Court Opinion

ID: 9687284
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 16:22:14.557883+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:25.456769
License: Public Domain

On Rehearing
PONDER, Justice.
We granted a rehearing in this case limited to the question of whether or not the award of attorney’s fees was well founded. As pointed out in the original opinion, the present suit is a sequel to the case of Hamner v. Domingue reported in La.App., 82 So.2d 105, wherein a detail of the facts is stated. We will, therefore, not set out in detail all of the facts except those pertinent to the issue of attorney’s fees.
Hamner held a chattel mortgage on three automobiles, among those automobiles included in this mortgage was a 1953 Plymouth, the motor number of which was incorrectly described. Hamner brought foreclosure proceedings via ordinaria seeking to have the chattel mortgage recognized and enforced. Upon hearing of this suit, the lower court gave judgment recognizing the validity of the mortgage and directing the sale of the mortgaged cars. The Plymouth car was seized while in the possession of Hernandez and thereupon Hernandez interposed a third opposition claiming to be the owner of the car, asking for the seizure to be set aside insofar as it affected this car, and for damages and attorney’s fees. Hernandez did not enjoin the seizure and no effort was made on the part of Hamner or the seizing officer to sell the car prior to the hearing in the lower court on this opposition. Upon hearing of the opposition, the lower court gave judgment in favor of Hernandez, recognizing him to be the owner of the car and ordering same delivered to him. The lower court did not award damages in that suit but reserved Hernandez’ right to sue for damages in separate proceedings. An appeal was taken and the judgment was affirmed by the court of appeal, Hamner v. Domingue, supra. Thereafter, the present proceedings were instituted seeking damages and attorney’s fees, and, upon trial of same, the lower court awarded damages to Hernandez, included in which was an award of $500 in attorney’s fees. On appeal this Court affirmed the judgment insofar as these attorney’s fees were allowed. Upon reconsideration, in pursuance to an application for rehearing, a rehearing was granted limited solely to the correctness of the allowance of attorney’s fees.
It is well recognized in the jurisprudence of this Court that as a general rule attorney’s fees are not allowed except where authorized by statute or contract. Rhodes v. Collier, 215 La. 754, 41 So.2d 669; Efner v. Ketteringham, 217 La. 719, 47 So.2d 331; Brantley v. Tugwell, 223 La. 763, 66 So.2d 800; Griffin v. Bank *409of Abbeville & Trust Co., 228 La. 857, 84 So.2d 437; Chauvin v. LaHitte, 229 La. 94, 85 So.2d 43; McNeill v. Elchinger, 231 La. 1090, 93 So.2d 669; Breaux v. Simon, 235 La. 453, 104 So.2d 168. A well recognized exception to this rule is that attorney’s fees are allowed as damages when conservatory writs have been dissolved on motion and not on defenses applicable to the merits. Brantley v. Tugwell, supra; Edwards v. Wiseman, 198 La. 382, 3 So.2d 661. However, there is considerable conflict in the jurisprudence as to other exceptions to this rule. A reading of the various opinions handed down by this Court in this respect reveals that attorney’s fees have been allowed when injunction proceedings have been instituted to prevent the seizure and sale of property owned by a third person. In some cases when the injunction is maintained attorney’s fees were allowed and in other cases attorney’s fees were only allowed as an element of damages where the injunction was dissolved on hearing of the merits. The two different views in this respect are thoroughly pointed out in the cases of Soniat v. Whitmer, 141 La. 235, 74 So. 916 and Jackson v. Bouanchaud, 178 La. 26, 150 So. 567. In the dissenting opinions of the then Chief Justice written in both of these cases, it is stated that the Court should avail itself (at that time) of the opportunity to overrule one line or the other of the conflicting decisions reviewed in those cases.
We do not feel that it would be appropriate in this case to decide which line of jurisprudence should be followed in such injunction proceedings because we do not have such issue before us and any comment that we might make would be merely obiter dictum.
There is also a conflict in the decisions of this Court as to whether attorney’s fees should be allowed in cases of the unlawful seizure of the property of a third party. It would appear that in these cases the basis of the award is that the seizure was made without probable' cause, or the exercise of due diligence, or with malice and wanton disregard for the rights of others. This line of cases holds that such action is forcible trespass or tort giving rise to punitive damages. It is questionable whether these decisions are correct under our law.
However, we find no decision of this Court wherein attorney’s fees were allowed as an element of damages where an intervention or a third opposition was maintained upon a hearing of the merits. In fact, this situation merely resolves itself into a suit to try title to property. Attorney’s fees should not be allowed as an element of damage in this case for the further reason that the seizing creditor acted in good faith and without malice, nor was the seizure characterized by harshness and total disregard for the interests of Hernandez.
*411' We do not think that the cases cited on original hearing are pertinent. In Smith v. Atkins, 218 La. 1, 48 So.2d 101, attorney’s fees were not allowed, the court pointing out that they were not incurred solely on dissolution of a conservatory writ prior to trial of the merits. Injunctions .were obtained, by the third opponent in the .cases of Soniat v. Whitmer, 141 La. 235, 74 So. 916; Bailey v. Williams, 158 La. 432, 104 So. 197; Ludeling v. Garrett, 50 La. Ann. 118, 23 So. 94, and Gilkerson-Sloss Commission Co. v. Yale, 47 La.Ann. 690, 17 So. 244. In the case of General Motors A. Corp., v. Sneed, 167 La. 432, 119 So. 417, the court correctly allowed attorney’s fees incurred for the dissolution of a writ of attachment. No.claim for attorney’s fees .was made in Bruigier v. Miller, 114 La. 419, 38 So. 404, and it is not in the least applicable. The holding in Tilly v. Wood-ham, La.App., 166 So. 876, allowing attorney’s fees for the wrongful seizure of a third person’s property without the necessity of securing an injunction, is based on the holding in Bailey v. Williams, supra, apparently, on the trespass theory since the car seized in the Tilly case was transiently on the property of the debtor and the court felt that it was wantonly seized. This is unlike the situation under consideration 'where there was no malice, and on this premise the Tilly case may be distinguished, although we doubt the ’correctness of that holding. The case of Sims v. Matassa, La.App., 200 So. 666, 668, relied- upon the holding in Bailey v. Williams, supra and Soniat v. Whitmer, supra. It was pointed out in the Sims case that “the attorney fees to which she (third opponent) is entitled are those incurred by her in obtaining the release of her property from seizure and not those for the services rendered in the trial of the case after the seizure was released.’”
Irrespective of the conflict in the jurisprudence as to when attorney’s fees are allowed as damages, wc do not feel disposed to extend another exception to the general rule that attorney’s fees are not allowed except by statute or contract. In fact, it appears to us that too many exceptions have already been recognized to this general rule which should be clarified when the proper issues are presented. We consider the appropriateness of clarifying the conflict in the. jurisprudence respecting the-exceptions to the general rule -but arrived at the conclusion that any comments, made regarding exceptions to this rule not expressly raised by the issue in this case-would be mere obiter.
For the reasons assigned, our original' decree is amended by reducing the award to $1,671.12, and as thus amended it is; affirmed.
SIMON, J., dissents and adheres to the original opinion.