Succession of Porter
Succession of Porter
Opinion of the Court
Mrs. Mary Porter, deceased wife of James Murray, died on the 23rd day of April 1896, in the State of Mississippi, where she and her husband and all her heirs resided.
Her heirs were her children, all majors and two grandchildren, the issue of the marriage of her pre-dcceased son, ’William James Murray, with Mrs. Emma Cuillavet. These minors were under the guardianship of their mother, Mrs. Emma Cail-lavet, widow as aforesaid, she- having been duly appointed and qualified as their guardian, under the law of the State of Mississippi.
Mrs. Mary Porter Murry, deceased as aforesaid, left a last will and testament, olographic in form, which had been executed in the State of Mississippi, and which was duly probated in the Chancery Court of Harrison County of that State.
Subsequently, to-wit: On the 5th of July, 1899, and on the petition of James Murry filed in said cause, the children and grand-eliildren aforesaid, of the decéásed Mrs. Mary Porter
On the 19th Dee., 1901, Agnes Murry, wife of A. D. Trelor, and one of the major children aforesaid, died, leaving as her sole heirs two minor children, Edgar Josephine Trelor and •James Murry Westly Trelor. Their grandfather, the aforesaid •James Murry, was duly appointed and qualified as their guardian by the Chancery Court of Harrison County, State of Mississippi.
On the 22nd Jany., 1908, the said guardian of the said minors filed in his representative capacity, in the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans and in the proceedings entitled' '“Succession of Mrs. Mary Porter Murry, etc.,” No. 59,748, and" allotted to Division B, his petition in which he represents that his said wards “by representation of their deceased mother, Mrs. Agnes Murry, wife of A. D. Trelor, are owners in common with petitioner, their grandfather, Mrs. Mary Allen Murray, widow of Richard Egan and Samuel Tilden Murray respectively, aunts and uncle of said minor children” of the real property described in the petition, which is one of the four lots left by the deceased Mrs. Mary Porter Murry.
Similar proceedings were had for the minors Murry represented by the guardian Mrs. Emma Caillavet, and all these were for the purpose of consummating a sale of this particular lot to Arthur McCauley, who had agreed to purchase same for the price and sum of $1,700 for the- entire lot, conditioned upon the minor heirs being duly authorized to convey a good and valid title so far as concerns their interest therein.
The family meeting held in the, interest of the Trelor heirs found that a. partition of the property was necessary,. that the lot could not be conveniently divided in kind, that a private sale would be to the best interest and advantage of the minors, that a sale thereof should be made for cash, whereupon they so recommend and advise after appraising the lot at the sum of $1,700 and the share of the minors Trellor therein at $141.66-100. The deliberations of the family meeting were concurred in by the under-tutor, Joseph M. Trinchard, who signed the proceedings
Similar recommendations were made by the family meeting held in the interests of the Murry minors and like homolo-gation and judgment by the Court were had.
Notwithstanding all these proceedings and a tender of title made to the proposed purchaser of the lot, Arthur McCauley, by all the minor heirs and the guardians of the respective set of minor heirs (the Murry minors and the Trellor minors) the .said McCauley refused to comply with his agreement to purchase. Thereupon all the owners and proposed vendors sued out a rule on McCauley to compel compliance with his agreement to purchase.
For answer to the- rule McCauley admits the agreement to purchase for the price stated, to-wit $1,700 cash, but especially denies “that any good and perfect title to the property referred to has tendered to him for the reason that no valid order of sale in the interest of the minor owners of said property has even been rendered; that the property of absent minors cannot be sold at private sale as attempted; that there has been no partition proceedings so-called and if t^ere were the partition could not be effected in kind or at public auction, that the various owners of the property described in the rule own other property in common and same could be properly divided In kind but no attempt has been made so to do.” '
There was judgment discharging the rule and the plaintiff’s in rule prosecutes this appeal therefrom.
It is learned from the oral and printed argument of the 'learned counsel for the appellee that the specific reasons why it is that, as alleged generally in the answer, “no valid order of sale of the interest of the minor owners of said property has ever been rendered, ’ ’ are:
1st. That the proceedings looking to the convocation of family meetings in the interest of the respective sets of minors, could not be legally taken in the matter of the succession of "Mrs. Mary Porter Murry No. 59,748, Div. B of the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, forasmuch as such proceedings are in the nature of independent actions and must Ibe filed as such and regularly allotted as provided by law; and
There is no merit in any of these contentions.
I.
Whether the judgment of the 5th July, 1899, which recognized the heirs, fixed their respective interests in the succession and sent James Murry into possession, closed the succession of Mary Porter Murry so that thereafter, all proceedings looking to the sale of the minors’ property in order to effect a partition, should have been filed as independent proceedings and regularly allotted and not filed and sent to judgment in the matter of the succession of Mary Porter Murry and in Division B of tne Qivil District Court, is a matter which may not now be inquired into.
If the allotment at the time was irregular, its irregularity is cured by the absence of any one timely objecting thereto. The Court itself had undoubted jurisdiction of the cause, the irregular allotment presenting no jurisdictional question in its ordinary sense.
In a case somewhat similar to the instant cause the Court said:
“If the allotment was irregular it cannot now divest the*289 jurisdiction or strike the anterior or subsequent proceedings with absohite nullity. James vs. Mayers 43 A. 38.
And in Byrnes vs. Byrnes, 115 La. 275, which was in reference to a partition proceeding between heirs the Court said:
“If it was true that the partition proceeding should have been properly referred by the clerk of his own motion to Division A, his action in alloting it to Division B was subject to correction by the parties concerned. His action was not an absolute nullity. In this case there was objection from no quarter and the case went to trial and judgment by acquiescence and consent of all parties. * * * * n }s 0jj_ vious that such objection does not raise a question of ‘jurisdiction’ in the ordinary sense, for, were it so, consent or acquiescence would not raise it.” P. 294.
