Case Name: GULF SOUTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Charles (Chuck) BRAMLET, Defendant-Appellant
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1970-07-29
Citations: 309 So. 2d 409
Docket Number: No. 3154
Parties: GULF SOUTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Charles (Chuck) BRAMLET, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before HOOD, CULPEPPER and MILLER, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 309
Pages: 409–417

Head Matter:
GULF SOUTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Charles (Chuck) BRAMLET, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 3154.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.
July 29, 1970.
On Rehearing Nov. 2, 1970.
Writ Refused Dec. 14, 1970.
Landry, Watkins, Cousin & Bonin by William O. Bonin, New Iberia, for plaintiff-appellee (appellant on rehearing).
J. Minos Simon, Lafayette, for defendant-appellant (appellee on rehearing).
Before HOOD, CULPEPPER and MILLER, JJ.

Opinion:
HOOD, Judge.
This suit was instituted by Gulf South Research Institute against Charles (Chuck) Bramlet to cancel a predial lease affecting lands in Iberia Parish. Judgment was rendered by the trial court in favor of plaintiff dissolving the lease, ordering defendant to vacate the premises, and reserving to plaintiff the right to assert a claim against defendant for all rentals and damages due it under the lease. Defendant has appealed.
The defendant, among other pleadings, filed an exception to the jurisdiction of the court and an exception of vagueness. The trial judge concluded that these exceptions had not been timely filed or that there was no merit to them, and for those reasons he ordered the case tried on its merits without a hearing on or a determination of the issues raised by those exceptions. The defendant contends, among other things, that he was entitled to a trial and determination of these exceptions before being compelled to go to trial on the merits.
Several legal and procedural questions are presented. One of them is whether the defendant made a general appearance, thus waiving his right to question the jurisdiction of the court, by filing certain pleadings prior to the trial.
This suit was instituted in Iberia Parish on November 4, 1969. Plaintiff alleged in its original petition that defendant was a resident of St. Mary Parish. He could not be located in that parish, however, and neither personal nor domiciliary service was made on him. On November 14, plaintiff filed a supplemental petition alleging that defendant is a nonresident and praying that an attorney at law be appointed to represent him. An attorney was appointed pursuant to the prayer contained in that pleading. This attorney, in his capacity as curator ad hoc for the absentee, filed an answer in behalf of defendant on December 1, 1969.
The case was then set for trial on December 16, 1969. On December IS defendant Bramlet, through counsel of his own choice, filed a "Motion for Continuance" in which he alleged that:
" . . . defendant was initially represented by a curator ad hoc, Mr. Gordie R. White, who filed an answer on December 1, 1969; Mr. White placed an ad in the newspaper and as a result it was called to the attention of undersigned counsel who represented the defendant in other proceedings; that counsel then informed defendant of the pending action and thereafter defendant made arrangement to employ counsel to defend him; after such arrangement the curator ad hoc was requested to turn the file over to undersigned counsel, which file was received on December 11, 1969; further, defendant alleges that he has a good and valid defense as well as recon-ventional demands to be urged against plaintiff; additionally, defendant's undersigned counsel, by prior commitment, begins a lengthy trial in the Parish of Vermilion on December IS, 1969, and will be engaged in said trial for more than one day; said counsel has not had sufficient time and will not have sufficient time to study the proceedings, formulate a comprehensive answer and reconventional demand. . . . "
The continuance was granted and the case was refixed for trial on February 19, 1970. On January 26, defendant, through his present counsel, filed an exception to the jurisdiction of the court and an exception of vagueness. When the matter came up for trial on February 19, counsel for defendant requested a hearing on and a determination of the exceptions before the trial of the case on its merits. The trial judge denied this request, and he ordered that the trial of the case proceed without a prior disposition of the exceptions. Counsel for defendant objected and, with the court's permission, he thereupon left the court room and did not participate in the trial, explaining that his participation in the trial might be construed as a general appearance by his client and a waiver of his right to question the jurisdiction of the court.
The trial judge assigned as his reasons for refusing to consider the exceptions to the jurisdiction of the court and the exception of vagueness that: (1) The defendant failed to file the exceptions or to fix them for hearing prior to the time the case was scheduled for trial on its merits; (2) Iberia Parish is the proper parish for venue of the trial, since the land is situated in that parish; and (3) the filing of an answer by the curator ad hoc appointed to represent the defendant precludes the filing of the exception to the jurisdiction of the court and the exception of vagueness.
Plaintiff contends that Bramlet made a general appearance, and thus waived his right to object to the jurisdiction of the court, by filing a "Motion for Continuance" before the case came up for trial on the merits. Article 7 of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure provides that a party makes a general appearance which subjects him to the jurisdiction of the court when he seeks any relief other than the five types of relief which are specifically listed therein. One form of relief which is specially listed in that article as an exception to the general rule is a motion for "Extension of Time Within Which to Plead."
Although the pleading filed by defendant on December 15, 1969 is labeled "Motion for Continuance," we think it clearly is a motion for extension of time within which to plead. Our conclusion is that the filing of this motion for continuance does not constitute a general appearance on the part of Bramlet, and thus the filing of that motion does not constitute an implied waiver by him of his objection to the jurisdiction of the court.
