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three-herons-1395291-1024x819When a plaintiff files a lawsuit, he or she must make sure that the filing is done in the right court at the right time. The court hearing the dispute must have the power to adjudicate and resolve those claims. Sometimes, certain legal doctrine can bar a court from hearing a case, such as sovereign immunity. And similarly, cases can only be decided if the timing is right – the claim must not be brought to early or too late. The effect of filing the claim in the wrong court or at the wrong time can lead to a dismissal, wasting a substantial amount of time and money. In a recent decision, the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal found that a case against the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was both barred by sovereign immunity and not ripe for adjudication.

The initial controversy in this East Baton Rouge case arose when the owners of Comite Dirt Pit, Inc. (CDP), Plaintiffs Richard and Betty Rush, failed to comply with the Louisiana Scenic Rivers Act (LSRA). The LSRA prohibits mining, logging, and the removal of trees within 100 feet of rivers such as the Comite River. La. R.S. 56:1856. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) had multiple temporary restraining orders (TRO) served upon CDP, which was situated on the Comite River, to cease its activity. The Plaintiffs challenged these TROs and filed a lawsuit alleging that LDWF was in violation of the Takings Clause and the Tenth Amendment. The lawsuit was dismissed because the Trial Court found that there was no subject matter jurisdiction. The Plaintiffs appealed.

There were two significant legal issues in this case. First, the Eleventh Amendment prohibits lawsuits in which the damages would be paid from public funds (i.e. lawsuits against the government). See Edelman v. Jordan, 415 U.S. 661 (1974). This is known as sovereign immunity. Though the lawsuit named Robert Barnham as a defendant, he was the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.  Thus, if the defendant was found guilty of the Rush’s allegations, the damages would be paid with state money and the Eleventh Amendment. The Fifth Circuit accordingly found that the suit was barred and it had no jurisdiction over the Plaintiffs’ complaints.

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ballroom-sign-1195748-1024x768The Louisiana Merchant Liability Statute aims to protect persons from unreasonable risks of harm by unscrupulous merchants. At the same time, it limits the liability of merchants and protects them from frivolous lawsuits. In order to succeed on a merchant liability claim, the plaintiff must show that the merchant knew or should’ve known of the dangerous condition that harmed the plaintiff. In a recent case, while considering that a dance ballroom can be considered a “merchant, the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal found that the plaintiff failed to show that the defendants had knowledge or constructive knowledge of the risk of harm.

In October 2010, D’Andrea Mills slipped and fell on a spilled drink and broken glass on the dance floor while attending a private party at the Lyceum Dean Ballroom in Baton Rouge. Mills sustained injuries, including two broken bones, which later required surgery, and was taken to the local ER for assistance. Mills filed a lawsuit seeking damages against Cyntreniks Plaza, L.L.C., the owner and operator of the Lyceum. Cyntreniks moved for summary judgment, seeking to have the case thrown out before trial. In its motion, Cyntreniks argued that Mills failed to satisfy her burden of proof under the Merchant Liability Statute, La. R.S. 9:2800.6, and there were no genuine issues of material fact for the court to determine.

The Trial Court granted summary judgment in favor of Cyntreniks and dismissed Mills’ claim. Mills appealed the judgment to Louisiana’s First Circuit Court of Appeals. The Circuit Court affirmed the lower court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Cyntreniks. Judge Holdridge dissented.

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time-clock-1415876-1024x683In Louisiana, the law benefits those who take timely action in pursuit of their claims or defense. It can also punish the untimely. In a very unfortunate case, the Plaintiff, a grieving widow, missed an opportunity to overturn an adverse trial court decision. In the case, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal discusses the procedural avenues of supervisory review available to litigants, highlighting the need to be diligent in meeting procedural requirements.

On March 17, 2011, Mr. McGinn, the Plaintiff’s husband, was killed in a motorcycle accident that occurred on the Claiborne Avenue entrance ramp to Highway 90 in New Orleans. The Defendant, Mr. Lavigne, arrived at the scene of the accident acting in his official capacity as an officer for the Crescent City Connection Bridge Authority (CCCBA). At the scene of the accident, Mr. Lavigne was unable to located Mr. McGinn and would eventually leave the scene of the accident without ever locating Mr. McGinn. Mr. McGinn was subsequently found, deceased, near the exit ramp the next morning. It was discovered that he died there a whole 14 hours after the initial accident.

