Case Name: Edward A. HORRELL, Sr. v. Walter J. HORRELL, Sr.
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 2000-10-06
Citations: 808 So. 2d 363
Docket Number: No. 99/CA/1093
Parties: Edward A. HORRELL, Sr. v. Walter J. HORRELL, Sr.
Judges: Before: YELVERTON, THIBODEAUX, SAUNDERS, PETERS and AMY, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 808
Pages: 363–376

Head Matter:
Edward A. HORRELL, Sr. v. Walter J. HORRELL, Sr.
No. 99/CA/1093.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.
Oct. 6, 2000.
Order Filed July 16, 2001.
On Rehearing Aug. 15, 2001.
Writ Denied Dec. 7, 2001.
Walter J. Horrell, Covington, for Defendant/Appellant, Pro Se.
Raymond P. Ward, New Orleans, Counsel for Plaintiff/Appellee, Edward A. Hor-rell, Sr.
Before: YELVERTON, THIBODEAUX, SAUNDERS, PETERS and AMY, JJ.
Judges Pro Tempore by special appointment of the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Opinion:
JjTHIBODEAUX, J.
In this appeal, Walter J. Horrell, Sr., the Defendant, (hereinafter "Walter") contends that his siblings, the Plaintiffs, as intestate heirs to their father's succession, lack the legal capacity to assert an action to revoke a donation inter vivos executed by the decedent, Mr. Edward A. Horrell, Sr. (Mr. Horrell). Walter also argues that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of the Plaintiffs after finding through application of res judicata that the issue of Mr. Horrell's mental capacity to donate had been previously determined and could not be relitigated. Since we sustain Walter's peremptory exception of no right of action, we do not decide whether res judicata precludes a trial on the validity of the donation.
ISSUES
Walter urges us to consider:
(1) whether Mrs. Horrell as surviving spouse, administratrix and/or agent of the deceased has a right of action during the administration of the deceased's succession to challenge a donation inter vivos made by her husband;
(2) whether a deceased's heirs have the procedural capacity to challenge a donation inter vivos made to their sibling during the administration of the succession;
(3) whether a deceased's heirs have a right of action to challenge a donation inter vivos made by the deceased during the administration of his succession.
I,FACTS
On April 13, 1993, Mr. Horrell made an inter vivos donation of his separate property located in Covington, Louisiana to his son, Walter J. Horrell, Sr. The donation was valid in form, by authentic act and recorded in the conveyance records in St. Tammany Parish. That same day, Mr. Horrell executed a testament which also gave the Covington property to Walter. Walter presented both of these documents to Mr. Horrell, who was eighty-four years old, while Mr. Horrell was hospitalized in Mercy Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana.
When Mrs. Clare Horrell, Mr. Horrell's wife, and their adult children learned of the donation, they presented Mr. Horrell with a "Revocation of Donation" which he executed on May 21,1993. That document purported to annul the donation to Walter for "acts of ingratitude, cruel treatment and grievous injury." Mr. Horrell also executed a document granting Mrs. Hor-rell power of attorney over his affairs.
When Walter learned of the acts of his mother and siblings, he procured Mr. Hor-rell's signature on a document revoking the power of attorney in favor of Mrs. Horrell and on an incomplete petition to dismiss any suit Mrs. Horrell may file to revoke the donation.
On July 7, 1993, Mrs. Horrell petitioned the district court in St. Tammany Parish to revoke the inter vivos donation of the Covington property. The petition named Mr. Edward Horrell and Mrs. Horrell as his agent as Plaintiffs. Mr. Horrell died on July 9, 1993. On August 26, 1993, Walter filed a peremptory exception of no right of action asserting that Mrs. Horrell could not bring the action for these reasons: (1) Mr. Horrell had revoked the power of attorney; (2) Mr. Horrell's death terminated the mandate as a matter of law; and, (3) Mrs. Horrell had | sno interest in the Covington property since it was the separate property of her deceased husband.
On August 31, 1993, Mrs. Horrell amended the petition to appear as Admin-istratrix of the Succession of Edward A. Horrell, Sr., asserting that Mr. Horrell had lacked the mental capacity to execute the Act of Donation on April 13, 1993 and that he had executed a revocation of the donation on May 21, 1993. Walter responded by filing exceptions of vagueness and no right of action contending that since Mr. Horrell had died testate and had appointed a testamentary executor who was not Mrs. Horrell, then Mrs: Horrell was not the legitimate succession representative.
