Haeuser v. Castrogiovanni

106 So. 2d 306, 235 La. 909, 1958 La. LEXIS 1252
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedNovember 10, 1958
Docket43437
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 106 So. 2d 306 (Haeuser v. Castrogiovanni) 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
Haeuser v. Castrogiovanni, 106 So. 2d 306, 235 La. 909, 1958 La. LEXIS 1252 (La. 1958).

Opinions

PONDER, Justice.

The defendants are appealing from a judgment condemning them to specifically perform a contract for the transfer of real estate. This is the fourth suit that the plaintiff has brought under an option to sell contained in a lease contract entered into between him and the defendants’ husband and father, Lucas J. Schiro.

On January 2, 1951, Lucas J. Schiro leased to plaintiff the premises located at 5000 Jefferson Highway, known as the Schiro property, measuring 237 foot front on the Jefferson Highway by a depth of 597 foot, for a primary term of five years, commencing on February 1, 1951 and ending January 31, 1956, for a consideration of $500 monthly to be paid in advance to the real estate agency of D. Marsiglia, Inc. In this lease it is provided that the lessee cannot rent or sub-let the premises to anyone without the written consent of the lessor. The lessee was granted an option to purchase the property, which is set out in the lease as follows, viz.:

“Lessee is hereby given the option of purchasing this property at any time during the period commencing August 1, 1953 and ending August 1, 1958 providing this property is under the present lease agreement at the time this option is exercised.”

It appears in this option that no provision is made therein as to the terms under which the option is to be exercised; however, on June 27, 1951 the lessor addressed a letter to the lessee calling his attention to the fact that they failed to put in the option the price to be paid for the property, stating that it is distinctly understood that the price is $55,000 cash and, if the option is exercised, 10% deposit must be made to the real [913]*913estate agent, D. Marsiglia, Inc. In this letter lessor granted the lessee the right to immediately exercise the option provided he did so not later than April 1, 1952. This right was extended on June 11, 1952 for a period of ninety days and it was provided that if it was not exercised within that time the terms and conditions of the option would revert back to the terms and conditions contained in the original lease, the sale price being $55,000.

The first suit brought by the plaintiff on September 13, 1954 was for specific performance wherein the plaintiff alleged:

“2.
“That on the dates set out in the documents numbered ‘Plaintiff I, II and III,’ which documents are attached hereto and made part hereof, the same as if copied in extenso, your petitioner and the defendant entered into an agreement whereby Louis D. Haeuser agreed to buy from Lucas J. Schiro, who agreed to sell, the following described property for the price and sum of Fifty-five Thousand Dollars:
“5000 Jefferson Highway, known as the Schiro property, measuring 237' front on the Jefferson Highway by a depth of 597'.”
“3.
“Petitioner avers that, pursuant to said agreement, he deposited $5,500.00, which is 10% of the purchase price, with Marsiglia Realty, Inc., the said real estate agent acting for and on behalf of the seller, Schiro. The said agent’s receipt, marked ‘Plaintiff IV’ is attached hereto and made part hereof.”
“4.
“Petitioner further avers that he has been ready, willing and able to carry out his part of the agreement by paying the balance of the purchase price, to-wit $49,500.00 and he has made demand upon the defendant herein to execute a formal act of sale of the said property, but without avail.”

The deposit of 10% of the purchase price was made on August 21, 1954 to Marsiglia. Schiro interposed an exception of no right or cause of action which was maintained by the district judge. The judge in his written opinion maintaining this exception stated:

“The only demand that plaintiff makes in this case is one for specific performance. It is based upon an alleged acceptance of an offer to sell contained in an option to purchase which was part of a lease between the parties. The option stated no price and no method of acceptance. In subsequent correspondence, defendant stated that the price was $55,000 cash. He also made other offers to sell in which he stated that if the option was exercised a 10% deposit, in cash, must be [915]*915made' with D. Marsiglia, Inc., agent representing the vendor. These offers expired without acceptance within the Stipulated periods. Subsequently plaintiff attempted to accept the option which was part of the lease by depositing 10% of the purchase price of $55,000 with D. Marsiglia, Inc., Agent.
“It is not necessary to decide whether this method of acceptance of the price of $55,000 cash became part of of the option stipulated in the lease. If it did become part of the option stipulated in the lease, the deposit was earnest money, and plaintiff is not entitled to specific performance. If these conditions did not become part of the option stipulated in the lease, then, of course, there was no acceptance of the option, and plaintiff is likewise not entitled to specific performance. Under no possible theory is plaintiff entitled to specific performance under the facts stated in the petition and supplemental petition. This is all I have decided in this case.
“The exception of no cause of action must be maintained and the suit must be dismissed. If plaintiff is entitled to any other kind of relief on the same state of facts, or to the same or any other relief on any other state of facts, that must be the basis of a new suit.”

The plaintiff brought a second suit seeking a declaratory judgment, which demand was rej ected by the lower court. The third suit was for specific performance which was non-suited and the present suit is for specific performance after a demand was made February 25, 1955 on Schiro to transfer the property to the plaintiff upon the payment of $55,000.

There was no provision in the option as to the amount to be paid for the property and the plaintiff must necessarily rely on the letters written by Schiro in November of 1951 and June of 1952 which were attached to the first specific performance suit filed by the plaintiff and alleged in plaintiff’s petition to be Plaintiff’s exhibits Nos. 2 and 3 and made part of the petition as if copied in extenso.

It is to be noted that in that suit the plaintiff averred that the agreement in the original lease-option required the deposit of 10% of the amount to be paid for the property. Now the plaintiff comes in seeking to establish the purchase price of the property, which is silent in the lease-option, by these very letters from Schiro. Plaintiff cannot come into this Court as he did in the first suit and say that a deposit was to be made under the agreement with Schiro and in a subsequent suit take an opposite position. He cannot be permitted to blow hot and cold with the courts.

It is to be noted that the first suit for specific performance was filed on Septem[917]*917■ber 13, 1954, long after the option given in the last letter of Schiro, dated June 11, 1952, giving the plaintiff an extension of ninety days within which to exercise the option, had expired, this being the same letter that the plaintiff must rely on for establishing the purchase price.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Sunbelt One v. Melian
509 So. 2d 705 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1987)
Edco Properties v. Landry
371 So. 2d 1367 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1979)
Houston v. Edgemon
367 So. 2d 151 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1979)
Troxler v. McFarlain
308 So. 2d 808 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1975)
Major v. Hall
251 So. 2d 444 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1971)
Mexic Bros., Inc. v. Sauviac
191 So. 2d 873 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1966)
Noble v. Stuart
147 So. 2d 465 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1962)
Elliott v. Dupuy
127 So. 2d 260 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1961)
Haeuser v. Castrogiovanni
106 So. 2d 306 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1958)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
106 So. 2d 306, 235 La. 909, 1958 La. LEXIS 1252, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/haeuser-v-castrogiovanni-la-1958.