Hodges v. Heier

159 So. 2d 791, 1964 La. App. LEXIS 1224
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 6, 1964
DocketNo. 1093
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 159 So. 2d 791 (Hodges v. Heier) 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
Hodges v. Heier, 159 So. 2d 791, 1964 La. App. LEXIS 1224 (La. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinions

SAMUEL, Judge.

This is an action for breach of express warranties contained in a written option to purchase.

For many years prior to 1952 plaintiff’s family were majority stockholders in a Louisiana corporation known as New Orleans Stockyards, Inc., but lost control with the death of plaintiff's father. Shortly thereafter Salta Corporation was incorporated under the laws of this state. Its primary asset consisted of stock in New Orleans Stockyards, Inc. Salta and the five defendants in this suit, who owned and controlled Salta, owned a total of 2518 of the outstanding 5,000 shares of Stockyards, in which latter corporation plaintiff was also a stockholder. Salta issued one of its own shares for each share of Stockyards owned by the former corporation.

Plaintiff desired to purchase the Stockyards stock held by Salta and the defendants. On August 24, 1959, after several years of tedious and often bitter negotiations during all of which both sides were represented by counsel, the litigants entered into the written option agreement whereby, for a consideration of $10,000.00, plaintiff obtained the right to purchase all shares of the capital stock of Salta and 170 shares (owned by the defendants individually) of Stockyards for $100.00 per share. Because that type of transfer would constitute an income tax advantage for the defendants, at their request plaintiff agreed that instead of transferring the Stockyards shares owned by Salta directly to plaintiff, he would acquire those shares through purchase of the Salta stock.

Plaintiff exercised the option and on February 23, 1960, the formal act of sale was executed. At that time defendants delivered and plaintiff accepted 2348 shares of Salta and 170 shares of Stockyards for a consideration of $251,800.00, $125,900.00 (consisting of $115,900.00 plus a credit of $10,000.00, the option consideration already paid) of which was paid in cash. Plaintiff gave six promissory notes in varying amounts for the balance of $125,900.00.

In accepting the shares delivered and in paying the consideration therefor plaintiff did not waive, but specifically reserved, all warranties including the following expressed warranties contained in the option:

“(a) That the Salta Corporation, among its assets owns 2348 shares of the capital stock of the New Orleans Stockyards, Inc.
“(b) That the annexed balance sheet, marked Exhibit A, of the Salta Corporation reflects the true financial status of the said corporation as pf July 31, 1958.
“(c) That the annexed balance sheet marked Exhibit B, of the New Orleans Stockyards, Inc., reflects the true financial status of the said corporation as of June 30, 1959.
“(d) That the financial condition of the Salta Corporation and the New Orleans Stockyards, Inc., respectively, on the date of delivery of shares by GRANTEES unto GRANTOR, as called for herein, shall be at least as good as it appears in the said Exhibits A and B, less only ordinary operating' expenses as may be required, and that neither the Salta Corporation nor the New Orleans Stockyards, Inc., have any liabilities of any nature other than those as shown on the attached Exhibits A and B.
“(h) That the corporate structure of the Salta Corporation and the New Orleans Stockyards, Inc., will not change during the period of this agreement nor will the assets of either corporation, be encumbered and/or alienated other [793]*793than as shown on the annexed Exhibits A and B.
“(i) GRANTEES specifically reserve the right to dispose of any assets of the Salta Corporation, other than shares of stock of the New Orleans Stockyards, Inc.”

Salta’s balance sheet, attached to the option agreement, contains a footnote which reads as follows:

“Salta Corporation, Capital.
2418 shares of capital stock of Salta Corporation outstanding, 700 of which are owned by the Corporation as Treasury Shares”.

All parties now concede that only 70 shares of Salta’s capital stock were owned by that corporation as treasury shares and the 700 share figure in the footnote is an error; the figure should have been 70 instead of 700. At the act of sale plaintiff received and paid for 2,348 shares (2418 minus 70) of Salta instead of 1,718 shares (2418 minus 700) which he claims he should have received under the warranties and balance sheet footnote quoted above. In this suit one of the amounts he seeks is $63,000.00, the value of $100.00 per share of the 630 shares not held by Salta as treasury shares. In addition, Salta had owned on the date of the option, and had declared a dividend and distributed to the defendants prior to the sale, 28 shares of the capital stock of St. Bernard Bank & Trust Company, valued at $686.00, and a certain lot of ground, valued at $1,500.00. Plaintiff’s suit therefore is for both of these amounts plus the $63,000.00, or a total of $65,186.00. The trial court rendered judgment in favor of plaintiff in that total amount, with legal interest and costs. The defendants have appealed.

In this court defendants have filed a plea of prescription of one year. As to the claims relative to the bank stock and the immovable property they additionally argue that the option agreement specifically permits them to dispose of the assets of Salta other than Stockyards stock [see (i) ]. As to the claim for $63,000.00, representing the value of the 630 shares not held as treasury shares by Salta, they argue that the error was “typographical” and harmless because plaintiff knew the true facts and was not misled by, nor did he rely upon, the error.

The plea of prescription is based upon LSA-C.C. Art. 2534 which provides a prescription of one year in a redhibition action. Defendants’ contention is not sound. Red-hibition is the avoidance of a sale on account of some vice or defect in the thing sold or on account of a false representation of quality or fitness. LSA-C.C. Arts. 2520, 2529. The action of quanti minoris, also briefed by the defendants, is for a reduction of the price of the sale rather than for its rescission and is subject to the same rules which govern the redhibitory action (LSA-C.C. Arts. 2541, 2542, 2544), and subject to the same prescription of one year (LSA-C.C. Art. 2534). Plaintiff does not claim the stock had any vice or defect; nor does he accuse the defendants of any false representation of quality. His claim is based on alleged breaches of express contractual warranties as to quantity, not to fitness or utility, and is therefore subject to the prescriptive period of ten years. LSA-C.C. Art. 3544; Olinde Hardware & Supply Co. v. Ramsey, La.App., 98 So.2d 835.

We are of the opinion that the defendants are liable for the values of the 28 shares of bank stock and the lot of ground for which they have failed to account. They have not pressed their contentions relative to these two items in argument before this court and, in view of the fact that the option warranty (d) provides the financial condition of Salta shall be at least as good as it appears in the balance sheet and the evidence is insufficient to show any valid agreement or understanding to the contrary, plaintiff is entitled to recover the two amounts and the trial court judgment is correct as to them.

[794]

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

Related

In re Public Investors, Inc.
998 F.2d 284 (Fifth Circuit, 1993)
Marrero v. Finevest Life Investors Ltd. Partnership
998 F.2d 284 (Fifth Circuit, 1993)
State v. Allien
366 So. 2d 1308 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1978)
Hodges v. Heier
161 So. 2d 282 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1964)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
159 So. 2d 791, 1964 La. App. LEXIS 1224, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hodges-v-heier-lactapp-1964.