Beacham v. Hardy Outdoor Advertising

520 So. 2d 1086, 1987 WL 2465
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 9, 1987
Docket86-1166
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 520 So. 2d 1086 (Beacham v. Hardy Outdoor Advertising) 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
Beacham v. Hardy Outdoor Advertising, 520 So. 2d 1086, 1987 WL 2465 (La. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

520 So.2d 1086 (1987)

Al W. BEACHAM, M.D., & Sara Young Beacham, Plaintiffs-Appellees,
v.
HARDY OUTDOOR ADVERTISING, INC., Defendant-Appellant.

No. 86-1166.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

December 9, 1987.

Book & Beverung, M. Steven Beverung, Lake Charles, for defendant-appellant.

Debra Jean Becnel, Lafayette, for plaintiffs-appellees.

Before DOUCET and KING, JJ., and *1087 CULPEPPER, J. Pro Tem.[*]

WILLIAM A. CULPEPPER, Judge Pro Tem.

Plaintiffs instituted this proceeding on June 20, 1985, seeking an injunction prohibiting the defendant from entering upon plaintiffs' property to remove an advertising sign placed there by defendant. Plaintiffs obtained a temporary restraining order to that effect, and also sought a judgment declaring plaintiffs to be the owners of the sign. Plaintiffs later amended, seeking damages. Defendant reconvened seeking damages for wrongful issuance of the T.R.O. or, in the alternative, damages.

After a hearing on July 29, 1985 the trial court granted plaintiffs a preliminary injunction. After trial on the merits, a judgment was rendered declaring plaintiffs the owners of the sign, and awarding judgment to the plaintiffs in the amount of $500. The defendant appeals this judgment.

FACTS

The plaintiffs are co-owners of a tract of land fronting I-49 North of Lafayette, Louisiana. The defendant is an outdoor advertising company. Neil Onebane, an owner of several convenience stores, desired to advertise his business on a billboard fronting I-49. Mr. Onebane contacted Henry Hardy, the president of the defendant company, Hardy Outdoor Advertising, Inc., who agreed to erect a billboard for Mr. Onebane, provided Mr. Onebane obtain the location for the structure. In August, 1984 Mr. Onebane approached the plaintiff, Dr. Beacham, as an old family friend, and asked if he could have a sign erected on Dr. Beacham's property fronting I-49, in order to advertise his business. Dr. Beacham agreed to allow him to do so "rent-free" on the condition the sign would be removed on short notice, since the property was for sale. Dr. Beacham signed an application for a permit from the state allowing the placement of the sign on his property.

In June, 1985 R.R. Cassidy, Inc. of Baton Rouge, the subcontractor for defendant, Hardy Outdoor Advertising, commenced to erect a 14' × 48' steel and concrete based billboard on the plaintiffs' property. Upon becoming aware of the construction, Dr. Beacham notified Mr. Onebane, the only person with whom he had had contact, that he desired its removal. Mr. Onebane contacted Hardy Outdoor Advertising who in turn contacted its subcontractor, R.R. Cassidy, and requested that they stop construction. However, R.R. Cassidy was unable to reach its people working in the field in time to stop the construction before the billboard was substantially completed. When the construction was continued and the sign not removed, Dr. Beacham filed suit to be declared owner of the sign and seeking damages.

After notifying R.R. Cassidy, Inc. to cease construction, Mr. Hardy contacted Dr. Beacham at his home, and was informed by Dr. Beacham that he was going out of town and to contact him the following Monday. Mr. Hardy contacted Dr. Beacham again the following Monday. He was instructed to talk to Dr. Beacham's lawyer, who informed him that a temporary restraining order had already been issued prohibiting him from entering upon plaintiffs' property and removing the billboard. No advertising of any sort was placed on the sign.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

1. The trial court erred in finding the sign is an immovable under LSA-C.C. art. 463 and LSA-C.C. art. 493.

2. The trial court erred in holding the plaintiffs own the sign.

3. The trial court erred in holding the defendant is not entitled to reimbursement for the sign and damages.

4. The trial court erred in awarding damages to the plaintiffs.

ISSUE 1

The law is settled that a sign embedded in the ground with steel and cement *1088 is within the category of "other constructions" in LSA-C.C. art. 463, thus an immovable by nature. LSA-C.C. art. 463 Comment C (1978); American Sign and Indicator Corp. v. City of Lake Charles, 320 So.2d 234 (La.App. 3d Cir.1975); Industrial Outdoor Displays v. Reuter, 162 So.2d 160 (La.App. 4th Cir.1964), writ refused, 246 La. 348, 164 So.2d 352 (1964). Therefore the trial court did not err in finding the sign is an immovable.

ISSUE 2

The defendant claims the trial court erred in holding the plaintiffs own the sign.

The plaintiffs agreed to let an old family friend place a sign on their property "rent-free." There is no lease involved, since a certain and determinate price is essential to a lease. LSA-C.C. art. 2670 and LSA-C.C. art. 2671; McCain v. McCain Bros., 165 La. 884, 116 So. 221 (La.1928); Mouton v. P.A.B., Inc., 450 So.2d 410 (La.App. 3d Cir.1984), writ denied, 458 So.2d 118 (La. 1984). Since there is no lessor-lessee relationship, we must turn to the articles on accession to determine the rights of the parties. Myers v. Burke, 189 So. 482 (La. App. 1st Cir.1939). Therefore, the issue of ownership turns on whether the plaintiffs, as the owners of the land, consented to the construction of the sign on their land.

LSA-C.C. art. 493 provides in pertinent part:

"Art. 493. Buildings, other constructions permanently attached to the ground, and plantings made on the land of another with his consent belong to him who made them. They belong to the owner of the ground when they are made without his consent.
"When the owner of buildings, other constructions permanently attached to the ground, or plantings no longer has the right to keep them on the land of another, he may remove them subject to his obligation to restore the property to its former condition. If he does not remove them within 90 days after written demand, the owner of the land acquires ownership of the improvements and owes nothing to their former owner."

Also applicable are:

"Art. 493.1. Things incorporated in or attached to an immovable so as to become its component parts under Articles 465 and 466 belong to the owner of the immovable."
"Art. 493.2. One who has lost the ownership of a thing to the owner of an immovable may have a claim against him or against a third person in accordance with the following provisions."

The plaintiffs apparently intended the sign to be such as they had previously permitted friends to erect—small and nonpermanent. The sign the defendant erected is a permanent, double-sided billboard, on which the defendant planned to advertise not only the friend's business, but a motel as well. The permit for the sign (for which the plaintiff signed the application) states that an $11,000 sign would be erected. The defendant now contends that he actually constructed a $27,050.23 sign. Clearly, the sign constructed on the plaintiffs' premises is not the type of sign they consented to, nor did the defendant plan to use it only for the purpose the plaintiffs consented to. Under the facts of this case, the plaintiffs did not consent to a sign of this nature being placed on their premises.

Since the sign was not erected with the plaintiffs' consent, it belongs to the plaintiffs as the owners of the ground, under LSA-C.C. art. 493.

ISSUE 3

The defendant claims entitlement to reimbursement for the value of the sign and damages.

The defendant is clearly not entitled to reimbursement under the rules of accession, LSA-C.C. art.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
520 So. 2d 1086, 1987 WL 2465, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beacham-v-hardy-outdoor-advertising-lactapp-1987.