Winsberg v. Winsberg

87 So. 2d 362, 1956 La. App. LEXIS 756
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 23, 1956
DocketNo. 20104
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 87 So. 2d 362 (Winsberg v. Winsberg) 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
Winsberg v. Winsberg, 87 So. 2d 362, 1956 La. App. LEXIS 756 (La. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

JANVIER, Judge.

This complicated litigation grows out of the remarkably successful operation of a small store on Magazine Street in New Orleans, just below the corner of Napoleon Avenue. The facts were to some extent set forth in an opinion rendered by us on November 8, 1954, in this same matter reported in 75 So.2d 542, and are also partially set forth in an opinion of our Supreme Court, also in the same matter, reported in 229 La. 61, 85 So.2d 31. We shall restate such facts as may seem neces-' sary to an understanding of the controversy which is now again before us.

Jacob Winsberg died on May. 8, 1937, leaving an estate containing movable and immovable property including a small store operated on the real estate. He left a widow, Mrs. Sarah Silverman Winsberg, two daughters, Mrs. Stella Winsberg Levy and Mrs. Jessie Winsberg. Bluhm, and two sons, Winfred J. Winsberg and Hermand Woodward Winsberg. He left a will in which he bequeathed to his widow his entire estate which consisted of community property. Since there were more than two forced heirs, there was in his succession proceedings a judgment which reduced the legacy to his widow and placed her and the four children in possession of the estate, %2ths to the widow and Yi2th to each of the four children. No mention was made of the usufruct in favor of the widow either in the will or in the judgment of possession. There followed at that time no actual distribution or division of the assets of the estate and the operation of the store was actively continued by all except the son Hermand, who was engaged as a shoe salesman by a shoe manufacturing concern.

Hermand Winsberg died on February 25, 1948, but, on May 5, 1948, there was born to his widow a posthumous child, Kathleen Hilda Winsberg. The administratrix of the estate of Hermand Woodward Wins-berg, who was also tutrix of the said minor daughter, brought this suit in the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans against the widow and the other-three children of Jacob Winsberg, seeking: an accounting of his estate .from the time of his death on May 8, 1937 through December, 1945.

It is alleged that, although the deceased husband of the administratrix (the father of the minor) had, in the 'succession proceedings of his father, been ordered sent into possession of Y.2Ü1 of his father’s estate, he had in fact never actually received his share and that the management of the property left by his father had been, carried on by his mother, his brother and his sisters, and that there was due a full and complete accounting, particularly as to the earnings and value of the store which had been continued as a going concern and as to the real estate on which the store had been operated from the time of the death of the father until the time at which an accounting was sought.

Petitioner further alleged that "an accounting would show that her deceased husband’s interest was in excess of $2,000, and she prayed for judgment against defendants for such amount as the accounting would show to be due.

As stated, there were .two issues involved, — one grew out of the operation of the store, and the other was based on the claim that the widow of Jacob Winsberg did not have the usufruct of the two-thirds of one-half interest in the real estate on which the store was operated, and that therefore Hermand W. Winsberg’s widow was entitled to his proportionate share, or %?th of the rental value of the real estate during that period.

Although it was contended by the defendants that the widow of Jacob Wins-berg, in addition -to her complete owner- . ship of the undivided one-half of the said real estate, and to one-third of the other . half, did have the usufruct of the remaining two-thirds of the other half, it was 'conceded that if it should be held that [364]*364she did not have the usufruct of two-thirds of the other half, an accounting' as to the value of the use of that two-thirds would show that Hermand would be entitled to a judgment for $1,460.

There was judgment denying an accounting as to the operation of the store, but in favor of the administratrix for $1,460, based on the conclusion that the widow of Jacob Winsberg did not have the usufruct of two-thirds of her deceased husband’s half of the real estate. From this judgment the defendants appealed to this Court and more than two years later plaintiff answered the appeal, praying that the judgment be amended by the ordering of an accounting as to the store opera-, tions, as well as the accounting which had been ordered as to the rental value of the real estate.

When the matter was first before us, defendants moved to strike from the record the answer of plaintiff to the appeal of defendants, asserting that the answer of plaintiff was in effect an attempt to- appeal from the judgment which had been signed on November 14, 1953, and that therefore since the answer to the appeal was not filed until May 17, 1954, or more than two years after the signing of the judgment, the answer to the appeal came too late and should be stricken from the record.

We considered that contention, discussed it at considerable length, and concluded that the answer did not come too late and that it should be considered. We then went on to discuss the question of jurisdiction ratione materiae and reached the conclusion that we were, without jurisdiction since we felt that there was involved more than $2,000, and we transferred the matter to the Supreme Court. Winsberg v. Winsberg, La.App., 75 So.2d 542. However, the Supreme Court held that the record at that time did not affirmatively show that more than $2,000 was involved and retransferred the entire matter to us. 85 So.2d 31.

It may be that, since we reached the conclusion that we did not have jurisdiction, we should not at that time have considered the contention that the answer to the appeal should be stricken from the record. Now that the matter is again before us we have again studied the reasoning on that question which appears in our opinion in which we held that the said answer should not be stricken from the record and for those reasons, to which we now refer, we hold that the answer to the appeal should be considered and that there is now before us not only the appeal of the defendants from the judgment against them for $1,460, but ‘ also the answer of plaintiff by which she presents the contention that there should be an accounting as to operation of the store also.

Since the appeal is by defendants from that part of the judgment which is against them and which orders the accounting as to the rental value of two-thirds of the real estate, we shall consider that question first. There is involved in it only the small piece of real estate on which the store is operated. It bears municipal numbers 4304-06 Magazine Street.

The will of Jacob Winsberg, as stated, left to his widow everything of which he died possessed. She, as widow in community, was the owner of an undivided one-half of that real estate, and had there been no will she would have been entitled to the usufruct of the other undivided one-half, LSA-Civ.Code, Art. 916, and thus, as owner of one-half and as usufructuary of the other one-half, could have permitted the operation of the store either with or without requiring that the store pay rent to her.

However, in Forstall v. Forstall, 28 La. Ann. 197, it was held that “Article 916 must be construed with Article 1493”, and that where the deceased partner in community has disposed by will of his or her half of the community property, the usufruct does not go to the- surviving partner in community.

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Related

Winsberg v. Winsberg
96 So. 2d 44 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1957)

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Bluebook (online)
87 So. 2d 362, 1956 La. App. LEXIS 756, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/winsberg-v-winsberg-lactapp-1956.