Trepagnier's Heirs v. Durnford
Trepagnier's Heirs v. Durnford
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court. The plaintiff's state, that their mother and natural tutrix, entered on the estate of their father, and afterwards failed and surrendered her prop
The answer avers, that the defendant is absolute owner of the lot, under the sale, in the petition, the sale being one a reméré and a judgment by him obtained thereon against the syn-dies of the creditors of the plaintiffs' mother&emdash; that one or more of the plaintiffs were present at the sale made to him by their mother, and gave no notice of any claim-that the plaintiffs have been guilty of fraud and collusion with their mother-;that they have a mortgage for 4250 dollars on a piece of ground in the possession of P. Mitchell, to which they ought to resort-;that the judgment against the syndics, mentioned in the petition, is not binding on the defendant; he requires full and strict proof of their claim and allegations.
The following facts were especially found by the jury:
2. There was neither fraud nor collusion.
3. There is property especially mortgaged for the plaintiffs’ claim, as appears by an act before Pedesclaux, notary, dated January 13th, 1810.
4. The principal of their claim is 5602 dollars, and they have received 643 dollars.
5. Their father was, in his life-time, possessed of a plantation in the parish of St. Charles, now in possession of Butler and M‘Cutcheon, sufficient to pay the claim-there is likewise other property in the hands of Cadet Moulon, according to bill of sale.
6. Lavillebeuve and Lambert married sisters of the plaintiffs, and each of them has received from the plaintiffs’ mother 1867 dollars and 44 cents, balance of his wife’s rights in her father’s estate, in 1802 and 1805.
7. The papers relating to Trepagnier’s estate were delivered by the notary, Quinones, to Lambert, who lost them in travelling.
The plaintiffs admitted that the defendant owns the land in question, by virtue of four documents, which compose the record of the suit in the parish court, between him and the syndics of the creditors of the plaintiffs’ mother.
The defendant appealed.
Five bills of exceptious come up with the record, and must be disposed of before the case be examined on its merits.
The first is to the opinion of the court in allowing the submission to the jury of certain issues, viz. whether Lavillebeuve and Lambert married sisters of the plaintiffs-whether they received any part of their wives' share of their father's estate-what part, and from whom. The defendant's counsel contend that these issues were improper, as nothing relating to the parts intended to be ascertained was alledged by the plaintiffs. It was the duty of the parish court to strike out the issues, to which the defendant refers, if they did not fairly arise out of the pe
The other bills are to the opinion of the court, in overuling the objections made by the defendant's counsel to the admission in evidence of the certified copy of the bilan of the plaintiffs' mother-of Lavillebeuve's receipt-the proceedings in the court of probates-and the judgment against the syndics, stated in the petition.
The defendant has put the plaintiffs' in his answer to the proof of every allegation in the petition, and he contends that this proof must be found in the finding of the jury-and, if it does not exist there, the plaintiffs must fail. He contends that nothing in the finding of the jury shews that Madame Trepagnier, his vendor, was the mother and tutrix of the plaintiffs-that the finding fixes the quantum of the debt, but nothing as to its nature-that for any thing that appears there, the sum due may be the result of any other than the cause alledged in the petition-that it is not found that, at the time the defendant purchased the lot in question, his vendor was the tutrix of the plaintiffs already.
The jury find the principal of the plaintiffs' claim to be 5602 dollars, the very sum stated in the petition. We must take it for granted, though they say nothing about it, that they mean the claim against their mother; because, as they
But he alledges that one or all of the parties were present at the sale, and gave no notice of any claim-their presence is not proven. He adds, that the plaintiffs have been guilty of fraud and collusion; but the finding of the jury falsifies the averment.
It is, therefore, ordered, adjudged and decreed, that the judgment of the parish court be affirmed, with costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- TREPAGNIER'S HEIRS v. DURNFORD
- Status
- Published