Perryman v. Trimble

179 So. 577, 189 La. 398, 1938 La. LEXIS 1194
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedFebruary 7, 1938
DocketNo. 34319.
StatusPublished

This text of 179 So. 577 (Perryman v. Trimble) 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
Perryman v. Trimble, 179 So. 577, 189 La. 398, 1938 La. LEXIS 1194 (La. 1938).

Opinion

LAND, Justice.

In the year 1924, J. G. Trimble died in the City of Shreveport, La., intestate, leaving a large and valuable estate, consisting chiefly of community property. He also left a surviving widow in community, Mrs. Martha H. Trimble, and three minor children, issue of said marriage: ■ Robert ■ M. Trimble, Dorothy H. Trimble, and Guy Trimble.

*401 In No. 38261 on- the docket of the First judicial district court, Caddo parish, entitled “Succession of J. G. Trimble,” by-judgment of the court, Mrs. Martha H. Trimble was recognized as surviving widow in community and usufructuary, and Robert M. Trimble, Dorothy H. Trimble, and Guy Trimble were recognized each as owner of a one-sixth interest therein, subject to the usufruct of their mother.

On or about October 13, 1930, Guy Trimble departed this life, leaving as his sole and only heirs his mother, Mrs. Martha H. Trimble, Dorothy H. Trimble, and Robert M. Trimble. Upon the death of Guy Trimble, Dorothy Trimble and Robert Trimble each became the owner of an additional three-forty-eighths interest in the property, and each is therefore now the owner of an eleven-forty-eighths interest.

There is included in the community property, subject to the usufruct, a residence located at No. 2912 Samford avenue in the city of Shreveport, La. This property was leased by plaintiff, C. M. Perryman, from Mrs. Martha H. Trimble for a period of one year, commencing on May I, 1934, and ending on April 30, 1935, at a rental of $30 per month, payable in advance on the 1st day of each month. This rental was paid by plaintiff to Mrs. Martha H. Trimble each month to and including January, 1935.

On January 28, 1935', plaintiff was notified by Robert M. Trimble by letter that he and his sister, Dorothy H. Trimble, claimed ownership each of an eleven-forty-eighths interest in the property arid demanded one half- of the monthly rentals, whjle Mrs. Martha H. Trimble, as owner of one half of the property as widow in community, and as usufructuary of the other half, claimed payment of the full monthly rentals to her.

Under these circumstances, availing himself of the provisions of Act No. 123 of 1922, plaintiff obtained an order from the First judicial district court to deposit the rent as it fell due in the registry of the court, and cited Mrs. Martha H. Trimble, Robert M. Trimble, and Dorothy H. Trimble to assert their claims to' the fund so deposited.

In her answer, Mrs. Martha H. Trimble claims that the premises 2912 Samford avenue in the city of Shreveport were acquired during the regime of the community, and that, as surviving widow in community and usufructuary, she is entitled, both by law and under the judgment of the First judicial district court of Caddo parish in the matter of the “Succession.of J.G. Trimble,” No. 38261 on the docket of that court, to all of the rents of the property acquired during marriage, including the property above described, and is therefore entitled to the entire amount of rent deposited in the registry of the court by plaintiff herein.

The sole basis of the claims of defendants Robert M. Trimble and Dorothy H. Trimble to one-half of the rent deposited in the registry of the court is their contention, as shown by their respective answers, that their mother, Mrs. Martha H. Trimble, has relinquished, released, and renounced her usufruct of the estate of *403 J. G. Trimble, and,- consequently, of the property herein involved.

The case went to trial on the issues thus made, resulting in a judgment discharging plaintiff in concursus from all further liability, and providing further “that defendant and claimant, Mrs. Martha H. Trimble, be decreed to be the owner, or usufructuary, of the entire fund deposited in Court, and, as such, entitled to the payment thereof out of the Registry of the Court.”

From this judgment, which in effect rejected the demands of Robert M. Trimble and Dorothy H. Trimble, Robert M. Trimble appealed, originally to the Court of Appeal, Second Circuit, which transferred the case to this court.

1. There has been no division of the community property in this case, either by partition in kind or by licitation. That fact is clearly shown by the claim in this suit of Robert M. Trimble and Dorothy H. Trimble to an undivided eleven-forty-eighths interest each in the residence 2912 Samford avenue, in the city of Shreveport, admitted to be community property, and to one-half of the rental due on this property by plaintiff.

This suit was brought February 19, 1935, The fact that there has been no partition of the community property is further and indisputably proved by the following joint letter signed by defendants Dorothy H. Trimble and Robert M. Trimble, agent and attorney in fact, of date January 19, 1934, and addressed to the defendant Mrs. Martha H. Trimble:

“Robert M. Trimble,
“723% Wilkinson Street,
“Shreveport, Louisiana.
“January 19, 1934.
“Mrs. Martha H. Trimble,
“618 Herndon Avenue,
“Shreveport, Louisiana.
“Dear Mother:
“Since you turned over the list of our property in 1929 we have owned the estate jointly as you know and as you have been informed by Mr. Bullock and others on many occasions. The Home place at 618 Herndon is on this list and is owned jointly by yourself, Dorothy and myself.
“The law specifically states that where one party in a co-ownership uses the property of such ownership they must pay for the same. A law case proving this point is the Succession of Bauman, 30 La.Ann. 1138.
“Now since 1929, the year of the cancelling of the Minor’s mortgage you owe rent on the premises, you have occupied and continue to occupy and at the rate stated in a previous letter, viz: $60.00 per month. I shall compute my part of this rent to May 23, 1934 and Dorothy’s to December 31, 1934, and I will ask you to send a check at once for Dorothy’s part of the January 1935 rent, being the present record ownership of msth. or $13.75 per month.
“Very Truly yours,
“Dorothy H. Trimble
“By Robert M. Trimble,
Agent & Atty. in fact.”

*405 In a letter from Mrs. Martha H. Trimble to Robert M. Trimble of date May 19, 1934, it is stated:

“Your ownership of %th interest in your father’s estate is found on Page 571 Book 254 of the Conveyance Records of Caddo Parish. The record shows a 3/8ths interest in. your brother Guy’s estate. The record of this ownership is found on Page 371 of Book 298 in the Conveyance records, so your proportion of ll/48ths in the property that we have on hand represents your interest in this estate with the exception of the Jordan Street property and other property that was listed in Guy’s Succession according to a different proportion of ownership.” T. p. 57.

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Bluebook (online)
179 So. 577, 189 La. 398, 1938 La. LEXIS 1194, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/perryman-v-trimble-la-1938.