As a result, the Plaintiff, Mrs. McGinn, brought a lawsuit against Officer Lavigne, the CCCBA, and several insurers for the wrongful death of her husband. The CCCBA was served through its director and Mr. Lavigne was not served personally, but the service was accepted by a colleague of his. As the proceedings went on, the Plaintiff eventually sought a default judgment which was granted on August 26, 2015. In the default judgment, the Trial Court found the Defendants to be at 50% fault for Mr. McGinn’s death and awarded the Plaintiff $4,300,665 in damages.

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house-1-1225482-1024x767Below is a case of a home sale in St. Bernard Parish that didn’t go all too well. In this case, communications between the parties to the sale were delayed and the sale never went through. The case highlights the need to be diligent when buying or selling real estate and the necessity of having a good real estate lawyer.

The sellers, David and Gwendolyn Hopkins, placed a home for sale in Arabi, Louisiana. Juanita Coco, an interested buyer, contracted with a representative of Prudential Realtors in order to buy that same home. Both the Hopkins and Ms. Coco signed an Act of Sale agreement that was contingent upon Ms. Coco being able to obtain financing in the amount of $152,200. The Act of Sale, by agreement, was supposed to be completed by a deadline of April 4, 2008, with the option to extend the deadline.

Ms. Coco hired an appraiser to determine the value of the home. The appraiser told Ms. Coco that because the house was located in an area that was previously affected by Hurricane Katrina, the appraiser had to list the home at a value that was considerably less than the asking price. The original asking price of the home was $152,500 and the appraisal price was $147,000.  Since it was appraised below the asking price, Ms. Coco’s lender, Countrywide Bank, stated that it would not approve Ms. Coco’s home loan if the asking price was not reduced. The Hopkins signed an amendment to the original Act of Sale to have the original price reduced to the appraisal price. They faxed it to Dane Ruffins, a Prudential representative, after business hours on April 3, 2008. Ms. Ruffins did not receive the amendment until the morning of April 4, 2008. The same day that, Ms. Ruffins also received a letter from Countrywide Bank stating that the loan would not be approved.

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medicine-5-1544051-1024x768It is no secret that a lawsuit has the potential to become a tangled web of procedural issues. This is why it is always a good idea to secure a good attorney with experience in dealing with the court system. Perhaps less common is the situation where the judge, the party responsible for ensuring an efficient and timely resolution of the dispute, gets tripped up in this procedural web. This is exactly the situation below.

The dispute centers on a medical malpractice claim. Ms. Johnson showed up to Tulane University Hospital and Clinic (Hospital) one evening suffering from a severe headache and double vision. The Hospital staff administered an IV in Johnson’s arm, which later became infected. The Hospital discharged her with some antibiotics and told her to follow up with her primary care physician. Ultimately, the infection worsened and required a more serious antibiotic treatment and even surgery. Johnson sued the Hospital and the nursing staff.

Johnson alleged six total negligence claims against the Hospital and the nurses. Pursuant to the Hospital’s summary judgment motion, the Trial Court dismissed all five allegations against the nursing staff but allowed one claim to proceed against the Hospital. That one claim pertained to the antibiotic dosage the Hospital prescribed to Johnson after her initial visit.

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working-1229720-1024x783Workers’ compensation disputes often boil down to the terms of a written contract where each party asserts their own interpretation of the agreement and lets the court decide. The case below is no different as it pertains to a “third-party beneficiary,” which essentially is a party not expressly contained in the agreement, but is no less a party to the contract.

Mr. Scarberry was an employee of the Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company (OGE) and was helping Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, LLC (Entergy) restore power to residences and business in the midwest after hurricane Gustav caused damage to the area.

OGE and Entergy were members of a larger nonprofit trade association, Southeastern Electrical Exchange (SEE), and the relationship between members of SEE was governed by an Agreement, which is the backdrop of the dispute here between Mr. Scarberry, OGE, and Entergy.

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life-is-a-highway-2-1174522-1024x768When you are in a motor vehicle accident, there are many issues that can arise as to the issue of fault and whose version of events is more reliable. Conflicting versions of what happened can make it difficult for the court to assign fault. It is thus important to always be aware of your surroundings and the laws of driving a motor vehicle, as illustrated in the following case.

In September 2013, in Ouachita Parish, Mr. Williams was operating a tractor on the road while traveling between two landscaping jobs. Sheriff’s Deputy Mr. Coleman attempted to pass the slow-moving tractor near an intersection, and the tractor struck the rear passenger side of the Sheriff’s van as it was passing. Mr. Williams suffered minor injury as a result.

