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old-country-red-barn-1633768-1024x683When someone dies because of another person’s negligence certain individuals can bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the negligent party. Normally, those who may recover under a claim for wrongful death and survival are limited to a certain class of persons. In such cases, the plaintiff can be the surviving spouse, a surviving child, the decedent’s parents, the decedent’s siblings, or the decedent’s grandparents. La. C.C. arts. 2315.1 (2016); La. C.C. arts. 2315.2 (2016). But what happens when there are multiple people who are entitled to bring the wrongful death suit? Can a biological father recover in his son’s wrongful death and survival suit when the son is presumed to be the child of another man? Recently, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal for the State of Louisiana addressed these issues when it decided a case involving a fatal car crash.

On March 8, 2013, Juan Joseph Hughes (“Mr. Hughes”) hit a parked car which caused his car to burst into flames. As a result of this accident, Mr. Hughes lost his life. Mr. Hughes’s parents, Joseph and Cherryn Burkette, filed a wrongful death claim, naming General Motor, LLC. and Banner Chevrolet as defendants. The Burkettes claimed that their son died as a result of the defendants’ negligence.

In response, the defendants argued that Mr. Burkette could not be part of the wrongful death suit. The defendants noted that the Burkettes and decedent did not share a last name. Ms. Burkette asserted that Mr. Burkette was Mr. Hughes’ biological father and that she was his biological mother. Ms. Burkette explained that she was in a relationship with Mr. Burkette while she was married to Jerome Hughes and that her son’s last name only reflected Ms. Burkette’s marital status at the time of Mr. Hughes’s birth.

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stethoscope-2-1420449-1-1024x605Medical malpractice suits are notorious in the legal community as being difficult and expensive cases. One reason why these cases are so difficult is because lawyers must hire and rely on numerous experts to argue why a professional should, or should not be, liable. But what happens when a plaintiff in a medical malpractice suit cannot find an expert to support his or her claim? A recent medical malpractice case involving a gynecologist illustrates this exact problem.

In this case, Ms. Sabrina Lee filed a suit against Dr. George Bailey alleging that Dr. Bailey committed medical malpractice. In 2010, Dr. Bailey performed a hysterectomy on Ms. Lee. Shortly after the surgery, Ms. Lee began experiencing sporadic urine leakage. Ms. Lee, concerned about the leakage, scheduled multiple appointments with Dr. Bailey to address her concern. After multiple visits, and no improvement in her condition, Ms. Lee decided to visit another doctor, Dr. Charlie Bridges. Dr. Charlie Bridges, a urologist, determined that Ms. Lee had a ureterovaginal fistula. Following this determination, Dr. Bridges removed the ureterovaginal fistula. After the removal, Ms. Lee experienced no more leakage.

After the removal of the ureterovaginal fistula, Ms. Lee filed a lawsuit against Dr. Bailey. Dr. Bailey filed a motion for summary judgment. A motion for summary judgment is a procedural device used to “secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of [] action[s].” La. C.C.P. art. 966 (2016). The party seeking summary judgment has the burden of proof and must show that there is no genuine issue as to material fact, and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. For Ms. Lee to successfully win her medical malpractice case, she must prove (1) the applicable standard of care; (2) a breach of the applicable standard of care; and (3) a causal connection between the breach and the resulting injury. La. R.S. 9:2794 (2016). Expert testimony is needed to prove the causal connection between the breach of the standard care and the injury.

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crash-car-1180834-1024x827Sometimes judges and juries make mistakes that prevent injured parties from obtaining the relief they deserve. Both judges and juries can be swayed by arguments and make rulings that seem contrary to the weight of the evidence presented at trial. In such a situation, it is important to have an excellent attorney on your side to assert your rights and present you with proper avenues of appeal. Kimberly Guidry found herself in just this position after the trial court awarded her no damages for injuries she sustained in a car accident in Erath, Louisiana.

Ms. Guidry was injured in a three car accident while a passenger in her brother’s pickup truck. The accident occurred when Karl Creduer ran a red light, striking another person’s vehicle. This other vehicle then crashed into a Ms. Guidry’s brother’s pickup truck. Ms. Guidry and her brother were both injured in the accident. Ms. Guidry was taken to the hospital in an ambulance due to complaints of pain in her back and knee. At the hospital, doctors took X-rays of Ms. Guidry, placed her in a cervical collar, and gave her prescription medicine for her injuries.

After leaving the hospital, Ms. Guidry saw three separate doctors in hopes of alleviating the pain caused by the accident. Through these doctor visits, it was determined that Ms. Guidry had pre-existing arthritis and pre-existing degenerative conditions in her spine and knee. These ailments arose prior to the accident. According to the doctors, the accident aggravated these ailments.