Mrs. Horrell responded on April 15, 1997 by petitioning the court to amend her petition to substitute her other children, Gaye Horrell Coffer, Michael Horrell, Edward Horrell, Jr., and Marie LeCour as Plaintiffs (referred to collectively as "Plaintiffs"). These Plaintiffs declared that they were substituted as Plaintiffs in order to "represent and protect their own interests" in the Covington property. Walter then filed a motion entitled "Exceptions" on June 10, 1997. Therein he alleged insufficiency of service of process, vagueness, lack of capacity and "all other declinatory and dilatory exceptions.". The trial court denied all of these exceptions on September 26,1997.
Walter sought to probate the will in the Succession of Horrell in Orleans Parish. Mrs. Horrell and the Plaintiffs petitioned that court to annul the will on the ground that Mr. Horrell had lacked the mental capacity to execute a testament. That suit proceeded simultaneously with the instant suit.
On January 14, 1998, the trial court heard the exceptions of vagueness and no right of action regarding the First Supplemental Petition in which Mrs. Horrell disappeared as administratrix of the Succession of Horrell. Without explaining its reasons, the trial court denied the exceptions.
On January 16, 1998, Walter filed a peremptory exception of no cause of action, challenging the Plaintiffs' claim that the donation was made under duress. The Plaintiffs filed a motion to strike the exception which the trial court granted. The trial court then ordered Walter to answer the petition.
Walter filed his answer on February 29, 1998. Immediately thereafter, the Plaintiffs moved for summary judgment based on res judicata. Their argument was that the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal had found Mr. Horrell lacked the mental capacity to execute a testament on April 13, 1993, and therefore, Mr. Horrell also lacked the capacity to make an inter vivos donation that day. The trial court granted summary judgment.
Walter filed a Motion for New Trial and an exception of no right of action contending that Plaintiffs were the improper party to bring this suit. The trial court denied both the motion for new trial and the exception, declaring the exception to have been untimely.
Walter how petitions this Court to consider whether the trial court erred in denying his exceptions and in granting summary judgment based on res judicata.
LAW AND DISCUSSION
Standard of Review
The peremptory exception of no right of action derives from La.Code Civ.P. art. 927. "The exception of no right of action tests whether the particular plaintiff falls, as a matter of law, within the particular class to which the law grants 1 Ba remedy for the particular harm alleged." Ridgedell v. Succession of Kuyrkendall, 98-1224, p. 5 (La.App. 1 Cir. 5/19/99); 740 So.2d 173, 177. The exception relates specifically to the person of the plaintiff, ques tioning whether the plaintiff falls within the class of persons who have the legal interest and legal capacity to bring the cause of action asserted.
A defendant may plead the exception of no right of action in any court prior to the submission of the case for decision if proof of the ground for the exception appears in the record. La. Code Civ.P. arts. 927 and 2163; Mouton v. Dep't of Wildlife and Fisheries for the State of Louisiana, 95-101 (La.App. 1 Cir. 6/23/95); 657 So.2d 622, writs denied, 95-2161 (La.11/17/95); 663 So.2d 710 and 95-2164 (La.11/17/95); 663 So.2d 711. The trial or appellate court may also notice the objection of no right of action on its own motion. La.Code Civ.P. art. 927(B).
Whether a plaintiff has a right of action is a question of law. Since this is an appeal of a summary judgment, we have before us the record from below. We will review the question of law de novo considering the record before us and the substantive law regarding the heirs' right to bring this action. City of New Orleans v. Board of Directors of Louisiana State Museum, 98-1170 (La.3/2/99); 739 So.2d 748; Ridgedell, 740 So.2d 173. As customary in Louisiana courts, on consideration of an exception of no right of action, the averments of fact in the pleading will be taken as true in the absence of evidence to the contrary. Board of Directors of Louisiana Recovery District v. All Taxpayers, 529 So.2d 384 (La.1988).
Mrs. Horrell's Right of Action
Walter first challenges the trial court's denial of his peremptory exceptions of no right of action challenging Mrs. Horrell's right to bring a revocatory | fiaction on behalf of her husband as either his agent or the administratrix of his estate. Although the exceptions were filed in 1993, they were not set for hearing until September 26, 1997. By the time the exceptions were heard, Mrs. Horrell was no longer a party in the suit. Rather than dismissing the exceptions as moot because the challenged party was no longer a plaintiff, the trial court "denied" the exceptions, implying that Mrs. Horrell had a right of action. In an abundance of caution, we will review the trial court's denial of the exceptions.
Mrs. Horrell appeared in this suit in several capacities. In the original petition, she represented herself as Mr. Hor-rell's agent pursuant to a power of attorney. At the time this suit was filed, a mandate or power of attorney was defined as "an act by which one person gives power to another to transact for him and in his name one or several affairs." La.Civ.Code art. 2985 (West 1993). A power of attorney could be terminated in various manners, including revocation by the principal and death of the principal. La.Civ.Code art. 3027 (West 1993).
