Frisard v. Autin

747 So. 2d 813, 1999 WL 1268057
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 28, 1999
Docket98 CA 2637
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 747 So. 2d 813 (Frisard v. Autin) 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
Frisard v. Autin, 747 So. 2d 813, 1999 WL 1268057 (La. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

747 So.2d 813 (1999)

Dan C. FRISARD
v.
Jo Ann[1] L. AUTIN a/k/a Jo Ann Ulmer.

No. 98 CA 2637.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

December 28, 1999.

*815 Ernest N. Souhlas, Covington, Louisiana, for plaintiff/appellant, Dan C. Frisard, D.V.M.

Lindsey M. Ladouceur, Gwendolyn M. Hanhart, New Orleans, Louisiana, for defendants/appellees, Jo Ann L. Autin and Louis J. Ulmer.

Claude C. Lightfoot, Jr., Metairie, Louisiana, for intervenor, Cynthia L. Traina.

BEFORE: GONZALES, FITZSIMMONS and WEIMER, JJ.

GONZALES, J.

This is an appeal from the grant of a motion for partial summary judgment. In the judgment, the trial court declared (1) a November 12, 1986 judgment in favor of Dan C. Frisard, D.V.M., and against Jo Ann L. Autin and Jerry M. Autin, and (2) a May 23, 1990 sheriff's sale of immovable property owned by Jo Ann L. Autin a/k/a Jo Ann Ulmer (Ms. Ulmer) and Louis J. Ulmer to Dr. Frisard to be absolute nullities. The judgment "annulled, vacated, and set aside" the November 12, 1986 judgment and the May 23, 1990 sheriff's sale. Dr. Frisard appeals from this adverse judgment.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In 1984, Ms. Ulmer and her then husband, Jerry M. Autin, listed a house for sale with Buccola-McKinzie, Inc., a real estate corporation. Dr. Frisard made an offer to buy the house for $170,000.00. In accordance with the purchase agreement, he gave the listing agent a deposit in the form of a $1,000.00 check and a $16,000.00 promissory note. When Dr. Frisard discovered the size of the lot upon which the house was located was smaller than originally represented to him, he sought a diminution in price from Ms. Ulmer and Mr. Autin.[2] The sellers refused to lower the price, and Dr. Frisard declined to proceed with the sale of the house.

On May 29, 1985, Ms. Ulmer, Mr. Autin, and Buccola-McKinzie, Inc. filed suit against Dr. Frisard in Jefferson Parish seeking a judgment totalling $27,200.00, representing the ten percent real estate *816 deposit and a six percent real estate commission. Dr. Frisard filed a reconventional demand, seeking return of his deposit. By judgment dated October 14, 1986, Dr. Frisard was awarded $17,000.00.[3] The judgment awarded damages against Ms. Ulmer, but not against Mr. Autin or Buccola-McKinzie, Inc. This judgment will be referred to herein as the "original judgment." On November 12, 1986, the trial court, apparently on its own motion, signed an "Amended Judgment" in favor of Dr. Frisard for the same amount of $17,000.00; however, this judgment awarded damages against Ms. Ulmer and Mr. Autin.[4] This judgment will be referred to herein as the "amended judgment."

Dr. Frisard recorded the amended judgment in the records of St. Tammany Parish, and on December 21, 1989, he filed a petition in that parish against Ms. Ulmer to have the amended judgment made executory against certain property of Ms. Ulmer. On January 10, 1990, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff seized immovable property owned by Ms. Ulmer, and her current husband, Louis J. Ulmer, located in Covington, Louisiana (the Deni Court property). On May 23, 1990, Dr. Frisard purchased Ms. Ulmer's interest in the Deni Court property at a sheriff's sale for $59,000.00.[5] Apparently, however, the price paid by Dr. Frisard was based on the appraised value of the entire Deni Court property rather than on Ms. Ulmer's one-half interest in the property alone.

On March 10, 1994, Dr. Frisard filed a "Petition for Partial Refund of Sheriff's Sale/Seizure Fees or Alternatively for Deed Correction," seeking (1) a refund of the alleged excessive "seizure and sale commission fee" he paid to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff in connection with the sheriffs sale, or (2) an order to the sheriff to issue to Dr. Frisard a corrected deed making him owner of the entire Deni Court property.[6] In response, on May 22, 1995, Mr. and Ms. Ulmer filed a "Petition of Intervention, for Declaratory Judgment, and Alternatively, for Partition of Immovable Property, an Accounting, and Damages," which, after a later amendment,[7] sought to have the amended judgment and the subsequent sheriffs sale of the Deni Court property declared nullities, and alternatively, sought a declaratory judgment recognizing Mr. Ulmer as part owner of the Deni Court property.

*817 On January 6, 1998, the Ulmers filed a "Motion for Partial Summary Judgment," seeking a judgment annulling and setting aside the amended judgment and the May 23, 1990 sheriff's sale. Dr. Frisard filed an opposition to the motion. On May 21, 1998, the trial court signed a judgment, granting the Ulmers' motion in part, and denying the motion in part. The judgment "annulled, vacated and set aside" the amended judgment and the May 23, 1990 sheriff's sale.[8]

Dr. Frisard appeals from the May 21, 1998 judgment, asserting the following assignments of error:

1. The trial court erred in determining that the amended judgment, which was issued to correct ambiguity in the original judgment, was an absolute nullity.
2. The trial court erred in determining the seizure and sale resulting from the execution of the amended judgment was also a nullity.
3. The trial court erred in failing to attempt to reinstate the original judgment subject to a timely filed Motion to Revive by Dr. Frisard.
4. The trial court failed to dismiss the motion for partial summary judgment because the appellees failed to attach evidentiary exhibits to their motion.

The Ulmers answered the appeal, requesting that this court consider the issue of the alleged inadequacy of Dr. Frisard's bid at the sheriff's sale as an alternative basis for setting aside the sale. We need not address this issue in light of our resolution of this appeal.

PROCEDURE FOR FILING DOCUMENTATION IN SUPPORT OF A MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

In his fourth assignment of error, Dr. Frisard contends the trial court erred by not dismissing the Ulmers' motion for partial summary judgment, because the exhibits submitted in support of the motion were attached to the Ulmers' memorandum in support of their motion rather than to the motion itself.

A motion for summary judgment shall only be granted "if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any," show there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. La.C.C.P. art. 966(B). Dr. Frisard correctly points to this court's position that a legal memorandum is not one of the types of documents which can be considered under La.C.C.P. art. 966(B), and consequently, attachments to a legal memorandum should also not be considered by the trial court in its consideration of a motion for summary judgment. Anderson v. Allstate Insurance Company, 93-1102 (La.App. 1 Cir. 4/8/94), 642 So.2d 208, 214 (on rehearing), writ denied, 94-2400 (La.11/29/94), 646 So.2d 404; Dyes v. Isuzu Motors, Limited in Japan, 611 So.2d 126, 128 (La.App. 1 Cir.1992). In this case, the Ulmers did not attach their supporting documentation as exhibits to their motion for partial summary judgment. However, in the motion, the Ulmers stated, "In support of their Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, intervenors submit their Memorandum in Support of Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, with the exhibits attached thereto, filed contemporaneously herewith, as though copied herein in extenso.

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Bluebook (online)
747 So. 2d 813, 1999 WL 1268057, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/frisard-v-autin-lactapp-1999.