Morrison v. CA Guidry Produce

856 So. 2d 1222, 3 La.App. 3 Cir. 307, 2003 La. App. LEXIS 2670, 2003 WL 22244705
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 1, 2003
Docket2003-307
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 856 So. 2d 1222 (Morrison v. CA Guidry Produce) 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
Morrison v. CA Guidry Produce, 856 So. 2d 1222, 3 La.App. 3 Cir. 307, 2003 La. App. LEXIS 2670, 2003 WL 22244705 (La. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

856 So.2d 1222 (2003)

Ben MORRISON, et al.
v.
C.A. GUIDRY PRODUCE, et al.

No. 2003-307.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

October 1, 2003.

*1223 Jacque Berchmans Pucheu, Jr., John Henri Pucheu, Pucheu, Pucheu, & Robinson, Eunice, LA, for Defendants/Appellees, C.A. Guidry Produce, Inc., Vivian Stelly Guidry, Dorian Guidry, C.A. Guidry House of Quality, Inc., Charlie Andrew Guidry, IV, Carl Guidry, Sophia Guidry Quebedeaux, Cynthia Marie Guidry, Julie Marie

*1224 Guidry, Debra Ann Guidry, Anthony Guidry, Jonathan Keith Guidry, Gerard Guidry, Vivian Guidry Taylor, Stephanie Guidry Richard, Andre Phillip Guidry.

Lawrence Sandoz, Jr., Sandoz & Sandoz, Opelousas, LA, for Defendant/Appellee, Kevin Cade Guidry.

Michele Smith Caballero, Milo A. Nickel, Nickel & Caballero Lake Charles, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellant, Cynthia Bridges.

Court composed of OSWALD A. DECUIR, MICHAEL G. SULLIVAN, and ELIZABETH A. PICKETT, Judges.

PICKETT, Judge.

FACTS

This case has appeared before us before, and the facts of this case were set out in an opinion by this court as follows:

On October 2, 1995, the State filed suit against C.A. Guidry Produce, Inc. to collect past due sales taxes for the years January 1, 1990 through June 31, 1993. The total assessment was for $363,777.99, together with interest, until paid. According to a state audit, C.A. Guidry Produce, Inc. had understated its tax obligation for the period by more than $198,000.00. At the time, C.A. Guidry Produce, Inc. was a closely held corporation with shareholders consisting of either Charles Andrew Guidry, Jr. alone, or he and his wife, Vivian Stelly Guidry.
On August 29, 1991, Charles Andrew Guidry, Jr. died. He was survived by Vivian Guidry and fourteen major heirs. On September 17, 1991, Charles Andrew Guidry, Jr.'s surviving spouse and heirs petitioned the court to open his succession. By judgment, dated January 27, 1992, the surviving spouse and heirs unconditionally accepted the succession, without benefit of inventory, and were placed in possession of the estate.
On August 17, 1993, Vivian Guidry, as president of the corporation, signed an agreement to suspend prescription as to the period January 1, 1990 through December 31, 1990 for one year. On October 5, 1994, Cynthia Marie Guidry, as Secretary of the corporation, executed another agreement to suspend prescription for an additional year.
On September 16, 1996, the State amended its petition to add a request for statutory attorney fees based on its referral of the matter to outside counsel for summary proceedings. The State again amended its petition on November 5, 1997, naming Vivian Stelly Guidry, Cynthia Marie Guidry, Kevin Cade Guidry, and Andre Phillip Guidry, individually, and as directors and officers of the corporation, as additional party defendants. In addition, since the decedent was a director, the State added the above named defendants and the remaining heirs as additional party defendants pursuant to La.R.S. 47:1561.1.
On December 9, 1997, defendants filed an exception of prescription contending that the State had three years from the last date taxes were due to name the additional defendants. Again in January of 1998, the defendants urged an exception of prescription alleging that the cause of action for recovery of 1990-1991 taxes had prescribed.
The trial court granted the exceptions of prescription as to the individual heirs finding that prescription had run on both the 1990-1991 taxes and the 1992-1993 taxes. The court also found that the agreement to suspend prescription executed by the corporate officers did not bind the heirs individually and that the heirs were not solidary obligors. The state lodged this appeal contending *1225 that the trial court erred in finding that the heirs were not solidary obligors and in granting the exceptions of prescription.

