Johnston v. City of New Orleans

101 So. 2d 206, 234 La. 697, 1958 La. LEXIS 1136
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedMarch 17, 1958
Docket43325
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 101 So. 2d 206 (Johnston v. City of New Orleans) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnston v. City of New Orleans, 101 So. 2d 206, 234 La. 697, 1958 La. LEXIS 1136 (La. 1958).

Opinion

SIMON, Justice.

D. V. Johnston acquired certain property located in the subdivision known as Behrman Heights forming part of the Fifth Municipal District of the City of New Orleans and which he thereafter developed and subdivided for sale of lots for residential purposes. In connection therewith by a notarial act dated January 30, 1950 he dedicated certain streets to the public use, established servitudes in favor of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, and specially dedicated to public use a certain square of ground bearing No. 22, measuring 600 ft. by 300 ft., located in about the center of said subdivision, which were duly accepted in behalf of the City of New Orleans. The Mayor of the City of. New Orleans appeared as a party to the said notarial act, duly authorized by the *701 provisions of Ordinance No. 17,600 under which the dedication of the said property and its acceptance by the Mayor were aprproved. It appears from the act that the dedication of the streets and the servitude were made in consideration of the public convenience and necessity; and Square No. 22 was therein declared to be “dedicated to public use for school and playground purposes.”

On March 8, 1955, more than five years following said dedication, Johnston filed this suit against the City of New Orleans to have the said act declared null and void and of no effect insofar and only as it purported to be a dedication or an offer of dedication of the said Square No. 22 for school and playground purposes on the grounds that the dedicated square had not been used for either school or playground purposes and that therefore the said non-use constituted an abandonment thereof. Plaintiff also alleged that the exclusive jurisdiction of the construction of school buildings and other improvements on school properties is vested in the Orleans Parish School Board, whereas the City of New Orleans has the exclusive jurisdiction and control of playgrounds, and that this alleged conflict of jurisdiction between these two corporate entities makes impossible the use of the said Square No. 22 for either school or playground purposes.

The City of New Orleans filed exceptions of no right or cause -of action to plaintiff’s petition. By supplemental petition the Orleans Parish School Board was made a party-defendant and it thereupon filed similar exceptions. After a hearing the said exceptions were maintained and plaintiff’s suit was dismissed. Plaintiff now prosecutes this appeal.

A review of the record reveals that evidence was received on the exception of no right of action, which exception raises only the question of whether or not the plaintiff has any interest in enforcing judicially the right asserted by him. Plaintiff testified that he had acquired certain property located in the Fifth Municipal District of the City of New ■Orleans, and known as Behrman Heights Subdivision; that he subdivided said property for the purpose of selling lots for residential purposes; that he had sold approximately 800 lots and that he still retained more- than a hundred lots for sale; that more than half of the said lots were sold prior to the dedication of streets and the Square No. 22, and that other lots were sold subsequent thereto. Thus, it is manifest that the plaintiff herein has a real and actual interest to assert and pursue this litigation and that the exception of no right of action should have been overruled.

*703 Article 15 of the Code of Practice provides that an action can only be brought by one having a real and actual interest which he pursues. One who has no interest has no standing in court. Quaker Realty Co. v. Labasse, 131 La. 996, 60 So. 661, Ann.Cas.1914A, 1073; Waterhouse v. Star Land Co., 139 La. 177, 71 So. 358; Tichenor v. Dr. G. H. Tichenor’s Antiseptic Co., 180 La. 119, 156 So. 194; Ideal Savings & Homestead Ass’n v. Scott, 181 La. 978, 160 So. 783; Schwartzenburg v. Louisiana Highway Commission, 184 La. 989, 168 So. 125; and Ritsch Alluvial Land Co. v. Adema, 211 La. 675, 30 So.2d 753.

In determining the correctness of the judgment maintaining the exception of no cause of action we are controlled by the well-settled law that an exception of no cause of action addresses itself to the sufficiency in law of the petition and the exhibits attached thereto. Outdoor Electric Advertising v. Saurage, 207 La. 344, 21 So.2d 375; Termini v. McCormick, 208 La. 221, 23 So.2d 52; Roy O. Martin Lumber Co. v. Saint Denis Securities Co., 225 La. 51, 72 So.2d 257, 258; and Wischer v. Madison Realty Company, Inc., 231 La. 704, 92 So.2d 589. This exception is triable entirely on the face of the papers and all well-pleaded allegations of fact contained in the petition must be accepted as true. See Wischer v. Madison Realty Company, Inc., supra, and authorities therein cited.

Plaintiff’s petition alleges that in connection with the subdivision of his property he dedicated for the public necessity and convenience certain streets as well as Square No. 22 which was specifically dedicated to the public use for school and playground purposes.

He seeks to have the said dedication insofar as it relates to Square No. 22 declared null and void and of no effect on any one or all of sevei-al alleged grounds, namely, (1) that the dedicated property had never been used for either school or playground purposes which in effect constituted an abandonment thereof; (2) that the Orleans Parish School Board had not accepted the dedication nor was it a party to said act and that the City of New Orleans was without the power or authority to accept said dedication on behalf of said school board; and (3) that an alleged conflict of jurisdiction between the City of New Orleans and the Orleans Parish School Board makes impossible the use of said square for either school or playground purposes.

Although plaintiff’s petition alleges a dedication of Square No. 22, it does not allege that the act of dedication contains or expresses any reservation or restriction whatsoever, save that for school and *705 playground purposes. The act of dedication reveals that no time limit is therein expressed or prescribed within which the property should be used as proposed nor is any reservation made that it should revert to the dedicator because of non-use within any prescribed time.

In the case of Moran v. Bechtel, 202 La. 380, 12 So.2d 1, 5, we find the following expression by this Court: “The fact that the property in contest was not immediately put to public use does not eliminate the presumption, juris et de jure, of its dedication to the public, because years after the creation of the Zimpel map, many of the streets and public places in Carrollton (notably Frederick Square), all shown thereon and now in use, lay undeveloped and unused until public necessity required their opening and development by the public officials.

“In the case of Richard v. City of New Orleans, 1940, 195 La. 898, 197 So. 594, the Court held that Elysian Fields Avenue, at Florida Walk, a dedicated avenue, which had remained in its original or unused state to the date of the litigation, was subject to opening for public use by the City authorities.”

In Wilkie v. Walmsley, 173 La. 141, 136 So.

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Bluebook (online)
101 So. 2d 206, 234 La. 697, 1958 La. LEXIS 1136, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnston-v-city-of-new-orleans-la-1958.