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claim-check-1166752-1024x766When plaintiffs sue based upon statutes, legal decisions often hinge upon how the statute is interpreted. In many cases, this can depend on how the court interprets the meaning of a single word within the statute. In order to interpret legal statutes, courts employ a process known as statutory construction. In this case the court utilized statutory construction to determine that the meaning of “claim” used in the Louisiana Revised Statutes did not apply to a final “judgment” issued by a court.

Byard Edwards Jr. sought to recover underinsured motorist (UM) benefits via his insurance policy with Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company after he sustained injuries in an automobile accident. After Edwards won at trial, he began a proceeding to recover statutory penalties and attorney fees from Farm Bureau because it failed to pay the judgment from the UM case within either 30 or 60 days of the final judgment. Edwards sought these penalties and fees under La. R.S. 22:1892 and La. R.S. 22:1973. These Sections require insurers to pay out “claims” to an insured party within specified time frames. The Trial Court granted summary judgment in favor of Farm Bureau and Edwards appealed the decision.  

The issue, in this case, was whether or not the final “judgment” issued by the court constituted a “claim”, as used pursuant to the aforementioned statutes. The Court of Appeal interpreted the meaning of the term “claim” by following the rules of statutory construction. The first step the Court took was to consider the language of the statute itself. However, the word “claim” is not defined in either Section.

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burning-ambulance-1398173-1024x681We’ve all been in the situation where we’re sitting at a red light or approaching an intersection and all of a sudden we hear sirens and see flashing lights. Everyone knows to stop and yield to the oncoming ambulance. Sometimes, however, a driver might not yield for whatever reason. This is exactly what happened in this case, which involves an EMT who was injured on the job while riding in an ambulance.

Two volunteer firefighters with the Washington Parish Fire Department (WPFD) responded to a call in Varnado, Louisiana. When they arrived at the scene, they found a man lying on the ground and proceeded to provide CPR until an ambulance arrived. Once the ambulance arrived, the two firefighters loaded the man into the back of the ambulance and continued to tend to him, as is customary. The Defendant in the case agreed to drive the truck.

While en route to the hospital, the ambulance was struck in the right rear by a blue Honda at the intersection of Highway 21 and La. Highway 10. The ambulance slid and collided into another vehicle. The Plaintiff, who had been sitting in the back of the ambulance without a seatbelt, sustained injuries from being thrown around due to the force of the crash.

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termite-formation-1358063-1024x768Buying or selling a home is a complicated process filled with legal and practical pitfalls that can cause problems for both the buyer and seller.  One of the most important steps that a person engaged in a transaction with potential legal issues must take is to speak with a good lawyer who can navigate the process and make sure their rights and interests are protected to the fullest extent possible.  A good lawyer can also make sure that the buyer or seller understands all the implications of contractual language.  In a home sale, every word in the agreement is important and can alter the rights of everyone involved in the transaction.  One or two seemingly insignificant words can entirely change the rights and protections that a party may normally receive under the law.  The Prejeans found out the hard way. In their case, a combination of a few termites, some water, and the two little words “as is,” led to a massive headache and loss of money when they purchased a home in Houma, Louisiana.

The Prejeans entered into a purchase agreement to buy the house in Houma from John Monteiro. John’s wife acted as the realtor.  Prior to closing the sale, the Monteiros disclosed that the house had previously been infested with termites. The Prejeans had Terminex inspect the house.  Termites were found living in the house and a later home inspection found defects in the house such as a wet spot on the wall in the kitchen and standing water in the same location, among other issues.  The report prompted the Prejeans to request that Mr. Monteiro make repairs, treat the home for termites, and acquire a termite treatment plan from Terminex.  The Prejeans retained a right to inspect the house, including opening up the walls to ensure that termites and moisture were not present, before closing the sale, but chose not to exercise those rights.  Instead, the Prejeans executed an Act of Cash Sale, providing that the sale was “as is” and waiving all warranties on the property.

Following the completion of the sale, the Prejeans began renovating the home but had to halt the renovations when they found that there was extensive termite damage and infestation combined with water damage.  The Prejeans filed a lawsuit against the Monteiro estate and against Ms. Monteiro as the acting realtor. Mr. Monteiro passed away before the lawsuit was filed.

