Succession of Robert

140 So. 2d 528, 1962 La. App. LEXIS 1862
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 14, 1962
DocketNo. 5500
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 140 So. 2d 528 (Succession of Robert) 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 Robert, 140 So. 2d 528, 1962 La. App. LEXIS 1862 (La. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinion

ELLIS, Judge.

Octave Robert died on August 11, 1959 and his last will and testament dated February 8th, 1959 in statutory form as provided in LSA-R.S. 9:2442 was duly filed for probate by the testamentary executor, Albert Robert. In his will decedent left to each of his children, Albert, Norma, Hilda, Emile, Corinne and Blanchard a portion of a five acre tract particularly described as to each [529]*529according to previous survey made by Civil Engineer John H. Sollberger on Feb. 4, 1959. For brevity we attach a sketch of the survey rather than the legal descriptions of the property, which identifies the portion willed to each of his children. The will also provided “that Albert is to receive an extra portion of my estate.” There being no other property belonging to the testator it is clear that he intended and believed the tract bequeathed to Albert shown on plat reproduced below included the extra portion.

On September 9, 1959 the will was duly probated, letters testamentary were issued to Albert J. Robert and an inventory was ordered to be taken by Thomas W. Tanner, Notary Public of St. Tammany Parish. The inventory was filed appraising the real estate, together with the improvements thereon at a total valuation of $10,000.00. On November 5, 1959, a petition, verified only by Albert J. Robert and allegedly filed on behalf of Blanchard J. Robert, Emile D. Robert, Norma Robert, Hilda Robert, Corinne Robert and Albert J. Robert, the children and forced heirs of the decedent, Octave Robert, in which they prayed to be placed in possession of all property left by the decedent of whatsoever kind and character, of the property particularly described in the inventory, particularly the proportions and descriptions as set forth in the statutory will. Accordingly, judgment of possession was read, rendered and signed in Covington on the 6th day of November, 1959, sending the heirs in possession of the respective tracts that the decedent had willed to them.

On December 18, 1959 Blanchard Robert and Emile Robert filed a petition seeking to vacate and annul the judgment placing the heirs in possession of the respective tracts in accordance with their father’s last will and testament. Petitioners further prayed in the alternative that should the last will and testament be declared “of full legal force and effect, then the bequest to Albert Robert be reduced to its proper portion”. They also sought to have Albert Robert removed as testamentary executor and that a proper inventory of the goods and effects of the estate be made after the setting aside of the original inventory.

[530]*530An answer was filed by Albert Robert, Norma Robert, Hilda Robert, and Corinne Robert, generally denying the plaintiff’s petition. It further set forth the facts that Blanchard Robert was present and knew about his father’s will even having read same and knew which portion of property he was to get. The answer further alleged that Blanchard Robert never did inform the testamentary executor, Albert Robert, that he intended to contest any of the succession proceedings.

The case was duly tried and the trial court amended the original judgment of possession dated November 6, 1959 and recorded in COB 280 page 416 of the records of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, by providing for road rights of way on the west fifty feet belonging to Albert Robert and a fifteen foot wide strip along the north line of the property of Hilda Robert and a fifteen foot strip .along the south line of the property of Emile Robert.

The written reasons for this portion of the judgment are concisely stated in the dower court’s reasons as follows :

“By taking a road fifty feet (50') wide from the property of Albert across ■the West side and along the border line •of Emile and Hilda connecting with -the Bayou Liberty Road and reduce Albert’s property value and then by -running a road thirty feet (3O’) wide •taking fifteen (15') from Emile and ■fifteen feet (15’) from Hilda along the ■south line of Emile and the North line • of Hilda and give a thirty foot (3O') ■road back to the property of Blanchard .and Corinne will enhance the values of the property bequeathed to Emile, Hil■da, Corinne and Blanchard, and will give the general relief prayed for by all parties.”

The Lower Court also ordered, adjudged •and decreed that the improvements located • on the property allocated Albert Robert “be .and is hereby declared to be community •property of Octave Robert and Anna Zan- ■ der Robert of a value for Nine Hundred and no/100 Dollars ($900.00) and that said property be sold for at least two-thirds of its value, one-half of the proceeds of the sale payable into the estate of Octave Robert and one-half payable into the Estate of Anna Zander Robert, free of all costs with the exception of prorata costs of sale.”

The court then ordered that the demands of the plaintiffs be dismissed and ordered them to pay all costs of these proceedings.

From this judgment the plaintiffs, Blanchard and Emile Robert, have appealed. Motion was filed on January 16, 1962 in per-sonam by counsel of record for Emile Robert requesting an order from this court that he be permitted to withdraw “from this cause as attorney for Emile Robert and that his name be erased from the record as Attorney for Emile Robert only.” However, we have no motion or request by Emile Robert for a dismissal or abandonment of his appeal and he is, therefore, considered as before the court on this appeal.

There has been no answer to the appeal by anyone of the defendants.

The first question to be decided is whether the district court had a legal right to render the judgment amending the judgment of possession by providing for a road by excepting from the original judgment of possession a fifty foot strip along the west line of Albert Robert and a fifteen foot strip to be taken along the north line of the property of Hilda Robert and fifteen feet along the south line of the property of Emile Robert, thereby changing the area and description of the property as bequeathed by the terms of the will, which also had the effect of changing the partition made by the testator' in the will.

There is no allegation nor prayer in the plaintiff’s petition nor in the answer of the defendants alleging or requesting such a disposition of the case, and the testimony upon which this judgment was based was objected to ab initio and should have been sustained. Furthermore, the judgment would not solve the problem as it merely takes away from Albert 5(y across his west [531]*531line and from Hilda and Emile 15' north and south of their common line for somebody to build a road on it. At whose expense or what it will cost is nowhere shown in the record. It does show that the back four lots have a heavy growth upon them which, of course, would have to be removed in order to build such a road. The value of the property taken for the road is not fixed in the record. In addition, the testimony along this line was to the effect that if there was such a road constructed then the property of Hilda, Emile, Blanchard and Corinne Robert would be enhanced in value from $500.00 each to approximately $1500.-00 to $1700.00 each.

The best reason for the illegality of the judgment is that the courts are not authorized to change a partition of the property by the testator other than as authorized under the Articles of our Civil Code relating to such partitions and the jurisprudence interpreting these articles.

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Related

Williams v. Williams
199 So. 2d 401 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1967)

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Bluebook (online)
140 So. 2d 528, 1962 La. App. LEXIS 1862, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/succession-of-robert-lactapp-1962.