Weinstein, Bronfin & Heller v. LeBlanc

182 So. 2d 835, 1966 La. App. LEXIS 5496
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 24, 1966
DocketNo. 6536
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 182 So. 2d 835 (Weinstein, Bronfin & Heller v. LeBlanc) 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
Weinstein, Bronfin & Heller v. LeBlanc, 182 So. 2d 835, 1966 La. App. LEXIS 5496 (La. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinion

BAILES, Judge.

The plaintiffs, Hilary J. Gaudin and the law partnership of Weinstein, Bronfin & Heller, prior to the filing of this action obtained a judgment against Dudley J. Le-Blanc for a legal fee owed to them. This judgment was in the amount of $17,250, and was obtained in the Fifteenth Judicial District Court of Vermilion Parish, and was made executory in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court. Subsequently, by order of the latter named court, garnishment proceeding was issued. Citation in the garnishment proceeding was issued to the State of Louisiana through the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor and the State Treasurer.1

No pleading was filed by or on behalf of the State of Louisiana. However, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor and the Treasurer filed what they denominated an EXCEPTION AND ANSWER TO INTERROGATORIES. In the exception, the appearers, above named, state that “The citation addressed to each of the appearers,. to which is attached a copy of said interrogatories, as well as the service thereof, is insufficient and of no effect. The grounds upon which this exception is based are:

“1. The order of this Court, which is in keeping with the prayer of said petition, simply makes the State of Louisiana the garnishee herein.
“2. Neither the Governor, nor the Lieutenant Governor, nor the State Treasurer has any right to accept service [837]*837of said interrogatories, or to answer the same for or on behalf of the State of Louisiana.
“3. There is nothing in plaintiffs’ petition to show or indicate that the State’s immunity from suit and from liability has been waived.
“4. Article 4, Section 1 of the Constitution provides in part that no money shall be drawn from the Treasury except in pursuance of specific appropriations made by law. If appearers should be ordered to deliver to the sheriff any money to which defendant in writ is or may be entitled, there would be no legal way by which they could comply with such a Court order.
“5. The judgment debtor, Dudley J. Le-Blanc, is a State Officer, as distinguished from a public employee.
“This exception is not pleaded for the purpose of championing the cause of either the plaintiffs or the defendant in writ; rather, it is urged for the purpose of saving the State from possible double liability; and also for the purpose of calling the Court’s attention to serious procedural questions raised by said exception, to the end that appearers may be hereafter relieved from answering interrogatories of a similar character.
“Reserving all rights under the foregoing exception, and without in any manner waiving the same, said appearers, and each of them, now answer the said interrogatories as follows:
INTERROGATORY NO. 1
“The defendant in writ, Dudley J. Le-Blanc, was elected State Senator of and from the Thirteenth Senatorial District at the general election held on March 3, 1964. The oath of office was administered to him on Monday, May 11, 1964, and he assumed the duties of said office on that day. At the time of service of said interrogatories and of the notice of seizure in garnishment on May 18, 1964, said defendant in writ was entitled only to accrued per diem ($50.00 per day). For further disclosure, see answers to following interrogatories.
INTERROGATORY NO. 2
“For answer to this interrogatory, ap-pearers say that the compensation to which defendant in writ is entitled as fixed by law. The defendant in writ is entitled to $50.00 per day while the Legislature is in session, plus ten cents a mile for eight round trips from Abbeville to the State Capitol during the present 60 day session. In addition to said mileage and per diem, a Senator is paid $250.00 per month expenses while not attending regular legislative sessions.
INTERROGATORY NO. 3
“The defendant in writ is not now in the employ of appearers or either of them; neither was he in the employ of any of said appearers at the time of service of said interrogatories.
“Further answering, if such be necessary, appearers say that the defendant in writ is a State official, a public officer, and has been since May 11, 1964; that there seems to be a recognized distinction between a public officer and a public employee; accordingly appearers are not in the position to categorically answer this interrogatory, as it is worded, either in the affirmative or negative. A full disclosure having been made, appearers aver that this answer should be deemed good and sufficient. (See R.S. 13:3881; State v. Dark, 195 La. 139, 196 So. 47)
INTERROGATORY NO. 4
“Answering this interrogatory, appear-ers first say that the measure and amount of the compensation to which the defendant in writ is entitled has been disclosed by the answers to the above and foregoing interrogatories. For answer to the remaining questions contained in [838]*838this interrogatory, appearers attach hereto and make part hereof a copy of House Bill No. 313 introduced in the 1964 Regular Session of the Legislature and certified by the Governor as emergency legislation, which House Bill shows how, when and where compensation is paid to State Senators.
INTERROGATORY NO. 5
“Appearers’ answer to this interroga tory is ‘no.’
INTERROGATORY NO. 6
“There is no necessity for answering this interrogatory in view of appearers answer to Interrogatory No. 5.”

Further, to their answer is attached a copy of House Bill No. 313 of the 1964 Regular Session2 which became Act No 1 of the Í964 Session of the Legislature.

It is particularly important that we noti the following portion of this Bill:

“ * * * The Chairman of the disbursing committee of each House shall warrant on the State Auditor in favor of the Committee, who in turn shall warrant on the State Treasurer, for the appropriation herein provided, said warranty to be approved and countersigned by the presiding officer of each House. The aforesaid warrants shall be paid out of the General Fund, and the Treasurer is hereby required to pay said warrants * *

The judgment debtor, Senator Dudley J. LeBlanc, filed what he called a MOTION, INTERVENTION AND RECONVENTION to this garnishment proceeding.

In his Motion he says that Article 644 of the Code of Practice was repealed by Act IS of 1960, and R.S. 13 :3881 provides that the State of Louisiana waives immunity from suit in garnishment only as to the nonexempt portion of salaries or other compensation of “public employees” and “not public officers as here which are clearly exempt from seizure by applicable law.” He also pleads that the funds owed to him by the State of Louisiana are “personal rights and can not be made liable to the payment of debts under applicable law and further under Civil Code Article 1992 * * *.”

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Bluebook (online)
182 So. 2d 835, 1966 La. App. LEXIS 5496, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weinstein-bronfin-heller-v-leblanc-lactapp-1966.