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teamwork-1-1236629-1024x743Borrowed employees are workers assigned by their employer to work for companies borrowing their services on a short-term basis. Normally, employees hurt on the job may recover money in addition to worker’s compensation benefits from their employing companies. As the following case from the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal demonstrates, borrowed employees can only recover worker’s compensation against companies that borrow their services.

A-Port is a shore base facility that provides crane, forklift, storage, and other services located in Grand Isle, Louisiana. At times, A-Port needs additional personnel to complete these services.

On May 23, 2011, USA General hired Willie F. Walton and assigned him to provide labor services in the Lafourche/Terrebonne Parish areas. On June 20, 2012, A-Port accepted an agreement with Original USA General Labor, LLC (USA General), where USA General agreed to provide riggers to A-Port. In the fall of 2012, USA General assigned Walton to the A-Port facility as a rigger. Walton worked at A-Port from October 20, 2012, until October 31, 2012.

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records-1421202-1024x683Imagine you go to a hospital for a medical emergency such as leg weakness, back pain, and paresthesia. While you are at the hospital, you feel that you are treated harshly and unprofessionally by the physician that examines you. Later, you find out that the physician wrote insulting things about you in your consultation report, which is now a part of your permanent medical record. This situation was a reality for Ms. Michelle Conner.

Because of these unfortunate events, Ms. Conner filed a lawsuit claiming defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress against Dr. Taylor, the physician, and the hospital, St. Tammany Parish (the “Hospital”). Ms. Conner later added a medical malpractice claim after a medical review panel found Dr. Taylor free of any wrongdoing.

Dr. Taylor and the Hospital filed a motion for summary judgment on Ms. Conner’s medical malpractice claim. The Trial Court granted the motion and Dr. Taylor filed another motion for summary judgment as to the claims of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Again, the Trial Court granted the motion. The Trial Court dismissed Ms. Conner’s claims of negligent infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy, as well. Ms. Conner appealed this second summary judgment ruling, but not the summary judgment on her claim of medical malpractice.

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storm-over-barcelonetta-1463885-1024x679Automobile accidents can be terrifying experiences.  Severe automobile accidents that involve injuries can be truly devastating and life altering.  In the event one is injured in an automobile accident, he/she has several options available to him/her in obtaining compensation for his/her losses.  More specifically, one may have a claim against the other driver(s) who caused the automobile accident or have the ability to bring a claim against the other driver’s insurance company.  Depending on the circumstances of the automobile accident, one may also have the ability to bring a claim against his/her own insurance company for compensation.

An insurance company is required to act in good faith with any individual making a claim, regardless of whether he/she is a policyholder with said insurance company.  Generally, an insurance company has acted in bad faith if it fails to fulfill the obligations stipulated in the insurance policy language or if it fails to abide by the laws of the state where the claim has been filed.  Some examples of bad faith include but are not limited to: refusing to pay a claim owed; failing to timely pay a claim owed; requiring unreasonable unnecessary paperwork to process the claim filed; failing to deny a claim within a reasonable amount of time; and failing to explain the reasons(s) for why a claim is denied.  Consequently, having a great attorney who is competent in identifying bad faith can assist you pursuing a legal claim against the insurance company for its actions, while also assisting you with the original claim presented to the insurance company for the property damage and bodily injury you suffered in the automobile accident.

The following case out of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana is an example of an insurance company acting in bad faith and being legally penalized for doing so.  On May 20, 2010, the plaintiffs, Dedra and Sheddrick Griffin filed a petition for damages against State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company as a result of an automobile accident that occurred on January 13, 2010.  On January 13, 2010, Jacob P. Savoy driving a 2001 Mitsubishi Spyder struck Mr. and Mrs. Griffin driving a 2000 Infiniti I30 from behind while traveling eastbound on U.S. Highway 190 in West Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  The accident caused extensive property damage and personal injuries to Mr. and Mrs. Griffin.  More specifically, Mrs. Griffin, the driver of the Infiniti sustained injuries to her shoulder, neck, and chest wall, in addition to aggravating pre-existing injuries to her neck, back, and legs, while Mr. Griffin sustained injuries to his left knee, chest wall, and back.  Mr. and Mrs. Griffin were both treated by Dr. David Wyatt, an orthopedic surgeon.  At the time of the accident, Allstate Insurance Company insured Mr. Savoy with liability limits of $10,000.00/$20,000.00, while State Farm insured Mr. and Mrs. Griffin.

