Union Sawmill Co. v. Summit Lumber Co.

50 So. 35, 124 La. 270, 1909 La. LEXIS 463
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Union Sawmill Co. v. Summit Lumber Co.. Read the opinion of the Court — 119 La. 313
Supreme Court of Louisiana·Decided June 14, 1909·No. No. 17,354·Published

Opinion

NICHOLLS, J.

Plaintiff alleged that it was the true and lawful owner of certain lands situated in the parish of Union, as well as all timber growing thereon, described as S. E. Vi of S. E. % of section. 15, N. E. % of N. E. Vi and S. Vi of N. E. Vi, section 22, township 22 north, range 1 east. That it was also the true and lawful owner and possessor of all the merchantable timber standing, growing, and being on certain lands al[271]*271so described and situated in said parish, and had the use and possession of said lands, as well as the rights of way, ingress and egress, into and from, over and across, the same for the purpose of cutting, felling, and removing its said timber. That the Summit Lumber Company had through its officers, attorneys, agents, and employés, and particularly the so-called Arkansas Southeastern Railroad Company, a pretended railroad corporation which claimed to have been incorporated under the laws of Louisiana as a common carrier, illegally, knowingly, and maliciously entered upon, cut, felled, and removed petitioner’s standing timber from said described lands, and particularly from the E. % of the N. E. %, S. E. % of the N. W. %, and N. W. Yi of N. W. 14, of section 27, and the N. E. % of the N. E. % of section 29, said township 22 north, range 1 east, and would continue to cut, fell, and remove petitioner’s said timber unless enjoined and restrained by the court, to petitioner’s great loss and irreparable injury.

That the said defendants had already cut, felled, and removed from its described lands and timber more than 200,000 of its merchantable timber, which was well worth the market price of $10 per thousand feet, or the sum of $2,000; that the timber so illegally cut, felled, and removed belonging to petitioner was then situated and located along the spur track or tram road of the said defendant running through the southwest quarter of section 22, said township and range, and petitioner feared they would conceal, part with, dispose of, or send timber out of the jurisdiction of the court during the pend-ency of the suit, and that it was necessary that the same be seized, sequestered, and taken into the custody of the court until the termination of the same.

Petitioner represented that it had been damaged in the further sum of $500 on account of the willful and malicious trespass upon its said property by the said defendants, and in the further sum of $100 as attorney’s fees incurred by it in the employment of counsel to bring and prosecute this suit, which sum it was entitled to recover in solido against the said defendants.

It averred that there was still standing and remaining on said lands more than 6,-000,000 feet of merchantable timber, which was well worth the sum of $3 per thousand feet, or $18,000, standing at the stump, which was also in danger of being trespassed upon and felled and removed by said defendants, unless enjoined and restrained as aforesaid. Petitioner prayed that the Summit Lumber Company and the said so-called Arkansas Southeastern Railroad Company be cited; that a writ of injunction issue directed to the said defendants, enjoining, prohibiting, and restraining each and all of them, their officers, agents, attorneys, and employés from trespassing upon, entering upon, cutting, felling, and removing, or from in any manner interfering with petitioner’s said land and timber, and its peaceful use, occupancy, and possession thereof; that a writ of sequestration issue directed to the sheriff of the parish of Union upon plaintiff’s executing bond in the manner prescribed by law, commanding him to seize, sequester, take into his possession, and keep until the further orders of the court the 2,000 feet of saw logs cut, felled, and removed from petitioner’s said property as alleged in the petition and situated on the premises above described; that on trial petitioner have judgment against the defendants in solido for the full sum of $500 as damages and injury done to its said property by and through the illegal, willful, malicious, and wanton trespass upon its said timber, and in the further sum of $100 damages as attorney’s fees incurred in the bringing and prosecution of the present suit; that the writ of sequestration herein sued out be sustained, and petitioner decreed the owner [273]*273of the property seized, and that the writ of injunction be perpetuated. It prayed for all necessary orders and decrees, for costs, and for full and general relief.

Defendants excepted that plaintiff had filed a similar suit against defendants in case of No. 5,173 of the docket of the court — Union Sawmill v. Summit Lumber Company et al. — and that defendants desired to plead lis pendens as to the issues involved in the suit and the one numbered 5,173 as aforesaid. Defendants prayed that plaintiff’s suit be dismissed, and that its right to sue for damages caused by the illegal issuing of the writs of injunction and sequestration be reserved. This exception was overruled.

Defendants answered by generally denying all of plaintiff’s allegations except such as might be specially admitted.

They admitted that to certain portions of the described land and timber they had no title, and averred they had not attempted to assume any control over same. They admitted that they had cut timber on 10 acres of land belonging to the plaintiff which was described as the S. E. Vi of the N. E. % of N. AV. Vi of section 27. This admission was subsequently modified in an amended answer.

Defendants attacked the validity of what is known as “the McShane contracts,” on which, to some extent, plaintiff bases its rights of ownership on the grounds:

First. That the offers made therein were without consideration, and were never signed and accepted by McShane.

Second. That the contracts were lacking in mutuality.

Third. That the conditions thereof had never been complied with.

Defendants alleged damages for $61,000 on account of the alleged illegal issuing of the writ of injunction causing a deterioration and loss of its timber and the necessity of keeping idle its teams, machinery, and employes. It also alleged damages in the further sum of $600, damages as attorney’s fees, necessary to secure the dissolution of the’ writs of injunction and sequestration.

The district court rendered the following judgment:

“It is hereby ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the plaintiff is the owner of the S. E. Vi of S. E. Vi of section 15, and the N. E. 14 of N. E. V. and S. Vi of N. E. Vi of section 22, township 22 north, range 1 east.
“And the plaintiffs are also recognized as the owners of all the merchantable timber on the
“E. % of S. E. Vi, section 16;
“E. Vo of S. E. Vi,
“S. % of S. W. Vi,
“N. AV. Vi of S. AV. Vi,
“S. V> of N. W. Vi, section 17;
“E. V¿ of S. E. Vi,
“W. Vi of S. W. Vi, section 18;
“N. AV. Vi,
“AV. % of S. E. Vi,
“S. Vi of S. W. Vi,
“N. AV. Vi of S.

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Union Sawmill Co. v. Summit Lumber Co., 50 So. 35, 124 La. 270, 1909 La. LEXIS 463 (La. 1909).

50 So. 35 (Union Sawmill Co. v. Summit Lumber Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.