Schwab v. Kelton

405 So. 2d 1239, 1981 La. App. LEXIS 5209
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided October 12, 1981·No. No. 14502·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

LOTTINGER, Judge.

This is an appeal by defendants from a judgment granting a preliminary injunction enjoining them from the practice of public accounting on certain premises located in Krumbhaar Subdivision, Terrebonne Parish.

Plaintiffs,1 all property owners in Krumbhaar Subdivision, Terrebonne Parish, filed suit to enjoin defendants, Robert E. Kelton and his wife Claudia Gordon Kelton, from the practice of public accounting on Lot One in Block Five of Krumbhaar Subdivision, as a violation of the building restrictions of said subdivision. Plaintiffs contend that the building restrictions restrict the subdivision to residential purposes and business or commercial enterprises are expressly prohibited.2 The defendant, Robert Kel-ton, stipulated at trial that he owns Lot One in Block Five in Krumbhaar Subdivision and that he practiced public accounting on those premises.

Krumbhaar Subdivision is situated off of Louisiana Highway 311. A railroad track traverses the subdivision as a result of [1241] which four (4) lots are between the railroad track and La. 311, with two lots located on each side of the entrance drive. The subject lot is at the intersection of La. 311 and the entrance drive. (See Appendix “A” for a copy of the plat of Krumbhaar Subdivision).

The subdivision consists of 24 separate lots, thirteen of which are improved. Defendants at the time of trial owned two improved lots in the subdivision. One lot is the Kelton residence, and the other lot is the property that is the subject of the injunction order appealed from herein. On October 25, 1971, the developers of Krumbhaar Subdivision recorded in the public records of Terrebonne Parish a document entitled “Restrictions to Krumbhaar Subdivision.”

Defendants have assigned the following specifications of error:

I. The trial court erred in failing to adequately consider relevant Louisiana law that building restrictions are unenforceable if they have been abandoned by acquiescence or inaction.
II. The trial court erred in failing to hold that the restrictive covenants are no longer in force or effect based on a general abandonment or waiver of the restrictions by other lot owners in the subdivision, including plaintiffs. Alternatively, the trial court erred in failing to hold that the specific restrictions regarding “Residential Use Only” of subdivision property have been abandoned.
III. The “Residential Use Only” sections of the Krumbhaar restrictions are null and void as to Lot 1, Block 5 because that portion of the subdivision plan is not feasible or capable of being preserved as to that particular lot.
IV. The trial court erred in rendering judgment in favor of plaintiffs-appellees in that these particular plaintiffs are not entitled to the extraordinary remedy of injunctive relief. Plaintiffs-appellees themselves have violated the restrictions and do not come to this court with clean hands; furthermore, the enforcement of the restrictions by these plaintiffs was arbitrary and discriminatory in nature, a fact not taken into account by the trial court.

Act 170 of 1977, Regular Session, amended and reenacted Title V of Book II of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1870 to insert articles 775-783 on Building Restrictions.3 Ar-[1242] tide 780 was subsequently amended by Act 310 of 1980, Regular Session. These Civil Code Articles represent a codification of prior Louisiana jurisprudence. Thus the rules of construction, interpretation and enforcement of building restrictions have not changed merely because of their placement in the Civil Code.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1

Defendants argue that in granting the injunction the trial judge did not apply the applicable law of building restrictions. They reach this conclusion by reading the trial judge’s written reasons for denying a suspensive appeal. The trial judge has not favored us with written reasons for granting the injunction.

Defendants go astray in their interpretation of the trial judge’s reasons for the denial of a suspensive appeal. It was apparent to this court at the time we declined the exercise of our supervisory jurisdiction and refused to issue a stay order 4 that the trial judge was impressed with the fact that defendants personally knew of the restrictions prior to their purchase of the subject property, and that they had been forewarned by at least two of these plaintiffs that the practice of public accounting would be a violation of the restrictions and injunc-tive relief would be sought to prohibit such practice. For those reasons the trial judge denied a suspensive appeal, but we cannot agree that such gives any indication that the trial judge failed to apply the applicable law on the merits.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 2

Defendants-appellants are basically arguing that the number and nature of past and continuing violations of these building restrictions have resulted in an abandonment of these restrictions within the meaning of La.C.C. art. 782, or that at least the “Residential Use Only” restriction has been abandoned.

In East Parker Properties, Inc. v. Pelican Realty Co., 335 So.2d 466 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1976) writ refused 338 So.2d 699 (La. 1976), Judge Ponder as the organ of this court said:

“Generally, the courts will enforce building restrictions imposed upon land according to the intent of the subdividers, provided they not be against public policy and not be abandoned.

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Schwab v. Kelton, 405 So. 2d 1239, 1981 La. App. LEXIS 5209 (La. Ct. App. 1981).

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