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crash-1181707-1024x685After someone has been through six, separate car accidents, it might be difficult to keep track of which injuries and treating physicians stemmed from which accident. Nevertheless, if you find yourself before a court you must present a detailed and accurate record of everything. The following case, in which one Baton Rouge woman claimed that the Trial Court considered the wrong evidence in deciding her case, illustrates this point.

Linda Williams has had the bad luck of being involved in six car accidents in the last 40 years. Her most recent accident, a collision on Perkins Road in East Baton Rouge Parish in 2008, was the subject of a recent Court of Appeal decision. The initial trial began in 2009 with Williams bringing a lawsuit against her insurance company, Liberty Mutual. Williams asserted that her injuries from the 2008 crash were severe enough to warrant additional money damages under her insurance policy. However, as Williams had an extraordinarily unfortunate personal history of being injured in car accidents, the Trial Court was faced with the difficult task of determining which injuries were the products of the 2008 crash and which injuries were the lingering effects of Williams’s five prior accidents. Since even a single car accident can give rise to multiple injuries with multiple courses of treatment overseen by multiple doctors, the lawyers for both sides had plenty of opportunities to argue about which doctors were connected to the 2008 accident and thus, relevant to the case at hand.

At trial, the jury awarded $14,800 in damages to Williams for past medical expenses, the past and future physical pain and suffering, the past and future mental suffering and distress, and the past and future enjoyment of life. However, Williams felt that the Trial Court made some errors that reduced the amount of damages she received and so she appealed. In her appeal, Williams alleged that the Trial Court incorrectly admitted evidence on two instances that were related to her prior accidents and also improperly allowed Liberty Mutual to remove a juror based on race. The Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal, referring to the Trial Court’s record and hefty body of medical evidence therein, considered these issues in turn.

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workers-1542652-1024x768You may be entitled to compensation for any injury that occurs on the job. The extent of compensation depends on the extent of your injuries. See La. R.S. 23:1221. The employer and the employee often disagree on the amount of compensation. When this happens, a court of law often becomes the forum for resolution. Such was the case with an employee in Louisiana named Ta’Shanta Dupard.

In November 2013, a hammer fell on Ms. Dupard and struck her in the knee while she was working at MMR Construction. The blow resulted in a knee contusion and laceration, which left a permanent scar on her knee. Dupard filed a claim against her employer claiming that she was entitled to worker’s compensation benefits due to the serious and permanent disfigurement to her knee. The parties agreed that Dupard was entitled to compensation for her injuries, but disagreed as to exactly how much.

Ms. Dupard had a weekly salary of $1,058.62 at the time of her injury. According to Louisiana Worker’s Compensation laws, this yielded a maximum compensation rate of $619 per week. MMR believed that five weeks’ compensation was adequate for the scar, whereas Dupard’s attorneys claimed 25 weeks was the proper benchmark because the scar was a permanent disfigurement.

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In Louisiana, district courts (the lower level trial courts) have great discretion in awarding costs to a bell-county-texas-courthouse-1549054-1-1024x768party. These costs can include expert witness fees, deposition fees, exhibit costs, costs for the clerk of court, the cost of obtaining medical records and related expenses. See La. R.S. 13:3666, and La. C.C.P. art. 1920. Certain costs, such as clerk costs, sheriff’s costs, and the cost of taking a deposition are taxed by the court. La. R.S. 13:4533. Although La. R.S. 13:4533 defines the term “costs,” it does not discuss who is entitled to costs and under what circumstances. In a recent case, the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal discusses the assignment of costs upon a party.

