Gardebled v. Georgia Pacific Corp.

506 So. 2d 576, 1987 La. App. LEXIS 9191
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 9, 1987
DocketNo. CA-5736
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 506 So. 2d 576 (Gardebled v. Georgia Pacific Corp.) 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
Gardebled v. Georgia Pacific Corp., 506 So. 2d 576, 1987 La. App. LEXIS 9191 (La. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

GARRISON, Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the district court providing as follows:

“IT IS ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that Georgia Pacific Corporation’s Motion for Summary Judgment be and it is hereby granted and that plaintiff’s Petition to Annul Judgment be and it is hereby dismissed, with .prejudice, plaintiff to bear all costs.”

From that judgment, Felix Gardebled appeals.

On March 3, 1983 Georgia Pacific filed suit against Dependable Container & Chassis Service, Inc. in CDC # 83-3644. Felix Gardebled is the President of Dependable, a closely-held corporation. On November 24,1984 judgment was rendered in favor of Dependable, which judgment was appealed by Georgia Pacific. Georgia Pacific had failed to name Gardebled personally in the suit. Thus when Georgia Pacific lost against Dependable, it then filed suit on December 14, 1984 against Gardebled personally in a separate suit, specifically CDC # 84-20621. This petition was served on Gardebled who thought that it was a notice of appeal in the first suit and believed that his attorney was handling it. Gardebled was personally served on December 27, 1984 and a preliminary default was entered on January 14, 1985. The default was confirmed three days later on January 17,1985 resulting in a $12,722.00 judgment against Gardebled -personally on the same issues and for the same cause of action which his corporation had won at the trial level.

Gardebled’s attorney, in response to several judgment debtor rules thereon, filed a petition to annul the default judgment on grounds of fraud and/or ill practice under C.C.P. Art. 2004. Georgia Pacific filed a motion for summary judgment seeking to have the suit to annul dismissed. Georgia Pacific’s motion was accompanied by an affidavit executed by its attorney as affi-ant. Gardebled did not file opposing affidavits. However, his attorney filed an affidavit as the affiant thereon. Georgia Pacific’s motion for summary judgment was granted and Gardebled appealed.

The affidavit attested to by Georgia Pacific’s attorney provides as follows:

“1. He was the attorney of record for Georgia Pacific Corporation, who handled the matter entitled ‘Georgia Pacific Corporation v. Dependable Container and Chassis Services, Inc.,’ No. 83-3644 “J” on the docket of the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Dependable case’).
2. Judgment was rendered by Judge Connolly against Georgia Pacific Corporation in the Dependable case on November 20, 1984.
3. On January 7, 1985, Georgia Pacific Corporation appealed the decision in the Dependable case to the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal.
4. Georgia Pacific Corporation filed suit against Felix J. Gardebled, Milton Held, and Henry Johnson, on December 14,1985, in the proceeding entitled ‘Georgia Pacific Corporation vs. Felix J. Gardebled, Milton Held, and Henry John[578]*578son,’ No. 84-20621 “J” on the docket of the Civil District Court of the Parish of Orleans (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Gardebled case’).
5. Andrew Rinker, Jr., was counsel of record for Georgia Pacific Corporation in the Gardebled case.
6. Felix J. Gardebled was served personally in the Gardebled case on December 27, 1984, by a deputy civil sheriff.
7. On January 14, 1985, the Honorable Revius Ortique signed a motion for default against Felix J. Gardebled in the Gardebled case.
8. The default was confirmed and a judgment was obtained by Georgia Pacific Corporation against Felix J. Gardebled in the Gardebled case in the amount of $12,722.00, plus interest and costs on January 17, 1985.
9. At no time prior to May 1985, more than one month after any appeal rights Mr. Gardebled may have had had lapsed, did Mr. Gardebled or anyone else inform counsel for Georgia Pacific Corporation that Mr. Gardebled was represented by counsel or that Mr. Gardelbed intended to file an answer in the Gardebled case.
10. The only correspondence or communication between counsel for Georgia Pacific Corporation and Glenn E. Diaz, from December 14, 1984, the date on which the Gardebled suit was filed, and March 27, 1985, the date on which the judgment in the Gardebled case became final and unappealable, was a two sentence letter from counsel for Georgia Pacific Corporation to Glenn E. Diaz, dated January 4, 1985, which was a cover letter for the motion for a devolutive appeal filed in the Dependable case. Counsel for Georgia Pacific never had any correspondence or communication with Mr. Diaz regarding the Gardebled case, prior to the date on which the Gardebled judgment become [sic] final.
11. Counsel for Georgia Pacific Corporation took no action to confuse or defraud Mr. Gardebled or Mr. Glenn E. Diaz into believing that the Gardebled suit was the same suit as the Dependable suit.”

The affidavit attested to by Gardebled’s attorney provides as follows:

“1. He is the attorney for Dependable Container and Chassis Services, Inc. as well as Mr. Felix Gardebled’s personal attorney.
2. Pursuant to his conversations with Mr. Rinker, both during and after the ‘Dependable’ trial, Mr. Rinker knew or should have known that Mr. Diaz represented Mr. Gardebled personally.
3. Based upon the fact that Mr. Rink-er knew that Mr. Diaz was Mr. Garde-bled’s personal attorney, he assumed that Mr. Rinker would inform him of any action that was being taken against his client’s interest.
4. After being informed by Mr. Rink-er that the ‘Dependable’ case was being appealed a few days after the second suit was filed against Mr. Gardebled he sent Mr. Gardebled a letter telling him that the appeal was going to occur.”

Significantly, neither client has filed an affidavit. Mr. Gardebled’s affidavit, had he executed one, would have been of help in this matter.

Attorney Rinker’s affidavit states that “[he] took no action to confuse or defraud [defendant and his attorney] into believing that the Gardebled suit was the same suit as the Dependable suit.” Likewise, Attorney Diaz’s affidavit states that Attorney Rinker “... knew or should have known that [he] represented Mr. Gardebled personally.” Both of these statements cut to the crux of the suit to annul. Both statements are likewise not a statement of fact based upon the personal knowledge of the affiant, but are in fact conclusionary statements. These statements are the genuine issues of material fact that must be decided by the judge.

C.C.P. Art. 967 provides in part:

“When a motion for summary judgment is made and supported as provided above, an adverse party may not rest on the mere allegations or denials of his pleading, but his response, by affidavits or as otherwise provided above, must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial. If he does not so respond, summary judgment, if appropriate, shall be rendered against him.”

[579]*579In

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Opinion Number
Louisiana Attorney General Reports, 1993

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Bluebook (online)
506 So. 2d 576, 1987 La. App. LEXIS 9191, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gardebled-v-georgia-pacific-corp-lactapp-1987.