Sylvester v. Sylvester

137 So. 2d 716, 1962 La. App. LEXIS 1602
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 15, 1962
DocketNo. 447
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 137 So. 2d 716 (Sylvester v. Sylvester) 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
Sylvester v. Sylvester, 137 So. 2d 716, 1962 La. App. LEXIS 1602 (La. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinions

CULPEPPER, Judge.

After approximately 25 years of marriage, plaintiff and defendant were first judicially separated from bed and board by a judgment dated October 27, 1958, following which, on October 30, 1958, they entered into a voluntary settlement of the community property, each receiving considerable amounts of movable and immovable property. On January 23, 1959, they entered into a written reconciliation and lease agreement under the terms of which they agreed that they would again become husband and wife, but they would remain separate in property and no community of acquets and gains would exist between them. The said reconciliation agreement provided further that the plaintiff, Oscar Sylvester, Jr., leased from the defendant “her 40 head of registered cows, barns, pastures that she presently owns at her homeplace west of Ville Platte — etc.” and that she receive all of the benefits from the cattle during the term of the lease, in consideration of which he agreed to pay certain utility bills, grocery bills, etc. (The validity of this lease agreement is contested by the defendant for several reasons, including the grounds that plaintiff and defendant actually became reconciled by living together as man and wife for the period, December 3, 1958 through December 10, 1958, thereby incapacitating themselves to enter into such a contract.) After the signing of said reconciliation agreement and lease, plaintiff and defendant again lived together as man and wife until they separated finally on or about March 11, 1960, following which they were again judicially separated from bed and board by judgment dated May 9, 1960.

The instant suit was filed on May 25, 1960, by the plaintiff, Oscar Sylvester, Jr., against his said wife to recover certain livestock registration papers “affecting a herd of polled hereford cattle, part of which herd belongs to petitioner, and part of which belongs to defendant, but upon which petitioner has a lease;”, as well as certain [718]*718personal belonging's and moneys advanced to her.

In her answer, the defendant denied generally the allegations of plaintiff’s petition, denied the validity of the said lease agreement and filed a reconventional demand in which she prayed that Oscar Sylvester, Jr. be ordered to:

“1. Convey and deliver unto her, forty (40) certain head of registered cattle and the offsprings therefrom since October 30, 1958 until date of delivery, or in the alternative, if delivery is impossible, pay your petitioner in reconvention, $37,500.00, the value of said cattle.”

(The community settlement entered into on October 30, 1958, following their first judicial separation, contains the provision that Oscar Sylvester, Jr. receive “All of the cattle except forty (40) heads to be chosen by Lola Sylvester alternatively with Oscar Sylvester, until the said Lola Sylvester has received her forty (40) heads.”, but actually this portion of the agreement has never been carried out by the parties.)

“2. Convey and deliver unto her, one-half of the 1958 rice crop and one-half of all of the rice which was stored in the dryers situated on his property described as Item No. 8 of the partition of October 30, 1858 or the value thereof, the value being $2,500.00.
“3. Convey and deliver unto petitioner in reconvention, one-half of all of the horses owned by them as of October 30, 1958 and/or the value thereof, the value being $600.00.
“4. Convey and deliver unto petitioner in reconvention, certain lumber, roofing, quarry tile, feed and hay valued at $950.00 or the monetary value thereof.
“5. Convey and deliver unto petitioner in reconvention, that certain house, at his expense, located on the property described in Paragraph 22 of respondent’s answer.
“6. Convey and deliver unto petitioner in reconvention that certain cattle chute, cattle trailer, and cut-a-way plow taken from her property, valued at $750.00.”

After a lengthy trial the lower court entered judgment on June 30, 1961, holding as follows: (1) Annulling the lease agreement dated January 23, 1959; (2) denying plaintiff’s claim for the sum of $1,000 allegedly advanced by plaintiff to defendant during their period of reconciliation; (3) decreeing that the lumber, roofing, quarry tile, feed and hay, cattle chute, cattle trailer and cut-a-way plow is the property of Oscar Sylvester, Jr.; (4) decreeing that the gas stove, safe and all contents thereof, one shotgun collection, personal family portraits and pictures, original and copies of the Sylvester family tree, large rotisserie, one Remington typewriter, one combination filing cabinet and one portable television set, with table, are the property of Oscar Sylvester, Jr., and Lola Sylvester is ordered to deliver same to him within thirty days; (5) decreeing that Lola Fruge Sylvester is the owner of 40 head of full grown cows, to be chosen alternately by herself and plaintiff as provided in the original partition dated October 30, 1958; (6) decreeing that Lola Fruge Sylvester is the owner of the offsprings of said 40 head of cows since the date of the partition agreement, to wit: 16 two year old heifers and 16 two year old bulls, as well as 16 one year old heifers and 16 one year old bulls to be alternately chosen by the parties in the same manner as above; (7) decreeing that the 104 head of cattle above described be chosen and delivered by plaintiff within thirty days from the signing of said judgment and in default of delivery of these animals to the said Lola F. Sylvester, she is granted a money judgment against Oscar Sylvester, Jr. for the sum of $31,200; (8) decreeing judgment in favor of Lola Fruge Sylvester for the sum of $2,500 as her share of the 1958 rice crop; (9) decreeing that the plaintiff, Oscar [719]*719Sylvester, Jr., move that certain house located on a tract of land near Ville Platte, Louisiana, within thirty days after the signing of said judgment to a lot in Evangeline Parish to be designated by Lola Fruge Sylvester or in default thereof that the said Lola Sylvester have money judgment against Oscar Sylvester, Jr. in the sum of $800; (10) decreeing that Oscar Sylvester, Jr. deliver within thirty days of the signing of said judgment unto said Lola Fruge Sylvester two certain saddle horses, being the remaining two horses owned by plaintiff and defendant prior to their separation in 1958; (11) decreeing that upon receiving her cattle in accordance with this judgment, Lola Fruge Sylvester deliver to Oscar Sylvester, Jr. all cattle registration papers, except those on cattle which she receives in accordance with this judgment.

From said judgment the plaintiff, Oscar Sylvester, Jr., has appealed, contending that the trial judge erred as to: (1) the cattle, (2) the rice crop, (3) the lease, (4) the horses.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
137 So. 2d 716, 1962 La. App. LEXIS 1602, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sylvester-v-sylvester-lactapp-1962.