Hollier v. Galtier

430 So. 2d 376
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 13, 1983
Docket82-790
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 430 So. 2d 376 (Hollier v. Galtier) 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
Hollier v. Galtier, 430 So. 2d 376 (La. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

430 So.2d 376 (1983)

John A. HOLLIER, et al., Plaintiffs-Appellees,
v.
John A. GALTIER, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 82-790.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

April 13, 1983.

*377 Thompson, Sellers & Bundick, Dennis R. Bundick, Abbeville, for defendant-appellant.

Cooper, Ortego & Woodruff, Calvin Woodruff, Jr., Charles Sonnier, Abbeville, for plaintiffs-appellees.

J. Nolan Sandoz, Abbeville, for defendant-appellee.

Before FORET, CUTRER and DOUCET, JJ.

DOUCET, Judge.

This is an action for reformation of an Act of Sale involving real property situated in Vermilion Parish. From an adverse judgment, defendant appeals alleging the trial court erred in admitting into evidence the deposition of plaintiff John Hollier (who died before trial) and further erred in subsequently ordering the reformation of the Act of Sale. We affirm.

On September 8, 1967, John Hollier donated one acre of his property[1] to his grandchildren, then, by Cash Deed, sold property to his daughter and son-in-law (The Toucheques)[2]. The deed to the Toucheques allegedly contained a mistake and described their property as being within the one (1) acre belonging to the grandchildren rather than adjacent thereto, the deed reading "west of" instead of "east of" the grandchildren's property. The Toucheques lived on the land for seven years without incident.

*378 On March 20, 1974, John Hollier sold the rest of his land (11 acres more or less) to John Galtier. John Galtier inspected both the property and the public records which revealed the Toucheques' interest albeit the whereabouts of their property in relation to the remaining tract was less than certain. The problem was compounded by John Hollier's age and cursory familiarity with the English language, French being his primary language.

Shortly after purchasing the property John Galtier evicted the Toucheques. Alerted to the error in the deed, John Hollier (vendor) and the Toucheques (plaintiffs herein) executed an Act of Correction (which was recorded) and requested John Galtier execute a voluntary reformation. Galtier refused and this suit followed.

Pending suit Mr. Hollier, an elderly man, fell ill and was hospitalized. On April 15, 1975, defense counsel for John Galtier received notice of a deposition to be taken the same day at the hospital. Notice was received approximately 15 minutes prior to the assigned time for the taking of the deposition (11:30 a.m.). Defense counsel timely objected to the deposition on the grounds of lack of reasonable notice, pursuant to LSA-C.C.P. Art. 1453[3], and secured a Protective Order forbidding the taking of same.[4] Nevertheless, counsel for plaintiff proceeded with the deposition at 12:20 p.m., believing Mr. Hollier's death was imminent. (Mr. Hollier died 18 days later on May 3, 1975).[5]

Thereafter, on June 6, 1975, before plaintiffs' filing of a Notice of Lis Pendens, John Galtier transferred the property to his brother, Firman Galtier, thereby making the latter a "third party". By Supplemental and Amending Petition Firman Galtier was added as party defendant.

At trial on the merits, the district judge admitted the decedent John Hollier's deposition into evidence. After hearing all the evidence, judgment was rendered in plaintiffs' favor, ordering reformation of the Acts of Sale, for reasons assigned as follows:

"The evidence establishes that when this Cash Sale was executed between John Galtier and John Hollier, John Galtier knew of *379 the existing discrepancy in the property descriptions. He was also familiar with the property in question, as he had been on the property on numerous occasions. The property owned by Alvin Touchet and Cynthia Babineaux Touchet was enclosed within a fence and was visually outside of the bounds of the remainder of the tract. The evidence further indicates that at the time the Cash Sale between John Hollier and John Galtier was executed, the defendant neither believed this tract to be included within the property to be sold, nor did he intend to purchase this lot. Further, John Hollier was not conversant or literate in English, and there is insufficient evidence to establish the fact that he understood the terms of the written act of the Cash Sale to John Galtier. There is no evidence to show that he ever gave any indication to the defendant, John Hollier, of his intention to convey the one hundred (100') foot by one hundred forty-eight (148') foot tract in question. In fact, the evidence indicates that his intention was to the contrary. He knew that seven (7) years previously he had sold this tract to his step son-in-law and step daughter; that they had lived on the property for a time, and that they continued to use, maintain, and enjoy the property. Under the jurisprudence, John Hollier, upon his discovery of the mutual error in the act of Cash Sale dated March 20, 1974, was permitted to correct the error in the instrument to express the true intention of the parties. It is a well settled principle that either party to a contract is always permitted to correct any error in the instrument so as to make the contract express truly and correctly the intention of the parties. Reynaud v. Bullock [195 La. 86], 196 So. 29 (La.S.Ct.1940). When a written instrument does not express the true contract or agreement of the parties the burden of proof rests on the one seeking reformation of the instrument to establish the mutual error or mistake by clear and convincing proof. Waller v. Colvin [151 La. 765], 92 So. 328 (La.S.Ct.1922); Walker v. Jim Austin Motor Co., 162 So.2d 135 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1964, writ refused); Agurs v. Holt [232 La. 1026], 95 So.2d 644 (La.S.Ct.1957); Kemp v. Beasley, 188 So.2d 425 (La.App.3d Cir.1966); Boyle v. Fringe Facts, Inc., 414 So.2d 1333 (La.App.2d Cir.1982). In Pipes v. Pipes, 343 So.2d 329 (La.App.2d Cir.1977), the Court held that this burden was discharged by the party seeking reformation because he showed, among other things, that the deed contained a description which purported to convey a twenty (20) acre tract that the vendor did not own but had sold some five (5) years previously and that a party must not be presumed to have intended to sell that which he did not own.

The evidence shows that John Galtier made a search of the public records prior to purchasing the tract from John Hollier. A third party dealing with property is charged with knowledge revealed by recorded instruments affecting property. Blevins v. Manufacturers Record Publishing Co. [235 La. 708], 105 So.2d 392 (La.S.Ct.1958). `It is also the law that all persons have constructive notice of the existence and contents of a recorded instrument affecting immovable property (United Gas Public Service Company v. Roy, et al, 147 So. 705 (La.App. 2d Cir.1933); and where such an instrument contains language that fairly puts a purchaser on inquiry as to the title and he does not avail himself of the means and facilities at hand to obtain knowledge of the true facts he is to be considered as having bought at his own risk and peril.' Breaux-Renoudet Cypress-Lumber Company v. Shadel, et al [62 La.Ann. 2094], 28 So. 292 (La.S.Ct.1900); Hasslocher, et al v. Recknagel, et al, 160 So.2d 421 (La.App. 2d Cir.1964); Brown v. Johnson, 11 So.2d 713 (La.App. 2d Cir.1943); Judice—Henry-May Agency, Inc. v. Franklin, 376 So.2d 991 (La.App. 1st Cir.1980).

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