Louisiana Mutual Insurance v. Costa

32 La. Ann. 1
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedDecember 3, 1878
DocketNo. 6398
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 32 La. Ann. 1 (Louisiana Mutual Insurance v. Costa) 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
Louisiana Mutual Insurance v. Costa, 32 La. Ann. 1 (La. 1878).

Opinion

DeBlanc, J.

On the 30th of November 1874, this case was remanded from this to the lower court for a new trial, and — on the 26th of April [2]*21876 — Mrs. Antoinette Navarre, who had intervened in’this suit, was— by a decree of said lower court — recognized as the owner of a lot of ground, which — under a writ of seizure and sale addressed to the sheriff of the parish of Orleans — had been offered for sale and sold as belonging to Antonio Costa.

At the sale thus made by the sheriff, and which took place on the 18th of September 1869, said property was adjudicated to the late Erangois Lacroix; and — on the 30lh of September 1874 — the very same property was sold to satisfy a judgment of over ten thousand dollars rendered in favor of the city of New Orleans against said Lacroix, and then bought by Joseph Billgery.

The administrator of the succession of Lacroix has alone appealed from the decree which recognizes Mrs. Antoinette Navarro as the owner of the property which — in 1869 — was acquired by said deceased.

Mrs. Navarre claims title to this lot of ground through Jose Manuel Delabarre, who — on the 19th of June 1839, had himself acquired it from Ramon Vincent. An act of sale from said Delabarre, discovered since the trial of Mrs. Navarre’s intervention, shows that on the 11th of July 1849 — he transferred to Mrs. Louis Berniand the title which he had acquired from Ramon Vincent.

The transcript filed in this court is absolutely incomplete: it contains neither the order of seizure and sale under which the property was sold in 1869, the sheriff’s return thereon, nor his deed to Lacroix.

The most of the facts which we have recited are evidenced by papers which form no part of the record, and by an old transcript deposited among and taken from the archives of this court, the use of which we are asked to allow, in order to supply the omissions which wre have mentioned.

From what we have seen and said, we would be disposed to grant the appellant’s demand, as regards that old transcript; but can we do it under the law or any rule of this court? We cannot. It is true, we have already permitted the use of old records, to assist in the discussion and decision of appeals pending before us; but this we have done to avoid costs to the parties on timely application, and — invariably with the consent of every one of those interested in the suit. In this case, no such consent was given, and Mrs. Navarre, joined by the legal representatives of Joseph Billgery — the transferree of Erangois Lacroix’s title — has moved to dismiss this appeal, on the ground that, as it was not shown that the succession of Erangois Lacroix has any interest to protect in this controversy, it could not have been aggrieved by, and has no right to appeal from the judgment rendered in her favor ; and in the brief submitted by her counsel, they suggest the omissions already referred to and w'hich, in no way, could have escaped our attention.

[3]*3The law does give the right of appeal to third persons, who were not parties to the suit, when they allege that they have been aggrieved by a judgment; but — to exercise that right they must do more than, merely allege that they have been aggrieved by it; they must show it toy the best evidence within their reach, and — it may be — by proper affidavit, indicating the nature and extent of- the right or interest imperiled by the decree, and by the recitals of which the opposite parties would be so minutely informed, as to be enabled to conclude — by an inspection of the evidence itself, or of any act or document referred to in the affidavit, whether to contest or acknowledge the applicant’s right to an -appeal. Where must that necessary interest, the existence of that right be established? Not in the Supreme Court, where — as a general rule — no new evidence can be received, even though it may have been discovered since the judgment below, but in the court to which the application is addressed to obtain the appeal. C. P. 891, 901. Otherwise, the remedy by appeal would often be resorted to, for the sole purpose of postponing the execution of the most unassailable decrees.

2. R. R. 391; 29 A. 397.

The appellant complains that — on account of an error made in posting the names of counsel on the bulletin-board — the defects in the record did not come to the knowledge of those by whom he was represented. The paper taken from the bulletin-board and relied upon to sustain that assertion, bears the names of every one of the attorneys who appeared in this case, and vindicates the watchful and attentive punctuality of the officers of the court.

The law — it is said — does not require vain things to be done, and the old transcript is quite as convenient as could be any return to a certi-orari. The law — however—does provide how, when, by whom and from what office a record may be completed, and appellant’s application came only after the case had been submitted and taken under advisement. It was then too late to apply for and obtain a writ of certiorari, or the use- of the old record.

The motion to dismiss the appeal should — it is contended — -have been made within three days from the filing of the record, and — when made after, cannot be considered. In this instance, the motion to dismiss is ■based on the plain enactment “that an action can only be brought (or ■maintained) by one having a real and actual interest which he pursues,” •and that, inasmuch as the appellant has failed to show that the succession of Lacroix has such an interest, the representative of that succession, which was not a party to the original suit, cannot — legally—claim -and procure the reversal of a decree, which may delay, but which — in no way — can prevent the enforcement of its alleged right.

It is the appellant’s duty to bring up a complete record, or perfect [4]*4an incomplete one. In this case, the transcript does not contain documents introduced by the parties and mentioned in the note of evidence, and we can neither review, affirm, nor reverse the judgment appealed from. This we would have found in perusing the transcript, without suggestion from any one; and this found — whether within or after three-days from the filing of said transcript, we would have had — -of our own motion — to dismiss the appeal.

For this additional and suggested reason, the motion made by in-tervenor must prevail.

It is, therefore, ordered, adjudged and decreed that this appeal be and it is dismissed at the costs of the succession of Erangois Lacroix.

Marr, J.

The motion to dismiss the appeal is as follows :

“ Widow Jean Baptiste Ducoing, administratrix of the succession of Antoinette Navarre, deceased, who was the intervenor and appellee in this case, now comes into this Honorable Court, and moves to dismiss the devolutive appeal herein taken by E. T. Parker as administrator of the succession of Erangois Lacroix, deceased, on the ground that the said appellant has shown, and has really, no interest justifying an appeal on his part, from the judgment rendered by the district court in favor of the intervenor, and he has not shown that he has been aggrieved by said judgment, and has really not been aggrieved thereby.”

This motion was filed on the eighth of April; and it was submitted' to the court on the fifteenth, with another paper, purporting to be the-consent of Mrs. Jos. Billgery, tutrix, and J. M.

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Bluebook (online)
32 La. Ann. 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/louisiana-mutual-insurance-v-costa-la-1878.