Abadie v. Loubat

97 So. 2d 96, 1957 La. App. LEXIS 765
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 24, 1957
DocketNo. 20867
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 97 So. 2d 96 (Abadie v. Loubat) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Abadie v. Loubat, 97 So. 2d 96, 1957 La. App. LEXIS 765 (La. Ct. App. 1957).

Opinion

JANVIER, Judge.

Mrs. Mary Abadie, wife of Frank Fu-getta, and her daughter, Mrs. Mary Louise LeSage, while passengers in a taxicab of defendant, Checker Cab Company, sustained physical injuries at about 2:45 o’clock on the afternoon of October 6, 1955, when the cab, on its way down Bourbon Street, in New Orleans, was run into at the corner of Bienville Street by a large truck of M. G. Loubat, who does business as M. G. Loubat Truck Service, the truck being on its way out Bienville Street.

Mrs. LeSage at the time was almost eight months pregnant, and she and her mother were on their way home from a visit which Mrs. LeSage had made to her obstetrical specialist.

This suit was filed by Mr. and Mrs. Le-Sage and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Fugetta, Sr., originally only against M. G. Loubat, the owner of the truck, and his liability insurer, New Amsterdam Casualty Company. Three days after the filing of the original petition, a supplemental petition was filed and Checker Cab Company was added as a defendant.

Mrs. Fugetta prayed for solidary judgment against all three defendants in the sum of $15,000. Mr. Fugetta, because of the medical and hospital expenses made necessary by the injuries of Mrs. Fugetta, prayed for solidary judgment against all defendants in the sum of $1,937.81. Mrs. Le-Sage prayed for solidary judgment against all defendants in the sum of $5,000, and Mr. LeSage, because of medical expenses alleged to have been made necessary by the injuries of Mrs. LeSage, prayed for solidary judgment in the sum of $145. All defendants prayed for and obtained trial by jury.

[98]*98They alleged that the driver of the Loubat truck had been at fault in failing to stop at a traffic stop sign which faced him as he neared the intersection of Bourbon Street; in that he “failed to maintain a sharp lookout and they also charged that there was negligence in defendant Loubat in that the •brakes on his truck were not in working condition.

Although, in their original petition, plaintiffs made no allegation of negligence as against the operator of the Checker Cab Company, in their supplemental petition they charged that he “failed to maintain a sharp lookout;” that he was negligent in operating the cab at a speed of 25 miles per hour; that “by the exercise of care and caution he could have anticipated and seen the Loubat truck, applied his brakes, and could have avoided the said impact.” They also alleged that the brakes of the taxicab were defective.

Loubat and his insurer, New Amsterdam Casualty Company, denied that the driver of the truck had been in any way at fault and averred that the “sole cause of the accident was the negligence of the driver of the Checker Cab in failing to keep a proper lookout and in failing to keep control over his vehicle * * Loubat and his insurer also averred that, in the alternative that it appear that there was any negligence on the part of the driver of the truck, Mrs. Fugetta and Mrs. LeSage were guilty of contributory negligence “in failing to protest the reckless driving of the driver of the Checker Cab.”

The Checker Cab Company denied that the driver of the cab had been in any way at fault, and averred that the accident had been caused solely by negligence of the operator of the Loubat truck “in failing to stop for the stop sign * * *,” in “failing to yield the right of way * * *,” and “in operating a vehicle with defective brakes.”

The verdict of the jury dismissed the suit as against Checker Cab Company, but was against M. G. Loubat' and New Amsterdam Casualty Company in solido; in favor of Mrs. Frank Fugetta in the amount of $2,500; in favor of Frank Fugetta in the amount of $1,170; in favor of Mrs. Leo LeSage in the amount of $1,000, and against Leo LeSage dismissing his claim for medical expenses.

The verdict was unanimous insofar as the several amounts awarded were concerned, but so far as the Checker Cab Company was concerned it was ten to two in favor of the dismissal of the suit as against that company.

There was judgment in accordance with the verdict and all plaintiffs have appealed. The defendants cast did not appeal independently and did not answer the several appeals of plaintiffs.

There is no doubt whatever as to the negligence of the driver of the Loubat truck and no real controversy over this question. In fact, since there have been no appeals by Loubat or his insurer, it is evident that liability is conceded. It is definitely shown that the truck did not stop for the stop sign before entering the intersection and that the brakes of the truck were completely defective and would have been almost of no effect at all had they been applied.

As he neared the corner of Bourbon Street, Wilmer Cooley, the driver of the Loubat truck, was faced by a stop sign and at the opening of the trial the following concession was made by counsel for Loubat and New Amsterdam Casualty Company:

“ * * * it is stipulated and agreed that Bourbon is the right of way street, because there is a stop sign at Bourbon, on Bienville, arresting traffic on Bienville Street, which means before any vehicle can enter Bourbon Street it must come to a stop and then proceed.”

Since plaintiffs have appealed from the judgment not only on the ground that" [99]*99the amounts awarded are too small, but also on the ground that the Checker Cab Company should not have been held not liable, the Loubat Company and New Amsterdam Casualty Company are interested in attempting to have the judgment in favor of the other defendant, Checker Cab Company, reversed for the reason that if it should be ultimately held that there is solidary liability in all of the defendants, any one of them might demand pro tanto contribution from the others. It is well settled that where joint tort-feasors are held solidarily liable, though any one of them may be required by the plaintiff to pay the entire judgment, that one may compel the others to contribute on a pro tanto basis. Quatray v. Wicker, 178 La. 289, 151 So. 208. Therefore, because of this and since plaintiffs have appealed in an effort to have the Checker Cab . Company held solidarily liable, it becomes necessary that we analyze the evidence as to whether there was fault on the part of the driver of the cab.

There is, however, in the record nothing which, to any serious extent, contradicts the testimony of the driver of the cab which is to the effect that, as he approached the corner at a speed of 20 miles per hour, he reduced his speed and “rolled” up to the corner at about 15 miles per hour; that he saw the truck and knew that it was “still back far enough that he (the truck driver) could have stopped * * *.”

Mrs. Fugetta says that the cab “was not going very fast * * * about 18 miles per hour.” And Mrs. LeSage says that the driver of the cab “was not going fast.”

The cab driver had the right of way; he knew that the truck should stop, and he knew that its speed was such that it could stop before it reached the intersection. Certainly he was justified in assuming that it would stop, and since he had the right of way there was no reason why he should not have proceeded as he did at moderate speed into the intersection. As a matter of fact, he had almost completed the intersection when the truck, unable to stop because of the condition of its brakes, rolled into the right rear of the cab.

In Brown v.

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Related

Sittig v. United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co.
149 So. 2d 424 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1963)
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99 So. 2d 147 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1957)

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Bluebook (online)
97 So. 2d 96, 1957 La. App. LEXIS 765, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/abadie-v-loubat-lactapp-1957.