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house-i-1491881-1-1024x768In law, deadlines and rules of procedure are very important. Good cases can be lost because someone missed a deadline or did not understand and follow a procedural rule. That is why it is so important to ensure you have a good attorney who understands the rules of procedure and who keeps close track of deadlines, especially those for appeals.

This importance is aptly illustrated by a recent decision from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal for the State of Louisiana. The case, Hawkins v. Willow Inc., involved 250 owners of homes located in the Village Green subdivision in Jefferson Parish. The homeowners sued several entities, including the developer of the subdivision and the insurer of their home warranties, alleging that the subdivision was built on land that was unsuitable for building and that the homeowners’ homes were damaged as a result.

Unfortunately for the homeowners, the warranty mandated arbitration of disputes, a step which the homeowners failed to take before filing suit. Because the homeowners failed to arbitrate their dispute, the trial court dismissed the home warranty company from the lawsuit and ordered arbitration of all claims. The homeowners did not seek review of the trial court’s ruling. Instead, the homeowners waited over two years to address the ruling. The homeowners then requested the trial court to grant them a new trial to pursue claims against the home warranty company and for the trial court to rescind its arbitration order because of newly discovered evidence. The home warranty company contested the homeowners’ requests. It asserted that the trial court did not have jurisdiction over the matter because the court previously dismissed the case. The trial court agreed with the home warranty company, ruling that it did not have jurisdiction and additionally denying the request for a new trial. The homeowners, displeased with the result, appealed the trial court’s decision.

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fiji-islands-1370935-1024x741Imagine buying land and then realizing that it was already occupied. What can the purchaser do when faced with this situation? What rights do the occupants of the purchased land have? Recently, the Third Circuit Court of Appeal for the State of Louisiana addressed these questions when deciding whether Saline Lakeshore, LLC (Saline Lakeshore) owned Horse Island after it purchased the property.

It all started in 2013 when Saline Lakeshore purchased Horse Island, which is land near the Saline Lake and Saline Bayou in Avoyelles Parish. At the time of the purchase, four individuals, Marlon Littleton, Buddy Cannon, Frank Morace, and Eric Morace, lived on the island in “camps.” These camps were housing structures which the four used to float to Horse Island. These houseboats were built in a way to float whenever Horse Island flooded, which was a frequent occurrence. When the island was not flooded, the four occupants would take care of the dry land by clearing and maintaining the camp yard. Additionally, the four occupants built docks, sheds, pavilions, roast pig cookers, fish skinning rocks, and water wells on the property. All of these improvements occurred prior to Saline Lakeshore purchasing Horse Island.

After buying the property, Saline Lakeshore sent Littleton, Cannon, and the Moraces a letter requesting that they remove themselves and their property from the island. Littleton and Cannon filed a possessory action against Saline Lakeshore, as did the Moraces. A possessory action is an action to stop the disturbance of property one possesses. To establish a possessory action, one must prove: 1) person had possession of the property, 2) the possession was uninterrupted for more than a year prior to disturbance, 3) the disturbance was a recognizable disturbance under Louisiana law, and 4) the action was instituted with a year of the disturbance. La. C.C.P art. 3658 (2016). The two separate actions were consolidated into one action for efficiency. Littleton, Cannon, and the Moraces then filed for summary judgment. The trial court granted the motion for summary judgment finding that the four occupants satisfied the requirements under Louisiana law. Summary judgment is when a trial court decides a case before it goes to trial. To obtain a summary judgment, both sides must agree on the material facts of the lawsuit. The trial court then makes the determination of the law, granting judgment to one side.

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cross-1442009-987x1024Sometimes procedural rules are overlooked as merely a peripheral aspect of a lawsuit. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Oftentimes you need to overcome numerous procedural hurdles just to reach the merits of a case. The following case illustrates the importance of procedure in the practice of law.

The subject of this case centers on certain events that took place after the death of Alma Payton in New Orleans, LA; the plaintiffs are Payton’s heirs. Plaintiffs argued that Lake Lawn Park, Inc. (Lake Lawn) and Lawyer’s Title of Louisiana, Inc. (Lawyer’s Title) was negligent in connection with the distribution of Payton’s property after her death. Plaintiffs alleged that Lawyer’s Title failed to disburse payments to Lake Lawn that were intended to cover Payton’s burial. As a result, Lake Lawn moved Payton’s remains to a burial ground designated for indigents.

Eventually, Lake Lawn returned Payton’s remains to the original burial place at its own cost and the lawsuit against it was dismissed. However, the lawsuit against Lawyer’s Title was still pending, although not making any progress. As a result, Lawyer’s Title filed a motion to dismiss the action as abandoned nearly eight years after Plaintiffs filed their complaint. The District Court granted Lawyer’s Title’s motion. Subsequently, Plaintiffs filed a motion for devolutive appeal of the order of dismissal.

