Johnson v. Bolt

144 So. 296
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 10, 1932
DocketNo. 4444.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 144 So. 296 (Johnson v. Bolt) 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
Johnson v. Bolt, 144 So. 296 (La. Ct. App. 1932).

Opinion

DREW, J.

This case is before us on a motion to dismiss the appeal for the reason that the appeal is alleged to be from an interlocutory decree, for the further reason that the appeal was taken from a judgment confessed by appellee, and, further, that appellant, the garnishee, is a mere stakeholder and without interest to set up any defense for the real debtor, Mrs. Mary C. Bolt.

The record discloses that E. B. Herndon was made garnishee under a writ of fieri facias based upon a judgment in favor of Bryan E. Bush, assignee, against Mrs-Mary Q. Bolt. The following interrogatories were propounded to the garnishee:

“1st Interrogatory: Had you in your hands or under your control, directly or indirectly, at the time of service of these interrogatories, or at any time since, any money, rights, credits or other property whatsoever, belonging or due to the said defendant in writ, or in which he has or had any interest for the whole or for a part; and if yea, what is the nature, description and amount thereof; and is the same sufficient to pay or to satisfy the full amount of said writ, or if less, to what amount? — you being asked and required to make a full disclosure in relation to same.
“2d Interrogatory: Were you not, at the time of service upon you of these interrogatories, or since, directly or indirectly indebted or obligated unto the said defendant in writ for anything or for any sum whatever, whether for yourself alone or together with others, in consequence of any sale or exchange or transaction of any kind whatever, whether the same be due or to become due, and whether the interests of said defendant in writ be direct or indirect, or be for the whole or a part only, or whether it be by bill, note or otherwise ; and if yea, what is the nature, description and amount thereof, and is the same sufficient to pay or satisfy the full amount of said writ and costs, or if less, what amount? you being asked and required to make a full and detailed disclosure in relation to the same.
“3d Interrogatory: Have you, at any. time' since the service of notice of seizure in your hands herein made, directly or indirectly, unto or with the said defendant in writ any pay *297 ment or novation or compromise, or arrangement or given him any note or written obligation, or received from him, directly or indirectly, any receipt or acquittance? and if yea, state the nature, description and amount thereof, and the time, place and circumstances of the same.”

The garnishee, on July 9, 1932, answered the interrogatories as follows:

“Ans. Interrogatory 1:
“I was employed by Mrs. Mary 0. Bolt to obtain for her as widow in necessitous circumstances, One Thousand ($1000.00) Dollars from the succession of William H. Bolt, her late husband, being suit No. 51,897, on the docket of this court. The administrator in said succession refused to place defendant’s claim on his tableau of debts and I filed opposition therein, and thereafter, to-wit, on Juiib 13, 1931, the court rendered judgment in said suit in favor of the opponent, defendant in this suit, recognizing her as widow of the deceased in necessitous circumstances under Article 3252 of the Civil Code, for the sum of One Thousand ($1000.00) Dollars, less credit of Two Hundred Forty-eight ($248.00) Dollars, and ordering the administrator to place same on his tableau of debts for the sum of Seven Hundred Fifty-two ($752.00) Dollars to be paid her by preference and priority over all other debts, except the expenses incurred in selling the property of the deceased, from which judgment the administrator appealed to the Honorable Circuit Court of Appeal, Second Circuit of Louisiana, and after hearing had on said appeal, said court on January 14, 1932, affirmed the judgment of said district court (19 La. App. 135, 138 So. 897), in suit No. 4179 on the docket of said court. The administrator thereafter applied to the Honorable Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana for writs of review, and thereafter, to-wit, on March 30, 1932, in suit No. 31,776, the Honorable Supreme Court refused said writ, and thereafter the administrator in said succession filed an amended tableau of debts, which opponent opposed for the reason that said amended tableau of debts was incorrect, and that it failed to place her on said tableau in the rank as provided by law, and judgment was thereafter rendered in her behalf on May 28, 1932, again ordering and commanding said administrator to place the claim of Mrs. Mary C. Bolt, widow in necessitous circumstances, on the tableau of debts for the sum of $752.00 tó be paid by preference and priority over all other debts, except the expenses of sale of the property, and thereafter, to-wit, the administrator failing and neglecting to make distribution of the funds of the succession, the opponent in said succession filed a rule on said administrator to show cause why he should not file a true statement and account of his administration, said rule being fixed for Tuesday, June 21, 1932, at ten o’clock A. M., but that said rule was not tried for the reason that the administrator promised to make distribution of the assets of said succession without further delay, and that on July 1, 1932, at about three o’clock P. M., the attorney for the administrator, Hon. Bryan E. Bush, handed me, in my office, as attorney for Mrs. Mary O. Bolt, check of the administrator for $752.00, being the amount payable to her under said judgment, and within five minutes thereafter a deputy sheriff in and for Caddo Parish, La., served petition and order and interrogatories on me in above entitled suit.
“In further answer to Interrogatory 1, I do not believe that I have any money belonging to the defendant, the amount collected being paid her under article 3252 of the Civil Code reading as follows (last sentence of article):
“ ‘The surviving widow shall have and enjoy the usufruct so received from her deceased husband’s succession, during her widowhood, which amount shall afterwards vest in and belong to the children or other descendants of the deceased husband.’
“I, therefore, affirm that said sum paid me is not the property of the defendant in above entitled matter, but the property of the ‘children, or other descendants of the deceased husband’, the defendant only enjoying the usufruct of the amount during her widowhood. I further believe that said sum paid over to me is not subject to seizure under any process whatever, being a form of homestead exemption well recognized by the jurisprudence of this State.
“Ans. Interrogatory 2:
“I believe I have answered in full in Interrogatory 1 all of the matters inquired about in Interrogatory 2. However, the writ referred to in said interrogatory is not before me and the interrogatory being silent as to the amount claimed, and the petition being vague in not stating the date from which interest was allowed and the date of the credit of $20.'00 on said judgment, as set forth in Paragraph 3, nor am I advised as to the amount of court cost, and, therefore, am unable to say the balance due under said judgment, but as above stated the sum of $752.00 was paid me .under judgment rendered in above entitled succession.
“Ans. Interrogatory 3:
“I have not seen Mrs. Mary O.

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Bluebook (online)
144 So. 296, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-bolt-lactapp-1932.