Monteleone v. Airey

57 So. 2d 257, 1952 La. App. LEXIS 491
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 3, 1952
DocketNo. 19923
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 57 So. 2d 257 (Monteleone v. Airey) 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
Monteleone v. Airey, 57 So. 2d 257, 1952 La. App. LEXIS 491 (La. Ct. App. 1952).

Opinion

McBRIDE, Judge.

The late Joseph A. Airey, whose death occurred on February 13, 1949, left 1750 shares of the capital stock of Monteleone Investment, Inc., and 1000 shares of the ■capital stock of New Hotel Monteleone, Inc., which passed to his widow and two ■children by a judgment recognizing them in their respective capacities in the proceedings entitled “Succession of Joseph A. Airey,” No. 288-334 of the docket of the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans. The shares inherited by the children of the decedent were made subject to a trust, wherein The Hibernia National Bank of New Orleans and Mrs. Marguerite S. Airey, widow of the decedent, were named as cotrustees.

Frank J. Monteleone brings this suit, seeking to have it judicially declared that undet the terms of -a written option granted him by Joseph A. Airey he has the right to purchase from the widow and children of the decedent the said stock in the two corporations. He impleaded as defendants the decedent’s widow, decedent’s two children, and the cotrustees.

From the judgment of the trial court, whi-ch rejected Monteleone’s demands and which further decreed him to be not entitled to have and acquire from the defendants any of the stock in question, plaintiff appealed to the Supreme Court of Louisiana; on January 22, 1952, pursuant to a joint motion of counsel representing all parties, the court ordered the appeal transferred to [259]*259us, for the reason that it was within our jurisdiction, it not appearing that the amount in dispute exceeds the sum of $2,-000.00 exclusive of interest.

On October 31, 1941, Joseph A. Airey entered into a written agreement of partnership with Frank J. Monteleone and Anthony V. Monteleone for the purpose of carrying on and operating the Hotel Monteleone and a laundry and dry cleaning establishment. The articles of partnership stipulated that the partnership “shall continue until May 1st, 1948.” It was further recited that the interests of the partners in the partnership enterprise were: Frank J. Monteleone 2%8; Anthony V. Monteleone Wís; and Joseph A. Airey 1%8.

On August 1, 1946, during the term of the partnership, a corporation styled “New Hotel Monteleone, Inc.,” with a capitalization of 4800 shares of no par value stock, was organized for the purpose of carrying on a general hotel and restaurant business and a laundry and cleaning business. The three partners, that is to say, Frank J. Mon-teleone, Anthony V. Monteleone, and Joseph A. Airey, signed the charter as in-corporators and subscribed for certain shares of stock. By an act of sale confect-ed on the same day, Frank J. Monteleone, Anthony V. Monteleone, and Joseph A. Airey sold and transferred unto the corporation all of the assets of their partnership, inclusive of good will. The parties, as part consideration of the sale, received a certain allotted amount of the capital stock of New Hotel Monteleone, Inc., and the corporation, as one of the considerations, assumed all of the debts and liabilities of the partnership. Upon the completion of the incorporation and the simultaneous passing of the act of sale, -the partners received the whole issue of the capital. stock of the corporation in the same proportions as were their respective interests in the partnership. Frank J. Monteleone received 2200 shares, Anthony V. Monteleone received 1600 shares, and Joseph A. Airey received 1000 shares.

Certain negotiations, all shown iby the record, which led up to the formation of the partnership, reflect that the 1750 shares of stock in Monteleone Investment, Inc., had been purchased by Frank J. Monte-leone from a Mrs. Stella Kenney Burns for the specific purpose of selling them to Joseph A. Airey as part of the consideration for the formation of the partnership, although this particular stock was never a part of the partnership assets. Airey acquired the 1750 shares of stock of Monte-leone Investment, Inc., from Frank J. Monteleone for a cash consideration of $260,000.00. Monteleone Investment, Inc., owns what is known as Hotel Monteleone Annex, which is leased by it to the New Hotel Monteleone.

The record discloses that Anthony V. Monteleone died on November 8, 1948, and that by judgment in his succession proceedings Frank J. Monteleone, as the decedent’s residuary legatee, was sent and placed into possession of the 1600 shares of stock which Anthony V. Monteleone owned in New Hotel Monteleone, Inc.

Plaintiff claims that his right to purchase the 1750 shares of Monteleone Investment, Inc., and the 1000 shares of New Hotel Monteleone, Inc., flows from an option granted to him by Joseph A. Airey, which is incorporated in the articles of partnership. As we view the case, our sole concern is with an interpretation of article 6 of the partnership agreement, which reads and provides as follows:

“(6) In the event of the death of Frank J. Monteleone or of Anthony V. Monte-leone during the term of this partnership, their heirs or executors, or administrators shall be entitled to continue their interests in this partnership until the expiration of the partnership term.
“In the event of the death of Joseph A. Airey, then Frank J. Monteleone and Anthony V. Monteleone shall have the option of purchasing the Airey interest in the firm, including the real estate, and stock of Monteleone Investment, Inc., at book value, or cost to said Airey, whichever is higher, at the end of any fiscal year, provided they give six months written notice to the heirs, executors, administrators of Joseph A. Airey of such intention to buy, prior to the time the purchase is to be made.
“If the option given above is not exercised, then the Airey executors, administrators [260]*260or heirs have the right to continue their interest in this partnership until the end of the partnership term.”

Appellant’s first contention is that the parties never intended that the option would cease or terminate upon the incorporation of the business or upon the expiration of the partnership term.

Monteleone, in his original petition, alleged that Airey had “agreed, and continued to agree up to the time of his death” that Monteleone should have the option to acquire this stock. In an amended petition, Monteleone alleged that Airey never at any time denied Monteleone’s right to acquire the Airey interest in the businesses, and that at all times Airey recognized the right of Monteleone to acquire said interest, notwithstanding that the corporation succeeded to the affairs of the partnership.

Despite the above referred to allegations, no effort whatsoever was made to prove them. Monteleone himself did not take the witness stand, nor did he offer any other evidence in support of the allegations.

However, Mrs. Airey testified as to a conversation which she had with Frank J. Monteleone, and the nature thereof strongly indicates that there was no understanding between Frank J. Monteleone and Airey relative to a continuance of the option. Mrs. Airey quoted Monteleone as having said: “‘You know, Mrs. Airey, we wanted to combine the two corporations but Tony always objected. Now that Tony is gone we would like to put the two together.’ He went on to explain it. I said, ‘Mr. Monte-leone, I don’t know anything about that.’ He said, ‘Tony’s estate is not settled and we would have to do that after his estate is settled.’ ”

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Bluebook (online)
57 So. 2d 257, 1952 La. App. LEXIS 491, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/monteleone-v-airey-lactapp-1952.