Mr. Williams filed a lawsuit against Mr. Coleman, the Parish Sheriff, and their insurers. But the Trial Court assigned Mr. William’s 100% of the fault. It considered that he should have been able to avoid the accident had he looked before he turned and saw the Sheriff’s vehicle passing him. Mr. William’s appealed.

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abandoned-mental-hospital-1543214-1024x766In November 2008, in Claiborne Parish, Mr. Fields went to Willis Knighton Claiborne Regional Health Center for complaints of diarrhea. Mr. Fields also had an extended history of medical issues, including hypertension and a kidney transplant. He saw a nurse practitioner, who consulted with a doctor and gave him a prescription for a generic antibacterial, which he took as directed. About a week later, he called his doctor’s office complaining that the medicine was making him feel worse. He alleged that he was instructed to continue taking the medicine as originally directed.

The next day, he collapsed at home and died soon after. The cause of death on his death certificate was listed as an acute cardiovascular attempt, which related to his past medical conditions. His children petitioned the Medical Review Panel (“MRP”) alleging malpractice by the hospital and its medical professionals. But the MRP concluded that the standard of care had not been breached, partly because Mr. Fields had never come back in for a follow-up. Mr. Fields’ children then filed a lawsuit against the hospital and Mr. Fields’ doctor and nurse as its employees.

The hospital filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that the case should be dismissed because there were no genuine issues of material fact. The hospital supported its motion with the MRP’s findings of no breach of care and no causation. Opposing the motion, Mr. Fields’ children supported their allegations with a statement from Dr. Blanche Borzelle, a board-certified physician stating that the nurse and doctor involved had breached the standard of care and concluding that the breach led to Mr. Fields’ death.

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crash-car-1309515-1024x768Kenneth White’s road trip from Monroe to Shreveport, Louisiana wasn’t exactly uneventful. The Monroe man was involved in a traffic accident that led to a legal battle between insurance companies. White’s insurance dispute led to a significant change in the law, as the Court of Appeal held that a major auto carrier’s contract provision violated public policy.

Experiencing mechanical problems with his 1999 Pontiac Grand Am, White borrowed his mother’s sports utility vehicle to make the one-hundred-mile trip on August 29, 2012. Kenneth did not live with his mother and was not included on her State Farm auto insurance policy. White had his own insurance policy with Safeway.

During the trip, White rear-ended a vehicle driven by Danny Litton. Litton suffered injuries in the accident and claimed property damage. Almost four months later, Litton filed a personal injury lawsuit that named White, Safeway, and State Farm as defendants. State Farm then filed a subrogation claim against Safeway. In the insurance context, a subrogation claim involves a carrier filing a claim against a party to collect for compensation paid out to a policyholder. State Farm claimed White’s use of his mother’s car constituted use of a temporary substitute vehicle, and they were entitled to compensation under La. R.S. 22:1296.

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chest-xray-1526779-1024x1004If you are injured at work, it is imperative that you follow the appropriate procedures under workers’ compensation law to ensure that you are fully and fairly compensated for your injuries. A failure to properly report or address your injuries can result in a lesser payment or no payment at all. It is also important to keep your place of employment apprised of your injuries and treatment, and written records of your contact, so that if it becomes necessary to bring an action against your employer you have sufficient evidence to support your position. A recent case of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal is illustrative.

On November 2010, Plaintiff Jason Montou was injured in Calcasieu Parish while employed with Boise, the Defendant. He immediately made a report of his injuries to his supervisor per company policy but referred originally only to a shoulder injury. He was sent home and told to follow up with a doctor if necessary. He went through with a doctor’s appointment a few days later and was treated for his shoulder. He was also referred to a separate doctor for treatment of a back injury. The medical records indicate that Plaintiff complained of arm, shoulder, and back pain as early as December of 2010 and March of 2011. Plaintiff’s doctors disagreed about when it was appropriate for him to return to work. He eventually stopped treatment with one of the doctors because his employer would not approve his MRI tests. In October of 2013, Defendant sent Plaintiff to a different doctor, who determined that Plaintiff could return to work immediately and that there was no connection between his neck and back injuries and the work accident. The company then immediately terminated Plaintiff’s benefits.

Worker’s compensation cases are unique because those with claims against their employer must file a claim with the Office of Workers’ Compensation before proceeding to court. In this case, the Office determined the Plaintiff was still injured and needed benefits. It ordered the Defendant to accept Plaintiff’s injuries as compensable, approve the MRIs requested by his doctors, and reimburse him for existing treatment. The Plaintiff proceeded to court because the Office of Workers’ Compensation chose not to award him penalties and attorney fees.

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