Pringle Associated Mortgage Corp. v. Eanes

197 So. 2d 160, 1967 La. App. LEXIS 5584
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 13, 1967
DocketNo. 6954
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 197 So. 2d 160 (Pringle Associated Mortgage Corp. v. Eanes) 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
Pringle Associated Mortgage Corp. v. Eanes, 197 So. 2d 160, 1967 La. App. LEXIS 5584 (La. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinions

ELLIS, Judge.

This is a hypothecary action via or-dinaria, in which plaintiff obtained a judgment by default against defendant dated [162]*162April 20, 1966, for $263,615.70, with interest and attorney’s fees, recognizing plaintiff’s mortgage and ordering the sale of the mortgaged property without appraisement.

Subsequent to judgment, Charles Bailey, d/b/a Bailey’s Ceramic Tile Company, intervened in the suit, asserting that his right under a certain lien filed by him against the mortgaged property primed plaintiff’s right under its mortgage. A hearing was had on the intervention on June 2, 1966, and intervenor’s lien was found to be subordinate to plaintiff’s mortgage. Judgment recalling the rule and denying an injunction to stop the sale of the property was signed on June 6, 1966. From this judgment, in-tervenor has taken a devolutive appeal.

On June 20, 1966, Air Control Products, Inc., and Pay, Incorporated, each petitioned for and was granted a devolutive appeal from the judgment of April 20, 1966.

Each party states that it is neither plaintiff nor defendant in the case, but that it has an interest in the outcome of the case, Air Control as the holder of a valid ma-terialman’s lien against the property, and Pay as the purchaser, on May 26, 1966, of defendant’s interest in the mortgaged property.

A motion to dismiss both appeals was filed by plaintiff in this court, and this motion is also before us for consideration

In addition, Pay, Incorporated has filed in this court peremptory exceptions of no right and no cause of action, directed at the original petition filed herein.

We will first consider the motion to dismiss the appeals of Air Control Products, Inc., and Pay, Incorporated.

Appellants concede that their appeals are based on the provisions of LSA-C.C.P. Article 2086, which declares in essence that any party who could have intervened in an action may appeal from a judgment rendered therein.

Under our presently effective procedural rules all such rights as could formerly have been asserted by intervention or third opposition must now be presented by intervention. LSA-C.C.P. Articles 1091, 1092 and 1094.

Article 1091, supra, states in substance that a third person having an interest therein may intervene in a pending action to enforce a right related to or connected with the object of the pending litigation against one or more of the parties thereto. It further stipulates that the intervenor may join with plaintiff in demanding the same or similar relief against the defendant, unite with defendant in resisting plaintiff’s claims or oppose the interests of both plaintiff and defendant.

Article 1092 preserves the right of a third party claiming an interest in property under seizure to assert his claim therein by intervention. If ownership of the property is claimed the intervenor may enter the action any time prior to judicial sale thereof and may, in the discretion of the court, obtain an injunction prohibiting the sale. If in-tervenor asserts a mortgage or privilege on the seized property, he may intervene prior to disposition by the sheriff of the proceeds of the sale.

Article 1094, supra, makes it clear that the intervenor takes the action as he finds it. It expressly provides an intervenor may not object to the form of the action nor may he raise any defects or informalities personal to the original parties.

In opposition to the appeals by both appellants herein, appellee Pringle concedes the prematurity of the action against Eanes. Appellee contends, however, such circumstance is a matter of no moment considering it constitutes ground only for the dilatory exception of prematurity which must be pleaded prior to answer or judgment by default upon authority of LSA-C.C.P. Article 926. On this basis, appellee argues that failure of the debtor Eanes to plead maturity in the action on the mortgage note cannot be availed of by appellants because (1) the time has elapsed in which such defense may be made, and (2) it is an objec[163]*163tion personal to the debtor and cannot be advanced by an intervenor.

With respect to the appeal by Pay, ap-pellee points out that said appellant was not in existence on the date of rendition of the judgment against Eanes. The record shows Pay was incorporated May 26, 1966, twenty-six days subsequent to the judgment of April 20, 1966, and on the day of its ■charter bought the property from Eanes. Appellee argues, therefore, since Pay did not exist when the judgment was rendered, it could not have intervened in that suit and therefore has no right of appeal.

Appellants, however, cite and rely upon numerous cases in our jurisprudence which establish the general rule that appeals are favored in law. Among these are Texas Creosoting Co. v. Midland Construction Co., 177 La. 18, 147 So. 366; and Foret v. Stark, La.App., 16 So.2d 79.

Succession of Fortier, 51 La.Ann. 1562, 26 So. 554, is depended upon by appellants as authority for the proposition that an appeal by a person legally entitled thereto is not a collateral attack on the judgment appealed and the best time to determine whether such a party has the right of appeal is after hearing the cause on its merits.

It is well settled that a third opponent (intervenor) can raise only issues in which he has an interest. He cannot assert a claim, interest or defense with respect to an issue which does not concern him. Thus, in Henderson v. Hollingsworth, 158 La. 921, 105 So. 14, it was held that a third opponent could not assert the alleged nullity of a judgment against his debtor on the ground the judgment was not rendered in open court.

Another prerequisite to the right of intervention is that the intervenor must have an independent and separate right of action. State ex rel. Zelden v. Home Realty Inv. Co., 214 La. 45, 36 So.2d 633.

Also applicable to the case at bar is the principle that an intervenor takes the case as he finds it. He cannot urge matters which go to the dismissal of an action. Neither can he substitute himself for the defendant and urge defenses personal to the defendant without defendant’s consent. Galloway v. Levitt, La.App., 135 So.2d 798. We note in the Galloway case, supra, the following which we cite with approval:

“ ‘The intervenor is limited to the assertion of his own rights, to show that the property attached is his; that he has a superior privilege on it, or, as alleged in this case, the plaintiffs and defendants perpetrated a fraud * * *. He has nothing to do with the irregularity of the affidavit, the insufficiency of the attachment bond, and other irregularities in the proceedings.’ ”

We have carefully considered the numerous authorities cited by counsel for appellants and find none decisive of the case at bar. For example, Succession of Fortier, 51 La.Ann. 1562, 26 So. 554, involved an appeal by the state from a judgment recognizing a party as the heir of a decedent when the state contended the succession was vacant and its assets reverted to the state. In that instance, the state was appealing a decision adverse to its own interest and as stated in the decision, was entitled to have its claim adjudicated on its merits.

Ruiz v. Pons, 141 La. 110, 74 So. 713, was a case in which an administrator pro tem. appealed from judgment dismissing a suit for interdiction and maintaining in part the opposition of the testamentary executor to the administrator’s account.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Kirk v. MacDonald
21 Mass. App. Ct. 21 (Massachusetts Appeals Court, 1985)
International City Bank & Trust Co. v. Round Table of Louisiana, Inc.
356 So. 2d 99 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1978)
Ivy v. Day
254 So. 2d 136 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1971)
Pringle Associated Mortgage Corp. v. Cox
234 So. 2d 854 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1970)
City of Natchitoches v. State
221 So. 2d 534 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1969)
Pringle Associated Mortgage Corporation v. Eanes
211 So. 2d 399 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1968)
Pringle-Associated Mortgage Corp. v. Evans-benck Construction Co.
209 So. 2d 606 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1967)
Pringle-Associated Mortgage Corp. v. Eanes
199 So. 2d 919 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1967)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
197 So. 2d 160, 1967 La. App. LEXIS 5584, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pringle-associated-mortgage-corp-v-eanes-lactapp-1967.