Mr. Horrell executed a revocation of the power of attorney shortly before July 5, 1993. This suit was filed on July 7, 1993. Mr. Horrell died on July 9, 1993. Considering the revocation of the contract of mandate and Mr. Horrell's death, the trial court erred in not sustaining Walter's objection of no right of action against Mrs. Horrell in her capacity as agent.
Mrs. Horrell amended her petition to appear as administratrix of the Succession of Horrell, Sr. Walter again asserted that she had no right of action on the ground that Mr. Horrell had died testate and had named an executor in his will. That will, filed for probate in Orleans Parish, named Walter as testamentary executor.
Walter did not file a motion to set the exception for hearing and the trial court did not rule on the exception immediately. On April 15, 1995, Mrs. Horrell 17amended her petition to substitute her other children as Plaintiffs. A provisional adminis-tratrix, Lisa Matthews, was appointed for the succession on July 3, 1997 in Orleans Parish. Accordingly, Walter was no longer "testamentary executor."
Article 685 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides that the succession representative appointed by the court is the proper plaintiff to assert a right of the deceased. Thus, Mrs. Horrell lacked the legal capacity to bring this action as ad-ministratrix. ,
That leaves Mrs. Horrell in her individual capacity as surviving spouse of Mr. Horrell. Following the Fourth Circuit's judgment annulling Mr. Horrell's testament due to his lack of mental capacity, Mr. Horrell's estate must devolve according to the laws of intestacy. The Covington property which was the object of the donation inter vivos was Mr. Hor-rell's separate property. Mr. Horrell's descendants succeeded to his separate property under the laws of intestacy. La.Civ. Code arts. 880 and 888. Mrs. Horrell, as his surviving spouse, would only have an interest in this property if Mr. Horrell had left neither descendants, nor parents, siblings or descendants from them. La.Civ. Code art. 894.
Therefore, at no time in this action did Mrs. Horrell have the legal capacity to pursue this claim. As a matter of law, the trial court should have sustained the exceptions of no right of action objecting to her capacity to bring this suit.
Heirs' (Plaintiffs') Procedural Capacity
After the Plaintiffs were substituted for Mrs. Horrell, Walter filed a motion entitled "Exceptions" wherein he asserted, among other things, "Lack of [ aCapacity." He argued that the Plaintiffs had not been recognized as heirs or placed in possession of the succession property.
"Lack of Capacity" is not synonymous with no right of action. Lack of procedural capacity is a dilatory exception which tests a party's legal capacity to bring a suit. A natural person who has reached the age of majority has the legal capacity to make juridical acts. La.Civ.Code art. 28. Procedural capacity is presumed unless challenged by the dilatory exception. La.Code Civ.P. art. 855. The Plaintiffs have procedural capacity. The trial court properly denied this exception.
Heirs' (Plaintiffs') Right of Action
We now eonsidér whether the trial court erred in denying Walter's exception of no right of action. This exception was filed after the case was submitted for decision. The trial court denied the exception, ruling that it was untimely.
A peremptory exception may be pleaded at any stage of the proceeding in the trial court' prior to the submission of the case for a decision. La.Code Civ.P. art. 928(B). Thus, the trial court properly found that the exception was untimely. However, since a court may notice the objection of no right of action on its own motion, La. Code Civ.P. art. 927(B), the court could have considered the objection. Phillips v. State Through Dep't of Transp. and Dev., 400 So.2d 1091 (La.App. 1 Cir.), writ denied, 401 So.2d 1195 (La.1981).
Walter has again filed the peremptory exception of no right of action with this Court. The Plaintiffs respond that the objection is untimely. We disagree.
As stated above, the exception of no right of action may be filed in either the trial or appellate court before the case is submitted for decision. La. Code Civ.P. arts. 927 and 2163. "Articles of our code of civil procedure are to be construed 19liberally and with due regard for the fact that forms of procedure implement the substantive law and are not an end in themselves." Louisiana Associated General Contractors, Inc. v. Calcasieu Parish Sch. Bd., 586 So.2d 1354, 1357 (La.1991) (citing La.Code Civ.P. art. 5051). We will consider this exception.
We must decide who is the proper party to assert rights of the succession. Are the heirs, the succession representative, or both the correct party or parties? We first consider the authority of the succession representative.
The Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure explains the authority of the succession representative. "Succession representative" includes an administrator, provisional administrator, and an executor. La.Code.Civ.P. art. 2826(2). "A succession representative is a fiduciary with respect to the succession, and shall have the duty of collecting, preserving, and managing the property of the succession in accordance with law." La.Code. Civ.P. art. 3191. A succession representative may exercise all procedural rights available to a litigant in performing his duties. La.Code.Civ.P. art. 3196. "A succession representative shall be deemed to have possession of all property of the succession and shall enforce all obligations in its favor." La.Code.Civ.P. art. 3211. "[T]he succession representative has no power to maintain an action to enforce some rights which the Civil Code designates as being purely personal to the heirs, but he can bring other actions designated as personal to the heirs provided the institution of such action is necessary to obtain funds for the payment of debts and charges of the succession." Ralph Slovenko, Comment, Powers of a Succession Representative in Louisiana, 27 Tul.L.Rev. 87, 106 (1952).
