Darnell v. Alcorn

757 So. 2d 716, 99 La.App. 4 Cir. 2405, 1999 La. App. LEXIS 2721, 1999 WL 1127793
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 24, 1999
DocketNo. 99-CA-2405
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 757 So. 2d 716 (Darnell v. Alcorn) 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
Darnell v. Alcorn, 757 So. 2d 716, 99 La.App. 4 Cir. 2405, 1999 La. App. LEXIS 2721, 1999 WL 1127793 (La. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinions

11 BAGNERIS, J.

This suit involves an objection to the candidacy of Dwight “Twin” Alcorn for election to the office of member of Louisiana House of Representatives from District 100. This suit claims that Mr. Alcorn “fails to meet the qualifications for the office he seeks for the reason that the defendant does not and has not lived within the boundaries of said District 100 for the prior year as required by law.”

The central issue is whether the court below had proper jurisdiction over the person of the defendant to be able to render a valid judgment against him.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

On September 16, 1999, Michael C. Darnell, an attorney, filed a lawsuit in Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, seeking to disqualify Dwight “Twin” Al-corn as a candidate for the House of Representatives, District 100. Darnell alleged in his petition that Alcorn failed to live in the district for one year before he qualified for the primary election, as required by LSA-R.S. 18:492, and Louisiana Constitution art; Section. 4.

The case was allotted to Judge Ethel S. Julien, Division “N”. On September 20, 1999, a hearing was held and judgment was rendered in favor of Darnell | ^against Alcorn, disqualifying him as a candidate for the House of Representatives, District 100.

Alcorn filed a motion for new trial or, in the alternative a rehearing; the duty judge denied both motions in the absence of the trial court. Alcorn appeals, contending that the trial court erred in rendering judgment in favor of Darnell, disqualifying him' as a candidate for House of Representatives, District 1.00.

FACTS

Qualifying for office in the October, 1999 primary election closed at 5:00 p.m. Sep[718]*718tember 9, 1999. Mr. Darnell’s suit was filed by facsimile transmission to the clerk of court’s office at 10:58 p.m. Thursday September 16, 1999. The petition in the record contains a hand written notation, “posted September 17, 1999” followed by a person’s name. The service instructions contained three alternatives: one was the address listed on defendant’s qualifying papers; another address was that shown on his driver’s license, the address where plaintiff contends defendant actually resides; and a third address. By order signed Friday September 17, 1999 a hearing was fixed for 9 am, Monday September 20,1999.

The Civil Sheriff was not able to effectuate service on the defendant at any address provided by plaintiff.

On September 20, 1999 the proceedings began with counsel for plaintiff advising the court that service had not been made on the defendant. Thereupon the court took a recess until 1 pm to permit counsel to serve the clerk of court as the statutorily appointed agent. Following the recess the proceedings resumed with the representative of the clerk of court, Mr. Brous-sard, present. Mr. Broussard acknowledged service of process on behalf of the clerk of court earlier that day. 13He was sworn to testify and produced and identified the qualifying form executed by the defendant containing an address on Wright Road and a telephone number. The form was identified as plaintiffs exhibit #1.

Subsequent to this testimony the court appointed Mr. Ferdinand Valteau as attorney for the absent defendant. The trial proceeded and the court heard from a representative of the Civil Sheriff regarding service attempts on the defendant. The plaintiff testified, establishing that he is a qualified voter in District 100, and that the address on defendant’s qualifying papers is near his home. He knew, through his children, who lived at that address and that the defendant did not live there. The final witness was a private investigator who testified that he observed a ear registered to the defendant at the service address outside District 100, but on 8 separate checks at varying times of day and night never observed a vehicle registered to the defendant at the address on his qualifying form. The remainder of plaintiffs case consisted of documents subpoenaed from the registrar of voters and his driver’s license record showing renewal at the address outside of the district within one year of qualifying for office.

The trial court granted plaintiff judgment sustaining the objection to candidacy.

DISCUSSION

On appeal, Alcorn contends that the trial court erred in awarding judgment in favor of Darnell, thereby disqualifying Alcorn’s candidacy. Alcorn argues that the ruling by the trial court violated his due process rights. Alcorn argues that the LSA-R.S. 18:1405, requires that he be served with a citation directing him to appear in Court at 10:00 a.m. on the fourth day after the suit has been filed. Alcorn | contends that the fourth day requirement denied him adequate time to receive sufficient notice and to be able to prepare an adequate defense against the lawsuit.

Alcorn further contends that the curator ad hoc appointed by the trial court was inadequate and ineffective counsel in defending his rights against the lawsuit. Al-corn argues that the curator failed to contact him regarding the lawsuit and had insufficient time to prepare an adequate defense on his behalf, depriving him of his right to due process.

In an election contest, the person objecting to the candidacy bears the burden of proving the candidate is disqualified. La.R.S. 18:492; Slocum v. DeWitt 374 So.2d 755 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1979), writ denied, 375 So.2d 1182 (La.1979); Mix v. Alexander, 318 So.2d 130 (La.App. 4th Cir. 1975); Charbonnet v. Hayes, 318 So.2d 917 (La.App. 4th Cir.1975), application denied, 320 So.2d 201 (La.1975). The laws governing the conduct of elections must be lib[719]*719erally interpreted so as to promote rather than defeat candidacy. Rich v. Martin, 259 So.2d 113 (La.App. 1st Cir.1971). Any doubt as to qualifications of a candidate should be resolved in favor of permitting the candidate to run for public office. Slocum, 374 So.2d at 758.

In a lawsuit objecting to a candidacy on the ground the defendant was unqualified to be a candidate because of not having been actually domiciled in the district for one year preceding the time for qualification, the burden of proof is on the contestant. Autin v. Terrebonne, 612 So.2d 107; Blackwell v. Blackwell, 606 So.2d 1355. The question of domicile is one of intention as well as fact, and where it appears a domicile has been acquired in another district, the party seeking to show it has been changed to a new district must overcome the legal presumption it has not been changed by positive and satisfactory proof of the establishment |sof a domicile as a matter of fact with the intention of remaining in the new district and of abandoning the former domiciles. Succession of Caprito, 468 So.2d 561.

Domicile is an issue of fact to be determined on a casé-by-ease inquiry. Succession of Barnes, 490 So.2d. 630, 631 (La.App. 2nd Cir.1986); Eagle v. Eagle, 477 So.2d 1293, 1294 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1985); Calix v. Souza, 467 So.2d 1369, 1370 (La. App. 5th Cir.1985).

LSA-Const. Article 3, Section 4 requires that a candidate for the legislature must have been “actually domiciled for the preceding year” in the district from which he or she seeks election. The phrase “actually domiciled” as used in the constitution requires that one holding legislative office have a real rather than fictitious domicile in the area represented. Messer v. London, 438 So.2d 546, 547 (La.1983).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
757 So. 2d 716, 99 La.App. 4 Cir. 2405, 1999 La. App. LEXIS 2721, 1999 WL 1127793, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/darnell-v-alcorn-lactapp-1999.