Hazel Richard Savoie v. Alice T. Richard

STATE OF LOUISIANA
COURT OF APPEAL, THIRD CIRCUIT

CW 13-1422 consolidated with CA 13-1370

HAZEL RICHARD SAVOIE, ET AL.

VERSUS

ALICE T. RICHARD, ET AL.

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ON SUPERVISORY WRITS
THIRTY-EIGHTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT
PARISH OF CAMERON, NO. 10-18078
HONORABLE PENELOPE QUINN RICHARD, DISTRICT JUDGE

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BILLY HOWARD EZELL
JUDGE

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Court composed of Jimmie C. Peters, Billy Howard Ezell, and Phyllis M. Keaty,
Judges.

WRIT DENIED.

Donald T. Carmouche
Victor L. Marcello
Diane Adele Owen
John Hogarth Carmouche
William R. Coenen, III
Brian T. Carmouche
Ross J. Donnes
Todd J. Wimberley
Talbot, Carmouche, & Marcello
17405 Perkins Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70810
(225) 400-9991
COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFFS/APPLICANTS:
Hazel Richard Savoie
Kevin Troy Savoie
Richard Michael Savoie

Thomas E. Balhoff
Judith R.E. Atkinson
Roedel Parsons Koch Blache Bulhoff & McCollister
8440 Jefferson Hwy., Ste. 301
Baton Rouge, LA 70809-7652
(225) 929-7033
COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT:
State of Louisiana, Department of Natural Resources

Patrick Wise Gray
Thomas Martin McNamara
Amy Allums Lee
Johnson Gray McNamara, LLC
P. O. Box 51165
Lafayette, LA 70505
(337) 412-6003
COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS:
Shell Oil Company
SWEPI LP

Joe Barrelle Norman
Kelly B. Becker
Liskow & Lewis
701 Poydras St., Ste. 5000
New Orleans, LA 70139-5099
(504) 581-7979
COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANTS/ RESPONDENTS:
Shell Oil Company
SWEPI LP

William T. McCall
Guillory & McCall
901 Lake Shore Drive, Ste. 1030
Lake Charles, LA 70601
(337) 433-9996
COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENT:
SWEPI LP
Shell Oil Company

Michael Keith Prudhomme
David Paul Bruchhaus
Chad Ellis Mudd
Mudd & Bruchhaus, LLC
410 E. College Street
Lake Charles, LA 70605
(337) 562-2327
COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFFS/APPLICANTS:
Richard Michael Savoie
Hazel Richard Savoie
Kevin Troy Savoie

Michael J. Mazzone
Elizabeth E. Klingensmith
Haynes and Boone, LLP
1221 McKinney St., Ste. 2100
Houston, TX 77010-2007
(713) 547-2115
COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS:
Shell Oil Company
SWEPI LP

EZELL, Judge.

Hazel, Kevin, and Richard Savoie (the Savoies) filed the current writ

challenging the action of the trial court in supplementing the trial record at the

request of Shell Oil Company and SWEPI LP (hereinafter collectively referred to

as “Shell”) to include evidence of a settlement of remediation claims between the

Savoies and another defendant, Pioneer Exploration, LLC, who is currently

conducting mineral operations on a portion of the plaintiffs’ property.

The Savoies and Pioneer entered into a settlement agreement in August 2013,

after final judgment was rendered in the original oilfield legacy lawsuit in May

2013. A redacted copy of the settlement agreement between the Savoies and

Pioneer was introduced into evidence at a hearing on a motion for new trial filed

by Shell, along with correspondence to and from the Louisiana Department of

Natural Resources. When the trial court ruled to deny the motion for new trial,

Shell and SWEPI orally requested that the trial court order the record being

prepared for appeal be supplemented with the transcript of and the evidence

introduced at that hearing. The trial court ultimately granted the motion to

supplement the appellate record. The plaintiffs have filed the instant writ

application challenging the trial court’s ruling supplementing the record.

As the reasons expressed in the consolidated case of Hazel Richard Savoie,

et al. v. Alice T. Richard, et al., 13-1370 (La.App. 3 Cir. __/__/14), ___ So.3d ___,

render this writ moot, we deny the writ application of the plaintiffs-relators, Hazel

Savoie, et al.

All costs for this writ are assessed to the plaintiffs.

WRIT DENIED.