Allen McMillian v. Michael Breen

CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 2, 2019
Docket2018CA0998
StatusUnknown

This text of Allen McMillian v. Michael Breen (Allen McMillian v. Michael Breen) 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
Allen McMillian v. Michael Breen, (La. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

STATE OF LOUISIANA

COURT OF APPEAL

FIRST CIRCUIT

NO. 2018 CA 0998

ALLEN McMILLIAN

VERSUS

MICHAEL BREEN, ET AL

Judgment Rendered: UG "Cf 2 2019·

Appealed from the 22nd Judicial District Court In and for the Parish of St. Tammany State of Louisiana Case No. 2007-16388

The Honorable William H. Burris, Judge Presiding

Byard Edwards, Jr. Counsel for Plaintiff/Appellant Hammond, Louisiana Michael Breen

John M. Dubreuil Counsel for Defendant/Appellee Covington, Louisiana Sarah McMillin, aka Sarah McMillian, as the independent administratrix of the Charles M. Hughes, Jr. succession of Alan K. McMillian, aka Mandeville, Louisiana Alan K. McMillin, aka Allen McMillian, aka Allen McMillin Scott H. Fruge Baton Rouge, Louisiana

BEFORE: GUIDRY, CRAIN, AND THERIOT, JJ. THERIOT,J.

Michael Breen appeals the February 21, 2018 judgment of the Twenty-

Second Judicial District Court granting the motion to withdraw funds from the

registry of the court filed by Sarah McMillin, as independent administratix of the

succession of Allen McMillin. For the following reasons, we affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

1 On June 8, 2001, Allen McMillin filed a petition for damages in the

Twenty-First Judicial District Court (" 2Pt JDC"), naming Michael Breen and

Breen Chiropractic Corporation as defendants. Mr. McMillin alleged that on June

11, 2000, he was rendered quadriplegic after diving head first into the Tangipahoa

River and striking rubble or other foreign objects that were in the river. The river

was located at the rear of property Mr. McMillin was renting from Mr. Breen. Mr.

McMillin alleged that the rubble, which included concrete and wood, had been

deposited into the river by Mr. Breen.

Mr. Breen was personally served with the citation and petition on September

2 10, 2001. Mr. Breen did not file an answer to the petition or respond to the

lawsuit. On October 30, 2003, the trial court entered a preliminary default against

Mr. Breen and Breen Chiropractic Corporation. Subsequently, on July 26, 2004,

following a hearing pursuant to La. Code Civ. P. art. 1702(A), the trial court

entered a default judgment in Mr. McMillin's favor and against Mr. Breen for

8,585,235.53. The default judgment was affirmed on appeal and is a final

judgment. See McMillin v. Breen, 2005-0732 (La. App. 1 Cir. 3/29/06); 925 So.2d

776, writ denied, 2006-1817 (La. 11/9/06); 941 So.2d 41.

1 Mr. McMillin has also been referred to as Allen McMillian, Alan K. McMillian, and Alan K. McMillin, throughout these proceedings.

2 Mr. Breen has admitted in federal proceedings that he was personally served with the citation and petition. See Breen v. McMillin, No. 08-1089, 2008 WL 2224864, at * 2-4 (E.D. La. May 27, 2008).

2 Since the default judgment became final, both parties have filed extensive

pleadings. The actions relevant to the current proceedings are as follows. On

January 11, 2007, Mr. McMillin filed a petition to make the judgment executory

and for a writ of fieri facias in the 21st JDC, seeking the seizure and sale of certain

property owned by Mr. Breen and located in Tangipahoa Parish. Similarly, on

November 27, 2007, Mr. McMillin filed a petition to make the judgment executory

and for writ of fieri facias in the Twenty-Second Judicial District Court (''22nd

JDC"), seeking the seizure and sale of property owned by Mr. Breen and located in

St. Tammany Parish.

On April 30, 2008, Mr. McMillin filed another petition for writ of fieri

facias in the 22nd JDC, seeking to enforce the default judgment directing the St.

Tammany Parish sheriff to seize and sell Mr. Breen's property in that parish. Mr.

McMillin alleged that Mr. Breen owned 100% of the issued and outstanding stock

in Breen Chiropractic Corporation, a corporation domiciled in St. Tammany

Parish. On May 1, 2008, the 22nd JDC ordered the same.

On March 11, 2009, Mr. McMillin died. His daughter, Sarah McMillin, was

later appointed independent administratix of his estate.

On May 19, 2009, Mr. Breen filed an exception of lis pendens with the 22nd

JDC, alleging that the suit pending in the 21st JDC barred prosecution of Mr.

McMillin's suit seeking seizure and sale of Mr. Breen's property in St. Tammany

Parish. Although it appears that Mr. Breen's exception of lis pendens was

originally recorded with the office of the clerk of court for the 22nd JDC, the lis

pendens was later cancelled on October 17, 2016.

On September 28, 2009, Mr. Breen filed a petition to nullify the 2004

default judgment in the 21st JDC, alleging improper service of process. 3

3 This petition was deemed abandoned as of October 27, 2012 pursuant to a September 13, 2017 judgment of dismissal for abandonment.

3 On January 29, 2015, Ms. McMillin, as independent administratix of Mr.

McMillin's estate, filed an ex-parte motion in the 22nd JDC asking the court to

order Mr. Breen to tum over accounts of Breen Chiropractic Corporation and

Michael Breen to the registry of the court. On January 30, 2015, the trial court

signed an order granting that motion.

On September 22, 2016, Ms. McMillin filed an ex parte motion in the 22nd

JDC, asking the trial court to order the State of Louisiana's Department of

Treasury, Unclaimed Property Division (" Unclaimed Property Division") to tum

over funds in the division's possession that had originally belonged to Mr. Breen.

This order was granted and signed on the same date.

On August 9, 2017, Ms. McMillin filed a motion to withdraw funds from the

registry of the court in the 22nd JDC. This motion referred to $182,326.11 that had

been deposited into the court's registry by Citizens Bank and Trust Company, and

141,041.76 that had been deposited into the court's registry by the Unclaimed

4 Property Division. Ms. McMillin asked the court to release the funds in its

registry to her as partial satisfaction of the 2004 default judgment against Mr.

Breen.

In an order signed October 6, 2018, the 22nd JDC ordered funds totaling

140,057.88, which were seized pursuant to the writ of fieri facias issued on May

1, 2008 and a subsequent order to seize bank accounts dated August 11, 2008, and

deposited into the court's registry, to be paid to Ms. McMillin in partial satisfaction

of the judgment. This same order acknowledged funds that were taken from the

Breen Chiropractic Clinic and ordered that those funds, which had also been seized

4 The unclaimed funds were returned to the St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court pursuant to La. R.S. 9:167.

4 by the court, were to remain on deposit in the registry of the court until further

5 order ofthe court.

On December 1, 2017, Mr. Breen filed a petition to nullify the original

default judgment against him, alleging that the default judgment was based on

insufficient service. This petition was filed in the 22nd JDC, but referenced a

petition to nullify the same judgment that was pending in the 21st JDC. However,

as previously stated, Mr. Breen's September 28, 2009 petition to nullify the default

judgment, which was filed in the 21st JDC, was abandoned. The December 1, 2017

petition appears to still be pending, but is not before us on appeal.

On January 22, 2018, Ms. McMillin filed another motion to withdraw funds

from the registry ofthe court in the 22nd JDC. In this motion, Ms. McMillin sought

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