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to-gym-1445095-1024x766Many people own a gym membership but upwards of 80% of those people fail to regularly go to the gym. If you find yourself infrequently inside of a gym, it can seem like a strange place. There are many different machines and sometimes it isn’t so clear how to properly use those machines. Indeed, misuse of gym equipment can result in serious injury. So what sort of duty does a gym owe to its members? The following case may help shed some light on this issue.

Thomas Nearhood was injured while working out on a Precor Smith Squat Machine at Anytime Fitness in Pineville, Louisiana. Nearhood filed a lawsuit to recover damages for his injuries and one of the defendants was Fitness Partners, the owner of Anytime Fitness. At issue before the Trial Court was whether Nearhood was a “sophisticated user” of the squat machine. If Nearhood was a sophisticated user, the gym operators had no duty to inform or warn Nearhood about using the machine. But what exactly constitutes a sophisticated user?

Nearhood argued that Fitness Partners was negligent because it failed to properly instruct him on how to use the squat machine. Fitness Partners responded with a summary judgment motion arguing that it had breached no duty, there was no genuine issue of material fact, and judgment for Fitness Partners was proper as a matter of law. The Trial Court granted Fitness Partners’ motion and Nearhood appealed to the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal affirmed the Trial Court’s decision.     

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mercedes-1450415-1024x683Louisiana has laws in place requiring drivers to carry car insurance. However, insurance policies are not uniform and some policies may contain ambiguities or be silent altogether on specific issues. The following case illustrates such a scenario.

Jeremy Elliot was a service technician working for a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Baton Rouge, LA and was involved in an accident while driving a customer’s car during a routine servicing. Elliot sued the other driver and the driver’s insurance company, State Farm; State Farm settled. Evidently, the other driver’s insurance policy was insufficient to cover the damages.   

Thus, Elliot sought reimbursement elsewhere and sued the insurance company that covered the car he had been driving, Encompass Indemnity Company (“Encompass”), as well as his employer’s insurance company, Travelers Indemnity Company (“Travelers”). Travelers filed a motion for partial summary judgment, asking the District Court to find that Encompass was liable for up to $500,000 in coverage for an underinsured motorist.

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car-fire-1346381-1024x662When you let a friend borrow your car you probably don’t give much thought to who’s insurance policy would cover any potential accidents. Insurance policies contain many loopholes that can exclude coverage when an accident occurs. The following case out of Lafayette, discusses the problems that can arise when a friendly gesture turns into a legal nightmare for the parties involved.

Judith Landry of Lafayette, Louisiana and Therese Lesinski were involved in an automobile collision. Landry filed a personal injury lawsuit against Lesinski claiming that Lesinski’s carelessness caused the accident. Importantly, at the time of the accident, Lesinski was driving a car belonging to Mr. Braus, whom she had been staying with in his home. Lesinski’s own personal vehicle was insured by State Farm, but Mr. Braus (the car involved in the accident) was insured by Allstate.

State Farm denied liability by claiming that it was not responsible for any of the damage done to Landry because the car belonged to Mr. Braus who was not a member of Lesinski’s household. State Farm asserted as much in a motion for summary judgment. A motion for summary judgment effectively asks a court to dismiss the entire lawsuit. See La. C.C.P. art. 966.

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house-1188265-1024x683In Louisiana, a victim of fraud can recover actual damages resulting from the fraud, treble damages up to three times the amount of actual damages, and reasonable attorneys fees and costs. However, this potentially large recovery is barred by a peremptory period if the defrauded party doesn’t bring the lawsuit within one year. In certain cases, the issue of when exactly this one-year timer starts can be dispositive. The following case dealing with two real estate transactions illustrates the point.

Here, Amanda Adcock owned a home in West Monroe, Louisiana. Ms. Adcock lost her job and was unable to make her monthly mortgage payments to JP Morgan Chase (“Chase”). As a result, Chase initiated foreclosure proceedings against Ms. Adcock’s home in August 2011. Shortly afterward, Ms. Adcock filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, which halts any foreclosure already in process. Ms. Adcock then listed the home for sale as part of the bankruptcy estate. At the time of the bankruptcy, Ms. Adcock owed Chase $195,842.29.

In January 2012, Shane Wooten, a real estate agent, contacted Ms. Adcock and informed her that her home could be taken out of the bankruptcy estate and listed as a short sale. Three months later, Ms. Adcock wrote a letter to Chase to begin the short sale process and Chase cooperated (bank approval is required before a short sale can be completed). In June 2012, Tracy Ginn, the spouse of one of the real estate agents who worked for the same realty company as Mr. Wooten, offered to buy Ms. Adcock’s home for $190,000.

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