Succession of Villarrubia

662 So. 2d 85, 95 La.App. 4 Cir. 0346, 1995 La. App. LEXIS 2484, 1995 WL 573999
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 28, 1995
DocketNo. 95-CA-0346
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 662 So. 2d 85 (Succession of Villarrubia) 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 Villarrubia, 662 So. 2d 85, 95 La.App. 4 Cir. 0346, 1995 La. App. LEXIS 2484, 1995 WL 573999 (La. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinions

JiCIACCIO, Judge.

This ease arises out of a petition to re-open the Succession of Stella Lescale Villarrubia filed by plaintiff, Todd Villarrubia. From a summary judgment rendered in favor of defendants, Donald J. Villarrubia, individually, and as the former executor of the Succession of Stella Lescale Villarrubia, dismissing his claim, plaintiff now appeals. We reverse.

Stella Lescale Villarrubia died on January 13, 1992. She was survived by two of her three sons, Donald J. Villarrubia and Milton J. Villarrubia Jr. A third son, Stanley G. Villarrubia, predeceased Stella. Plaintiff is the sole surviving child of Stanley Villarru-bia. By an olographic codicil to her statutory will, Stella left to each of her grandchildren, including plaintiff, particular legacies of $1,000.00 each. Under her will, the residual legatees were her two surviving sons, Donald and Milton Jr.1

Upon receiving his particular legacy of $1,000.00 from the succession, plaintiff signed a receipt for legacy, acknowledging his receipt of the $1,000.00, and consented to the rendering of a judgment, placing the residuary legatees into possession of the remainder of Stella Villarrubia’s property. Once the legacies under the testament were fulfilled, Milton, Jr. and Donald Villarrubia were placed in possession of the remainder of Stella Villarrubia’s estate.

laAt the time the judgment of possession was rendered, LSA-C.C. art. 1493, as -amended in 1989 and 1990, was in effect. Article 1493, as amended in 1989 and 1990, extinguished forced heirship for persons who, upon the death of their decedents, were neither mentally incompetent nor physically in-firmed, and had attained the age of 23 years. Because the surviving children of Stella Vil-larrubia were neither physically infirm nor mentally incompetent and were greater than 23 years of age, there were no forced heirs at the time the judgment of possession was rendered.

[86]*86Subsequent to the signing of the judgment of possession and Todd’s signing of the receipt for legacy, the Louisiana Supreme Court in Succession of Lauga, 624 So.2d 1156 (La.1993) declared unconstitutional amended article 1493 and the amendatory acts of 1989 and 1990 in their entirety.

Based on the Supreme Court’s decision in Lauga, plaintiff instituted this action in representation of his father, Stanley Villarrubia, to re-open the Succession of Stella Villarru-bia and to recover the forced portion which was denied Stanley Villarrubia’s estate.

Both parties filed motions for summary judgment, as all material issues of fact were agreed to and the only issue before the court was whether plaintiffs signing of the receipt for legacy constituted a waiver of his forced heirship rights.

In rendering summary judgment in favor of the succession, the trial judge gave the following reasons:

Todd Villarrubia (hereinafter, “Todd”) is the grandson of the decedent, Stella Les-cale Villarrubia (hereinafter, “Stella”), and his father, Stanley Villarrubia, predeceased Stella. Thus, under Louisiana law, Todd would have represented his father in his grandmother’s estate for intestate succession purposes, but for forced heirship purposes, at the time Stella hdied, Act 147 of 1990 was in effect, and it provided that a grandchild such as Todd did not have a claim as a forced heir. It is undisputed that Stella’s will omitted her grandson as a forced heir, but she did leave him a particular legacy of $1,000. It is also undisputed that under the terms of Stella’s will, Todd did not inherit anything other than the $1,000.00 particular legacy. Todd did not challenge the interpretation of the will or the legal conclusion. The only question raised by Todd in asking the Court to reopen the Succession of Stella Lescale Villarrubia was to contend that, by virtue of the decision of the Louisiana Supreme Court in Succession of Lauga, rendered after Stella’s estate had been closed, his grandmother did not have the legal right to exclude him because he was a forced heir.
At the time this succession was closed, Act 147 of 1990 was presumed to be in force; the Louisiana Supreme Court had not yet ruled in the Succession of Lauga, which declared Act 147 of 1990 unconstitutional. Instead of waiting to see what happened in the Lauga, case, which was then pending before the Louisiana Supreme Court, and having been advised of his right to do so, Todd signed a “Receipt and Release” for the $1,000.00 particular legacy that was made by his grandmother to him, and he expressly consented, in the “Receipt and Release,” to the entry of a Judgment of Possession. The undisputed evidence showed that Todd was represented by counsel, and that he is an attorney himself. Additionally, it was undisputed and apparent from the evidence that Todd participated in discussions with both of his uncles (who inherited the residue of the estate) in connection with the disposition of property of the estate and the closing of the succession. Furthermore, there was undisputed evidence that Todd had asserted rights as a forced heir in his father’s estate and had reopened those succession proceedings to assert his rights against his stepmother.
The Court recognizes that Todd had rights that, if he had asserted them timely, would have entitled him to be recognized as a forced heir in Stella’s succession. Instead of asserting those rights, Todd accepted the particular legacy made to him and consented to the entry of the Judgment of Possession. For whatever reason, Todd elected not to wait until Lauga was decided, or take a chance on its outcome, so that Stella’s estate could be concluded at that time instead of later. Todd could have easily refused to consent to the entry of a Judgment of Possession and asserted hisjjright as a forced heir to reduce excessive donations. Todd could have asserted the unconstitutionality of the forced heir-ship legislation just as the omitted children in the Lauga case did. Instead, by knowingly participating in and acquiescing in the rendering of the Judgment of Possession that has been rendered, Todd waived his rights and relinquished any right that [87]*87he may have had to assert a forced portion in Stella’s estate.
The “Receipt and Release” states specifically that Todd discharged the executor and the residuary legatees from all further responsibility to him and he consented to the rendition of a Judgment of Possession in favor of the persons entitled to be placed in possession. The assets of the estate, some of which were real estate, have now been distributed to the legatees and are in the stream of commerce. Third parties are entitled to rely on that Judgment of Possession. In addition to Todd’s behavior, the “Receipt and Release” he signed constituted a judicial admission and a knowing waiver of Todd’s rights on which others have relied, and it is the Court’s opinion that Todd is now estopped from pursuing the claim he might have originally pursued. Todd is not entitled to have the succession reopened, and the succession is entitled to summary judgment against him.

On appeal plaintiff argues that' the trial judge erred in finding that plaintiffs signing of the receipt for legacy constituted, a waiver of his rights as a forced heir to assert a claim for his share of the forced portion of Stella Lescale Villarrubia’s estate.

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Bluebook (online)
662 So. 2d 85, 95 La.App. 4 Cir. 0346, 1995 La. App. LEXIS 2484, 1995 WL 573999, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/succession-of-villarrubia-lactapp-1995.