Lakeside Rambler Sales, Inc. v. Durad Corp.

228 So. 2d 745, 1969 La. App. LEXIS 5643
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 1, 1969
DocketNo. 3631
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 228 So. 2d 745 (Lakeside Rambler Sales, Inc. v. Durad Corp.) 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
Lakeside Rambler Sales, Inc. v. Durad Corp., 228 So. 2d 745, 1969 La. App. LEXIS 5643 (La. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

BARNETTE, Judge.

This case is presently before us on a motion to dismiss the appeal. The point of law with which we are concerned arose out of the following sequence of events:

A judgment upon confirmation of default was rendered, signed and filed in favor of Lakeside Rambler Sales, Inc., and against defendants Durad Corporation and Sherman Conrad for $22,393:60 on October 23, 1968. A timely petition and order for a suspensive appeal was signed and filed November 12, 1968. The petition for appeal is captioned “PETITION FOR SUS-PENSIVE APPEAL” and concludes: “Wherefore, Petitioners pray that they be granted a suspensive appeal * * The order granted “a suspensive appeal” [747]*747conditioned upon bond in the amount of $34,000. There is no mention, either in the petition or order, of a devolutive appeal. A purported bond expressly for suspensive appeal was filed on that date.

The transcript of appeal was filed in this court on February 25, 1969. The case was set for argument on October 13, 1969 and on that date the motion to dismiss the appeal was filed, argued and submitted. It was then revealed that after the transcript of appeal had been lodged in this court, proceedings to test the validity of the sus-pensive appeal bond had transpired in the trial court and an alleged order had been issued changing the appeal from suspensive to devolutive and fixing a bond therefor in the amount of $250. The record on appeal before us did not contain those proceedings. Upon appellee’s motion we signed an order directing the completion of the transcript of appeal by inclusion therein of all proceedings in the district court after February 25, 1969. That order was promptly complied with, and the record now before us appears to be complete.

A rule to test the validity of the sus-pensive appeal bond was filed in the court below on June 30, 1969. A hearing on the rule was had on August 19, at which time a judgment was rendered, read and signed making the rule absolute and declaring the appeal bond invalid. On August 20 the appellants presented to the trial court a “MOTION TO FIX DEVOLUTIVE APPEAL BOND” wherein they related the substance of the events which had transpired to that date. Their representations were incorrect only in that they alleged that a suspensive am-d devolutive appeal was taken on November 12, 1968. In the motion they suggested the possibility of their not furnishing a new suspensive appeal bond within the four days provided by LSA-C.C.P. art. 5124 and sought permission to furnish instead a devolutive appeal bond in an amount to be fixed by the court. Accordingly, the court (acting through a judge other than the judge before whom the rule had been tried) “authorized [the filing of] a devolutive appeal bond * * * in the amount of $250 within the time prescribed by law under C.C.P. 5124 from the date of August 19, 1969.” The devolutive appeal bond was signed and filed on August 25, which, because of intervening holidays, was in time to meet the four day requirement of LSA-C.C.P. art. 5124.

The appellee’s contention in this court (and also in the trial court in a motion to dismiss the appeal filed in that court on September 29) is that appellants’ attempt to take a devolutive appeal long after 90 days had expired was not timely under the provisions of LSA-C.C.P. art. 2087 and the appeal thus taken is of no effect and should be dismissed. Appellee also contends that the character of the appeal was fixed by the original petition and order for appeal and the timely filing of the bond required, and that it could not be changed to de-volutive after the expiration of the time for taking a devolutive appeal. LSA-C.C.P. art. 5124 is as follows:

“Within four days, exclusive of legal holidays, of the rendition of judgment holding the original bond insufficient or invalid, or at any time if no rule to test the original bond has been filed, the party furnishing it may correct any defects therein by furnishing a new or supplemental bond, with either the same surety if solvent, or a new or additional surety.
“The new or supplemental bond is retroactive to the date the original bond was furnished, and maintains in effect the order, judgment, writ, mandate, or process conditioned on the furnishing of security.
“The furnishing of a supplemental bond, or the furnishing of a new bond by a different surety, does not discharge or release the surety on the original bond; and the sureties on both are liable in solido to the extent of their respective obligations thereon and may be joined in an action on the bond.”

[748]*748The appellee argues that appellants, by their failure to correct or furnish a new or supplementary suspensive appeal bond, have abandoned their suspensive appeal.

Our interpretation of the jurisprudence and the pertinent articles of the Code of Civil Procedure is that it is not necessary to designate the character of appeal desired in the motion and order for appeal, but it is sufficient merely to move for and obtain an order for “appeal.” LSA-C.C.P. arts. 2082 and 2121. The timeliness and the amount of bond given will determine its character and effect. LSA-C.C.P. arts. 2087, 2123 and 2124. Ramizest v. Ramizest, 226 La. 973, 77 So.2d 733 (1955); Graziani v. Elder & Walters Equipment Co., 208 La. 80, 22 So.2d 841 (1945); Succession of Keller, 39 La.Ann. 579, 2 So. 553 (1887); Kitchen Center, Inc. v. Treigle, 129 So.2d 95 (La.App. 4th Cir. 1961) ; Guizerix v. Schaubhut, 116 So.2d 367 (La.App. Orleans 1959); Doll v. Dearie, 37 So.2d 61 (La.App. Orleans 1948). Both the appellants and the appellee seem to accept the foregoing premise, and we would have no difficulty in applying this principle of law to a factual situation such as existed in the cited cases. But the facts presented on this appeal involve a new question.

In this case we do not have a bond filed too late or in an insufficient amount to meet the requirements for a suspensive appeal, but which, however, satisfies the requirements of timeliness and sufficiency of amount for a devolutive appeal. The purported bond in this case was signed by one defendant-appellant individually and by him in a representative capacity for his corporation co-defendant. There was no surety and the trial court properly held the bond invalid. But it is not the circumstance of invalidity rather than insufficiency which concerns us for LSA-C.C.P. art. 5124 provides for correction of the defect in either event. See supra. The question here stems from the fact that appellants did not furnish a “new or supplemental” bond for suspensive appeal within the required time but instead obtained from the court an order permitting, in effect, the substitution of a different type of bond. From this circumstance the appellee contends appellants abandoned their sus-pensive appeal, the only appeal they had, and hence there was nothing to operate retroactively. Both appellants and the ap-pellee attempt to distinguish “new or supplemental” bond as provided in article 5124 from “substitute” bond, and each interprets the words used in the article as supportive of its argument. We are not impressed with the attempted distinction and deem it unnecessary to discuss this point any further.

The purpose of a devolutive bond is to afford security for court costs in an amount which “shall be fixed by the trial court * * *.” Suspensive appeal bonds, in addition to affording security for the judgment, also afford security for court costs. LSA-C.C.P. art. 2124. The greater includes the lesser and one bond will suffice for both. Emmco Ins.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
228 So. 2d 745, 1969 La. App. LEXIS 5643, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lakeside-rambler-sales-inc-v-durad-corp-lactapp-1969.