Plaintiff also argues, and the trial judge held, that the exception to the jurisdiction of the court was not timely filed because it was pleaded after the filing of an answer in behalf of defendant by the curator ad hoc. An exception to the jurisdiction of the court is a declinatory exception. LSA-C.C.P. art. 925. The Court of Civil Procedure provides that: "The declinatory exception and the dilatory exception shall be pleaded prior to answer or judgment by default." LSA-C.C.P. art. 928. The provisions of these articles, considered alone, indicate that the exception to the jurisdiction of the court was not timely filed. Article 7 of the Code of Civil Procedure, however, provides that ". . . an absent or incompetent defendant who appears through the attorney at law appointed by the court to represent him," will not be considered as having made a general appearance and thus subjected himself to the jurisdiction of the court. Since the filing of an answer in behalf of an absent defendant, through the attorney at law appointed by the court to represent him, does not constitute a general appearance, we conclude that the filing of such a pleading by the curator ad hoc does not preclude the defendant from thereafter filing an exception to the jurisdiction of the court. We find that the exception to the jurisdiction of the court was not filed too late, and that the trial court erred in failing to consider and to rule on that exception prior to the trial.
We also find that the filing of the exception of vagueness did not constitute a general appearance by the defendant. The exception of vagueness is a dilatory exception. LSA-C.C.P. art. 926. Article 926 provides that when both the declinatory exception and the dilatory exception are pleaded they shall be filed at the .same time. Article 7 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides: "When a defendant files a de-clinatory exception which includes the prayer for the dismissal of the action on the ground that the court has no jurisdiction over him, . . . the filing of the dilatory exception therewith, does not constitute a general appearance." In view of this provision of the Code of Civil Procedure we find that the filing of the exception of vagueness at the time the exception to the jurisdiction of the court was filed did not constitute a general appearance by the defendant.
Plaintiff argues that "defendant's exceptions were in fact overruled prior to receipt of evidence on the merits." We find some support for this argument in the transcript of evidence taken at the trial, but the minutes of the court and other information contained in the transcript show that the exceptions were not considered or determined.
The minutes of the court show that "Co.unsel for defendant objected to a trial on the merits on this date because exceptions filed herein have not been disposed of. The court denied the defendant's objection and ordered the plaintiff to proceed trying the case on the merits." The transcript of the evidence shows that when the case was called for trial, the court announced "We will first take up your exceptions, Mr. Simon." Following an argument, the court then stated "I am going to overrule your exceptions and allow the case to go to trial on the merits today." The trial judge then assigned reasons for his ruling, which reasons are to the effect that the exceptions were not considered because they were filed too late. The trial judge concluded his reasons for his ruling as follows: "Possibly there is some merit or would be some merit to this exception that he's filed had it come prior to the filing of the answer, but, as I have indicated, it comes too late at this time. Therefore, I'm ordering that the plaintiff may proceed with his case."
Our review of the record convinces us that no hearing was held on the exceptions and that no determination has been made of the exception to the jurisdiction of the court or of the exception of vagueness. We conclude that the trial judge erred in failing to consider and to determine the exceptions filed by defendant before the case was tried on its merits.
Plaintiff contends that, in any event, the court had jurisdiction to enforce the right which plaintiff seeks in this suit, even though plaintiff was a nonresident at the time the suit was filed. It points out, correctly, that under the provisions of Article 8 of the Code of Civil Procedure, a court which is otherwise competent "has jurisdiction to enforce a right in, to, or against property having a situs in this state, claimed or owned by a nonresident not subject personally to the jurisdiction of the court." It is argued that plaintiff here is seeking to enforce a right regarding a lease claimed by defendant on land in Iberia Parish, and that although the court does not have jurisdiction over the person of defendant it has jurisdiction, by substituted service of process, to enforce plaintiff's right to property claimed by defendant in that parish.
Plaintiff argues that even though defendant may have appointed an agent for the service of process in Louisiana prior to the institution of this suit, that fact does not preclude the appointment of an attorney at law to represent the nonresident defendant, nor does it prevent service of process on the nonresident defendant through that curator ad hoc. Plaintiff argues further that if the action was instituted in a court of improper venue, as contended by defendant, the legally appointed curator ad hoc for the defendant filed an answer raising no objection to the venue, and the defendant thus must be held to have waived his right to object to the venue.
Although persuasive arguments have been presented in support of these contentions by plaintiff, we consider it unnecessary to rule on them here. In our opinion the defendant was entitled to have the exceptions which he filed tried and determined before the case was tried on its merits. Since that was not done, we think counsel defendant was justified in not participating in the trial. The trial judge apparently was of the same opinion, because in response to counsel's request to be excused, the trial judge stated "I believe, Mr. Simon, that under the same circumstances I'd do the same thing. Certainly your request is granted."
In our opinion, the ends of justice require that the judgment appealed from be reversed, and that the case be remanded to the trial court in order that the exceptions filed by defendant may be considered and determined. In the event the exceptions are overruled, the case then can proceed to trial on its merits and defendant thus will have an opportunity to present any defenses he may have without risk of waiving his right to object to the jurisdiction of the court.
For the reasons herein assigned, the judgment appealed from is reversed, and the case is remanded to the district court for further proceedings consistent with the views herein expressed. The costs of this appeal are assessed to plaintiff-appellee.
Reversed and remanded.
Before FRUGÉ, SAVOY, HOOD, CULPEPPER and MILLER, JJ.