Considering his functions, duties and powers, our courts have held that the succession representative "is in truth the majordomb of the estate, having possession of all its property as well as the power and the responsibility to preserve [inits assets and enforce its claims." Succession of Wallace, 574 So.2d 348, 357 (La.1991). As far back as 1833, the Louisiana Supreme Court has recognized the succession representative as the proper party to bring an action the object of which is to obtain possession of effects making up part of the estate. See Executors of Hart v. Boni, 6 La. 97 (La.1833) (succession executor has a right of action to annul a donation inter vivos). Under these articles and jurisprudence, it is clear that the succession representative is the proper representative of the succession, the person charged with the duty of protecting the property and rights of the estate. Oby Through George v. Champagne, 451 So.2d 674 (La.App. 1 Cir.), unit denied, 457 So.2d 15 (La.1984).
Although the Civil Code espouses the authority of the succession representative, it also grants significant authority to the heirs. Until July 1, 1999, the Civil Code provided that a legal heir acquired a succession (seizin) immediately upon the death of the deceased person. La.Civ. Code art. 940. Seizin occurred by operation of law, without the heir taking any step to be put into possession. La. Civ. Code art. 941. Through seizin, the heir was authorized to institute all actions, even possessory ones, which the deceased had a right to institute and to prosecute those already commenced. La.Civ.Code art. 945. This caused confusion as to whether the rights of the heir paralleled those of the succession representative.
Recognizing the problem, in 1960 the Louisiana Legislature clarified the quanda ry in the Code of Civil Procedure. Article 685 of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure provides:
Except as otherwise provided by law, the succession representative appointed by a court of this state is the proper plaintiff to sue to enforce a right of the deceased or of his succession, while the latter is under administration. The heirs or legatees of the deceased, whether present or ^represented in the state or not, need not be joined as parties, whether the action is personal, real, or mixed.
The legislature explained that the purpose of the article was to declare the right of the succession administrator alone to institute and prosecute actions belonging to the succession. La.Code Civ.P. art 685 cmt. (b). The comments explain that "there is no reason today why a succession representative alone should not enforce judicially all rights of the deceased, or of his succession" and that the article overrules all cases to the contrary. Id.
It is a long-standing principle in our legal doctrine that the more specific pronouncement of the legislative will overrides more general provisions. See American Bank and Trust Co. in Monroe v. Carson Homes, Inc., 316 So.2d 732 (La.1975); Brumfield v. Brumfield, 457 So.2d 763 (La.App. 1 Cir.1984). Accordingly, the succession representative is- the proper party to assert a right of the succession while the succession is under administration. Louisiana courts have consistently followed this rule. See Baten v. Taylor, 386 So.2d 333 (La.1979); Harris v. Steele, 506 So.2d 542 (La.App. 1 Cir.), writ denied, 511 So.2d 1155 (La.1987); Anderson v. Collins, 26-142 (La.App. 2 Cir. 1/6/95); 648 So.2d 1371, writs denied, 95-629 and 95-783 (La.4/21/95); 653 So.2d 576; Jackson v. Lopez, 524 So.2d 769 (La.App. 3 Cir.1988), writ denied, 525 So.2d 1044 (La. 1988).
Since Lisa Matthews is the provisional administratrix of the Succession of Edward A. Horrell, Sr., she is the only proper plaintiff to assert an action to revoke an inter vivos donation made by the deceased. We, therefore, sustain Walter's exception of no right of action.
|120ur decision on the exception preter-mits our consideration of the applicability of the doctrine of res judicata regarding Mr. Horrell's capacity to execute a donation inter vivos.
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the peremptory exception of no right of action is sustained. The trial court's granting of summary judgment in favor of the Plaintiffs is reversed. The case is remanded to allow the Plaintiffs to substitute the proper party. See La.Code Civ.P. art. 934. Plaintiffs have fifteen days from the finality of this judgment to make the proper substitution. All costs of this appeal are assessed to the Plaintiffs.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
SAUNDERS, J., dissents with written reasons.
AMY, J., concurs.
. See Succession of Horrell, Sr., 97-2115 (La. App. 4 Cir. 3/25/98); 709 So.2d 1069, writ denied, 98-1023 (La.5/29/98); 720 So.2d 669.
. See Succession of Horrell, 709 So.2d 1069.