Lege v. Vermilion Parish School Bd.

360 So. 2d 664, 1978 La. App. LEXIS 3665
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 28, 1978
Docket6690
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 360 So. 2d 664 (Lege v. Vermilion Parish School Bd.) 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
Lege v. Vermilion Parish School Bd., 360 So. 2d 664, 1978 La. App. LEXIS 3665 (La. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

360 So.2d 664 (1978)

Eddie LEGE et al., Plaintiffs-Appellants,
v.
VERMILION PARISH SCHOOL BOARD, Defendant-Appellee.

No. 6690.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

June 28, 1978.

Mouton, Roy, Carmouche, Bivens & Hill by H. Purvis Carmouche, Lafayette, for plaintiff-appellant.

Foley, Judell, Beck, Bewley & Martin by Lonnie L. Bewley and Carl G. Schleuter, New Orleans, for plaintiff-appellee.

Broussard, Broussard & Moresi by Paul G. Moresi, Jr., Abbeville, for defendant-appellee.

Before DOMENGEAUX, WATSON and GUIDRY, JJ.

GUIDRY, Judge.

This suit is one by qualified electors and taxpayers of Vermilion Parish contesting the validity of an election held pursuant to call by the defendant, which election approved the assumption by the Parish of Vermilion of certain indebtedness of school districts within the Parish; the issuance of bonds in the sum of $19,330,000.00 for a proposed capital improvement program for the schools; and, a proposition by an individual school district to incur debt and issue bonds. Plaintiffs seek to have the election declared invalid and the incurring of any debt or the issuance of any bonds pursuant thereto enjoined. Plaintiffs' suit was dismissed upon a plea of peremption and an exception of no right of action, the trial court concluding that plaintiffs' suit was untimely under the provisions of Article 6, Section 35(A) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974. Plaintiffs appealed.

The following facts are not disputed. The election was held on December 10, 1977. The results of the election were officially promulgated by publication on December 22, 1977. On February 10, 1978, fifty days following official promulgation, the instant suit was filed, via ordinaria, seeking annulment of the election, a copy of the petition being domiciliarily served on the defendant, through its president, on February 11, 1978. On February 24, 1978, *665 sixty-four days following official promulgation, plaintiffs filed a pleading styled "SUPPLEMENTAL AND AMENDING PETITION" wherein is indicated that the matter previously filed is converted to an action under `Part 14. (sic) Chapter 32 of Title 13 of Louisiana Revised Statutes entitled "Suits to Determine Validity of Governmental Bonds' and in order to do so, to title this procedure `Motion for Judgment' ". The pleading so filed contains essentially the same factual allegations as are contained in the original petition and concludes with essentially the same prayer for relief except that, in addition, plaintiffs make all taxpayers, property owners and citizens of Vermilion Parish, including nonresidents owning property subject to taxation, parties defendant and prays for service by publication pursuant to the provisions of LSA-R.S. 13:5125 together with an order fixing a date, time and place for a hearing; and, that the issuance of any bonds or debt assumption be enjoined. Annexed to this pleading is an order dated February 27, 1978 which requires service by publication pursuant to the cited provision and fixed a hearing on the "Motion for Judgment" for the 20th day of March, 1978. Personal service of this pleading was had on a member of the defendant board pursuant to the provisions of LSA-R.S. 13:5125 on March 2, 1978. Following the filing of this supplemental pleading and on March 9, 1978, defendant filed its plea of peremption and peremptory exception which, as aforesaid, were sustained resulting in the dismissal of plaintiffs' suit.

The sole issue on appeal is whether plaintiffs' suit was timely filed. We agree with the trial court that it was not and affirm.

Article 6, Section 35(A) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 reads as follows:

"Section 35. (A) Contesting Election; Time Limit. For sixty days after promulgation of the result of an election held to incur or assume debt, issue bonds, or levy a tax, any person in interest may contest the legality of the election, the bond issue provided for, or the tax authorized, for any cause. After that time no one shall have any cause or right of action to contest the regularity, formality, or legality of the election, tax provisions, or bond authorization, for any cause whatsoever. If the validity of any election, tax, debt assumption, or bond issue authorized or provided for is not raised within the sixty days, the authority to incur or assume debt, levy the tax, or issue the bonds, the legality thereof, and the taxes and other revenues necessary to pay the same shall be conclusively presumed to be valid, and no court shall have authority to inquire into such matters."

LSA-R.S. 39:513 (Act 18 1st Ex.Sess.1975) contains provisions almost identical with the constitutional provision above quoted.

The cited constitutional and statutory provisions establish a peremptive period, as opposed to a prescriptive period, during which suits to contest the legality and validity of bond and tax elections shall be brought. In Andrieux v. East Baton Rouge Parish School Board et al. (La.1969) our Supreme Court, in speaking to the effect of a similar provision contained in the 1921 Louisiana Constitution, stated:

". . . the constitutional and statutory peremptive period operates as a complete extinguishment of the right to attack bond and tax elections."

It is clear that under the cited constitutional and statutory provisions, as consistently interpreted by our Supreme Court, unless the initial pleading filed herein by plaintiffs was sufficient to put at issue the validity of the election of December 10, 1977 and the bonds proposed to be issued thereunder or unless the filing of the amended pleading be considered as relating back to the date of the filing of the original pleading, plaintiffs' right to question the validity of the election and issuance of bonds etc. has been extinguished.

DID THE INITIAL PLEADING FILED HEREIN BY PLAINTIFFS PUT AT ISSUE THE VALIDITY OF THE ELECTION OF DECEMBER 10, 1977 AND THE ASSUMPTION OF DEBT AND BONDS PROPOSED TO BE ISSUED THEREUNDER?

Act 385 of 1972, enacted Part 16 of Chapter 32 of Title 13 of Louisiana's Revised *666 Statutes entitled "Suits to Determine Validity of Governmental Bonds". The express legislative intent of that enactment is set forth in Section 5122 which reads as follows:

All suits, actions and proceedings of whatever nature affecting the validity of bonds of any governmental unit, or the interest thereon, or the sale thereof, or the election, if any, authorizing the issuance of said bonds shall be brought only in accordance with the provisions of this Title. These provisions shall supersede all other acts and statutes on the subject and be controlling in all such cases notwithstanding the provisions of any other law or charter to the contrary; provided, however, nothing herein contained shall affect, change, alter or modify in any way any peremptive or prescriptive period for the contesting of bonds of governmental units or elections authorizing their issuance, established pursuant to the constitution and statutes of this state which shall continue to govern the time within which actions covered thereby may be filed. It is hereby declared that it is the intention of the legislature in enacting this law to provide a uniform, expeditious and equitable procedure with due regard for the public fisc and rights of persons in interest for the judicial determination of the validity of bonds and related proceedings where material and substantial questions with regard thereto are involved or a judicial determination of issues relating to bonds is necessary to insure the marketability of bonds in investment channels.

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Bluebook (online)
360 So. 2d 664, 1978 La. App. LEXIS 3665, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lege-v-vermilion-parish-school-bd-lactapp-1978.