stated:

“Now, how could the declaration in question, unilateral in its nature, have been made to appear by an authentic act as defined in our Codes? The notice given to the defendant was under the corporate seal and was signed by the vice president and secretary of the corporation. A corporate act so verified makes prima facie proof of the facts recited, but is not an authentic act. See Interstate Trust & Banking Co. v. Powell Bros. & Sanders Co., 126 La. [22] 25, 52 So. 179. An acknowledgment of the notice before a notary and two witnesses would not have converted the notice into an authentic act. Baker v. Baker, 125 La. [969] 974, 52 So. 115. As the deed of trust required no particular form or proof of the declaration in question, and as authentic evidence of the action of the corporation in the premises was impossible from the nature of the case, we are of opinion that the notice as given under the seal of the corporation was sufficient.”

The next complaint of defendant is that |53.94 of plaintiff’s claim is for taxes alleged to have been paid by it, and that such item is not supported by sufficient evidence.

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Louisiana National Bank of Baton Rouge v. Heroman
280 So. 2d 362 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1973)
Federal Land Bank v. Green
171 So. 421 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1936)

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171 So. 418, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/federal-land-bank-v-hall-lactapp-1936.