Florida v. Stokes

944 So. 2d 598, 2006 WL 2692578
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 20, 2006
Docket2005 CA 2004
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 944 So. 2d 598 (Florida v. Stokes) 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
Florida v. Stokes, 944 So. 2d 598, 2006 WL 2692578 (La. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

944 So.2d 598 (2006)

Alvin FLORIDA, Jr., Curator for Alvin Florida, Sr. and Elmira Florida
v.
Deborah STOKES and Ultra Health Services, Inc.

No. 2005 CA 2004.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

September 20, 2006.

*599 Timothy E. Pujol, Donnie L. Floyd, Prairieville, for Plaintiffs-Appellants Alvin Florida, Jr., Curator for Alvin Florida, and Elmira Florida.

*600 April L. Watson, Baton Rouge, for Defendant-Appellee Ultra Health Services, Inc.

William H. Parker, III, Lafayette, for Defendant-Appellee Deborah Stokes.

Before: PETTIGREW, DOWNING, and HUGHES, JJ.

PETTIGREW, J.

In this action, petitioner filed suit on behalf of a family member seeking recovery for fraudulent acts allegedly committed by an employee of a home health service. Petitioner now appeals from a trial court judgment that dismissed his petition based upon maintenance of a peremptory exception raising the objection of no right of action. We hereby reverse and remand.

FACTS

Petitioner Alvin Florida, Jr. ("Alvin Jr."), "a resident of the full age of majority of the State of Louisiana, in his capacity as the curator for Alvin Florida, Sr.," joined with fellow petitioner Elmira Florida ("Ms. Florida") and filed a Petition for Damages on May 28, 2004.[1] According to the allegations of the petition, from September 2001 to August 2003, defendant Deborah Stokes, in the course and scope of her employment with defendant Ultra Health Services, Inc. ("Ultra"), performed home health services for Alvin Florida, Sr., initially at his home, and thereafter at the home of Ms. Florida. Ms. Florida is alleged to be the sister of Alvin Florida, Sr.

It is further alleged that during this time, Ms. Stokes took advantage of Alvin Florida, Sr.'s dementia, which resulted from "an Alzheimer's type syndrome," and engaged in repeated acts of fraud and deception so as to misappropriate money and personal items from Alvin Florida, Sr. In addition, it is alleged that Ms. Stokes wrote checks to herself on Ms. Florida's account. Upon proof of these alleged acts, Alvin Florida, Sr., appearing herein through his alleged curator, Alvin Jr., together with Ms. Florida seek damages plus legal interest and attorney fees from Ms. Stokes and Ultra.

Ultra and Ms. Stokes responded by filing individual answers to the petition, and Ms. Stokes set forth a reconventional demand for damages resulting from injury to her reputation. On March 2, 2005, Ultra filed a peremptory exception raising the objection of no right of action together with a memorandum in support. Ultra asserted that Alvin Jr. had no justiciable interest in this matter as he was neither a curator nor a provisional curator for Alvin Florida, Sr. at the time this matter was filed.[2]

In response, Alvin Jr. attempted to cure the alleged defect in the petition through the filing of an Amended Petition for Damages on April 8, 2005. Therein Alvin Jr. alleged to be "a resident of the full age of majority of the State of California, appearing pursuant to a Power of Attorney executed in his favor by ELMIRA FLORIDA on March 3, 2005 and a Power of Attorney executed in his favor by ALVIN FLORIDA, *601 SR., on March 3, 2005." Pursuant to the allegations contained in the amended petition, Alvin Jr. altered his capacity from curator for Alvin Florida, Sr. to that of agent for both Alvin Florida, Sr. and fellow petitioner Ms. Florida. In his amended petition, Alvin Jr. reasserted the demands set forth in the original petition that he filed with Ms. Florida. On April 12, 2006, Alvin Jr. was granted leave of court to amend the petition.

