Jonau v. Blanchard

2 Rob. 513
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJuly 15, 1842
StatusPublished

This text of 2 Rob. 513 (Jonau v. Blanchard) 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
Jonau v. Blanchard, 2 Rob. 513 (La. 1842).

Opinion

Morphy, J.

The petition sets forth that, in June, 1834, the plaintiff entered into a commercial partnership with Auguste Me-toyer and Emilien Larrieu, to carry on a commission business in this city, under the firm of Jonau, Metoyer & Co. That the partnership having been dissolved, by consent of all parties, the plaintiff was authorized to continue the business for his own account, and to use the name of the old firm of Jonau, Metoyer & Co. That on the 24th of May, 1838, the plaintiff, by notarial act, formed a partnership in commendam with Marie Louise Hermina ‘Benoist, then a minor, represented by Nicolas Benoist, her father and natural tutor, in which the plaintiff was to be the general partner, and the said Hermina Benoist the partner in commendam, and that the business was to be conducted under the firm of Jonau, Metoyer & Co. That the capital was to be formed with eight [514]*514thousand dollars to be furnished by the plaintiff, and ten thousand by Hermina Benoist, and the partnership was declared to have commenced on the 1st of April, 1838, and was stipulated to last until the 1st of April, (840. That although it was stated in the notarial act that the sum of ten thousand dollars had been paid in cash by Hermina Benoist, the money was not so paid, but that two mortgage notes of $10,000 each, drawn by Thayer and Hooker, to the order of, and endorsed by Twitched, and belonging to Nicolas Benoist, were placed in the hands of the plaintiff, on the pledge of which his own note for $10,000, was discounted by the Merchants’ Bank, and netted $9346 67. That in February, 1839, Thayer and Hooker paid on account of the notes $5000, which were applied to the partial payment of the note of Jonau, Meloyer & Co.; and that for the balance of $5000, the plaintiff gave a new note payable one year after date. That one of the two notes of Thayer and Hooker was then returned to Benoist, the other still remaining pledged to the Bank, after having been renewed. That in January, 1839, Marie L. H. Benoist intermarried with Albert Gallatin Blanchard, and, in her marriage contract, which was made with the consent and assistance of Nicolas Benoist, her father, she constituted to herself in dower the ten thousand dollars supposed to have been brought into the house of Jonau, Metoyer & Co., and agreed that the sum should be withdrawn as soon as possible from the said commercial house, and employed in the purchase of immoveable property, under the direction and advice of Nicolas Benoist. That on the 29th of April, 1839, A. G. Blanchard entered into an agreement, under private signature, in which he ratified and confirmed the partnership, formed by his wife prior to her marriage. That shortly after, in May, 1839, private business compelled the plaintiff to go to Europe, previous to which he gave a power of attorney to Charles Martinez, for the transaction of his private and individual business here ; leaving the administration of the affairs of his commercial house to Emilien Larrieu, who had a power of attorney to that effect, under which he acted, to the knowledge of Benoist and Blanchard.

The petition further represents that from the time of the formation of the partnership, Nicolas Benoist had access to the partnership books, consulted them frequently, and offered and gave. his [515]*515aid in the business of the firm. That on the 24th of April, 1839, Auguste ,Metoyer, who was indebted to the plaintiff, agreed to give, and did give, with the consent of the plaintiff and of Nicolas Benoist, in liquidation of a part of his debt, four drafts drawn by him on the house of .Jonau, Meto^er& Co-, to the order of Nicolas Be-noit, and payable one year after their date, amounting together to the sum of $11,300. That N. Benoist permitted the use of his name as endorser, apparently with a view to facilitate the discounting of these drafts, and to assist the firm in its business. That after the plaintiff’s departure, N. Benoist, for the purpose of' rendering more easy the negotiation of these notes, and of securing himself still better, advised that their payment should be secured by a mortgage, which was accordingly executed by Charles Martinez, as attorney in fact of the plaintiff. That in the course of the arrangements, the drafts were confidingly allowed to go into the hands of Benoist at the notary’s office, where they had been left to be paraphed. That Benoist no sooner had them in his possession, than he refused to surrender them, and, under various frivolous and unfounded pretences, claimed, together with the said A. G. Blanchard, the dissolution of the partnership in commendam, and the restitution of the sum of $10,000 brought into the partnership, and insisted on retaining the acceptances in satisfaction of the claim. That Martinez, misled by Benoist, and ignorant of the plaintiff’s rights, dissolved the partnership by a notarial act, passed on the 28th June, 1839, and abandoned to Blanchard the ownership of the four drafts, the excess of which, over $10,000, was to be paid to the plaintiff. That the act of dissolution is null and void, Martinez having had no authority whatever to execute it, or to consent in any manner to the dissolution of the partnership. That in thus prevailing upon Martinez, through threats and misrepresentations, to consent to the dissolution of the partnership, Benoist and Blanchard had no good ground to require such dissolution, and were governed only by the belief that the sum of $10,000 could be more advantageously employed. That the withdrawal of the sum of $11,300 from the active means of the concern, during the present period of commercial embarrassments, and the siidden dissolution of the partnership demanded by Benoist and Blanchard, who were known to be well acquainted with all its [516]*516affairs, destroyed the credit of the plaintiff’s house, brought it nuder protest, and deprived it of a considerable portion of its business, whereby the plaintiff has suffered damages to the amount of-$20,000. The petition concludes by praying, that the act of dissolution of the 28th of June, T839, may be annulled ; that the partnership may be declared to have been in existence until the 1st of April, 1840 ; that the four drafts may be ordered to be surrendered to the plaintiff by the defendants, and may be, in the mean time, sequestered in their hands ; and that they be condemned to pay plaintiff $20,000 damages. The defendants admit the act of partnership to have been passed as alleged in the petition, but aver that all the obligations therein imposed upon, or assumed by the partner in commendam, were faithfully performed by that partner ; and that neither she, nor her tutor before her marriage, nor her husband after her marriage, did any act tending directly, or indirectly, to interfere with, or impair any of the clauses or conditions of the act of co-partnership. The defendants aver that the plaintiff did himself grossly impose upon the partner in commendam and the tutor, at the time the co-partnership was formed, in this, that one of the clauses and conditions of the act of co-partnership was in direct violation of the laws of the State, and intended to involve the partner in commendam in hopeless ruin. They deny that in their conduct or proceedings in the premises, they have caused the plaintiff any damage ; and allege that, if he has suffered any, it must be imputed to his own mismanagement and bad faith. They aver that the four drafts in question were obtained by them in good faith, and were duly negotiated in the course of business, and are now beyond their control.

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Bluebook (online)
2 Rob. 513, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jonau-v-blanchard-la-1842.