II.
There is nothing in either the law or the jurisprudence of this State — so far as concerns the alienation of minors’ property situated here, which, in the slightest degree, marks a difference or distinction between resident and non-resident minors, whether the alienation of this property is for the purpose of partition or otherwise.
"Whatever right the law may accord the tutor of a resident minor to provoke, under the circumstances rendering a sale necessary and on compliance with the formalities of the law, a sale of the minor’s property, that same right under similar circumstances and upon like compliance.with the legal formalities, nlay be employed and exercised by the tutor or guardian of a minor residing out of the State, but in the United. States, who has been qualified as such in conformity with the laws of the state or country where the appointment was made. Art. 363 C. C., 4 M. 717, 7 La. 543; 8 La. 84; 10 La. 79; 12 A. 168; 41 A. 1100; 43 A. 38; 47 A. 98-1241.
It is argued, however, that the provision of Act 25 of 1878 which permits minors’ property to be sold at private sale in order to effect a partition, falls without the general rule and can have no application to the property of mihors who reside out of the State of Louisiana, because the act provides that the proceedings of the family meeting recommending such sale, making the appointment ahd fixing the terms of the sale, must,
Where a sale of minor’s property is contemplated, whether it be under the act supra, or under the general laws and for the purpose of effecting a partition or otherwise, the sale of their property must be recommended by a family meeting and the proceedings of the latter homologated by “the judge,” as the expression is used in the various articles of the Civil Code concerning the alienation of minors’ property.
By “the judge” is, necessarily, meant the judge of the parish in which the minor resides and where the family meeting is held. Therefore we see that the injunction in the Act of 1878, No. 25, to the effect that the proceedings of the family meeting held in accordance with and under it, must be “homolo-gated by the judge of the parish in which said minors reside, ’ ’ announces no rule peculiar to the alienation of minors’ property at private sale.
With regard to the sale of property of non-resident minors it has been repeatedly held that, for the purpose of the partition and for the family meeting, the “residence” of such minors was at the situs of the property. James vs. Meyer, 43 A. 38; Johnson vs. Barkley, 47 A. 98; Suc. of Allen, 48 A. 1240.
III.
The under-tutor of the Trelor minors was appointed on the •27th Nov., 1903, five years before the particular partition proceedings which concern this specific lot of ground involved in the instant cause. The name suggested by the Court at the time appears in the petition as Joseph M. Trinehard. In the order appointing him, it appears patent on its face, that through a slip of the typewriter an F, instead of a T, was produced, making the name read Frinchard instead of Trinehard. As Trin-chard the under-tutor qualified as we say in 3903. As such he appeared in this same succession repeatedly as Trinehard and in many judicial proceedings had therein. He was repeatedly recognized by the Court which appointed him to be the person intended to be appointed as the under-tutor of these minors. The objection now urged to the erroneous spelling of his name
IV.
With the appointment of James Murry as the guardian of his grrndchildren, the Trellor minors, by the Chancery Court of Harrison County, Mississippi, the courts of this State have no concern.
He was duly appointed by the court having the authority to make the appointment; he qualified as the guardian of these minors in conformity with the laws of the State where the appointment was made; and he is, therefore, under the textual provisions of the 363rd Article of the Civil Code, “entitled to sue for and recover any property rights or benefits belonging to the minor in this State,” and “without being under the necessity of qualifying as tutor of the minor according to the laws of Louisiana.” The propriety of his appointment may not be questioned by our courts.
Our conclusion is that the title tendered is good and valid and that the said Arthur McCauley must specifically perform Ms contract by taking the property and paying the price.
It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed that the judgment appealed from be and the same is hereby set aside, avoided and reversed, and it is further ordered, adjudged and decreed that the rule herein sued out on the 30th day of January, 1903, by James Murry, individually and as guardian of the minors Edna Josephine and James Murry Westly Trellor; of Mrs. Emma Callaivet, widow of William James Murry, and the duly qualified guardian of the minors Edgar Samuel Murry and Robert James Murry; of Mrs. Mary Ellen Murry, widow of Richard Egan and of Samuel Tilden Murry, be and the same is hereby maintained and accordingly the defendant in said rule, to-wit, Arthur McCauley be and he is hereby ordered, commanded and condemned to comply with his agreement to purchase the property fully described in said rule; to sign the act of sale therefore and to pay the agreed price of sale, to-wit the shm of seventeen hundred dollar's cash.
The costs of court, below and on appeal, are hereby assessed against the said Arthur McCauley.
070rehearing
ON REHEARING.
For the reasons stated in our previous opinion herein handed down on the 25th of January, 1909, it is now ordered, adjudged and decreed that the judgment appealed from be and the same is hereby set aside, avoided and reversed, and it is further ordered, adjudged and decreed that the rule herein sued out on the 30th of January, 1908, by James Murry, individually and as guardian' of the minors Edna Josephine and James Murry Westly Trelor; of Mrs. Emma Caillouet, widow of William James Murry, and the duly qualified guardian of the minors Edgar Samuel Murry and Robert James Murry; of Mrs. Mary Ellen Murry, widow of Richard Egan and of Samuel Til-den Murcy, be and the same is hereby maintained and accordingly the defendant in said rule to-wit: Arthur McCauley be and he is hereby ordered, commanded and condemned to comply with his agreement to purchase the property fully described in said rule; to sign the act of sale therefor and to pay the agreed price of sale, to-wit, the sum of seventeen hundred ($1,700) dollars cash.
The costs of court, below and on appeal, are decreed against the said Arthur McCauley.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.