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41 La. Ann. 306

Pinckney v. Wolf

Supreme Court of Louisiana

Decided March 15, 1889

Supreme Court of Louisiana · decided 1889-03-15

<p>Although averments in the petition ancl prayer show that the matter in dispute is within the apx>ollate jurisdiction of this court, the appeal will be dismissed propHo motu, when it appears, from the record, that the matter in dispute ia really below the lower limit of such jurisdiction and the claim is considered as not serious and fictitious.</p>

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1889-03-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 10 later decisions — most recently June 1958

10 state decisions

3018891890190019101920193019401950decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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¶1The opinion of the Court was delivered by

Bermudez, C. J.

¶2The plaintiffs sue as the forced heirs of their mother, from two different marriages, to recover half of the community property which vested in her at the death of her second husband, in March, 1887.

¶3They revendiente as piart of said property, certain real estate sold by the latter, after their mother’s death.

¶4They also claim rents and revenues.

¶5In their petition, filed in August, 1887, they value said half at $2605, and set down the other claims at $425, forming an aggregate of $3030.

¶6The revendicated real os tato, which is included in that of which the half is claimed, appears to have been sold for some $700, piart cash and the rest on credit.

¶7In the inventory taken in April, 1887, four months previous to the filing of the suit, of the estate of the deceased, the entire property, movable and immovable, was together appraised at $1144 50.

¶8The proceedings were contradictorily carried on, with the administrator of the succession of the second husband and with the purchaser sought to be evicted.

¶9There was judgment in November, 1888, for the plaintiffs, against the succession, recognizing them as entitled to the half claimed and to some $272, and against them, as concerns the vendee of the revendicated property.

¶10Both, the plaintiff’s and the succession administrator, appeal from the judgment, as far as it affects thorn respectively.

¶11*307So that, the record, from the standpoint most favorable to the parties, shows that the property and amount in ’ dispute together, foot half of $3030, or $1515; when probably, in all reality, it is worth much less.

¶12Obviously, the averments of the petition appear to have been made for no other purpose than, if possible, to vest this court with jurisdiction over the matter in controversy; but, as they cannot be deemed serious, they cannot accomplish that object.

¶13It has been repeatedly held that, whenever the matter in dispute appears to be really under the lower limit of the jurisdiction of this'court, though from the averments and prayer of the petition, it is represented as exceeding the same, the claim will be treated as not serious and as fictitious and garbed solely to bring it within appellate jurisdiction, and the apx>eal will be dismissedproprio mofa. ' II. D. p. 20 (8); L. D. p. 15 (16); Bright vs. Thompson, 38 Ann. 801.

¶14As it clearly results from the record that the matter in dispute is really below the lower limit of the jurisdiction of this court, it follows that the judgment appealed from cannot be reviewed here.

¶15It is, therefore, ordered and decreed that the appeal taken by the plaintiffs, as well as that taken by the administrator, be dismissed with costs.

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