State v. Tri-State Transit Co. of Louisiana, Inc.

155 So. 233, 179 La. 811, 1934 La. LEXIS 1447
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJanuary 2, 1934
DocketNo. 32377.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 155 So. 233 (State v. Tri-State Transit Co. of Louisiana, Inc.) 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
State v. Tri-State Transit Co. of Louisiana, Inc., 155 So. 233, 179 La. 811, 1934 La. LEXIS 1447 (La. 1934).

Opinions

BRUNOT, Justice.

This is a suit against the Tri-State Transit Company of Louisiana, Inc., and its bondsman, the United States Fidelity & ,Guaranty Company, of Maryland, for the recovery of taxes alleged to be due the state by the Tri-State Transit Company. The sum sued for, including penalties and attorney’s fees, is $30,312.50, subject to a credit of $10,344.86. We quote from the prayer of the petition the following:

“Wherefore, petitioner prays for * * * judgment against the Tri-State Transit Company of Louisiana, Inc., in the full sum of Twenty Thousand One Hundred Forty-Seven and 8%00 ($20,147.80) Dollars, representing the tax of if per gallon on gasoline or motor fuel imported into the State of Louisiana, by defendant Corporation, as dealer, and levied under the provisions of Act 6 of the Extra Session of the Legislature of Louisiana of the year 1928, as amended by Act 8 of 1930, and Act 16 of 1932; and in the further sum of Five Thousand Thirty-Six and 9%00 ($5,036.-95) Dollars, representing the tax of If per gallon on gasoline or motor fuel imported into the State of Louisiana, by defendant Corporation, as dealer, and levied under the provisions of Act 1 of the Extra Session of the Legislature of Louisiana of 1930, the same being a constitutional amendment submitted to the people and adopted by the qualified electors of the State of Louisiana at an election held November 4,1930, and in the further sum of Three Thousand Two Hundred Sixty-Two and 3jioo ($3,262.34) Dollars, representing a penalty of 20% on the amount due by defendant Corporation for the taxes aforesaid, as a delinquent, and in the further sum of One Thousand Eight Hundred Sixty-Five and 41/ioo ($1,865.41) Dollars as attorney’s fees, the whole being subject to a credit oí Ten Thousand Three Hundred Forty-Four and 8%_00 ($10,344.86) Dollars, leaving a net balance due by defendant Corporation for taxes, penalties and attorney’s fees of Nineteen Thousand Nine Hundred Sixty-Seven and 8%oo ($19,967.64) Dollars, as hereinabove set forth, and judgment for which is accordingly prayed for, together with legal interest thereon from judicial demand.”

Petitioner further prays for a judgment against both defendants, in solido, for $5,000, *815 the amount of the surety’s liability on the bond. This judgment, however, is to be included as part of the total sum of such judgment as may be rendered against the TriState Transit Company.

Petitioner also prays for an injunction restraining the Tri-State Transit Company from the further pursuit of its business until it has paid the taxes, penalties, and attorney’s fees sued for.

Both defendants excepted to the petition as not disclosing a right or cause of action. These exceptions were heard and overruled.

The Tri-State Transit Company then filed a motion to strike out the word “distribution” wherever that word appears in the plaintiff’s petition. Thereafter the Tri-State Transit Company pleaded the unconstitutionality of Act No. 6 of the Extra Session of 1928, as amended by Act No. 8 of 1930- and Act No..lG of 1932, alleging in its plea that the title of the act is defective, that the body of the act is broader than its title, and that the provisions of the act contravene the commerce clause of the Federal Constitution.

Following the foregoing pleas, the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company filed a plea of res adjudicata, alleging therein that the right of the plaintiff to recover taxes, penalties, interest, and attorney’s fees growing out of shipments of gasoline into this state during the year 1931, Or prior to 1932, was foreclosed by the judgment of the district court of Caddo parish, rendered in the following numbered and entitled suit, to wit: “No. 58,738, State of Louisiana v. Tri-State Transit Company of Louisiana, Inc.”

Both defendants answered the suit. These answers are substantially the same. Both pleaded, therein, the unconstitutionality of Act No. 6 of 1928 and also the unconstitutionality of Act No. 1 of the Extra Session of 1930, which act was a proposed amendment to the Constitution, which was formally ratified by the electorate of the state by a vote of 116,627 for to 7,085 against. On the merits, both defendants deny any indebtedness to the plaintiff, and all averments of the petition with respect to the indebtedness, etc., alleged therein, are put at issue by the answers.

By consent, the plea of res adjudicata, as to gasoline shipped into the state during the year 1931, was sustained (Tr. p. 39) and all pleas of uncoustitutionality were referred to the merits.

The minutes do not show what disposition was made of the motion to strike out. The. minutes merely show (Tr. p. 4) that plaintiff moved to refer the motion to the merits, the defendants objected, and the matter was continued for argument.

The case was submitted on the issues stated and the following agreed statement of facts:

“Statement of facts and admissions agreed to by counsel for plaintiff and defendants, at Shreveport, La., on this 16th day of December, A. D., 1932, the same to be used upon the trial hereof in lieu of individual proof of each admitted fact, subject to all pleas, exceptions and judgments heretofore filed.

“It Is Admitted:

“1: That the gasoline imported into the State of Louisiana by the Tri-State Transit Co., from Feb. 1, 1931 to August 31, 1932, both inclusive, aggregates the sum of 519,273 gross gallons.
*817 “2: That the aforesaid gross gallonage of gasoline is received in tank cars from other states, and unloaded from such tank cars into a storage tank of defendant company located in Shreveport.
“3: That the storage tank of defendant company referred to, will hold the contents of two railroad tank cars of an average capacity of 8000 gallons each.
“4: That defendant receives and stores in its aforesaid storage tank approximately four railroad tank cars of gasoline per month.
“5: That when the gasoline referred to has come to rest in defendant company’s aforesaid storage tank, it is thereafter distributed therefrom into the motor vehicles of defendant company and the Caddo Transfer & Warehouse Co. The storage tank referred to is equipped with a regulation gasoline measuring pump, which records the number of gallons of gasoline withdrawn from said storage tank and distributed to the respective freight and motor vehicles of defendant company and to such motor vehicles of the Caddo Transfer & Warehouse Co., as are supplied with gasoline from the storage tank in question.
“6: The gasoline stored by the defendant company as above set forth comes from other states and is consigned to defendant company at Shreveport, La. The Tri-State Transit Company is a subsidiary of the Caddo Transfer & Warehouse Company, that is, the capital stock of the defendant company is owned by the Caddo Transfer & Warehouse Company although the two corporations are independently organized and chartered.

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Bluebook (online)
155 So. 233, 179 La. 811, 1934 La. LEXIS 1447, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-tri-state-transit-co-of-louisiana-inc-la-1934.