Succession of Spyker

159 So. 347
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 18, 1935
DocketNo. 14957.
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 159 So. 347 (Succession of Spyker) 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 Spyker, 159 So. 347 (La. Ct. App. 1935).

Opinion

LECHE, Judge.

This cause was argued and submitted to this court on the following agreed statement of facts:

“Statement of Facts.
“May It Please This Honorable Court:
“In order to simplify this case and to save trouble to the Court of Appeal as well as to Counsel, it is agreed:
“That Mrs. Pauline Gilmer Spyker, Widow of Theodore S. Wilkinson, died on September 10th, 1932, in the City of New Orleans; that she left the immovable property, Municipal No. 1448 Joseph Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, as a special legacy to her nephew, James Wilkinson, Jr.; that there was a mortgage of some $2100.00 on this property; that a City tax of $145.35 fell due on the said immovable property pri- or to the death of Mrs. Wilkinson; that the said tax was unpaid at the time of her death.
“That the will of .the deceased Mrs. Wilkinson was duly probated, the inventory duly filed and the Canal Bank & Trust Company was duly appointed arid qualified as Testamentary Executor of said Succession;
“That on the fifth day of October, 1932, the Testamentary Executor filed a provisional account; that on the said account the said City tax of $145.35 was listed under the heading of ‘Debts due by this Estate’ and was deducted from the residuary portion of the estate coming to the universal legatees all as will more fully appear by reference to copy of said petition and account annexed hereto and made part of this statement of facts; that the monitions for said account were duly published and that said account was homologated by judgment of the Court on the 24th day of October, 1932;
“That in accordance with the said judgment the said Executor paid said tax soon after the homologation of said account;
“[Chat the said Canal Bank & Trust Company, having gone into liquidation, resigned as Executor; that the National Bank of Commerce, by consent of all parties, was' appointed and qualified as Executor or Administrator of this succession;
“That on the seventh day of August, 1933, the National Bank of Commerce filed the rule in controversy, to which James Wilkinson, Jr. filed exceptions and returns; that these exceptions were over-ruled by the Court and that James Wilkinson, Jr. was condemned to pay these City Taxes, all as per return and judgment in said record.
“It is agreed that the sole questions to be submitted to this Court are:
“First: Is the judgment homologating said original provisional account res adjudi-cata against plaintiff in rule, the present-Executor?
“Second: Does the payment of said taxes under said judgment estop the present plaintiff in rule?
“Third: In the alternative, whether or not the plaintiff in rule has a right to recover these taxes from defendant in rule as due and owing by him.
“Respectfully submitted,
“James Wilkinson, Sr.
“[Signed] James Wilkinson
“Attorney for defendant and appellant in rule.
“Azzo J. Plough
“Joseph O. Schwartz
“By: [Signed] Jos. O. Schwartz
“Attorneys for plaintiff and appel-lee in rule.”

Relative to the question of a judgment of homologation being res adjudicata, we find the following pronouncements in our jurisprudence:

“The judgment of homologation on the tableau of distribution, filed by the syndics, is, in law, a judgment in favor of each creditor to whom a dividend is assigned; arid has, in relation to the proceeds in the hands of the syndics, the authority of the thing judged.” Morgan et al. v. Their Creditors, 4 La. 174.
“The District Court correctly concluded these items were not authorized, no mention thereof whatever being made in the account *349 homologated, which forms res judicata as to the rights of the several creditors, on the proceeds of all the property surrendered.” Ory v. His Creditors, 12 La. 122.
“It thus appears that this judgment ho-mologating the tableau was deliberately rendered, in the presence of |the fact of the want of any order of the court authorizing the sale; and however irregular the proceedings may have been, there does not appear to us to have been any fraud in the sale, or collusion between the syndic and the purchasers. It appears to have been conducted fairly, and more than usual publicity was given to it by way of advertizements.
“It is obvious that, under the repeated decisions of the Supreme Court and the principles on which these decisions are based, we must hold the creditors of the insolvent bound by this judgment of distribution. The plaintiff was present and must be considered as a party to it, for, by her town allegations, she was at the time of its rendition a creditor. The required notices are proved to have been given, and the order of the court for the creditors and all others concerned to show cause why the tableau should not be homolo-gated and distribution made accordingly, recited the fact that the former was presented by the executor of the deceased syndic.
“The court having advisedly distributed by its decree the proceeds of the sale of the property as such, eo nomine — the sale itself and the right to sell was thereby settled and determined, and from that time must ,be viewed as having been made under sufficient authority. As to those creditors who received the proceeds there can be no question; and we think the creditors who thus sanctioned-the appropriation of the proceeds for their benefit, that is for debts which they had an interest in having discharged, are equally bound by the judgment, as the law considers them as parties to it.” Coiron v. Millaudon, 3 La. Ann. 664.
“The notification of the filing of the tableau operates as a citation to all persons concerned therein, creditors as well as legatees ; and the homologation of the executors’ account and tableau, bars all further en-quiries as to all matters included in the account.” Succession of Peytavin, 10 Rob. 118.
“We see no reasons for being dissatisfied with the conclusion we ]have arrived at, upon this point.
“It rests upon the principle, well settled in our jurisprudence, that — ‘the notification of the filing of ,a tableau operates as a citation to all persons concerned therein (creditors as well as legatees); and that the ho-mologation of an account and tableau bars all further enquiries as to all matters included, in the account.’ ” Succession of Juan Y. De Egana, 18 La. Ann. 263.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Succession of McLean
651 So. 2d 920 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1995)
Succession of Moffat
577 So. 2d 1210 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1991)
Rives v. Franklin Life Insurance
792 F.2d 1324 (Fifth Circuit, 1986)
Rives v. Franklin Life Insurance Company
792 F.2d 1324 (Fifth Circuit, 1986)
Succession of Kilpatrick v. First National Bank of Shreveport
422 So. 2d 483 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1982)
Wilson-Harris, Adm'x v. Southwest Telephone Co.
1943 OK 303 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1943)
Succession of Marcour
173 So. 587 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1937)
In Re Liquidation of Canal Bank & Trust Co.
168 So. 485 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1936)
State Ex Rel. Ernest Realty Co. v. Moore, Blane & Merklein, Inc.
165 So. 147 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1935)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
159 So. 347, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/succession-of-spyker-lactapp-1935.