Succession of Charles C. Pedescleaux C/W Westlawn Cemeteries, L.L.C. Versus The Louisiana Cemetery Board

SUCCESSION OF CHARLES C. NO. 19-CA-250
PEDESCLEAUX
FIFTH CIRCUIT

COURT OF APPEAL

STATE OF LOUISIANA

ON APPEAL FROM THE TWENTY-THIRD JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT
PARISH OF ST. JAMES, STATE OF LOUISIANA
NO. 89,19, DIVISION "A"
HONORABLE JASON VERDIGETS, JUDGE PRESIDING

February 07, 2020

FREDERICKA HOMBERG WICKER
JUDGE

Panel composed of Judges Fredericka Homberg Wicker,
Jude G. Gravois, and Robert A. Chaisson

EXCEPTION SUSTAINED; JUDGMENT VACATED AND MATTER
REMANDED
FHW
JGG
RAC

COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT,
CHARLES PEDESCLEAUX, JR.
Benjamin L. Johnson

COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLEE-2ND APPELLANT,
OLGA PEDESCLEAUX
Arthur A. Morrell
Madro Bandaries

WICKER, J.

In this appeal from a trial court judgment in the Succession of Charles C.

Pedescleaux, Charles Pedescleaux, Jr. filed a “Peremptory Exception of Nonjoinder of

Parties under Articles 641 and 642 of the Code of Civil Procedure.” For the following

reasons, the exception of nonjoinder is sustained, the judgment of the trial court is

vacated, and the matter is remanded for joinder of the absent parties and retrial.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Charles C. Pedescleaux, Sr. (the “decedent”) died on April 16, 2017. Olga

Pedescleaux (“Olga”), the widow of the decendent, filed a Petition to Open Succession

on April 20, 2017, alleging that the decedent died intestate and requesting that she be

appointed Administratrix over the estate. The Petition acknowledged the decendent’s

five surviving children born of a previous marriage by name: “Charlesetta, Connie,

Charles, Jr., Jessica and Dedria.” Olga was appointed Administratrix for the decedent’s

estate on April 27, 2017.

On June 1, 2017, Charles Pedescleaux, Jr. (“Charles, Jr.”) filed a “Petition to

Admit the Last Will and Testament of Charles C. Pedescleaux, Sr.” The will purported to

leave all of the decedent’s property “both real and personal, separate and community,

movable and immovable corporeal and incorporeal . . .” to the decendent’s children—

“Charles Pedescleaux, Jr., Charlesetta Pedescleaux Knight, Constance Pedescleaux

Bernard, Jessica Pedescleaux Geason and Deidra Pedescleaux Grant”—to be shared

equally. Charles, Jr.’s petition asked the court to appoint him Executor of the estate (per

the stipulations of the will) and to declare that certain real estate located at 10561 Charles

Lane, St. James Parish, Louisiana remained separate property, the decedent having

purchased the property prior to his marriage to Olga.

Thereafter, on December 20, 2018, Olga filed a motion and memorandum titled:

Motion and Rule to Show Cause Why The Last Will and Testament of Charles
C. Pedescleaux, Sr. Should Not be Null and Void Because of Failure to
Observe Statutory Formalities; Why Mrs. Olga H. Pedescleaux, Spouse of
Deceased Charles C. Pedescleaux, Sr. Should Not be Declared Administratrix
of Decedent's Estate; Why All Financial Documents and Any and All

Documents Whatsoever Being Held by Decedent's Children: Charles
Pedescleaux, Jr., Charlesetta Pedescleaux Knight, Constance Pedescleaux
Bernard, Jessica Pedescleaux Geason, And Deidra Pedescleaux Grant or
Anyone Else Should Not Turn Over Said Documents to Mover and With Full
Accounting of Said Financial Records and Documents and Why the Marital
Domiciled [sic] Should Not be Designated as Community Property.

A hearing was set for January 22, 2019 to take up Olga’s motion. At the hearing

the trial court denied Olga’s request that the last will and testament be declared null and

void and took the issue of whether the home on Charles Lane was community property

under advisement. A judgment was issued on January 25, 2019 which declared the

Charles Lane home community property. Both parties appealed the trial court’s

judgment.

However, on November 4, 2019, this Court, on its own motion, found that the

January 25, 2019 judgment was not a final judgment sufficient to invoke appellate court

jurisdiction. Therefore, this Court remanded the matter to the trial court for formulation

of a final judgment and supplementation of the appellate record. See Succession of

Charles C. Pedescleaux, 19-250 (La. App. 5 Cir. 11/4/19) (per curiam).

Now that a final judgment has been rendered that enables this Court to exercise its

appellate jurisdiction over this matter, we take up the peremptory exception of nonjoinder

filed by Charles, Jr.

LAW AND DISCUSSION

The peremptory exception of nonjoinder may be pleaded for the first time in the

appellate court, if pleaded prior to the submission of the case for decision, and if proof of

the ground of the exception appears on the record. La. C.C.P. art. 2163; Rourke v. Estate

of Dretar, 17-672 (La. App. 5 Cir. 5/23/18), 248 So.3d 653, 658. Louisiana Code of

Civil Procedure Article 641 is entitled “Joinder of parties needed for just adjudication”

and provides,

A person shall be joined as a party in the action when either:

(1) In his absence complete relief cannot be accorded among those already
parties.