Morrison v. C.A. Guidry Produce, Inc., 98-1688, p. 1-3 (La.App. 3 Cir. 3/31/99), 733 So.2d 119, 120-121.

This court reversed in part, affirmed in part, and remanded the case to the trial court. With regards to the 1990-1991 taxes, we found that Charlie A. Guidry, Jr.'s estate, and his heirs, were solidarily liable with the corporation for the taxes due, since during this period he was an officer or director of C.A. Guidry Produce, Inc., "who possessed significant responsibility for the tax-making decisions of that business entity." State v. DeJesus, 94-261 (La.9/16/94), 642 So.2d 854, 857. Since the heirs accepted the succession without the benefit of inventory, interruption of prescription against an obligor was effective against the heirs to the extent of their virile share. Thus, the trial court's grant of the exception of prescription for the 1990-1991 taxes was reversed.

On the issue of the 1992-1993 taxes, we found that the court had properly granted the exception of prescription as to those heirs who had not served as officers or directors during those years. As the record was not clear on which heirs had served in such a capacity, the matter was remanded to determine that issue.

When the case was remanded, the following were still defendants in the law suit:

1. C.A. Guidry House of Produce, Inc. (named in original petition)
Vivian Stelly Guidry, wife of Charlie Andrew Guidry, Jr., as heir of Charlie A. Guidry, Jr., and as an officer of the corporation pursuant to La. R.S. 47:1561.1. (2nd Supp. and Amending Petition).
3. Cynthia Maria Guidry, Kevin Cade Guidry, and Andre Phillip Guidry, as heirs of Charlie A. Guidry, Jr., (with respect to the 1990-1991 liability) and as officers of the corporation (for the liability which arose in the years which they were officers).
4. Timothy Carl Guidry, Deborah Ann Guidry Fontenot, Jonathon Keith Guidry, Vivian Guidry Taylor, Stephanie Guidry Richard, Gerard Guidry, Anthony Guidry, Julia Mary Guidry, Sophia Guidry Quebedeaux, Charles Andrew Guidry IV, and Dorian Guidry, as heirs of Charlie A. Guidry, Jr., with respect to the 1990-1991 liability. (These 11, as well as Cynthia, Kevin, and Andre, in their capacity as heirs, will be referred to collectively hereinafter as the Guidry children.)

On remand, the state, now acting through Cynthia Bridges, the current Secretary of the Department of Revenue and Taxation, State of Louisiana, filed a Third Supplemental and Amending Petition. In it the state added as defendants Chad Pitre, the administrator of the Estate of Charlie Andrew Guidry, Jr., and C.A. Guidry House of Quality, Inc., a Louisiana corporation. The state alleges that the wife and heirs of Charlie A. Guidry, Jr., transferred the assets and goodwill of C.A. Guidry Produce, Inc., to C.A. Guidry house of Quality, Inc., in an attempt to avoid income tax liability. Further, the state named Vivian Stelly Guidry as a defendant yet again, claiming that the taxes owed are a community obligation that she owed to the state as the wife of Charlie A. Guidry, Jr. The state also claimed that all of the children were officers or directors of one or both of the corporations.

In response, the Guidry children, with the exception of Kevin Cade Guidry, answered and filed three Exceptions of Prescription. *1226 The first dealt with the claims related to the 1992-1993 tax obligation. The second asserted that none of them were officers or directors of C.A. Guidry Produce, Inc.

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Bluebook (online)
856 So. 2d 1222, 3 La.App. 3 Cir. 307, 2003 La. App. LEXIS 2670, 2003 WL 22244705, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morrison-v-ca-guidry-produce-lactapp-2003.