Stockbridge v. Martin

4 La. App. 410, 1926 La. App. LEXIS 140
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 2, 1926
DocketNo. 2041
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 4 La. App. 410 (Stockbridge v. Martin) 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
Stockbridge v. Martin, 4 La. App. 410, 1926 La. App. LEXIS 140 (La. Ct. App. 1926).

Opinion

ODOM, J.

On November 12, 1907, John D. Wilkinson, S. L. Herold and John McW. Ford, as trustees, sold to Justin P. O’Neal lot 5 of block 7 of the Fairfield Heights subdivision in the parish of Caddo, state of Louisiana, as per map recorded in conveyance book 50 page 47 of the records of Caddo parish.

On May 27, 1909, one year, six months and fifteen days later, the same parties, as trustees' for the same individuals, sold the identical property to M. C. Stock-bridge, the plaintiff herein.

Both deeds are notarial and regular in form, and both were recorded in the conveyance records of Caddo parish, the one to O’Neal on November 12, 1907, and the one to Stockbridge, the plaintiff herein, on May 27, 1909.

Subsequent to the date on which Stock-bridge acquired the property, the village of South Highlands was incorporated under Act No. 136 of 1898 and the property in question was included in that village.

According to the rolls filed in evidence, this property was assessed on the assessment rolls of the parish of Caddo to M. C. Stockbridge for the years 1918, 1919, 1920 and 1921 and he paid the taxes thereon.

If the property was ever assessed to him on the assessment rolls for the village of South Highlands for the taxes of that village the record fails to show it.

Nor is it shown that the same property was ever assessed on the parish rolls to Justin P. O’Neal, but in the year 1918 the village of South Highlands assessed the said property on its rolls for that year in the name of Justin P. O’Neal who, as stated, purchased it on November 12, 1907, and held it under recorded title.

O’Neal having failed to pay the village taxes assessed to him on the rolls of that year, the said property was advertised for sale for the delinquent taxes assessed to him for the year 1918, and there being no' bidder for the same the property was adjudicated to the village of South Highlands by W. T. Simpson, treasurer and tax collector, on August 9, 1919, and the proces verbal of the adjudication was duly recorded in the conveyance records of Caddo parish on October 6, 1919.

The proces verbal recites that the property was duly advertised in a newspaper published in Caddo parish and was sold at the front door of the municipal building in the village of South Highlands.

On July 30, 1920, W. T. Simpson, treasurer and tax collector for the village of South Highlands, sold the said property to John W. Martin, the defendant herein, for the taxes of 1919.

The tax deed was recorded in. conveyance book 123 at page 705 of the. records of Caddo parish on September 18, 1920.

On the day the property was adjudicated to Martin there was issued to him a certificate of redemption by W. T. Simpson, tax collector and treasurer of the village of South Highlands, reciting that whereas the said property was adjudicated to the village on August 9, 1919, for the due and unpaid taxes of Justin O’Neal for the year 1918 amounting to $10.10, and whereas Martin had paid the amount of said' village taxes, therefore—

[412]*412“I, W. T. Simpson,: tax .collector and treasurer of the village of South Highlands, Louisiana, do certify that the aforesaid lot 5 of' block -7 of the Fairfield Heights subdivision in the village of South Highlands, Louisiana, has been redeemed by the said John W. Martin.”,

This certificate of redemption was recorded in conveyance book 154 at page 489 of the records of Caddo parish on September 18, 1920.

On March 8, 1922, Martin brought suit under Act 101 of 1898 to have his tax deed dated July 30, 1920, recorded in conveyance book 123 at page 705 confirmed and his tax title quieted.

This suit was brought against Justin O’Neal, the former owner, who, being an absentee, was represented in the proceeding by a curator ad hoc.

On December 9, 1922, judgment was-rendered confirming Martin’s tax title and he was ordered placed in possession of the property, all as the act provides.

Subsequently Martin sold the property to Mrs. Wilkinson, who was made a party to the suit.

Plaintiff brought this suit to annul the said tax sale and asked to have it can-celled from the records, setting up various irregularities and especially alleging that the tax deed was made in violation of law .as shown by said tax deed itself.

Defendant sets up in answer that said tax deed was regular and conveyed a valid title to him, and he plead prescription in bar of plaintiff’s right, and especially set up that plaintiff has no interest to question the validity of the said tax sale.

OPINION

The defendant’s title, if he has any, rests solely upon the pretended tax sale dated July 30, 1920, whereby W. T. Simpson, tax collector and treasurer of the village of South Highlands conveyed to him the property in dispute.

If that transfer be in fact a tax sale as contemplated by law, then other issues injected into the suit would have to be passed upon; but if as a matter of law that alleged and pretended sale is in fact and in law no sale at all, the other issues raised need not be discussed.

It is that deed which is attacked and which the plaintiff asks the court to cancel.

By reference to that deed, which is in evidence, we note that W. T.. Simpson, tax collector for the village of South Highlands, did, on July 30, 1920—

«* * * sell, convey, and deliver unto John W. Martin the following described property assessed to Justin O’Neal upon the tableau of taxes for said parish of Caddo for the year 1919, to-wit: Lot five (5) of Block seven (7) of the Fairfields Heights subdivision in the village of South Highlands, Louisiana.”

The deed recites that the property was advertised in the Shreveport Caucasian, a newspaper published in Caddo parish, for thirty full days, which advertisement gave notice that the sale would take place at the front door of the Civil District Courthouse in the parish of Caddo on the 24th day of July, 1920; and it further shows that the sale took place at said courthouse door.

In passing, it may be said that the courthouse at which the property was sold is not located within the corporate limits of the village of South Highlands.

The proces verbal of the sale is signed “William T. Simpson, treasurer and tax collector of the village of South Highlands, Louisiana”.

[413]*413Accepting, as we' must, the recitals of the tax deed .as true, we find that the property sold to John W. Martin, the defendant, by the tax collector of the village of South Highlands, was sold for taxes assessed to Justin O’Neal upon the tableau of taxes for the parish of Caddo for the year 1919.

This tax deed does not show, nor do we find in the record otherwise, that the said property was assessed by the officers of the village of South Highlands to O’Neal for the taxes due said village for the year 1919.

Manifestly the tax collector for the municipality of South Highlands had no right to sell property situated therein for any taxes except those due that municipality, and without a municipal assessment there were no municipal taxes due. There can be no sale of property for taxes not assessed.

In the case of Guillory vs. Elms, 126 La. 560, 52 South. 767, the court said:q

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Bluebook (online)
4 La. App. 410, 1926 La. App. LEXIS 140, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stockbridge-v-martin-lactapp-1926.