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(2) He claims an interest relating to the subject matter of the action and is so
situated that the adjudication of the action in his absence may either:

(a) As a practical matter, impair or impede his ability to protect that interest.

(b) Leave any of the persons already parties subject to a substantial risk of
incurring multiple or inconsistent obligations.

In the event that a party described in Article 641 cannot be joined in the

litigation, La. C.C.P. art. 642 allows the court to determine whether the action

should proceed among the parties currently before it or be dismissed based on a

consideration of a number of factors. The current statutory construction replaced

the previous rules for joinder which distinguished between “necessary” and

“indispensable” parties. See Succession of Populus, 95-1469 (La. App. 1 Cir.

2/23/96), 668 So.2d 747, 748; Two Canal St. Inv'rs, Inc. v. New Orleans Bldg.

Corp., 16-0825 (La. App. 4 Cir. 9/23/16), 202 So.3d 1003, 1012.

Historically, in actions contesting the validity of a will, the legatees named

in the will must be joined in the suit. La. C.C.P. art. 2931 (direct action to annul a

probated testament must be brought against the legatees, residuary heir, and

executor); Succession of Burgess, 323 So.2d 914, 917 (La. Ct. App. 1975) (action

seeking declaratory judgment invalidating will required joinder of legatees); In re

Succession of Treadaway, 01-0080 (La. App. 4 Cir. 3/7/01), 782 So.2d 1142, 1144

(parties with an interest in the will plaintiffs sought to invalidate were required to

be joined pursuant to La. C.C.P. art. 641).

Furthermore, the fact that Olga sought to have the marital domicile declared

community property necessitated the joinder of all parties who claim an interest in

the Charles Lane property from the Succession of Charles C. Pedescleaux. A

judgment declaring the real estate community property would necessarily affect the

interests the decedent’s children had in the property—whether heirs by intestacy or

legatees to his will. See La. C.C.P. art. 1880 (“When declaratory relief is sought,

all persons shall be made parties who have or claim any interest which would be

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affected by the declaration.”); Blanchard v. Naquin, 428 So.2d 926, 928 (La. App.

1 Cir.), writ denied, 433 So.2d 162 (La. 1983) (plaintiff who sought to be declared

owner of property was required to join all heirs who purportedly gained ownership

interest through intestate succession).

The existence of parties with an interest in the subject matter of the litigation

is apparent from the record. Olga named the decedent’s heirs in her petition to

open the succession, as well as in her later motion which sought a declaration that

the will was null and void, a declaration that the martial domicile was community

property, and an order requiring the named heirs to render an accounting. The

contested will is also included in the record naming the decedent’s children as

legatees.

When an appellate court recognizes that joinder of parties is required for proper

adjudication of the matter, the appropriate course of action is to set aside the judgment at

issue and remand the matter to the trial court for joinder of the absent parties and a retrial

of the case. Rourke, 248 So.3d at 659; Blanchard, 428 So.2d at 928.

CONCLUSION

Accordingly, Charles, Jr.’s exception of nonjoinder is sustained. We hereby vacate

the judgment of the trial court declaring the last will and testament of Charles C.

Pedesclaux valid and declaring the real estate located at 10561 Charles Lane community

property. This matter is remanded for joinder of the absent parties and further

proceedings consistent with this opinion.

EXCEPTION SUSTAINED; JUDGMENT VACATED
AND MATTER REMANDED

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SUSAN M. CHEHARDY CURTIS B. PURSELL

CHIEF JUDGE CLERK OF COURT

MARY E. LEGNON
FREDERICKA H. WICKER
CHIEF DEPUTY CLERK
JUDE G. GRAVOIS
MARC E. JOHNSON
ROBERT A. CHAISSON SUSAN BUCHHOLZ
STEPHEN J. WINDHORST
FIRST DEPUTY CLERK
HANS J. LILJEBERG
JOHN J. MOLAISON, JR. FIFTH CIRCUIT
MELISSA C. LEDET
JUDGES 101 DERBIGNY STREET (70053)
DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL STAFF
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NOTICE OF JUDGMENT AND CERTIFICATE OF DELIVERY
I CERTIFY THAT A COPY OF THE OPINION IN THE BELOW-NUMBERED MATTER HAS BEEN DELIVERED
IN ACCORDANCE WITH UNIFORM RULES - COURT OF APPEAL, RULE 2-16.4 AND 2-16.5 THIS DAY
FEBRUARY 7, 2020 TO THE TRIAL JUDGE, CLERK OF COURT, COUNSEL OF RECORD AND ALL PARTIES
NOT REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL, AS LISTED BELOW:

19-CA-250
E-NOTIFIED
23RD JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT (CLERK)
HON. JASON VERDIGETS (DISTRICT JUDGE)
BENJAMIN L. JOHNSON (APPELLANT) MADRO BANDARIES (APPELLANT)

MAILED
ARTHUR A. MORRELL (APPELLANT)
ATTORNEY AT LAW
POST OFFICE BOX 26306
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70186