Joan Beauregard v. State of La, Thru the Dotd

STATE OF LOUISIANA
COURT OF APPEAL, THIRD CIRCUIT

CA 09-271

JOAN BEAUREGARD

VERSUS

STATE OF LA, THROUGH THE DOTD, ET AL.

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APPEAL FROM THE
NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT
PARISH OF RAPIDES, NO. 224,316
HONORABLE DONALD THADDEUS JOHNSON, DISTRICT JUDGE

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SHANNON J. GREMILLION
JUDGE

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Court composed of Ulysses Gene Thibodeaux, Chief Judge, Marc T. Amy, and
Shannon J. Gremillion, Judges.

AFFIRMED.

Daniel Elmo Broussard, Jr.
Broussard, Bolton, Halcomb, & Vizzier
P. O. Box 1311
Alexandria, LA 71309
(318) 487-4589
Counsel for Plaintiff/Appellee:
Joan Beauregard

John Albert Ellis
Assistant Attorney General
LA. Dept. of Justice
130 DeSiard Street, Ste 812
Monroe, LA 71201
(318) 362-5250
Counsel for Defendant/Appellant:
State of LA, Through The DOTD

Brandon Ashley Sues
Lottie L. Bash
Gold, Weems, Bruser, Sues & Rundell
P. O. Box 6118
Alexandria, LA 71307-6118
(318) 445-6471
Counsel for Third Party/Appellee:
City of Alexandria

GREMILLION, Judge.

The State of Louisiana, Department of Transportation and Development

(State), appeals the judgment in favor of the third-party defendant, the City of

Alexandria (City). For the following reasons, we affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In May 2006, Joan Beauregard filed suit against the State urging that she

was injured when she fell due to a three inch drop-off between sections of the

sidewalk and street at the entrance of the Starlight Baptist Church located in

Alexandria, Louisiana. In its answer, the State named the City as a third-party

defendant asserting that should it be found liable, it should be indemnified by the City

because the City owned the sidewalk.

In June 2008, the City filed a peremptory exception of no cause of action

urging that no solidary obligation existed between the State and the City and,

therefore, the State could not have a claim of indemnification against it. Following

a September 2008 hearing, the trial court allowed the State ten days within which to

amend its pleadings to state a cause of action against the City. The State timely filed

an amended third-party demand. The City thereafter filed a motion to strike the

supplemental and amending third-party demand and a peremptory exception of no

cause of action. The City again argued that the State again failed to provide any legal

basis upon which it could have a claim for indemnification against the City. The trial

court granted the City’s motion to strike and exception of no cause of action and

dismissed the State’s claims against the City with prejudice. The State now appeals.

Its sole assignment of error is that the trial court erred in maintaining the City’s

exception of no cause of action.

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STANDARD OF REVIEW

In Kinchen v. Livingston Parish Council, 07-0478, p. 2 (La. 10/16/07),

967 So.2d 1137, 1138 (quoting Fink v. Bryant, 01-0987, pp. 3-4 (La. 11/29/01), 801

So.2d 346, 348-49), the supreme court set forth the role of an appellate court in

reviewing a trial court’s sustainment or denial of a peremptory exception of no cause

of action:

The function of the peremptory exception of no cause of action is to
question whether the law extends a remedy to anyone under the factual
allegations of the petition. The peremptory exception of no cause of
action is designed to test the legal sufficiency of the petition by
determining wether [the] plaintiff is afforded a remedy in law based on
the facts alleged in the pleading. No evidence may be introduced to
support or controvert the objection that the petition fails to state a cause
of action. The exception is triable on the face of the papers and for the
purposes of determining the issues raised by the exception, the well-
pleaded facts in the petition must be accepted as true. In reviewing a
trial court’s ruling sustaining an exception of no cause of action, the
appellate court and this Court should subject the case to de novo review
because the exception raises a question of law and the trial court’s
decision is based only on the sufficiency of the petition. Simply stated,
a petition should not be dismissed for failure to state a cause of action
unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts
in support of any claim which would entitle him to relief. (Citations
omitted.)

Accordingly, we must determine whether the State has set forth any facts indicating

that it would have a valid claim of indemnification against the City.

INDEMNIFICATION

The practice of filing a third- party demand for indemnification is nearly

extinct in Louisiana following the 1996 amendments of La.Civ.Code art. 2324

abolishing solidarity among tortfeasors and instituting a system of comparative fault.

See La.Civ.Code art. 2323. A solidary obligation is not only not presumed, but only

arises if parties conspire “to commit an intentional or willful act” or if parties agree

to be solidarily bound from a “clear expression of the parties’ intent.” La.Civ.Code

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arts. 2324 and 1796. A review of the State’s original third-party demand and its

amended third-party demand reveals no indication of either. There is no allegation

of an agreement between the State and the City to be bound solidarily nor is there any

allegation of a jointly committed intentional act. The State’s only allegations, in its

original and supplemental third-party demand, are that the City is the owner of the

street and sidewalk in question and is responsible for its repair and upkeep and that

the City will be unjustly enriched if the State is found liable and has to pay damages

to Beauregard.

The State’s brief advances no valid argument in support of its contention

that it is due indemnification from the City. Its claim that the City has been unjustly

enriched at its expense is unfounded, particularly in light of the fact that the State has

yet to be found liable for Beauregard’s injuries.

CONCLUSION

The judgment of the trial court dismissing the State’s third-party demand

is affirmed. All costs of this appeal are assessed against the defendant-appellant, the

State of Louisiana, Department of Transportation and Development.

AFFIRMED.

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