Sclafani v. Sclafani

90 So. 2d 694, 1956 La. App. LEXIS 909
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 12, 1956
DocketNo. 20716
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 90 So. 2d 694 (Sclafani v. Sclafani) 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
Sclafani v. Sclafani, 90 So. 2d 694, 1956 La. App. LEXIS 909 (La. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

McBRIDE, Judge.

Plaintiff, invoking the provisions of the-so-called Sharecroppers Act, No. 298 of 1938, LSA-R.S. 13:4911 et seq., seeks the eviction of defendant from what is referred to by. counsel as a storeroom which is the rear portion of a shed located upon the present Lot L, in Square 606 of the [695]*695Sixth District of New Orleans. Plaintiff is the owner of the mentioned lot and shed. From a judgment condemning her to vacate ■the premises, defendant has appealed.

There was never at any time a written or verbal lease or any other type of contractual agreement or understanding relative to defendant’s use thereof.

The defenses are: (1) that the mother of the parties by having erected on what is ■now plaintiff’s property, some time prior to 1940, the shed or storeroom in contest and used it until her death, made a destination ■du pere de famille in favor of her adjoining property on which she operated a retail business; or, alternatively, (2) that defendant acquired, by the prescription of -ten years, a servitude to use the storeroom in connection with her business which she, like her mother, carried On in the building on the adjoining lot. It is defendant’s -contention that she is. entitled to be maintained in possession of the storeroom either under the alleged destination du pere de famille or the prescriptive servitude.

First, let us say th,at.Mrs. Maria Scla-fani, the mother of the parties who is now ■deceased, owned original Lots 1 and 2 of ■Square 606; in a building located on Lot No. 1 she conducted a grocery and meat ■market, and in connection with her activities caused to be erected the shed or storeroom on the adjoining Lot 2. The building •on then Lot 1 which was and is used as the store is separated from the shed or storeroom on Lot 2 by an alley which runs along the side of Lot 1 and has a width of 3 feet ■6 inches. Mrs. Sclafani elevated the surface of the alley to a height even with the floor of the store building to facilitate convenient passage across the alley from the •store building to the storeroom.

Mrs. Maria Sclafani used both buildings in her commercial endeavors up until the time of her death. It appears that about mid-year 1939 she decided to execute •a last will and testament, but’before doing so she commissioned a firm of-surveyors to lay out Lots 1 and 2 (together with another lot with which we are not concerned) and to make a sketch thereof. This was done by the surveyors who subdivided .the total area of original Lots 1 and 2 into two lots which they designated anew as “K” and “L.” According to this sketch,, Lot “K” embraces the whole of the original Lot 1 plus a small strip along' its side adjoining original Lot 2. The present Lot L consists of the remainder of original Lot 2. The sketch of survey shows no building encroachments on either lot and a surveyor testified that the shed and storeroom building is located entirely on plaintiff’s Lot L.

In the succession proceedings ’of Mrs. Sclafani, who died in 1940, the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans recognized both plaintiff and defendant’ as the children and legatees of decedent and as such sent them into possession, respectively, of Lots L and K in accordance with the bequests contained in the decedent’s will. The lots were described in the judgment according to “certificate of survey by Gilbert & Kelly, Surveyors, dated June 6, 1939, copy of which is annexed hereto and made a part hereof.” It may'be conceded that the defendant, who inherited Lot K on which the store building is located, without protest from plaintiff, has since her mother’s death continued to operate the business therein and has in connection therewith continued to utilize the storeroom on Lot L just as Mrs. Sclafani had done before her death.- . ■

We cannot perceive any merit at all in the defenses tendered by appellant. We are unaware of any statutory provision or jurisprudence in this state which is authority for the proposition that Mrs. Sclafani’s use of the storeroom on her adjoining lot in conjunction with her business had the effect of a destination du pere de famille so as to grant the present owner or occupant of the improvements on Lot K the right to the use and possession of the storeroom on plaintiff’s lot. It seems to us that all' that the former owner of both lots did and intended to do was to use the two buildings for her [696]*696personal convenience and welfare in her business affairs.

A real or predial servitude is a charge laid on an estate for the use and utility of another estate belonging to another owner. LSA-C.C. art. 647. The destination made by an owner is equivalent to title with respect to continuous apparent servitudes. By destination is meant the relation established between two immovables by the owner of both which would constitute a servitude if the two immovables belonged to two different owners. LSA-C.C. art. 767. No charge was laid by Mrs. Sclafani on Lot L, and it is entirely reasonable to suppose that she never intended that after her death the owner or occupant of Lot K would have the right to make use of the building on the adjoining Lot L, hence her having caused the subdivision and redistribution of the area of the two original lots in contemplation of death.

However, should we be in error in holding that there had been no destination du pere de famille under LSA-C.C. art. 767, then in that event we believe that whatever servitude there was terminated on April 29, 1940, upon the rendition of the judgment in Mrs. Sclafani’s succession which sent the respective parties into possession of the two lots in accordance with the survey. Any servitude that may have theretofore existed in favor of Lot K and against Lot L was effectively abandoned by the defendant when she accepted Lot K as it is shown on the sketch and described in the judgment of possession. See Carlon v. Marquart, La.App., 10 So.2d 246, decided by this court.

The Civil Code provides that servitudes are either continuous or discontinuous.

Art. 727 reads:

“Servitudes are either continuous or discontinuous.
“Continuous servitudes are those whose use is or may be continual without the act of man.
“Such are aqueducts, drain, view and the like.
“Discontinuous servitudes are such as need the act of man to be exercised.
“Such are the rights of passage, of drawing water, pasture and the like.”

If there possibly be anything known to our law as a servitude of use of another’s building on an adjoining estate, such servitude could only be a discontinuous one which can be likened to the examples of discontinuous servitudes given in the above-quoted codal article and which need the act of man to be exercised.

Thus, there could be no destination made by the owner, as it is provided in the Code that the destination of the owner is equivalent to title only with respect to continuous apparent servitudes. LSA-C.C. art. 767; Burgas v. Stoutz, 174 La. 586, 141 So. 67.

Appellant’s alternative contention that there has been created in her favor by the operation of ten years’ prescription a servitude of use of the storeroom is as equally untenable. If there is such a type of servitude as defendant claims, as said before, it could be classed only as a discontinuous servitude which cannot be acquired by the running of prescription.

LSA-C.C. art. 766 provides:

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Bluebook (online)
90 So. 2d 694, 1956 La. App. LEXIS 909, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sclafani-v-sclafani-lactapp-1956.