Christoff v. Bergeron Industries, Inc.

474 So. 2d 999, 1985 La. App. LEXIS 9525
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 29, 1985
DocketNo. 85-CA-203
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 474 So. 2d 999 (Christoff v. Bergeron Industries, Inc.) 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
Christoff v. Bergeron Industries, Inc., 474 So. 2d 999, 1985 La. App. LEXIS 9525 (La. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

CURRAULT, Judge.

This appeal originates in the Twenty-Fourth Judicial District Court, Division “B”, Parish of Jefferson, wherein the Honorable Frank V. Zacearía granted plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment casting defendant, North River Insurance Company, liable for plaintiff’s worker’s compensation benefits.

On August 7, 1980, Nathaniel Christoff was employed by Bergeron Industries, Inc. as a welder engaged in the construction of a barge. As a result of an accident which occurred at his workplace, Christoff sustained a comminuted fracture of his right patella; and on August 14, 1980, Dr. Alain F. Cracco performed a right patellectomy.

Christoff received compensation benefits pursuant to the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. These benefits were terminated, however, around July 10, 1983, pursuant to 33 U.S.C. § 908(c)(2) of the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. In addition, pursuant to 33 U.S.C. § 905(b) of the same act, he filed suit against his employer, Bergeron Industries, Inc., for his injuries.

The case was tried before the Honorable Henry A. Mentz, Jr., United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, on November 4th and 5th, 1982. On April 14, 1983, the district court filed findings of fact and conclusions of law and entered its judgment on April 15, 1983.

An appeal was filed by plaintiff and a cross-appeal was filed by Bergeron Industries, Inc. On December 10, 1984, 748 F.2d 297, the United States Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit reversed the district court’s judgment in favor of plaintiff; and, further, remanded with instructions to dismiss the lawsuit for want of jurisdiction.

On May 14, 1984, Christoff filed a petition for worker’s compensation benefits and attorneys’ fees and penalties in the Twenty-Fourth Judicial District Court, Parish of Jefferson. On June 20, 1984, Ber-geron Industries, Inc. filed a notice of automatic stay notifying the court and all parties to the proceeding that on November 9, [1001]*10011983, it filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, a petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.

On June 22, 1984, Bergeron Industries, Inc. (Bergeron) and North River Insurance Company (North River) filed an answer to plaintiff’s petition for worker’s compensation benefits, attorneys’ fees and .penalties. In their answer, defendants denied plaintiff’s entitlement to total and permanent disability benefits. They also raised the affirmative defense of prescription and further urged that plaintiff’s claim for State worker’s compensation benefits were effectively barred on the grounds that he had already elected the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act as the forum in which to adjudicate said claims; and, particularly, had elected*to exercise his right to adjudicate his cause of action in tort pursuant to 33 U.S.C. § 905(b) of the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act.

In addition to answering plaintiff’s petition, Bergeron and North River also propounded interrogatories and a request for production of documents. These requests were propounded for the express purpose of developing factual information concerning plaintiff’s medical condition and vocational status as the last information contained in defendants’ file had been submitted at the time of the Federal trial more than two years earlier.

Instead of answering defendants’ discovery requests, plaintiff, on August 3, 1984, filed a motion for summary judgment on the issue of plaintiff’s entitlement to worker’s compensation benefits for permanent and total disability; and further filed a motion for summary judgment for attorneys’ fees and penalties for failure to pay compensation benefits. In support of his motion for summary judgment, plaintiff relied upon testimony which had been given on November 4 and 5, 1982, at the trial of plaintiff’s 33 U.S.C. § 905(b) tort claim in federal court; and, based upon said testimony, argued that “it is beyond question that Nathaniel Christoff is totally and permanently disabled under the ‘odd-lot’ doctrine.” In addition, plaintiff submitted an affidavit which only stated that he has not received any weekly compensation benefits since July, 1983, and that he has not been employed in any capacity since that time.

On September 28, 1984, Bergeron and North River filed memoranda in opposition to plaintiff’s motions for summary judgment. On October 5, 1984, a partial motion to dismiss without prejudice was signed dismissing Bergeron pursuant to the federally issued stay order. On October 16, 1984, defendant North River filed a supplemental memorandum in opposition to plaintiff’s motions for summary judgment.

On December 20, 1984, following a hearing, plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment was granted on the grounds that “the medical evidence produced at trial of the above said claim shows that plaintiff is a borderline retardate and practically unemployable and a perfect example of the odd-lot doctrine.” On December 28, 1984, defendant North River filed a motion for reconsideration or, alternatively, for amendment of judgment. On January 23, 1985, defendants’ motion for a new trial was denied but the judgment was amended to reflect that compensation payments had been made pursuant to the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act until July 10, 1983. From the judgment casting them for worker’s compensation benefits, North River now appeals asserting the following error:

“The trial court erred in granting plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on the issue of plaintiff’s entitlement to worker’s compensation benefits for permanent and total disability.”

Appellant argues that the trial court, in granting appellee’s motion for summary judgment, expressly violated the requirements for summary judgment as stated in LSA-C.C.P. Article 966.

In his petition for worker’s compensation benefits, appellee alleged that the injuries which he sustained on or about August 7, 1980 have rendered him permanently and totally disabled and that he is, therefore, [1002]*1002entitled to worker’s compensation benefits. Appellant expressly denied appellee’s allegations concerning permanent and total disability by answer; and, noting that ap-pellee’s petition had been filed more than one year after the date of the accident in question, raised the affirmative defense of prescription pursuant to LSA-R.S. 23:1209 of the Louisiana Worker’s Compensation Act. Appellant further denies appellee’s entitlement to compensation benefits pursuant to the State Act. Appellant argues that appellee, having sought and, further, having pursued an action in damages pursuant to Section 905(b) of that act, had, in fact, elected to seek relief under the Federal Act. Appellant concludes, therefore, that appellee is precluded from bringing the instant action by the election of remedies doctrine.

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Related

Guidry v. BOH BROS. CONST. CO., INC.
545 So. 2d 538 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1989)
Haas v. Gill
531 So. 2d 457 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1988)
Christoff v. Bergeron Industries, Inc.
477 So. 2d 106 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1985)

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Bluebook (online)
474 So. 2d 999, 1985 La. App. LEXIS 9525, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/christoff-v-bergeron-industries-inc-lactapp-1985.