In a jury trial held February 2014 in Louisiana’s Twenty-Second Judicial District Court, plaintiff Yvonne Arnaud was found to be one-hundred percent at fault for a vehicle collision that occurred on U.S. Highway 11 in Millard, Mississippi. The defendant driver, Silas Sumner was found to be zero percent at fault. Following the trial, Mr. Sumner and his co-defendants C.O.B. Enterprises and its insurer, Scottsdale Insurance Company, filed a motion seeking $53,346 in costs from Ms. Arnaud. About twenty-one thousand dollars of this amount was for expert witness fees. The District Court charged Ms. Arnaud for $30,589.95 in litigation costs, a little over half the amount sought by the defendants.

Ms. Arnaud appealed to the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal. She argued that most of the expert witness fees charged to her were for work done by unknown individuals outside the courtroom. She also argued that the $30,589.95 costs in total litigation were excessive and that the District Court abused its discretion in charging any costs to her because she was indigent.

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money-4-1238890-768x1024In workers compensation cases, the awarded money benefits can be offset in court to account for other benefits being received by the employee for the same injury like social security disability benefits. If the employer seeks to have the workers compensation benefits offset to account for social security disability they will need to file a “Motion for Recognition of Right to Social Security Offset” pursuant to La. R.S. 23:1225(A). The Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal was recently faced not only with a motion to offset due to social security disability but whether or not to include attorneys fees in the pre-offset amount or not. These particular issues arose out of a lawsuit brought by Stephanie Nitcher against Northshore Regional Medical Center (Northshore) for compensation for temporary or permanent total disability benefits, medical treatment and attorney fees.

On October 30, 2012, Ms. Nitcher was awarded workers compensation benefits including $86,871.84 in past due indemnity, $13,181.13 in interest and $550.47 in appeals costs all from Northshore. In addition, Northshore was ordered to pay Ms. Nitcher permanent total disability benefits in the amount of $329.96 per week from the date of the judgment forward. Ms. Nitcher in addition to the workers compensation benefits being paid by Northshore was receiving social security disability benefits pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 423. On December 19, 2013, Northshore filed its motion for recognition of the offset of the social security disability benefits, which serves the purpose to allow an employer to offset the amount of money it’s paying out when the employee is essentially receiving payment for the same disabilities from both state and federal entities. The offset sought by Northshore would reduce their weekly payments to Ms. Nitcher by $115.52.  Prior to the hearing on Northshore’s motion, Ms. Nitcher filed to have her attorney’s fees taken out of her weekly workers compensation benefits, resulting in $65.81 coming out of the previously awarded $329.96. Northshore’s offset calculation did not deduct the $65.81 prior to calculating the $115.52 offset which resulted in their motion being denied and the judge ordering that Northshore’s offset amount be $49.71 a week lowering the original $329.96 to $279.35.

On appeal Northshore contends that the judge erred in denying the offset amount of $115.52, claiming that pursuant to La. R.S. 23:1225(A) the attorney’s fees did not need to be deducted prior to the offset calculation. The First Circuit Court of Appeal in determining the social security offset first looked to La. R.S. 23:1225(A) which states that the benefits provided for injuries resulting in permanent total disability will be reduced when the person is also receiving benefits under 42U.S.C. Chapter 7 (42 U.S.C. 423) which applies in this case since Ms. Nitcher is receiving benefits both from workers compensation as well as social security disability. From here the appeals court went on to determine how the offset should actually be calculated, the specific issue here being whether or not to calculate pre or post attorney fee deduction. The prior judgment approved the attorney fees deduction from the calculation referring to statutory attorneys fees which do allow for deduction prior to offset calculations, the fees at issue are however not statutory attorneys fees. The attorney’s fees, in this case, are limited by statute but not authorized by statute which would make them statutory attorney fees. The court went further to determine that since there is no Louisiana law that requires an employer to pay attorneys fees in connection with a workers compensation claim, that the only way to do so would be if it were a punitive order. That is however not the case here and since Ms. Nitcher does owe the attorneys fees it was properly deducted from her disability benefits, but Northshore was improperly made responsible for the fees by including the deduction in their offset assessment.

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