Case Name: MID-CITY INVESTMENT CO., Inc. v. Sam BATISTE
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1970-12-21
Citations: 248 So. 2d 88
Docket Number: No. 8165
Parties: MID-CITY INVESTMENT CO., Inc. v. Sam BATISTE.
Judges: Before LOTTINGER, SARTAIN and PICKETT, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 248
Pages: 88–94

Head Matter:
MID-CITY INVESTMENT CO., Inc. v. Sam BATISTE.
No. 8165.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.
Dec. 21, 1970.
On Rehearing April 19, 1971.
Writ Refused May 24, 1971.
John Dale Powers and R. Gordon Kean, of Sanders, Miller, Downing & Kean, Baton Rouge, for appellant.
Walton J. Barnes, Baton Rouge, for ap-pellee.
Before LOTTINGER, SARTAIN and PICKETT, JJ.

Opinion:
LOTTINGER, Judge.
This is an appeal from a judgment rendered by the Lower Court wherein a motion for a new trial filed by the garnishee, Kroger Company, Inc., was overruled. The petitioner in the matter is Mid-City Investment Co., Inc., and the defendant is Sam Batiste.
On October 4, 1969, the petitioner confirmed a default judgment against defendant. Subsequently, on October 21, 1969, petitioner filed a garnishment based upon a writ of fi.fa. naming Kroger Company as garnishee. The garnishee never answered the interrogatories and on January 30, 1970, petitioner filed a rule to show cause against garnishee why the judgment for the full amount due should not be rendered against garnishee for its failure to answer the interrogatories. The rule was set for February 9, 1970, and garnishee was served on February 4, 1970. On February 5, 1970, the garnishee sent a telegram to the Clerk of Court and petitioner's attorney stating that defendant's employment with it had terminated on October 20, 1969, the day before the garnishment proceedings were instituted. The garnishee did not appear at the rule to show cause, and, accordingly, a judgment pro-confesso for $275.00, plus $50.00 attorney fees and costs, was rendered against garnishee.
The judgment was signed on February 12, 1970, and on February 13, 1970, the garnishee moved for a new trial or a reopening of the case, both of which were denied by the Trial Judge. The garnishee has taken this appeal from the said judgment of the Lower Court, contending that the telegram served as an answer or exception to the motion for a judgment pro-con-fesso. The garnishee further contends that the citation on it was defective in that the procedure as set forth in Article 2412 of the Code of Civil Procedure for service was not followed.
Article 2412 provides that:
"The sheriff shall serve upon the garnishee the citation and a copy of the petition and of the interrogatories, together with a notice that a seizure is thereby effected against any property of or indebtedness to the judgment debtor.
Service shall be made in the manner provided for service of citation, except that if the garnishee is an individual, service must be personal. If the garnishee has concealed or absented himself with the purpose of avoiding personal service, the court may order that service be made in any other manner provided by law.
The garnishee shall filed his sworn answers to the interrogatories within fifteen days from the date of service." Emphasis ours.
In Felt & Tarrant Mfg. Co. v. Sinclair Agency, 4 La.App. 121, the Court held that citation in garnishment must strictly comply with the law.
Article 925 of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure sets forth the objections which may be raised through the de-clinatory exception which includes, but are not limited to, insufficiency of citation and insufficiency of service of process. The citation was issued herein, however, the record fails to disclose that the notice provided by Article 2412 was ever served upon the garnishee. Article 928 of the Code of Civil Procedure further provides that the declinatory exceptions shall be pleaded prior to answer or judgment by default. Thus, although it appears that the notice was never served on the garnishee, at least this is shown by its absence in the record before us, this defect was cured when the garnishee failed to file his exception prior to answer or judgment by default.
The lack of a writ of fi. fa. or notice of seizure are objections which the garnishee should have urged by exception filed prior to the contradictory motion, under penalty of waiver. Barnett Home Appliance Corporation v. Guidry, La.App., 224 So.2d 134; writs refused, 254 La. 795, 226 So.2d 922.
Of course, a judgment pro-confesso, would, in this case, have the same standing as a judgment by default.
With regard to the question of the Lower Court granting a new trial or reopening the case, Article 2412 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides that the garnishee shall file his sworn answers to the interrogatories within fifteen days from the date of service. The telegram which was sent by the garnishee and filed in the record on the day before the entry of the judgment pro-confesso cannot be considered a sworn answer to the interrogatories.
Article 2413 of the Code of Civil Procedure further provides as follows:
"If the garnishee fails to answer within the delay provided by Article 2412, the judgment creditor may proceed by contradictory motion against the garnishee for the amount of the unpaid judgment, with interest and costs. The failure of the garnishee to answer prior to the filing of such a contradictory motion is prima facie proof that he has property of or is indebted to the judgment debtor to the extent of the judgment, interest, and costs.
Judgment shall be rendered against the garnishee on trial of the motion unless he proves that he had no property of and was not indebted to the judgment debtor. If on the trial of such motion, the garnishee proves the amount of such property or indebtedness, the judgment against the garnishee shall be limited to the delivery of the property or payment of the indebtedness, as provided in Article 2415.
Regardless of the decision on the contradictory motion, the court shall render judgment against the garnishee for the costs and a reasonable attorney's fee for the motion." Emphasis ours.
Thus, according to the clear wording of the statutes involved, the effect of the garnishee's failure to answer under oath prior to the filing of the contradictory motion to show cause, is prima facie proof that he has property of or is indebted to the judgment debtor to the extent of the judgment, interest and costs. The law provides that judgment shall be rendered against the garnishee upon trial of the rule to show cause unless he proves that he had no property of and was not indebted to the judgment debtor.
As Article 2412 requires a sworn answer to the interrogatories, the telegram cannot be considered an answer, nor can it be considered evidence or proof on the trial of the rule to show cause.
Article 1972 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides as follows:
"A new trial shall be granted, upon contradictory motion of any party, in the following cases:
(1) Where the judgment appears clearly contrary to the law and the evidence;
(2) Where the party has discovered, since the trial, evidence important to the cause, which he could not, with due diligence, have obtained before or during the trial; or
(3) In jury cases, as provided in Article 1814."
The garnishee allegedly knew before the trial or hearing on the contradictory motion of the judgment creditor that the debt- or did not work for them anymore and that they did not have any money or property in their possession belonging to the judgment debtor. We, therefore, feel that the judgment of the Lower Court in overruling the motion for a new trial or a reopening of the case was correct.
Therefore, for the above reasons, the judgment of the Lower Court will be affirmed, all costs of this appeal are to be paid by the garnishee.
Judgment affirmed.