Esperanza Land v. 310 Investments, LLC

179 So. 3d 861, 15 La.App. 5 Cir. 477, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 2369, 2015 WL 7423274
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 19, 2015
DocketNo. 15-CA-477
StatusPublished

This text of 179 So. 3d 861 (Esperanza Land v. 310 Investments, LLC) 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
Esperanza Land v. 310 Investments, LLC, 179 So. 3d 861, 15 La.App. 5 Cir. 477, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 2369, 2015 WL 7423274 (La. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

JUDE G. GRAVOIS, Judge.

| gDefendant/appellant, 310 Investments, LLC (“310”), owns property located in a business park developed by plaintiff/appel-lee, Esperanza Land, LLC (“Esperanza”). 310’s property is subject to Esperanza’s recorded building restrictions. When 310 began making improvements on its property without Esperanza’s prior approval, as required by the restrictions, Esperanza sought and was granted a preliminary injunction that restrained, enjoined, and prohibited 310 from making any further improvements to its property. 310 now appeals the trial court’s judgment granting the preliminary injunction. For the following reasons, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Esperanza developed the “Esperanza Business Park” located on the west bank of St. Charles Parish in Luling, Louisiana. Esperanza intended the business park and property and lots located therein to be subject to building restrictions. Accordingly, on May 17, 2006, Esperanza recorded in the conveyance records of St. Charles Parish a document entitled “Declaration of Building Restrictions for [¡¡Esperanza Business Park” (hereinafter, “the building restrictions”). On Décember 21, 2006, 310 purchased Lot 3 in the business park subject to the building restrictions.

In or around October 2013, Timothy Mayeux met with representatives of Esperanza to discuss purchasing property from Esperanza to house his helicopter charter business, MYU' Flying Service, LLC. Mr. Mayeux did not purchase any property from Esperanza; however, upon learning that Mr. Mayeux was interested in purchasing Lot 3 in the business park from 310, Esperanza sent him a copy of the building restrictions. Further, on February 21, 2014, Esperanza notified Mr. Mayeux by letter that the building restrictions did not permit the operation of a heliport in the business park. Notwithstanding this information, on February 27, 2014, Mr. Mayeux’s company, MYU Investments, LLC, acquired ownership of 310, which owned Lot 3, on which Mr. Mayeux planned to house his helicopter charter business.

[864]*864Lot 3 was originally zoned “M-l” by the St. Charles Parish government.1 In order to operate a heliport on Lot 3, the property needed to be rezoned to “AV-1.”2 Thus, in November 2013, 310 filed an application to rezone Lot 3 from its M-l zoning classification to an AV-1 classification. 310 also submitted an application for a “Special Permit Use” with the St. Charles Parish Department of Planning and Zoning. Both applications stated that the contemplated use of the property was as a “[heliport.” Despite opposition from Esperanza and other adjacent property owners, on February 17, 2014, the St.’ Charles Parish Council rezoned Lot 3 from M-l to AV-1 and authorized the Special Permit Use.

|¿Considering the foregoing, Esperanza filed a petition for declaratory judgment and permanent injunction against 310 on March 21, 2014. Esperanza sought a judgment declaring that the construction and operation of a heliport on Lot 3 would be a violation of the building restrictions. Esperanza further sought an injunction to permanently enjoin and prohibit 310 from violating the building restrictions, to mandate that 310 cause Lot 3 to be rezoned back to its original M-l classification, and to take the necessary actions to revoke the Special Permit Use.

In response, 310 filed an answer and reconventional demand in which it admitted that it was in the process of developing a private heliport on Lot 3, but denied that this was a violation of the building restrictions. 'Further, 310 claimed that it was entitled to a declaratory judgment declaring that its intended use of Lot 3 was not prohibited by the building restrictions, 'or alternatively, that the provisions of the building restrictions regulating, use were abandoned, or in the further alternative, that the building restrictions could not be enforced against it as 310 detrimentally relied upon the conduct of Esperanza.

In July 2014, 310 submitted plans to Esperanza for approval of the “MYU Office and Warehouse” on Lot .3, On August 6, 2014, Esperanza notified Mr. Mayeux by letter that no intended use was listed on the plans. Assuming that the intended use of the “MYU Office and -Warehouse” was a heliport or helipad as previously admitted to, Esperanza rejected the plans finding them to be a violation of “the use limitations set out in the Restrictions.” Revised plans were submitted to Esperanza in December 2014; on January 28,2015, Esperanza again rejected the plans because of the intended use. In a letter dated February 23, 2015, Esperanza rejected the proposed plans for a third time for the same reasons.

In November 2014, Mr. Mayeux applied for and was later' granted two building permits for his proposed “office” and “warehouse/aircraft hangar.” ^Though 310 failed to obtain Esperanza’s prior approval of its proposed final building plans, 310 nonetheless began construction on Lot 3. In response, on March 25, 2Ó15, Esperanza filed an amended and supplemental petition in which it sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against 810 to enjoin and prohibit 310 from making any improvements on Lot 3 absent the approval of Esperanza until a final resolution of ’the permanent injunc[865]*865tion and declaratory judgment. On March 26, 2015, the trial court granted Esperanza a temporary restraining order, restraining, enjoining and prohibiting 310 from making any improvements to Lot- 3, specifically restraining 310 from constructing, placing or developing a heliport .on, the property. 310 filed a motion to dissolve the. temporary restraining order on March 27, 2015.3

The trial court conducted an evidentiary hearing on the application for the preliminary injunction and the motion to dissolve the temporary-restraining order on April 10 and 29, 2015. After witnesses, and evidence were presented, the trial court took the matter under advisement. On May 11, 2015, ther trial court issued a judgment granting the preliminary injunction and denying 310’s request to dissolve the temporary restraining order.4 The trial court found in its reasons for judgment that 310’s commencement of work on the construction of a heliport without prior approval of Esperanza was a violation of the building restrictions, the building restrictions prohibit the development of a ‘heliport in the business park, and the restrictions were not previously abandoned. This timely appeal followed.

J£AW AND ANALYSIS'"

Á preliminary injunction is a procedural device, interlocutory in nature, designed to preserve the existing status pending a trial of the issues on the merits of the case. La. C.C.P, art. 3601; McCord v. West, 07-958 (La.App. 5 Cir. 3/25/08), 983 So.2d 133,140. A preliminary injunction is a summary proceeding and merely requires a prima facie showing of a good chance to prevail on the merits. Id. The petitioner is required to offer less proof than is necessary in an ordinary proceeding for permanent injunction.. Derbes v. City of New Orleans, 05-1249. (La. App. 4 Cir. 8/30/06), 941 So.2d 45, 53-54. The principal demand is determined on its merits only .after a full trial under ordinary process, even though the hearing on the summary proceedings to obtain the preliminary injunction may touch upon or tentatively decide merit issues. Smith v. West Virginia Oil & Gas Co., 373 So.2d 488, 494. (La.1979).

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179 So. 3d 861, 15 La.App. 5 Cir. 477, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 2369, 2015 WL 7423274, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/esperanza-land-v-310-investments-llc-lactapp-2015.