Walet v. Darby

120 So. 869, 167 La. 1095, 1929 La. LEXIS 1737
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedFebruary 25, 1929
DocketNo. 28479.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 120 So. 869 (Walet v. Darby) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Walet v. Darby, 120 So. 869, 167 La. 1095, 1929 La. LEXIS 1737 (La. 1929).

Opinion

ST. PAUL, J.

The two plaintiffs herein are the grandchildren of John H. Walet, who died May 2, 1925. They are the children of John D. Walet, a predeceased son. Joseph Walet is of age and appears for himself; Louis Walet is a minor, and appears through his tutrix, Mrs. Lydia Gonsoulin Walet, widow of John D. Walet and mother of the two plaintiffs.

Their suit is brought against the executors and the six surviving children of John H. Walet, the deceased. They pray that the will of the deceased, by which they were ex- *1097 eluded from any part of his estate, he declared null, and that they he recognized as forced heirs of their grandfather and given their proportionate share in his estate.

The only estate left by their grandfather was his interest in certain community property belonging to himself and his long predeceased wife, consisting of four pieces of real estate and some furniture, all valued at $7,200.

I.

The case was submitted on the following agreement:

(1) That plaintiffs are the grandchildren of John H. Walet as recited, but that the other heirs, together with plaintiffs, are those correctly recited in the answer.

(2) That the will is considered* as before the court, being correctly quoted in plaintiffs’ petition.

(3) That the court is to determine whether the will should be properly construed as disinheriting the plaintiffs ; and if not, what is its legal effect in so far as affects their interests.

(4) Though not put at issue by the pleadings of plaintiff, the court may determine the status of all heirs as named in the. defendants’ answer.

II.

At the death of the wife of the deceased, some 25 years before his own death, there were nine children of the marriage, who were her sole heirs to wit (1) Ceeile Walet Germany, (2) Lelia Walet Darby, (3) Alice Walet Bonin, (4) Junius L. Walet, (5) Perry H. Walet, (6) Pliny C. Walet, (7) Theresa Walet, (8) Louis Walet, and (9) John D. Walet.

The six first named all survived their father, and are the defendants herein. The seventh child, Theresa, died before her father, unmarried and intestate. Her share in her mother’s estate was inherited one-fourth by her father and three-fourths equally between her brothers and sisters. The eighth child, Louis Walet, died intestate before his father leaving one child, who inherited all his share. This last died intestate before his grandfather, and the share already inherited from his father was inherited by his mother, Mrs. Mathilde Renoudet Walet, widow of Louis Walet, and daughter-in-law of John H. Walet. The ninth child, John D. Walet, died intestate before his father, leaving three children, to wit, Joseph Walet and Louis Walet, the plaintiffs herein, and Charles Walet, who inherited his share between them. Thereafter, and before the death of his grandfather, Charles Walet died intestate, and his share in his own father’s share was inherited three-fourths by his two brothers, the plaintiffs herein, and one-fourth by his mother, Mrs. Lydia Gonsoulin Walet, widow of John D. Walet, and daughter-in-law of Jbhn II. Walet, the testator.

So that at the time of John H. Walet’s death there were six children (the defendants herein), two grandchildren (the plaintiffs herein), surviving children of the same predeceased child, and two daughters-in-law, who had an interest in the community property.

The trial judge has calculated in detail and has established the interest of all of these in the community property at the time when John II. Walet died. It would serve no purpose to repeat these calculations here. Suffice it to say that they are not complained of, and have been carefully gone over by us and found to be absolutely correct. They are as follows:

(X) John H. Walet (the deceased)...........37/72
(1) Ceeile Walet Germany (daughter)....... 35/576
(2) Lelia Walet Darby (daughter)............ 35/576
(3) Alice Walet Bonin (daughter)............ 35/576
(4) Junius L. Walet (son)..................... 35/576
(5) Perry H. Walet (son)....................... 35/576
(6) Pliny O. Walet (son)..................... 35/576
(7) Mathilde Renoudet Walet (daughter-in-law) ...................................... 35/576
(8) Lydia Gonsoulin Walet (daughter-in-law) 35/6912
(9) Louis Walet (grandson)...................385/13824
(10) Joseph Walet (grandson)................385/13824

*1099 The above-mentioned interests ' are, of course, such as existed before the death of John I-I. Walet. His death did not and could not affect any interest but his own. Succession of Marion, 163 La. 734, 112 So. 667. The interest of all the others was already vested, and this controversy therefore concerns only the disposition of the testator’s 37/72 interest in the property.

III.

Of course the two daughters-in-law of the deceased, Mrs. Mathilde Renoudet Walet and Mrs. Lydia Oonsoulin Walet, although they already have a vested interest in the property of the community, having inherited it as above said, yet have and can have no interest in the estate of their father-in-law John H. Walet.

So that, had John I-I. Walet died intestate, his 37/72 (say $3,700) interest in the community property would have been divided between his six surviving children above named (the defendants) and his two surviving grandchildren (the plaintiffs), sons of the predeceased son, in the proportion of one-seventh to each of the aforesaid six children and one-fourteenth to each of the aforesaid grandchildren.

IV.

By his will, John H. Walet, made the following disposition of his property: (1) He gave to his three surviving daughters, Lelia Walet Darby, Alice Walet Bonin, and Cecile Walet Germany, the dwelling house and grounds and all the furniture and fixtures therein; (2) he gave to his three daughters and to his three surviving sons, Junius L. Walet, Perry H. Walet, and Pliny C. Walet, a farm’.of .230. acres, and also 80 acres of woodland and 40 acres of swamp lands; and (3) he de.clir.ed that, “Nothing is here given to my grandsons, Joseph Walet and Louis Walet, for the reason that they are well provided for from funds of their father’s estate, and for the furtHer reason that what I have accomplished for their 'father in work done and efforts contributed and so applied, I consider adequate benefits far in excess of what I give and bequeath unto those herein mentioned.”

We return now to the submission above set forth in paragraph I, to wit, “The court is to determine whether the will should properly be construed as disinheriting the plaintiffs; and if not, what is its legal effect in so far as affects their interest.”

We agree with the district judge that the clause in the will, last quoted above, is not technically the “disinherison” spoken of in the Civil Code, arts. 1617, 1621, 1622.

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Bluebook (online)
120 So. 869, 167 La. 1095, 1929 La. LEXIS 1737, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walet-v-darby-la-1929.