Smith v. UTILITY & MAINTENANCE CON. OF AMER., INC.

301 So. 2d 906
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 10, 1975
Docket12310
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 301 So. 2d 906 (Smith v. UTILITY & MAINTENANCE CON. OF AMER., INC.) 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
Smith v. UTILITY & MAINTENANCE CON. OF AMER., INC., 301 So. 2d 906 (La. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

301 So.2d 906 (1974)

Joe C. SMITH d/b/a Joe C. Smith & Co., Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
UTILITY & MAINTENANCE CONTRACTORS OF AMERICA, INC., Defendant-Appellant.

No. 12310.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

May 28, 1974.
On Rehearing October 1, 1974.
Rehearing Denied October 1, 1974.
Writ Refused January 10, 1975.

Richard K. Dimitry, New Orleans, for defendant-appellant.

Barham, Campbell & Adkins by Ronald G. Coleman and Kenneth W. Campbell, Ruston, for plaintiff-appellee.

Before AYRES, HALL and WILLIAMS, JJ.

Rehearing En Banc Denied October 1, 1974.

HALL, Judge.

The issues presented by this appeal are (1) whether defendant has the right to appeal from a judgment overruling a motion to dissolve a writ of attachment and rejecting defendant's prayer for damages and attorney's *907 fees and, if so, (2) whether the writ of attachment was wrongfully obtained and, if so, (3) the amount of damages to which defendant is entitled.

Plaintiff, Joe C. Smith, d/b/a Joe C. Smith & Co., filed suit against defendant, Utility & Maintenance Contractors of America, Inc., seeking to recover the sum of $874.50 for services rendered by plaintiff to defendant. Alleging that "it lies within the power of the defendant, Utility & Maintenance Contractors of America, Inc., to mortgage, assign, dispose of or remove from this Parish, with the intent to defraud its creditors or to place beyond the reach of its creditors," certain property, plaintiff prayed that a writ of attachment issue for the seizure of five items of equipment owned by defendant. An order was signed ordering a writ of attachment issued as prayed for upon plaintiff furnishing bond in the amount of $250. The $250 bond was posted and the property was seized.

Defendant filed a motion to dissolve the writ of attachment or, alternatively, to reduce the attachment, and prayed for damages including reasonable attorney's fees. The motion alleges the writ of attachment was wrongfully obtained because plaintiff's petition did not allege facts which constitute grounds for an attachment under the provisions of LSA-C.C.P. Art. 3541 and because the amount of security furnished by plaintiff was less than the amount of plaintiff's demand and, therefore, did not comply with the provisions of LSA-C.C.P. Art. 3544.

The rule issued pursuant to plaintiff's motion was tried on October 11, 1973, with evidence being adduced as to the grounds for the attachment and as to damages sustained by defendant. At the conclusion of the trial, the district court found that plaintiff acted in a reasonable way in causing the writ of attachment to issue on the basis of a statement made by one of defendant's employees to the effect that plaintiff had better seize defendant's property to secure his indebtedness because if he did not the property would be taken elsewhere, and on the basis of defendant's obvious financial difficulties. The court denied the motion to dissolve but found the seizure to be excessive and ordered the release of all the items seized except one. The court further ordered the bond increased from $250 to $1,000. The minutes of the court reflect that the court "ordered all the equipment released from the seizure except the John Deere Tractor with sideboom and ordered the amount of plaintiff's bond increased to $1,000.00".

On October 14, 1973, plaintiff filed a bond in the amount of $1,000.

On November 15, 1973, a "judgment on rule" was signed ordering that the "rule for dissolutionment" issued by the defendant be dismissed and ordering that the "rule for reduction" be made absolute and that the sheriff release all properties seized except the John Deere tractor. No mention was made of defendant's claim for damages and attorney's fees.

On the same day, November 15, 1973, judgment was rendered by default in favor of plaintiff and against defendant in the sum of $874.50, legal interest and costs. The default judgment also ordered that the writ of attachment be maintained, that the lien and privilege resulting from the attachment upon the John Deere tractor be recognized, that the property be sold according to law, and that the judgment be paid from the proceeds of the sale by preference and priority over all other creditors of the defendant.

Pursuant to written motion, defendant was granted a devolutive appeal from the judgment on the rule. The defendant did not appeal from the default judgment.

In this court plaintiff has filed two motions to dismiss defendant's appeal. The first motion is based on an alleged failure of defendant to post the devolutive appeal bond timely and an alleged failure to pay court costs and to have the transcript *908 timely lodged in the Court of Appeal. This motion is without merit because the record reflects that the bond was timely filed within the period prescribed by law and that costs were paid and the transcript timely lodged pursuant to an order extending the return date.

The second motion to dismiss presents a serious and difficult procedural question. The motion is based on the contention that the judgment appealed from is an interlocutory judgment which does not cause irreparable injury and is not appealable. Plaintiff further contends that the interlocutory judgment was, in effect, merged into the final default judgment which maintained the writ of attachment, from which judgment defendant did not appeal and which judgment is now final. In support of its right to appeal, defendant urges that the judgment denying its motion to dissolve the attachment and rejecting its demands for damages and attorney's fees is a final judgment insofar as its claims for damages and attorney's fees are concerned and is, therefore, appealable.

LSA-C.C.P. Art. 2083 provides that an appeal may be taken from a final judgment and from an interlocutory judgment which may cause irreparable injury.

LSA-C.C.P. Art. 1841 defines an interlocutory judgment as a judgment that does not determine the merits but only preliminary matters in the course of the action. A final judgment is defined as a judgment that determines the merits in whole or in part.

The question then is whether the judgment from which defendant appealed is a final judgment or is an interlocutory judgment which may cause irreparable injury.

Defendant's motion to dissolve the writ of attachment with a prayer for recovery of damages, including attorney's fees, for the wrongful issuance of the writ was filed pursuant to LSA-C.C.P. Art. 3506 which provides:

"The defendant by contradictory motion may obtain the dissolution of a writ of attachment or of sequestration, unless the plaintiff proves the grounds upon which the writ was issued. If the writ of attachment or of sequestration is dissolved, the action shall then proceed as if no writ had been issued.
"The court may allow damages for the wrongful issuance of a writ of attachment or of sequestration on a motion to dissolve, or on a reconventional demand. Attorney's fees for the services rendered in connection with the dissolution of the writ may be included as an element of damages whether the writ is dissolved on motion or after trial on the merits."

It has been held that a judgment dissolving a writ of attachment is an appealable interlocutory judgment. Pittman v. Lilly, 197 La. 233, 1 So.2d 88 (1941) and cases cited therein.

It has also been held that a judgment denying a motion to dissolve a writ of attachment or sequestration is an interlocutory judgment which does not cause irreparable injury and is not appealable.

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Bluebook (online)
301 So. 2d 906, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-utility-maintenance-con-of-amer-inc-lactapp-1975.