On April 20, 2005, Ultra filed a motion and order to vacate the trial court's April 12, 2005 order that allowed Alvin Jr. to amend the petition. Ultra contended that the objections raised in its pending exception raising the objection of no right of action could not be cured through an amendment of the petition. Ms. Stokes, on May 11, 2005, filed a similar peremptory exception raising the objection of no right of action together with a memorandum in support, expressly adopting the memorandum previously filed by Ultra as support for her exception.

Thereafter, on May 31, 2005, the trial court heard arguments on Ultra's motion to vacate its order allowing amendment of the petition, together with the peremptory exceptions filed by Ultra and Ms. Stokes that raised objections of no right of action. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court sustained the objection as to no right of action with respect to the claims asserted on behalf of Alvin Florida, Sr. With respect to the claims asserted on behalf of Ms. Florida, the trial court overruled the objection of no right of action based on its finding that Ms. Florida had filed the lawsuit in her individual capacity. The trial court further granted the motion to vacate its order, thereby dismissing all claims brought by Alvin Jr. on behalf of Alvin Florida, Sr. A judgment to this effect was signed by the court on June 13, 2005. From this adverse judgment, Alvin Jr., in his capacity as agent for Alvin Florida, Sr., has appealed.

ISSUE PRESENTED ON APPEAL

In connection with his appeal in this matter, Alvin Jr., in his capacity as agent for Alvin Florida, Sr., presents the following issue for consideration by this court:

Did the honorable trial court err in vacating the order to allow Alvin Jr. to amend the original Petition for Damages to reflect his status as agent for Alvin Sr. and granting defendants' No Right of Action exception?

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Generally, an action can be brought only by a person having a real and actual interest that he asserts. La.Code Civ. P. art. 681. The peremptory exception pleading the objection of no right of action assumes a viable cause of action and challenges whether the plaintiff has a legal interest in judicially enforcing that cause or remedy. Centofanti v. Diamond Offshore Drilling, 01-1691, p. 4 (La.App. 1 Cir. 5/22/02), 819 So.2d 1101, 1103. Whether a person possesses a right of action depends upon whether the particular plaintiff belongs to the class in whose favor the law extends a remedy. Northshore Capital Enterprises v. St. Tammany Hospital District # 2, 01-1606, p. 4 (La. App. 1 Cir. 6/21/02), 822 So.2d 109, 112, writ denied, 02-2023 (La.11/1/02), 828 So.2d 584. Whether a plaintiff has a right of action is a question of law. Therefore, it is reviewed de novo on appeal. Jackson v. St. Helena Parish Sheriff's Department, 01-2792, p. 2 (La.App. 1 Cir. 1/8/02), 835 So.2d 842, 844. To prevail, the defendant must show that the plaintiff does not possess an interest in the subject matter of the suit. Id.

*602 ANALYSIS

As part of the original petition that he filed together with Ms. Florida, Alvin Jr. alleged that he was "a resident of the full age of majority of the State of Louisiana" and that he was appearing "in his capacity as the curator for ALVIN FLORIDA, SR." As part of its memorandum offered in support of its peremptory exception, Ultra attached copies of an interdiction proceeding filed in East Baton Rouge Parish in 2002, wherein Alvin Jr. and a Patricia Florida sought appointment as curator and undercurator [sic], respectively, for Alvin Florida, Sr. In the interim, Alvin Jr. sought and was appointed as provisional curator of the estate of Alvin Florida, Sr., conditioned upon the posting of a $150,000.00 bond. There is no record of a bond having been posted, or letters of curatorship having been issued.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Succession of Cannon
166 So. 3d 1107 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2015)
Rita Allaire v. Maria Benton
397 F. App'x 33 (Fifth Circuit, 2010)
In RE INTERDICTION OF DeMARCO
38 So. 3d 417 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010)
In Re Succession of Hollis
987 So. 2d 387 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2008)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
944 So. 2d 598, 2006 WL 2692578, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/florida-v-stokes-lactapp-2006.