Articles Posted in Litigation

The right to jury trial is a fundamental part of our government, enshrined in its own amendment to the Constitution. U.S. Const. Amend VII.   It is such a valued right that, while a party has the option to waive it, that waiver must be clear and obvious.  In fact, a party can only waive its right to a jury trial in one of two ways: by express declaration, or by failing to demand a jury trial within the required time. Bowles v. Bennett, 629 F.2d 1092 (5th Cir. 1980).  If the party successfully waives its right to trial, that right cannot be reclaimed.  Thus, it is extremely important that an attorney understand these rules and the ramifications of waiving this right.

In a recent case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, it was the trial court that was apparently unclear on when a jury trial is actually waived by a party.  Both the plaintiffs, Allstate Insurance Company and its subsidiaries (“Allstate”) and the defendants, Community Health Center, Inc. and related defendants (“Community”) requested at different times to have a jury trial.  After discovery, Allstate filed a motion for summary judgment, which was granted.  Then the parties agreed that the only issue for trial was damages.  In response, Allstate waived its right to a jury, but only with respect to damages, the issue it thought was the only one left on the table.

It was at this point, however, that the district court found that there was a lot of confusion amongst the parties as to what claims remained after the motion for summary judgment, and rescinded its earlier grant of summary judgment.  As a result, the court reinstated all claims and scheduled a new and full trial based on Allstate’s initial allegations.  

An  appeal is the legal system’s way of letting the losing side have one, or two, additional chances at making their case before the final bell rings.  The losing side can, and often does, argue for virtually every perceived problem or slight that occurred in the lower court proceedings.  But, this is also why appeals are generally only available after the trial or lower court proceedings have ended.  Of course, this being the law, there are exceptions to just about every rule.  It is critical, however, to have an attorney who knows the rules and their exceptions so that they are then capable of making savvy choices on how and when to appeal.

This issue came up from a seemingly benign error made in the initial filing of a lawsuit in Louisiana state court by Lenetra Jefferson (“Jefferson”) against the Charity School of Nursing at Delgado Community College (“Delgado”), a New Orleans public community college.  In her suit, she alleged Delgado racially discriminated against her while she was an employee at the school.  As is required for all lawsuits, Jefferson had to name the defendant, here Delgado, and then serve that defendant so that they are on official notice of a lawsuit being filed against them. The problems began when Jefferson identified the school as an agency or instrumentality of State of Louisiana.  Jefferson attempted to serve her lawsuit on Delgado’s Chancellor, but ended up serving the Louisiana Attorney General, as the representative of the state for litigation.    

The Attorney General first removed the lawsuit from state court to federal court.  Once it had removed the case, the Attorney General moved to have the entire suit dismissed on the grounds that Jefferson’s complaint did not specifically name the state as a defendant and the state was not a proper defendant.  At the trial court, the Attorney General argued that Jefferson essentially filed her suit against the school, and not any Louisiana state agency.  The Attorney General also declined to enlighten the trial court or Jefferson as to who was the proper defendant. (Spoiler alert:  she should have named the Board of Supervisors of Community and Technical Colleges and she should have served the Board’s Chairman, who is its agent for service of process).  

Litigation is very complicated, particularly amongst the weeds of appeals and motions. This is illustrated very well in a case out of the Louisiana state Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal.  One of the most important things it teaches is that it is invaluable to have a knowledgeable attorney who is familiar with summary judgments and appeals so the correct motions and pleadings can be filed on behalf of the client.

The case started as a seemingly straightforward personal injury case.  The plaintiff, Candace Gray, was injured when she fell in the parking lot owned by the Marrero Land and Improvement Association Limited (“Marrero Land”).  She filed a lawsuit against Marrero Land alleging damages from her injury.  Through the course of discovery and depositions, Marrero Land’s attorneys filed a motion for summary judgment.  The motion for summary judgment is used to assert that there is no issue of material fact that needs to be determined, only issues of law which can be adjudicated by the court.  Marrero Land argued that Ms. Gray was going to be unable to meet her burden of proof and the case should be determined in favor of Marrero Land.  The trial court denied the motion for summary judgment, finding that there were some genuine issues of fact.  

In its written judgment, the trial court noted that the decision was final and appealable prompting Marrero Land to file an appeal of the denial of its motion.  Before addressing the merits of Marrero Land’s appeal, the appellate court pointed out that it always has the duty to examine subject matter jurisdiction even when the parties do not raise the issue.   In other words before hearing the issue at hand, the appellate court must first determine whether the court has the right to hear the case at all.