J & R ENTERPRISES-SHREVEPORT, LLC v. Sarr

989 So. 2d 235, 2008 La. App. LEXIS 1115, 2008 WL 3397837
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 13, 2008
Docket43,364-CA
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 989 So. 2d 235 (J & R ENTERPRISES-SHREVEPORT, LLC v. Sarr) 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
J & R ENTERPRISES-SHREVEPORT, LLC v. Sarr, 989 So. 2d 235, 2008 La. App. LEXIS 1115, 2008 WL 3397837 (La. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

989 So.2d 235 (2008)

J & R ENTERPRISES-SHREVEPORT, L.L.C., Plaintiff-Appellee
v.
Richard D. SARR, Jr., Defendant-Appellant.

No. 43,364-CA.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

August 13, 2008.
Rehearing Denied September 11, 2008.

Shuey Smith LLC, by Richard E. Hiller, Shreveport, for Appellant.

*236 Ayres, Warren, Shelton & Williams, L.L.C., by Curtis R. Shelton, Shreveport, for Appellee.

Before STEWART, CARAWAY and PEATROSS, JJ.

CARAWAY, J.

After the purchase of a cabin and a lease of the lot on which the cabin was located, the defendant was sued for eviction from the cabin and lot by his vendor/lessor's successor in title to the property. The trial court's judgment ordered defendant's eviction from the lot while recognizing his ownership of the cabin, and defendant appeals. Finding that the summary proceeding for eviction was inappropriately utilized for the resolution of this dispute, we reverse.

Facts

This eviction dispute involves the occupancy of a small cabin site on Lake Bistineau purportedly leased by Richard D. Saar, Jr.[1] ("Saar") from Camp Joy Marina, Inc. ("CJM, Inc.") in April 2005. The cabin site (hereinafter "Lot 4624") is shown and identified on a 1997 survey plat of the marina properties as number 4624, which coincides with the parish road address number for the cabin. Also, in a separate transaction, Saar purchased the cabin on the leased land from CJM, Inc. on April 17, 2005, for $16,000 cash. The "Bill of Sale" for the cabin, which was recorded in the Bossier Parish Conveyance Records on April 22, 2005, described the following:

Cabin/house located at 4624 Camp Joy Rd., Haughton, LA 71037

Saar's lease agreement with CJM, Inc., effective April 1, 2005, described roughly the same property, as follows:

4624 Camp Joy Rd., Camp Joy Marina, Inc., a subdivision in Webster/Bossier Parish, Louisiana,

Saar paid the first annual rental payment of $1,050.00 to CJM, Inc. on April 13, 2005.

About two months later, the property comprising "Camp Joy Marina," including the disputed cabin site, was sold by credit sale deed to J & R Enterprises-Shreveport, LLC ("J & R"). The property in the deed included various parcels of land comprising the marina and surrounding acreage on the lake and was appropriately described using metes and bounds descriptions. Completing the property description, the credit sale deed further provided:

together with all buildings and improvements thereon and all rights thereto belonging, subject to ownership of buildings by third parties, and subject to all prior recorded leases, servitudes, easements, restrictions, rights, ways and privileges
and
together with all of Seller's right, title and interest in and to all property located between the above described property and Lake Bistineau and all buildings and improvements thereon or located in Lake Bistineau and adjacent thereto.
LESS AND EXCEPT CAMPHOUSES AND/OR MOBILE HOMES OWNED BY THIRD PARTIES.

An additional provision of the credit sale deed further stated:

II. LEASE AGREEMENTS
This sale includes an assignment by Seller to Purchaser of all Seller's rights and obligations as Lessor under written lease agreements covering and affecting *237 any portion of the above described property.

The credit sale deed from CJM, Inc. to J & R was signed on June 8, 2005, and recorded in Bossier Parish on June 14, 2005. At that time, only Saar's Bill of Sale transaction was recorded, as Saar's lease remained outside the public records.

Kanta Dhaliwal, J & R's sole member, testified at the eviction hearing concerning a written "Memorized (sic) Transaction List" which she received on behalf of J & R in connection with its purchase of the marina. The document, Exhibit J-13, contains an accounts receivable list of 65 tenants who leased barge stalls, trailers, houseboats and cabins at Camp Joy and paid rent periodically. The group of cabins along the southerly portion of the marina in which Lot 4624 is located are identified in part by municipal numbers, similar to the survey and bill of sale for Saar's cabin. The lease list entry for "4624" appeared under the following name:

  Name        Brooks, Gary 4624            Type        Stmt Charge
              Automatically Enter
  Account     1200-Accounts Receivable     Amount        1,025.00
  Frequency   Annually                     Next Date   03/25/2006

On direct examination, Dhaliwal was questioned concerning the information received from one of the owners of CJM, Inc. concerning J & R's purchase:

Q Now, Ms. Dhaliwal, from whom did you receive this document, J-13, Memorized Transactions list?
A This was given to me by my closing attorney, Jared Evans. These papers were given to me by Kim Collier at the time of closing. It was the list of everyone who was a renter or the property owner or the boat stall, you know, anyone who had something to do with Camp Joy.
Q Okay. And — and Kim Collier, she was with the seller?
A She was the seller.
Q She was a seller, along with Camp Joy Marina, Inc.?
A Yes. Yes.
Q Now, is a lease with Mr. Sarr (sic) listed anywhere on Exhibit J-13?
A No, sir, it's not.

The following year, in September 2006, J & R billed Saar for $520.00 based upon Dhaliwal's mistaken belief that a lease requiring monthly rentals applied to Saar's cabin. The $520 represented $390.00 past due for the months of July, August and September 2006, and $130.00 for October 2006. The following handwritten notation appeared on the statement:

Richard,
I need a payment receipt for June 2005 to June 2006 or you owe me $130.00 per month from 2005 June to September 1st 2006 so we can make the payment schedule like everyone else.
You have five days to make your account current failing which I will go to Justice of Peace and terminate utilities water & sewer.
By J & R ...

At the same time, Saar's personal check for $1,055.00 dated August 30, 2006, for "annual lease fee 4624" was returned.

In March 2007, formal notice for eviction was delivered to Saar, as follows:

In accordance with Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure articles 4701 and 4702, you are hereby give (sic) notice to vacate the above referenced property within five days from the delivery of this notice. The reason that this notice is being given is:
*238 A. As to 4624 Camp Joy Road, Haughton, Bossier Parish, Louisiana — You have failed to pay the rent and other charges owed for the months of June, 2005, and thereafter; and
B. As to 4636 Camp Joy Road, Haughton, Bossier Parish, Louisiana — You have no lease or other legal right to occupy the property.[2]

Finally, on April 3, 2007, another personal check for $2,205 "in payment of [Saar's] obligations for 2006 and 2007 under a lease agreement for 4624 Camp Joy Road," was mailed to J & R by Saar's attorney. The next day, J & R brought this eviction action against Saar alleging that Saar was delinquent in the payment of rents for a lease on the 4624 Camp Joy Road property.

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989 So. 2d 235, 2008 La. App. LEXIS 1115, 2008 WL 3397837, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/j-r-enterprises-shreveport-llc-v-sarr-lactapp-2008.