Lyons v. Goodman

78 So. 2d 424
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 28, 1955
Docket3945
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 78 So. 2d 424 (Lyons v. Goodman) 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
Lyons v. Goodman, 78 So. 2d 424 (La. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

78 So.2d 424 (1955)

Mrs. Alice LYONS et al.
v.
Ruby Lee GOODMAN.

No. 3945.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

January 28, 1955.
Rehearing Denied March 28, 1955.

*426 Moss & Graham, Lake Charles, for appellants.

John A. Patin, Lake Charles, for appellee.

ELLIS, Judge.

This is an action to establish title to real estate instituted by the collateral heirs of Severinus Goodman, Jr., deceased, against Mrs. Ruby Lee Goodman, divorced wife of Joseph L. Camalo, who contends that she is the legally adopted daughter of said decedent. The property involved is situated in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, and is described as follows, to wit:

The East twenty five (25) acres, more or less, of the Southeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter (SE¼ of NE¼) of Section Seven (7); and the Southwest Quarter of the Northwest Quarter (SW¼ of NW¼) less the Southeast Seven and one half (7½) acres thereof, of Section Eight (8), Township Ten (10) South Range Nine (9) West, Louisiana Meridian.

Plaintiffs alleged that Severinus Goodman, Jr., left no ascendants nor descendants and that upon his death his interest in the said property was inherited by petitioners as the surviving stepsisters and brothers and sisters.

It is further alleged that the defendant Ruby Lee Goodman was not the child of Severinus Goodman, Jr., and was never adopted by him and is not related to him in any manner. The decision of the case turns upon this allegation. If the defendant Ruby Lee Goodman was legally adopted judgment should be against the plaintiffs and in her favor as was rendered by the Court below. From this judgment the plaintiffs have appealed and the defendant has filed a motion to dismiss the appeal taken by plaintiffs-appellants on the ground that this Court is without jurisdiction as this case involves a matter of adoption and under the provisions of Section 10 and 29 of Article 7 of the Louisiana Constitution of 1921 appellate jurisdiction is vested in the Supreme Court of Louisiana.

As to the motion to dismiss, it should be overruled for this proceeding was instituted by the plaintiffs under the provisions of LSA-R.S. 13:5062 which provides that "this action shall be known as the action to establish title to real estate."

The question before the court was whether or not the defendant Ruby Lee Goodman owned 11/60th interest in the tract of land involved in the suit. If she was the legally adopted child of Severinus Goodman, Jr., she owned such interest, and if not she had no interest. It is argued by counsel for plaintiffs in their brief: "The question of whether she was adopted was only incidental to the question as to who owned the land and was only a matter that must be settled in order to decide who owns the land."

Our Supreme Court in the case of Smith v. Shehee, 175 La. 394, 396, 143 So. 338, in deciding the question submitted to it by the Court of Appeal as to whether the latter was right in passing upon the title of the parties to the suit when that question involved the legitimacy of the parties, stated:

"* * * The jurisdiction of the court was determined properly by the value of the property in contest, notwithstanding the title to the property depended upon the question of legitimacy *427 of certain heirs. The provision in section 10 of article 7 of the Constitution 1921 giving the Supreme Court `appellate jurisdiction' of all suits * * * involving * * * the legitimacy, or custody of children, and of matters of adoption and emancipation.' has reference to suits in which one of the matters mentioned is the matter in contest. That provision in the Constitution does not mean that the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction of every case in which the question of legitimacy of a person arises incidentally, or has to be decided in order to settle the matter in contest. For example, section 10 of Article 7 of the Constitution excludes from the appellate jurisdiction of this court suits for compensation under the Employer's Liability Act, or Workmen's Compensation Law; and it happens often that the legitimacy of a dependent claiming compensation for the death of an employee is questioned by the defendant in such a case.
* * * * * *
"Our answer to the question propounded by the Court of Appeal is that the court did have jurisdiction to decide the case of Smith v. Rambo, 15 La.App. 448, 131 So. 524."

There is no contention that the value of the land in dispute is in excess of $2,000, and under the above authority as applied to the facts of this case, the motion to dismiss is overruled.

On the trial of the case the defendant tendered evidence that she had been adopted by Severinus Goodman, Jr., and his wife during the year 1929 in accordance with the provisions of Act 48 of 1924 which amended and re-enacted Act 30 of 1872 and the first section of the 1924 act reads as follows:

"Section 1. That any person above the age of twenty one years shall have the right, by act to be passed before any parish recorder or notary public, to adopt any child under the age of twenty one years; provided, that if such child shall have a parent, or parents or tutor, that the concurrence of such parent or parents, or tutor, shall be obtained and as evidence thereof, shall be required to sign said act; and in the event the said child shall have been abandoned by its father and mother, or by the father in the event the mother shall be dead or by the mother in the event the father shall be dead or unknown, to a charitable institution or in the event of the charitable institution taking charge, custody and control of a foundling, then, in that event, any authorized representative or officer of the said charitable institution shall have the right to sign the Act of adoption in behalf of the said foundling or abandoned child with the same legal effect as if it had been signed by the parents or tutor of the said child."

Section 2 of Act 48 of 1924 is the only remaining provision and it merely provides that all laws or parts of laws in conflict therewith are repealed.

Parol evidence was offered in lieu of the formal written instruments, the original and copies of which the defendant contended had been lost or destroyed. To such evidence the plaintiffs objected on several grounds. The evidence was admitted subject to the objections and in a well-written opinion the objections were overruled for the reasons given therein.

Counsel for plaintiffs objected to the parol evidence on the ground that adoption was a status conceived by the Legislature and in order to create such status there must be a strict compliance with the law relative to the adoption, this is the same thing as saying that adoptions could be completed only by written documents in 1929 when the defendant contends she was legally adopted in accordance with the 1924 act. The learned District Judge correctly answered this argument by stating in his written reasons: "In this case, however, the parol evidence was offered to prove the execution and conditions of a lost document and for that purpose it is admissible."

*428 Counsel for plaintiffs in this Court has apparently abandoned all other objections to the testimony and now relies only upon his objection to the introduction of parol testimony on the ground above stated and apparently, having been overruled on this point, he contends that on the merits of the case the defendant has not proven the adoption as required by law.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
78 So. 2d 424, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lyons-v-goodman-lactapp-1955.