Crosstex Energy Services, LP, Crosstex LIG, LLC and Crosstex Processing Services, LLC v. Texas Brine Company, LLC

Opinion

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Leopold Z. Sher Attorneys i Party Plaintiff/Appella1 James Garner B Company,

Peter L. Hilbert Neal i';

Jeffrey D. Amanda ' Schenck New Orleans, i .'

and

Roby_ Ryland Percy Gonzales, i w w:

and

Travis Gonzales, and

Eric 1. Mayer Houston, Texas

rd

Thear 1. Lemoine Attorney i Party Defendant/ Appellee New Orleans, i w w:

NationalSuretyCorporation

This appeal relates to one of several lawsuits arising from the August 2012

ippearance of a sinkhole near Bayou Come in Assumption Parish, Louisiana. Here,

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National Surety Corporation, the homeowner's insurer of Sol Kirschner. The judgmen)

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we should defer action here until separate appeals involving Mr. Kirschner wera

resolved. On October 10, 2018, we granted National Surety' s motion to stay unti'

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against Mr. Kirschner. Crosstex et al. v. Texas Brine Company, LLC, et al., 18- 0749 ( La.

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al. v. Texas Brine Company, LLC, et al, 18- 1213 ( La. App. 1 Cir. 7/ 11/ 19), 2019 WL

3049762 ( Crosstex 1213), writ denied, ( La. 11/ 12/ 19), So. 3d On May 21, 11111111111 1111111 Igni IFIF

where the plaintiff has a substantive cause of action against the insured. 5oileau M

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we affirmed that judgment in Cro55tex 0749. The trial court also dismissed TexE2.

Grosstex 1213.1 Thus, as a result of our decisions, Texas Brine no longer has a

substantive cause of action against Mr. Kirschner; and, Texas Brine no longer has E

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moot. See We115 FJrgo 63nk, N.A. v. Tonagel, La. App. I Cir. • 2013

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appeal to Texas Brinel

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1 Direct actions against insurers are limited to tort liability; but, a lawsuit setting forth numerous theories of recovery may, in some circumstances, proceed under the Direct Action Statute. See MenL7 Construction Services, Inc. v. Poche, 11- 1474 ( La. App. 4 Cir. 3/ 14/ 12), 87 So. 3d 273, 276; Champion v, Panel Era Mfg. Co., 4 10 So. 2d 1230, 1235- 36 ( La. App. 3 Cir. 1982). 2 on this cost assessment, we --• not address National Surety' s post -argument Motion I Determination or Allocation of Appeal Costs, or, In the Alternative, Motion for Leave to File Posm Argument Brief. I