W. F. Taylor Co. v. Campisi

128 So. 706, 14 La. App. 210, 1930 La. App. LEXIS 410
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 2, 1930
DocketNo. 3829
StatusPublished

This text of 128 So. 706 (W. F. Taylor Co. v. Campisi) 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
W. F. Taylor Co. v. Campisi, 128 So. 706, 14 La. App. 210, 1930 La. App. LEXIS 410 (La. Ct. App. 1930).

Opinion

ODOM, J.

On March 20, 1929, Y. L. Campisi executed a promissory note payable to himself for $1,500, due six months after date, and secured by mortgage on real property. This note fell into the hands of the plaintiff, W. F. Taylor Company, Inc. It was not paid when due and on December 6, 1929, Taylor Company filed suit to collect it.

W. F. Taylor Company alleged that Campisi, the maker of the note, had mortgaged, assigned, or disposed of, or was about to dispose of, his property, rights, ■ and credits, or some part thereof, with the intent to defraud his creditors, or give an unfair preference to some of them, and prayed that the debtor’s property be attached. A writ of attachment was issued by virtue of which the sheriff seized a certain money judgment rendered by the dis-. trict court of Bossier parish in favor of one Sam Pedro for approximately $12,000, it being contended by plaintiff that said judgment was the property of its debtor, Campisi, ana not the property of Pedro. The defendant, Campisi, admits that he owes plaintiff the amount represented by the note, but moved to dissolve the attachment on the ground that the allegations of plaintiff’s petition to the effect that he had mortgaged or disposed of his property with fraudulent intent were untrue and without foundation, and that he was not in fact the owner of the judgment attached and had no interest therein. The lower court rendered judgment for plaintiff for the amount claimed, but dissolved the attachment with damages. Plaintiff appealed from that portion of the judgment dissolving the attachment.

Plaintiff alleged, and tried to prove, that its debtor, Campisi, in collusion with two of his Italian friends, Angelo Ladato and Sam Pedro, had, while “in failing circumstances,” disposed of certain property with intent to defraud his creditors. The transactions between Campisi, Ladato, and Pe[212]*212dro, which are relied upon to show that Campisi, plaintiff’s debtor, was guilty of making the disposition of his property to defraud his creditors are somewhat involved and are, in sum and substance, as follows:

Campisi owned certain property in Shreveport known as the “Hotchkiss property” and Angelo Ladato owned about nineteen acres of land in Bossier parish. On December 3, 1928, the two entered into ■a contract by which Campisi agreed to sell the Hotchkiss property to Ladato for $8,-000,,;and Ladato agreed to sell his Bossier parish property to Campisi for $10,700. This contract was reduced to writing and recorded. It is conceded by all parties that this was an agreement to exchange properties. It is also agreed that it was understood that when the exchange was made, Campisi would owe Ladato the difference between $8,000 and $10,700. Sam Pedro, the third man, had nothing to do with the transaction between Campisi and Ladato. But Campisi owed Sam Pedro approximately $3,000 which Campisi wanted to pay, but could not because he had no money. As between Campisi and Pedro, it was agreed that instead of Ladato transferring the Bossier parish property to Campisi, it should be transferred to Pedro instead in order that Campisi might liquidate his indebtedness to Pedro. Accordingly, on January 26, 1929, Ladato, at the request of Campisi, sold his Bossier parish property to Pedro, the notarial act of transfer-- reciting ■ a. consideration of $10,700; paid as follows: $2,935.21, paid in cash, the assumption of vendor’s lien notes against the property amounting to $4,285, and Pedro gave his note for the balance, amounting to something over $3,000.

On the same day, Campisi sold to Ladato by notarial act the Hotchkiss property mentioned in the contract for $8,000, paid as follows: $3,000 cash, and the assumption of certain mortgage notes for $5,000. So that the - contract to . sell or ■ exchange between Campisi and Ladato was carried out; as contemplated, except that Ladato sold to Pedro instead of to Campisi.’ As already stated, there was a difference of approximately - $3,000 in the value- of-the Hotchkiss property and the Bossier parish property, so that when the contract was carried out, Campisi owed Ladato approximately $3,000, representing this difference. This amount was not paid by- Campisi per: sonally but was paid to Ladato by Sam Pedro, the amount paid Ladato being a part of the purchase price of the Bossier parish property. The testimony clearly shows that Pedro paid Ladato this amount. There is no question but that Ladato received for his Bossier parish property the consideration which he asked, which was made up by the transfer to him by Campisi of the Hotchkiss property, valued at $8,000, and the balance paid by Pedro. It made no difference with Ladato whether he sold direct to Campisi or to another. All he wanted was the value of his Bossier parish property, which he obtained.' If. Ladato had sold his Bossier parish .property direct to Campisi, as he originally ■ agreed to do, Campisi would have owed him approximately $3,000 as the difference in values, but Campisi substituted Pedro for 'himself, and Pedro paid the difference.

As already stated, the deed from Ladato to Pedro conveying the Bossier parish property recited that ‘ the total consideration of $10,700 was paid by the assumption of certain mortgage notes against it, the payment of $3,000 in cash and a note of Pedro’s for something over $3,000. But it is conceded that the cash mentioned as having been paid was not in fací' paid, but in[213]*213stead, Pedro canceled the debt which Campisi admittedly owed him of that amount. Pedro, therefore, paid every dollar of the consideration recited in the deed to him.

Referring now to plaintiff’s petition, it is alleged, as a basis and ground for judgment, that the “instrument above referred to, executed by Angelo Ladato (Lodotto) to Sam Pedro, was so executed by Ladato (Lodotto) at the 'request of V. L. Campisi and for the use and benefit of said Campisi; that the instrument was executed by Ladato (Lodotto) in fulfillment of his obligations under the agreement described in Article 4 of this petition; that Sam Pedro was not the real purchaser of said property but acquired it for the account of Y. L. Campisi and took title in his (Pedro’s) name for the purpose of shielding said property from seizure by creditors of Y. L. Campisi; that at the time said transaction occurred V. L. Campisi was in failing circumstances and said property was taken in the name of Sam Pedro as a result of a conspiracy between Sam Pedro and V. L. Campisi t and to operate as a mask in order to defeat the claims and in fraud of the rights of said Campisi’s creditors.’’

On the merits, the district judge held and we fully concur in his views, that the testimony adduced fails to support these allegations. It is true that Ladato sold to Pedro at the request of Campisi. But there is nothing to support the contention that it was intended that Pedro should take the property in his name to be held for Campisi, and nothing to show that Campisi by this transaction was attempting to shield his property from the pursuit of his creditors. Under paragraph 4, article 240 of the Code of Practice, a creditor may attach the property of his debtor when he has disposed of it, or is about to do so, with intent to defraud his creditors or give an unfair preference to some of them. An attachment under this paragraph necessarily falls when no bad faith or fraudulent intent exists. The record fails to disclose that Campisi was guilty of any bad faith or frauuulent intent. There are no other transactions proved or referred to indicating such intent.

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

Related

Theurer v. McGibbon
28 La. Ann. 29 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1876)
Bevens v. Weill
30 La. Ann. 185 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1878)
Redwitz v. Waggaman
33 La. Ann. 26 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1881)
Majors v. Dennis
35 La. Ann. 336 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1883)
Johnson v. Kingsland & Ferguson Manufacturing Co.
38 La. Ann. 248 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1886)
Succession of Anger
38 La. Ann. 492 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1886)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
128 So. 706, 14 La. App. 210, 1930 La. App. LEXIS 410, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/w-f-taylor-co-v-campisi-lactapp-1930.