Davis v. Kreutzer

633 So. 2d 796, 1994 WL 55873
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 25, 1994
Docket93-CA-1498
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 633 So. 2d 796 (Davis v. Kreutzer) 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
Davis v. Kreutzer, 633 So. 2d 796, 1994 WL 55873 (La. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

633 So.2d 796 (1994)

Angelene J. DAVIS
v.
Gerald G. KREUTZER, et al.

No. 93-CA-1498.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

February 25, 1994.

*797 Robert M. Becnel, Becnel, Landry & Becnel, LaPlace, for plaintiff/appellee.

Nat G. Kiefer, Jr., Nat G. Kiefer, Jr., A Professional Law Corporation, New Orleans, for defendants/appellants.

Collins C. Rossi, Frederick H. Dwyer, Bailey, Rossi & Kincade, Metairie, for intervenor/appellee.

Before BYRNES, PLOTKIN and LANDRIEU, JJ.

PLOTKIN, Judge.

This appeal arises from a personal injury action filed by Angelene Davis against defendants Gerald G. Kreutzer, Transmit Management of Southeast Louisiana, Inc. (TMSEL) and the Regional Transit Authority (RTA). On the day of the accident, July 6, 1989, plaintiff, who was employed by New Orleans Tours, Inc. (NOT), was in the course and scope of her employment as a tour guide on a riverfront streetcar owned by the RTA and operated by Edward Jones, Jr., an employee of TMSEL. At the time that accident occurred, the streetcar on which plaintiff was working was at a complete stop. Another streetcar, owned by the RTA and operated by Kreutzer, an RTA maintenance worker in the course and scope of his employment, struck the rear of the streetcar on which plaintiff was conducting a tour. The force of the collision knocked her into the fare box and the handle used to open the streetcar door. The cause of the accident was brake failure on the streetcar operated by Kreutzer. As a result of the accident, plaintiff alleged that she sustained serious and permanent personal injuries.

Prior to the accident, the RTA entered into a public-private partnership agreement with the Riverfront Transit Coalition Group, Inc. (RTCG) and the City of New Orleans (City) to establish a Riverfront Streetcar Line in the City of New Orleans.

Pursuant to the agreement, RTA agreed to operate the streetcar line and in turn entered into an agreement with TMSEL for the day-to-day operation of the line; RTCG agreed to provide tour guides and in turn entered into an agreement with NOT (plaintiff's employer) to provide tour guides to RTA and TMSEL for the Riverfront Streetcar Line. Plaintiff was working in the capacity of tour guide on the RTA streetcar at the time of her accident.

Prior to trial, defendant RTA filed an exception of no cause of action and a motion for summary judgment contending that RTA was plaintiff's statutory employer and that plaintiff's exclusive remedy against defendant was for workman's compensation benefits under La.R.S. § 23:1032. In denying the exception and motion for summary judgment, *798 the trial court held that plaintiff was not a statutory employee of the RTA.

Also prior to trial, a petition of intervention was filed by NOT's workers' compensation insurer, Presidential Fire & Casualty Insurance Co. (PF & C) which was paying plaintiff's medical and employment benefits. PF & C was subsequently placed in liquidation and all parties were enjoined from prosecution or adjudication of any rights of PF & C. After PF & C's insolvency, plaintiff's direct employer, NOT, continued payment of compensation benefits. As a result, a petition of intervention was filed by NOT in which NOT sought reimbursement for compensation benefits and medical expenses paid pursuant to the workers' compensation law. Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association (LIGA) later assumed the obligations of PF & C and began making the compensation payments. LIGA subsequently fully reimbursed NOT for all compensation and medical benefits it paid to plaintiff. Notice of trial was not sent to either NOT nor PF & C. However notice was sent to Allen Daigrepont (a LIGA representative). The matter proceeded to trial without NOT, LIGA or PF & C, none of which appeared or were represented by counsel at the trial.

On January 5, 1993, the trial court rendered judgment in favor of the plaintiff, dismissed defendants' statutory employer defense, and assessed damages which included general damages, past medical expenses, past lost wages and future lost wages. Further, the trial court cast the defendants in solido for future medical expenses for surgery to the lumbar spine.

Also on that date, the trial court rendered judgment in favor of LIGA, as intervenor, for the workers' compensation lien and ordered reimbursement to LIGA for medical expenses and compensation benefits paid to the date of trial, less plaintiff's attorney's fees. The court further ordered that LIGA be entitled to reimbursement for future compensation benefits out of the judgment.

Both plaintiff and defendants filed motions for new trial. Plaintiff, in her motion, contended that she was aggrieved by the trial court's judgment as it ordered that the defendants be cast in solido for the future medical expenses of surgery. Plaintiff requested that the court amend the judgment to award a sum certain for future lumbar surgery. Plaintiff's motion was heard and dismissed by the trial court. The defendants argued that the general damage award of $250,000 was excessive, that the court erred in awarding the cost of future lumbar surgery, that the intervention award to LIGA was improper because LIGA was not a party to the litigation, and that the court erred in awarding an expert witness fee to plaintiff's expert, Mr. Huval, since he did not testify in person at the trial. The defendants motion was heard and the trial court amended the original judgment to delete the award to LIGA because LIGA had not intervened in the lawsuit and to delete the expert witness fee award to Mr. Huval because he did not testify in person.

From the amended judgment, the defendants filed a devolutive appeal. Subsequently, defendants filed a petition to annul the judgment and a petition for injunctive relief on the grounds that the amended judgment was null and void for failure to comply with the mandatory notice requirements of La. C.C.P. Art. 1571 and Rule 10 § 4 of the Civil District Court Local Rules. The trial court issued a temporary restraining order enjoining plaintiff from executing on the judgment. A preliminary injunction as to the enforcement of the amended judgment was granted on the grounds that the amended judgment was rendered pursuant to an untimely motion for new trial and was therefore without legal effect. The trial court reasoned that the original judgment of January 5, 1993, from which no appeal was taken, was therefore a valid final judgment, and ordered that the temporary restraining order be dissolved.

In full and final satisfaction of the January 5, 1993 judgment, the defendants paid plaintiff the sum of $438,304.79, reserving all rights of defendants to prosecute their devolutive appeal and to seek reimbursement from plaintiff and her attorney in the event the judgment is reversed in whole or in part. The satisfaction of judgment was executed by plaintiff and her attorney and the compensation lien in favor of LIGA in the amount of *799 $77,726.08 was deducted from the payment to plaintiff as required by La.R.S. 23:1103.

LIGA filed a motion to intervene in the appeal in which it sought to become a party to the suit on the basis of compensation and medical benefits paid to and on behalf of plaintiff. The motion was granted by this court. LIGA then filed a reply brief, to which plaintiff responded with a motion to dismiss, or, in the alternative a motion to strike the reply brief.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
633 So. 2d 796, 1994 WL 55873, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-kreutzer-lactapp-1994.