Bertucci Contracting Co. v. Wagner

544 F. App'x 308
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedMarch 19, 2013
Docket12-30725
StatusUnpublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 544 F. App'x 308 (Bertucci Contracting Co. v. Wagner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bertucci Contracting Co. v. Wagner, 544 F. App'x 308 (5th Cir. 2013).

Opinion

PER CURIAM: *

This consolidated limitation of liability action arises out of the demolition of the original Interstate 10 Twin Span Bridges across Lake Pontchartrain. The State of Louisiana contracted with Petitioners-Appellants NASDI, L.L.C., and Bertucci Contracting Co., L.L.C., for the demolition and removal of parts of the Twin Span Bridges. Claimants-Appellees are affected residents of the Lakeshore Estates Subdivision and other residential areas who brought a state-court action alleging nuisance as a result of the noise, dust, and vibrations caused by Appellants’ activities. In the same state action, Appellees also alleged that the Appellants’ vessels trespassed onto their waterfront property, causing damage. Appellants subsequently filed limitation actions in the Eastern District of Louisiana under the Limitation of Liability Act, 46 U.S.C. §§ 30501, et seq. The district court preliminarily enjoined the state action, but later granted in part and denied in part Appellees’ motions to dismiss the limitation actions for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. In separate orders the district court also relaxed and lifted an injunction with respect to certain claims, and denied reconsideration. Appellants appeal the district court’s orders. *310 For the following reasons, we vacate the district court’s orders and remand for consideration of Appellees’ allegedly interwoven land- and vessel-based nuisance claims.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

A. Hurricane Katrina

The original Interstate 10 Twin Span Bridges (“Twin Spans”) crossed Lake Pontchartrain and connected the Lake’s southern and northern shores. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in southeast Louisiana and severely damaged the Twin Spans. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development initially was tasked with repairing the Twin Spans. Because of the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, the State of Louisiana ultimately decided that the Twin Spans were too vulnerable to storm surges and decided to replace them with two new bridges. Work on the replacement bridges began on July 13, 2006. The first bridge opened on July 9, 2009, and the second on April 7, 2010. The Twin Spans then were permanently closed to traffic.

B. Demolition of the Twin Spans

The State of Louisiana contracted with various companies to effectuate the demolition and removal of the Twin Spans and the repurposing of the associated concrete. This process began in May 2011, and was expected to generate in excess of 244,000 tons of concrete from the Twin Spans. As part of the Twin Spans’ demolition and removal, barges and tugboats transported slabs of concrete to a “staging area” just north of Lake Pontchartrain. The staging area was located on an undeveloped piece of property accessible from the Lake via a canal. Vessels carried concrete through the canal. On their way they passed the Lakeshore Estates Subdivision and other residential areas (“Lakeshore Estates”), which were adjacent to the staging area. In so doing, the vessels allegedly trespassed on part of the canal purportedly owned by residents of the Lakeshore Estates. The currents from those vessels also allegedly eroded and caused damage to boathouses and bulkheads owned by residents of Lakeshore Estates.

According to testimony adduced in the state court and to depositions filed as a part of the motion for reconsideration, once the concrete arrived at the staging area, the tugboats rammed the barges onto shore and kept them there by revving their engines anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. While tugboats held the barges in place, large slabs of concrete were unloaded to shore. This process entailed dragging the concrete off the metal barges or picking up the concrete by crane and dropping it back on the barges to break it into smaller pieces. After the concrete was unloaded, industrial crushers and grinders broke it down or crushed it into smaller parts, and sorted it by size. This again involved picking up slabs of concrete and repeatedly smashing them until they were reduced to the desired size. Once empty, the barges would be cleaned. This involved pushing any remaining debris from the barges into the water. This debris also allegedly entered part of the Lakeshore Estates.

After being transported from the Twin Spans, unloaded, and crushed down, some of the concrete was packed into geo-textile “mattresses.” These mattresses initially were stored at the staging area, but later were loaded back onto the barges and transported to Lake Borgne to be used for shoreline protection. Other concrete from the staging area was used in the creation of an artificial reef and construction of a fishing pier.

*311 Aside from allegedly being very loud, the entire process purportedly also created dust at the point at which the concrete was unloaded and when the concrete was crushed, which then settled on the Lake-shore Estates. The activities at the staging area also allegedly created vibrations that disturbed and damaged the Lake-shore Estates.

C. Appellants’ Operations

The State contracted with Petitioners-Appellants NASDI, L.L.C. (“NASDI”), and Bertucci Contracting Co., L.L.C. (“Bertucci”) (NASDI and Bertucci are collectively referred to herein as “Shipowners”), to help complete the process of demolishing and removing the Twin Spans and repurposing the concrete remains. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development contracted with NASDI to demolish and remove parts of the Twin Spans and transport them to the staging area. Bertucci entered into a contract with the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration to break up the concrete, place it into mattresses, and transport the mattresses to Lake Borgne. Bertucci also regularly transported light and heavy equipment to the staging area by boat and barge. NASDI sub-contracted with Bertucci to assist in breaking down the concrete at the staging area.

D. The Residents’ State-Court Action

Claimants-Appellees (“Residents”) are residents of the Lakeshore Estates. On January 17, 2012, Residents filed a Petition for Declaratory Judgment, Injunctive Relief, and Class Action Lawsuit Related to Liability and Damages in the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans. Residents’ petition asserted that the Shipowners’ activities created noise, dust, and vibrations that resulted in personal injury, property damage, and nuisance to nearby residential areas. Residents further alleged that the Shipowners’ vessels trespassed into private waterways near the staging area causing further damage.

Residents then filed a Rule to Show Cause to obtain a hearing date on their request for a preliminary injunction. The state court set a preliminary injunction hearing date for March 9, 2012. That date was later delayed to March 20, 2012, to provide Shipowners a hearing on various exceptions filed in response to Residents’ petition. At the March 9, 2012, exceptions hearing, the state court denied all of the Shipowners’ exceptions, save for an exception related to venue, which it took under advisement, but later denied.

E.The Shipowners’ Limitation Actions

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544 F. App'x 308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bertucci-contracting-co-v-wagner-ca5-2013.