Leon v. St. Bernard Parish Democratic Committee

117 So. 2d 447, 1960 La. App. LEXIS 853
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 4, 1960
DocketNo. 21549
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 117 So. 2d 447 (Leon v. St. Bernard Parish Democratic Committee) 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
Leon v. St. Bernard Parish Democratic Committee, 117 So. 2d 447, 1960 La. App. LEXIS 853 (La. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

JANVIER, Judge.

This primary election contest was brought under the provisions of LSA-R.S. 18:364, subd. E. The plaintiff-appellant is Charles A. Leon. The defendants are Edward L. Jeanfreau and the St. Bernard Parish Democratic Committee.

Leon alleges that he and Jeanfreau in the Democratic Primary election of January 9th, 1960, were contestants for the democratic nomination for police juror of the Sixth Ward of the Parish of St. Bernard and that in the result which was promulgated there were 24 absentee ballots cast, 20 of which were for Jeanfreau and 4 of which were for himself.

Leon appealed from a judgment of the Twenty-fifth Judicial District Court for the Parish of St. Bernard which dismissed his suit in which he sought to have eliminated from the promulgation count certain absentee ballots, on the ground that Acts 61 of the Extra Session of 1921, 267 of the [448]*448Regular Session of 1944, and 435 of the Regular Session of 1948, LSA-R.S. 18:-1071 et seq., which purport to authorize the casting of absentee ballots, are violative of the provisions of Article VIII, section 4 of the Constitution of 1921, L.S.A.

The defendants filed exceptions to the jurisdiction of the Court and a plea of prescription, based on the alleged fact that the primary election contest was not filed-until after the expiration of the two-day limit which is provided by LSA-R.S. 18:364, subd. H. The plea of prescription was maintained and the suit dismissed. From that judgment the appeal was taken.

The judgment was rendered and signed on January 25th, 1960. On January 26th, 1960, Leon, plaintiff-appellant, filed a motion for a suspensive appeal to this Court and on that day the order of appeal was signed by the District Judge.

The returns of the said primary election were promulgated on Friday, January 15th, 1960, at 3:45 o’clock P.M., and the suit was filed at 9:35 o’clock A.M. on Monday, January 18th, 1960. This was obviously more than two calendar days after the promulgation of the returns. However, if Sunday, January 17th, which is the last of the two days, is not to be counted, then Leon did not have to file his suit until the following day, and it is his contention that Sunday was not to be counted.

When the appeal was lodged in this Court, we set the hearing for 10:30 o’clock on the morning of February 2nd, 1960. On January 29th, 1960, there was filed by Jean-freau a motion to dismiss the appeal on the ground that no citation of appeal was prayed for or served on defendants-appellees as is required by Code of Practice, Articles 573, 574, 581. The matter was then argued before us on both the motion to dismiss the appeal and the plea of prescription of two days.

There is no doubt that unless an order of appeal is signed in open court and at the same term of Court at which the judgment was rendered, a citation of appeal is absolutely necessary.

In Resweber v. Jacob, 229 La. 355, 86 So.2d 64, 65, the Supreme Court said:

“ * * * Citation of the appellee is essential to the appeal unless the motion or petition is presented in open court during the same term at which the judgment was rendered. Article 574, Code of Practice. When, as here, the appeal is applied for by motion presented in chambers and the appellant does not pray for or otherwise request issuance and service of citation and no service is made, the appeal must be dismissed. State v. Salmen Brick & Lumber Co., 149 La. 968, 90 So. 273; Ducre v. Succession of Ducre, 167 La. 133, 118 So. 864; Harding v. Hackney, 189 La. 132, 179 So. 58, and Bascle v. Perez, 224 La. 1014, 71 So.2d 551.”

The requirement that there must be citation of appeal where the order of appeal is not signed in open court is applicable in such a contest as this as in all other actions. In the Primary Election Law under which this suit is filed it is provided that: “The party cast may appeal as in other cases.” LSA-R.S. 18:364, subd. E.

However, there is nothing in this record which indicates whether the order of appeal was signed in open court or in chambers when the court was in session, and there is authority to the effect that in such a situation where there is nothing in the record to indicate that the order was signed in open court, it will be assumed that it was so signed. Perez v. Carbrey, La.App., 22 So.2d 76.

On the day fixed for argument in this Court there was filed with the Clerk a statement by Edward L. Jeanfreau, the appellee, accompanied by an affidavit of the [449]*449District Judge, which documents read as follows:

“CHARLES A. LEON v. ST. BERNARD PARISH No. 7249 DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE AND EDWARD L. JEANFREAU
Sidney D. Torres Filed Jan. 30, 1960 Clerk
EDWARD L. JEANFREAU, Defendant-Appellee—suggest to the Honorable Bruce Nunez, Judge of the trial court herein, that he filed a motion in the Court of Appeal based upon the fact that Charles Leon, the Appellant, presented his Motion of Appeal to him as District Judge in Chambers and that he signed said Order of Appeal in Chambers on the 26th day of January, 1960 without stating that said Order was signed in Chambers and the fact should appear of record for consideration by the Court of Appeal, and therefore, Mover request him, as Judge, to file a statement setting out said facts in the record for consideration by the Court of Appeal.
Respectfully submitted,
(Sgd) Edward L. Jeanfreau EDWARD L. JEANFREAU D e f endant-App ell e e”
“STATE OF LOUISIANA PARISH OF ST. BERNARD RE: Charles A. Leon vs. St. Bernard Parish Democratic Committee and Edward L. Jeanfreau
“This certifies to the fact that Richard H. Gauthier, Attorney for Charles Leon, Plaintiff and Appellant in this case presented to me in the Clerk of Court’s Office at Chalmette, Louisiana or in Chambers, a motion for Suspen-sive Appeal in the above entitled cause and that I signed the Order for Sus-pensive Appeal in Chambers, or in the Clerk of Court’s Office on the morning of January 25th, 1960.
(Sgd) Bruce Nunez JUDGE
The above statement sworn to and subscribed before me this 2nd day of February, 1960.
(Sgd) Sidney D. Torres SIDNEY D. TORRES, CLERK OF COURT”

On the day following the argument, to-wit: February 3rd, 1960, there was filed with the Clerk of this Court an affidavit of the Clerk of Court of the Twenty-fifth Judicial . District Court reading as follows :

“CHARLES A. LEON No. 7249 vs. ST. BERNARD PARISH DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE AND EDWARD L. JEANFREAU
“I, SIDNEY D. TORRES, Clerk of Court for the Parish of St. Bernard, certify that as reflected by the Minute Book for the Twenty-fifth Judicial District Court for the Parish of St. Bernard no court was held in the Parish of St. Bernard on January 26th, 1960, that no minute entry was made of any court proceedings or any order rendered in open court on January 26th, 1960 because Court was not opened on said date and more particularly the Order of Suspensive Appeal granted and signed by Judge Bruce Nunez in the above entitled case was rendered and signed in my office at Chalmette, Louisiana, when Richard Gauthier, Attorney for Plaintiff-Appellant-Charles A.

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Bluebook (online)
117 So. 2d 447, 1960 La. App. LEXIS 853, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leon-v-st-bernard-parish-democratic-committee-lactapp-1960.