Brown & Root Industrial Services, LLC v. Anthony E. Farris, Jr., Kevin D. Steed and Fides Consulting, LLC

STATE OF LOUISIANA

COURT OF APPEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT

BROWN & ROOT INDUSTRIAL SERVICES, NO. 2021 CW 0767
LLC

VERSUS

ANTHONY E. FARRIS, JR., KEVIN 0. OCTOBER 01, 2021
STEED, AND FIDES CONSULTING, LLC

In Re: Brown & Root Industrial Services, LLC, applying for
supervisory writs, 19th Judicial District Court, Parish of East
Baton Rouge, No. 705222.

BEFORE: MCCLENDON, WELCH, AND THERIOT, JJ.

WRIT GRANTED. The portion of the trial court' s June 9, 2021
judgment,
which granted the Exception of No Cause of Action filed by
defendants, Anthony E. Farris, Jr., Kevin D. Steed, and Fides
Consulting, LLC, as to the claim of plaintiff, Brown & Root
Industrial Services, LLC (" Brown & Root"), for civil conspiracy is
reversed.
Generally, an exception of no cause of action should not

be maintained in part and, if there are two or more theories of

recovery that arise out of the operative facts of a single

transaction or occurrence, a partial judgment on an exception of no
cause of action should not be rendered to dismiss a theory of

recovery. See Robinson v. Wayne & Beverly Papania & Pyrenees
Investments, LLC, 2015- 1354 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 10/ 31/ 16), 207 So. 3d
566, 572, writ denied, 2016- 2113 ( La. 3/ 13/ 17), 216 So. 3d 808.
Based on our de novo review of plaintiff' s First Amended Petition
and Application for Temporary Restraining Order, Preliminary and

Permanent Injunction and for Damages, we find the plaintiff' s claims
against the defendants arise out of the same operative facts of a

single transaction or occurrence. As such, defendants improperly
brought a partial exception of no cause of action as to certain

claims.
Accordingly, the trial court improperly granted a partial

objection of no cause of action, dismissing plaintiff' s claim for
civil conspiracy.

The portion of the trial court' s June 9, 2021 judgment, which

granted the Exception of Nonjoinder filed by defendants, Anthony E.
Farris, Jr., Kevin D. Steed Fides LLC,
and Consulting, as to the
breach of contract claim of plaintiff, Brown & Root, against Kevin
D. Steed is reversed. Defendants have not proven complete relief

cannot be granted herein among those already parties or that Brown &
Root' s parent, subsidiaries, including BRIS LLC,
Engineering, and

affiliates claim an interest relating to the subject matter of this
action and are so situated that the adjudication of the action in
their absence may either impair or impede their ability to protect
that interest or leave the parties herein subject to a substantial

risk of multiple or inconsistent obligations. See La. Code Civ. P.
art. 641. Therefore, defendants' Exception of Nonjoinder as to the
plaintiff' s breach of contract claim against Kevin D. Steed is
denied.
PMC
JEW

MRT
COURT OF APPEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT

DEPUTY C ERK OF COURT
FOR THE COURT