Succession of Harleaux

351 So. 2d 1267, 1977 La. App. LEXIS 4774
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 17, 1977
DocketNo. 11514
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 351 So. 2d 1267 (Succession of Harleaux) 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
Succession of Harleaux, 351 So. 2d 1267, 1977 La. App. LEXIS 4774 (La. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

BLANCHE, Judge.

This is an action by Osborne & Richard, a law firm, for the balance of $2,718.30 claimed to be due for professional services which were allegedly performed by it in the Succession of William W. Harleaux. The American Bank and Trust Company was sued in its capacity as trustee of a testamentary trust created and established by the decedent prior to his death. The bank was ordered to show cause by rule why the attorney’s fees should not be made executo-ry through the rendition of judgment against the bank in its capacity as trustee.

By way of background, the following events preceded the present action: At the decedent’s death, he left his wife, Florence B. Harleaux; a son, William W. Harleaux, Jr.; and a daughter, Linda Harleaux Spottsville. The judgment of possession was in conformity with the decedent’s will, and, in short, gave to the wife the family home and certain personal property, with the balance of his estate being placed in trust with the American Bank and Trust Company as trustee. Under the trust, the wife was established as beneficiary of all of [1269]*1269the income produced by the trust, with the son succeeding her as income beneficiary upon her death, and the daughter was established as the principal beneficiary.

The intention of the testator was summarized in the following provision of the will:

“ * * * While I am aware that the provision expressed herein may be contrary to the laws of Louisiana, it is my desire" that after the death of my wife, Florence Davis Harleaux, my son, William W. Harleaux, Jr., have the use of my estate for the balance of his life. It is my intention then that whatever is left shall go to my daughter, or her children. It is my desire that my daughter not contest any provisions of this will which may give her less than the portion allowed by law. It is also my wish that my son not try to change, in any way, the provision for him under this will as I believe it is for his best interest.” (Record, p. 12)

Before the rule could be heard, the Har-leaux widow and heirs filed a general denial to all of the allegations made by mover, together with an allegation that they were the real parties in interest and that the use of summary proceedings to tax attorney’s fees against the trustee was not authorized by law. The pleading was styled “Exception of Unauthorized Use of Summary Proceeding.”

The above rule was heard by the trial judge, and he permitted the appellants to intervene in the proceedings; but held that, as intervenors, they could not object to the form of the action, relying on LSA-C.C.P. art. 1094.

The trial judge then set the rule for hearing at a later date in order to give counsel representing the widow and heirs an opportunity to prepare a defense to the claim of attorney’s fees against the trustee.

Thereafter, counsel for the widow and heirs filed a petition via ordinaria to nullify the judgment of possession on the grounds that one of the heirs, William W. Harleaux, Jr., was an incompetent and had not been legally represented in the succession proceedings. It was also alleged in said petition that the judgment was obtained by ill practices in that “a false inheritance tax return was filed to which none of the heirs and legatees affixed their signatures as required by law.” The sole defendant in this action to nullify the judgment was the trustee, the American Bank and Trust Company.

Subsequently, the trial judge consolidated all matters before the court, namely, the rule to tax attorney’s fees and the petition to nullify the judgment of possession. After hearing the rule and having a trial on the merits of the petition to nullify the judgment, the trial judge awarded attorney’s fees to Osborne & Richard as prayed for, and further awarded attorney’s fees to the attorneys representing the trustee, but the judgment was otherwise silent as to the disposition of the petition to nullify the judgment.

The motion by the appellants objecting to the use of summary proceedings should not have been treated as an intervention. They were actually the real parties in interest inasmuch as the widow and son were income beneficiaries of the trust and the daughter was the principal beneficiary.

LSA-C.C.P. art. 641 defines an indispensable party as follows:

“Indispensable parties to an action are those whose interests in the subject matter are so interrelated, and would be so directly affected by the judgment, that a complete and equitable adjudication of the controversy cannot be made unless they are joined in the action.
“No adjudication of an action can be made unless all indispensable parties are joined therein.”

We believe the Harleaux widow and heirs met this test and, accordingly, they were entitled to challenge the use of summary proceedings to determine what attorney’s fees, if any, should be paid by the trustee. The diminution of trust property by a judgment for attorney’s fees, which the appellants deny are owing, gives them such an interest in the matter as to make them indispensable parties to the action.

[1270]*1270For these reasons, the trial judge was in error in applying the restrictions of Article 1094 of the Code of Civil Procedure, which would prohibit them from filing a dilatory exception of unauthorized use of summary proceedings.

Having found that appellants, as indispensable parties, have standing to interpose this objection we are of the opinion that the exception must be sustained. LSA-C.C.P. art. 2592, prescribing the use of summary proceedings, does not authorize the use of such a proceeding by an attorney against a trustee to have his fee adjudicated. It is not an incidental question arising out of the course of litigation merely because the attorney’s fees were included in the list of the succession debts. Pittman Construction Company v. Housing Authority of New Orleans, 248 La. 471, 179 So.2d 900 (1965); In re Lomm, 195 So.2d 416 (La.App. 4 Cir. 1967), writ refused, 250 La. 541, 197 So.2d 81 (1967).

We must, therefore, reverse the judgment of the trial court insofar as it awarded the attorney’s fees claimed, and sustain the exception of unauthorized use of summary proceedings and dismiss the action of Osborne & Richard as of non-suit.

Although the judgment was silent as to the disposition of the petition to nullify the judgment, the law is settled that all of the issues presented by the pleadings and on which evidence has been offered will be considered as having been disposed of by a final judgment in the cause, and that demands passed over in silence will be considered as having been rejected by the trial court in the absence of special reservation. Cagle v. Spade Drilling Company, Inc., 325 So.2d 354 (La.App. 3 Cir. 1975). Thus, we must find that the petition to annul the judgment was dismissed by the trial judge, because this was an issue presented in the pleadings and on which evidence was offered on the trial.

The appellants allege that the judgment of possession was obtained by ill practices. See LSA-C.C.P. art. 2004; Succession of Anderson, 323 So.2d 827 (La.App. 4 Cir. 1975). The basis for this allegation is that a false inheritance tax return was filed to which none of the heirs and legatees affixed his signature. The record shows that only the attorney signed the tax return.

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Related

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In Re Succession of Scott
950 So. 2d 846 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2006)
Guidry v. Dufrene
687 So. 2d 1044 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1996)
LeNy v. Friedman
372 So. 2d 721 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1979)
In re the Succession of Harleaux
361 So. 2d 261 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1978)
Matter of Harleaux
359 So. 2d 961 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1978)
In re the Succession of Harleaux
353 So. 2d 1336 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1978)

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Bluebook (online)
351 So. 2d 1267, 1977 La. App. LEXIS 4774, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/succession-of-harleaux-lactapp-1977.