National Food Stores of Louisiana, Inc. v. Chustz
Decision Date | 10 July 1978 |
Docket Number | No. 12105,12105 |
Citation | 361 So.2d 273 |
Parties | NATIONAL FOOD STORES OF LOUISIANA, INC. v. Leroy J. CHUSTZ. |
Court | Court of Appeal of Louisiana — District of US |
Greco & Thomas (Stewart M. Thomas), Baton Rouge, Counsel for plaintiff-appellant.
C. Jerome D'Aquila, New Roads, Counsel for defendant-appellee.
Before BLANCHE, COVINGTON and CHIASSON, JJ.
Plaintiff-appellant, National Food Stores of Louisiana, Inc., is appealing the dismissal of its suit based upon the ex parte motion of defendant-appellee, Leroy J. Chustz, on the grounds that under LSA-C.C.P. art. 561 an action is abandoned when the parties fail to take any steps in its prosecution or defense in the trial court for a period of five years.
The record shows that on March 21, 1972, plaintiff filed suit against defendant. The next entry in the record is in a document styled "Petition and Order to Examine Judgment Debtor," said petition being filed September 1, 1977, and the order is shown signed the same date.
On October 20, 1977, the following order was issued by the trial court:
Subsequent to the dismissal of the suit, plaintiff filed a "Motion to Set Aside Order of Dismissal and to make Executory a Confession of Judgment" wherein plaintiff alleged that following the filing of its petition on May 21, 1972, the parties reached a "transaction" and that the defendant executed a confession of judgment which was recorded in the parish mortgage records. It was further alleged that pursuant to a letter dated November 16, 1972, from defendant's former counsel it was agreed that the judgment would not be made executory until four and one-half years after its execution. Plaintiff further contended that it never abandoned the litigation but sought to live up to the terms of the confession of judgment and the letter agreement.
The issue in the case revolves around the interpretation of LSA-C.C.P. art. 561 1. The crucial words, insofar as the instant case is concerned, are the meaning of "in the trial court" in the first sentence, which reads in its entirety:
"An action is abandoned when the parties fail to take any step in its prosecution or defense In the trial court for a period of five years." (Emphasis added)
The trial court record is void of any entry between March 21, 1972, and September 1, 1977, when plaintiff filed the judgment debtor examination petition. Clearly, therefore, there were no steps in the "prosecution or defense In the trial court for a period of five years." (Emphasis added) The record being devoid of any entries for in excess of five years, it follows that it became a mere ministerial act of the trial judge to comply with that portion of Article 561 which directs that "on ex parte motion of any party * * * the trial court Shall enter a formal order or dismissal as of the date of its abandonment." (Emphasis added)
Both parties rely on the case of Melancon v. Continental Casualty Company, 307 So.2d 308 (La.1975), which discusses the only two exceptions to the Article 561 rule of abandonment:
The plaintiff takes the position that the signing and recording of the confession of...
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