Beebe v. Larche

184 So. 3d 729, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 2295, 2015 WL 7280676
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 18, 2015
DocketNo. 50,267-CA
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 184 So. 3d 729 (Beebe v. Larche) 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
Beebe v. Larche, 184 So. 3d 729, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 2295, 2015 WL 7280676 (La. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinions

PITMAN, J.

h Third-Party Defendant Paul Eikert appeals the trial court’s rulings in favor of Plaintiff Deborah Beebe and Defendant Hollis Charles Larche. For the following reasons, we affirm.

FACTS

On December 4, 2003, Ms. Beebe filed a petition for damages in which she named Mr. Larche as the defendant.1 She alleged that Mr. Larche owned a building in Bastrop, Louisiana, and that Paul Eikert, d/b/a Cooper Lake Grocery, had a business located inside the building. She stated that she was an employee of Mr. Eikert and that, on December 19, 2002, while at work, she was injured when she slipped and fell in water that came through the leaking rooi/ceiling. She alleged that Mr. Larche was aware of a leaking roof/ceiling that caused water to pool on the floor of the business, but-that he failed to warn or remedy the defective arid unreasonably dangerous condition.

On October 4, 2005, Mr. Larche filed an answer and third-party demand, stating that the lessee at the time of the alleged accident .was Mr. Eikert and. that their lease agreement required Mr. Eikert to hold Mr.. Larche harmless from any .damages or injuries occasioned by defects of the premises. Mr. Larche stated that he did everything reasonably within his power to keep the premises safe whenever called upon or whenever he had any notice of any problems. He pled .the affirmative defenses of comparative negligence and assumption of the risk and contended that it was Mr. Eikert’s responsibility to monitor and prevent defects on the ^premises. Mr. Larche made Mr. Eikert a third-party defendant and requested indemnification from him for any damages with which he might be assessed.

Regarding, the third-party demand, a preliminary default against Mr. Eikert and in favor of Mr. Larche was granted on June 26, 2006,. On March 27, 2007, the third-party demand came before the trial court for confirmation of the default judgment, Mr. Larche testified about the lease between himself and Mr. Eikert. An unsigned copy of the lease was entered into the record,2 and Mr. Larche explained [732]*732that he lost his signed copy. Attorney Woodrow Wilson testified that he drafted the lease and that it was executed. The trial court granted the default judgment and ordered that Mr. Eikert be cast in judgment for any and all damages and court costs that may be assigned to Mr. Larche. Mr. Eikert was personally served with notice of the judgment.

After several trial settings and continuances, Ms. Beebe and Mr. Larche proposed a consent judgment on August 22, 2014. Ms. Beebe was awarded $40,000 plus court costs. Pursuant to La. R.S. 9:3221,3 IsMr. Larche was held legally harmless, and judgment was cast against Mr. Eikert pursuant to the default judgment.

On August 28, 2014, Mr. Eikert filed a motion to reconsider judgment on third-party demand, stating that he was never served with the third-party demand and alleging insufficient service. He further stated that although the sheriffs return purported to show personal service on “Paul Eikart” at “6988 United Street, Bas-trop, LA 71220,” there is no building with the address of “6988 United Street.”4 He also stated that his work records demonstrate that he worked away from home on the date the service was allegedly made. He requested that the trial court set aside the default judgment and that he be allowed to respond to the third-party de-maud because the 2007 judgment was entered without valid service and because the proof offered to confirm the default was insufficient.

That same day, Mr. Eikert filed a motion for permission to intervene. He stated that, in response to her fall, Ms. Beebe filed a workers’ compensation claim against him. He alleged that he has a lien on any amount recovered by Ms. Beebe in the current litigation for repayment of workers’ compensation benefits paid to her.

Also on August 28, 2014, Mr. Eikert filed a motion for new trial regarding the consent judgment. He argued that the judgment cannot be considered a consent judgment because he is a party to the proceedings and did not consent to entry of the judgment.

14 On October 30, 2014, Mr. Larche filed an -answer and exceptions of prescription and peremption. He alleged that Mr. Ei-kert was personally served and that his attempt to bring a nullity action against the consent judgment was subject to a prescriptive period of one year. He stated that Mr. Eikert’s action both prescribed and perempted. On October 31, 2014, Ms. Beebe filed an answer and exceptions of prescription and peremption and raised [733]*733the same arguments asserted by Mr. Larche.

A hearing on Mr. Eikert’s motions was held on' November 18, 2014, wherein he stated that his motion to intervene was moot. On December 4, 2014, the trial court signed a judgment dismissing the motion to reconsider the 2007 judgment; finding that the motion to intervene is moot; and resetting the hearing on the motion for new trial.

On January 5, 2015, Mr. Eikert filed an exception of no cause or right of action. He argued that the third-party demand failed to set forth a cause or right of action in the absence of an indemnity agreement or of a direct action by Ms. Beebe against him.

On February 5, 2015, a hearing was held regarding the motion for new trial and the exception of no cause or right of action. On February 19, 2015, the trial court dismissed with prejudice the exception of no cause or right of action and also dismissed with prejudice the motion for new trial on the consent judgment and the exception of lack of jurisdiction.

Mr. Eikert filed a motion for a suspen-sive appeal on March 11, 2015. He sought review of all final and interlocutory judgments rendered against him in this matter, including, but not limited to, the August 2014 consent [¿judgment; the February 2015 dismissals of the motion for new trial, the exception of lack of jurisdiction and the exception of no cause or right of action; the December 2015 judgment dismissing the motion to reconsider the 2007 judgment and finding the motion to intervene to be moot; and the March 2007 default judgment.

DISCUSSION

No Cause of Action

In his first assignment of error, Mr. Eikert argues that the .trial court erred in denying his exception of no cause of action.- He contends that neither Ms. Beebe nor Mr. Larche has a cause of action against him under'the lease between himself and Mr. Larche because the indemnity provision is unenforceable. He states that no agreement may be interpreted to require indemnification for the contracting party’s own negligence unless the agreement specifically provides for indemnification for negligence. He also states that the indemnity provision does not specifically require him to indemnify Mr. Larche for losses incurred due to Mr. Larche’s own negligence. Mr. Eikert further contends that Ms. Beebe and Mr. Larche seek to use the indemnity provision to circumvent the Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Act. He argues that workers’ compensation provides an employer with a full defense against any tort claim asserted by the employee for an injury sustained in the course and scope of employment and that it provides Ms. Beebe with the exclusive remedy available for her injuries.

Mr. Larche and Ms. Beebe argue that prescription has run on Mr. Eikert’s attempt to attack the 2007 judgment. Mr.

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Related

Beebe v. Larche
218 So. 3d 1114 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2017)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
184 So. 3d 729, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 2295, 2015 WL 7280676, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beebe-v-larche-lactapp-2015.