Interdiction of Polmer

141 So. 2d 696, 1961 La. App. LEXIS 1943
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 27, 1961
DocketNo. 5450
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 141 So. 2d 696 (Interdiction of Polmer) 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
Interdiction of Polmer, 141 So. 2d 696, 1961 La. App. LEXIS 1943 (La. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinions

ELLIS, Judge.

Mervin Joseph Polmer, hereinafter referred to as petitioner, was adjudged an interdict on January 7, 1957 and thereafter his brother, Irvin F. Polmer, qualified as the curator, and his sister, Mrs. Estelle P. Rabin, hereinafter referred to as opponent, qualified as under-curatrix.

As frankly stated in both briefs, family differences arose and as a result the under-curatrix-opponent filed a rule and obtained an order directing the curator to show cause on January 12, 1961 why he should not be removed and she permitted to qualify in his stead, and the son of the under-curatrix to be appointed under-curator. There was also a suit filed by the curator against the son of the opponent, with which we are not now concerned, and being only mentioned to show the family dissension.

On January 6, 1961 (before the return on the said rule) suit was filed by the petitioner to have his interdiction terminated and revoked; the curator was made defendant, accepted service thereon, and on the same day filed answer admitting the allegations of the petition and prayed that judgment be granted revoking the judgment of interdiction.

On January 12, 1961 a petition entitled “Opposition to Termination of Interdiction” was filed by the intervenor, Mrs. Estelle P. Rabin, who was also under-cura-trix, in which she set forth that she was the duly appointed, qualified and sworn under-curatrix for the interdict; that she was neither served nor cited with a copy of the petition filed by the interdict and [698]*698that she is an indispensable party to any revocation of this interdiction by virtue of LSA-Civil Code, Article 421; that the interdict was still paralyzed in his right arm and right leg and unable to stand, confined to a wheel chair and is in the same identical physical condition as he was four years ago and called for strict proof of the present physical condition and the capacity of the interdict. She prayed that this “Opposition to Termination of Interdiction” be maintained and that she be appointed Curator for the interdict and that Philip P. Spencer, her son, be appointed under-curator and that the curator be called upon to make a strict accounting.

The matter came up for trial and oral objection was made by counsel for petitioner in support of a previously filed written motion objecting to the intervention of opponent (under-curatrix) upon the ground that she had no legal interest in the suit to terminate and revoke the judgment of interdiction of petitioner. The Court orally ruled as follows :

“On the basis of the holdings in the cases cited in [Oliver v. Terrall, 152 La. 662] 94 So. 152 and [Kelly v. Kelly, 183 La. 580] 164 So. [596] 597 the only parties at interest in this proceeding are the interdict and the curator, there are no other parties at interest, and on the basis of those cases the ruling of the Court is there are no other parties at interest and that the application of Mrs. Estelle Palmer Rabin is dismissed.”

After said ruling neither the opponent nor her counsel were allowed to participate in any manner in the trial on the merits and the following judgment was signed ordering the dismissal of the opposition of the under-curatrix and we quote:

“Interdiction of State of Louisiana
Mervin Joseph Polmer 17th Judicial District Court
No. 3487 Probate Parish of Terrebonne
“On motion of Sessions, Fishman, Rosenson & Snellings and Pugh, Lan-ier & Pugh, Attorneys for Mover, Mervin Joseph Polmer, and upon suggesting to the Court that there has heretofore been filed a purported opposition to Termination of the said Interdiction of the said Mervin Joseph Polmer,. which said Opposition was filed on behalf of Mrs. Estelle Polmer Rabin, the Under-Curator for the said Mervin Joseph Polmer, and upon further suggesting to the Court that under the provisions of Article 4557 of the [LSA-J Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure the party defendant in said suit is the Curator and that therefore the said Mrs. Estelle Polmer Rabin has no legal interest in said suit.
“It Is Ordered that the said opposition be and it is hereby dismissed.
“Houma, Louisiana, January 30th, 1961
“J. Louis Watkins “Judge”

After a trial upon the merits the Lower Court on January 30th, 1961 signed formal judgment terminating and revoking the previous judgment of interdiction of the petitioner.

There was no appeal from the judgment dismissing the opposition of the opponent (under-curatrix). We are therefore not now concerned with the correctness vel non of the judgment dismissing the petition of intervention of the opponent.

On February 8th, 1961, by written petition through counsel who had not previously appeared in these proceedings, the under-curatrix prayed for a devolutive appeal from the judgment on the merits and we quote in part from said petition:

“Interdiction of Mervin Joseph Polmer
“To the Honorable the Judges of the Seventeenth Judicial District Court in and for the Parish of Terrebonne, State of Louisiana:
“The petition of Mrs. Estelle P. Rabin, Under-curator of the interdict, Mervin Joseph Polmer, with respect shows:
“That a judgment terminating the interdiction of the said Mervin Joseph Polmer [699]*699was rendered herein on the 30th day of January 1961 and signed on the 30th day of January 1961; that said judgment is contrary to the law and the evidence and petitioner is aggreived thereby and desires to appeal therefrom devolutively to the Court of Appeal, First Circuit, State of Louisiana.”

The Lower Court by written order on the same date of the application for a devolu-tive appeal granted same. We are, therefore, only concerned with the right of the opponent to appeal from the judgment on the merits terminating and revoking the prior judgment of interdiction of the petitioner. Under Article 2086 of the LSA-Code of Civil Procedure that “A person who could have intervened in the trial court may appeal, whether or not any other appeal has been taken”, it is necessary that we discuss in full the right of the opponent to have, intervened in this proceeding, for if she had the right to intervene she also had the right to appeal. Our discussion on this point is limited strictly to the right of the opponent to appeal from the judgment on the merits as no appeal was taken from the judgment dismissing her opposition.

An answer to the question posed by counsel for the appellant, viz.: “Does a sister and under-curatrix of an interdict have a legal right to oppose revocation of the judgment of interdiction ? ” will determine the legal right of appellant to appeal from the judgment on the merits which terminated and revoked the prior judgment of interdiction of the petitioner.

The District Court cited Oliver v. Terrall, 152 La. 662, 94 So. 152, 153; Kelly v. Kelly, 183 La. 580, 164 So. 596 as authority for holding the under-curatrix had no interest in the action to revoke the interdiction and, hence, dismissed her opposition.

The case of Oliver v. Terrall, supra, did not involve a judicial interdiction but only a commitment to the insane asylum at Pine-ville by the District Court of Rapides Parish, under the provisions of Act 68 of 1918, pg.

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

Related

In Re Helm
84 So. 3d 601 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011)
Green v. City of Shreveport
888 So. 2d 314 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2004)
In re the Interdiction of Campbell
807 So. 2d 908 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2002)
Matte v. Continental Casualty Company
185 So. 2d 842 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1966)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
141 So. 2d 696, 1961 La. App. LEXIS 1943, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/interdiction-of-polmer-lactapp-1961.