Girouard v. Louviere

361 So. 2d 1306, 1978 La. App. LEXIS 3544
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 10, 1978
DocketNos. 12071, 12072
StatusPublished

This text of 361 So. 2d 1306 (Girouard v. Louviere) 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
Girouard v. Louviere, 361 So. 2d 1306, 1978 La. App. LEXIS 3544 (La. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

ELLIS, Judge.

Loto Louviere was the owner of Section 55, Township 8 South, Range 8 East, and Demest Louviere was the owner of Section 56, Township 8 South, Range 8 East, in Iberville Parish. These two sections lie parallel to each other, with Section 55 to the east of Section 56. Both sections are long and narrow in shape, and run in a northwesterly-southeasterly direction. The Sections are bordered on the south by Bayou Des Glaises, and are traversed towards their northern end by a Gulf States Utilities servitude which runs east and west.

On January 17,1967, Loto Louviere sold a strip of land 300 feet wide, containing 8.421 acres, to the Louisiana Department of Highways for the construction of Interstate Highway 10. This sale left a remainder of 72.464 acres south of 1-10 and 81.665 acres north of 1-10. The act of sale contained the following provisions:

“The Control of Access hereinbelow referred to is limited to the fascia of the structure and access beneath the structures across the lands hereby conveyed shall be permitted, limited only to the general regulations pertaining to streets, driveways, and drives as established by the Department of Highways of the State of Louisiana.
“The vendor acknowledges by these presents that the property hereinabove described is being acquired for the purpose of constructing a controlled access highway and that all direct access to and from the adjacent property will be limited to such access as may be provided to frontage roads, if any are constructed, and this provision shall be and remain binding upon the said Vendor, his heirs, successors and assigns forever.”

On July 24, 1967, Demest Louviere sold a strip of land containing 11.444 acres, irregular in shape, to the Louisiana Department of Highways. This parcel contained the land necessary for the interchange at the intersection of I — 10 and Louisiana Highway 975, also known as the Whiskey Bay Interchange, in addition to the land necessary for the construction of the 1-10. This sale left Demest Louviere with a remainder of 66.446 acres south of I — 10 and 87.025 acres north of 1-10. Although his act of sale did not permit access beneath the I — 10 structures, it is stipulated by the state that it should have contained a provision identical to that in the Loto Louviere act of sale, supra.

[1309]*1309All of the land involved in both cases lies within the Morganza Floodway. In order to construct 1-10, which, in this area, is a 17-foot elevated causeway built on pilings, it was necessary to dredge a construction canal, 200 feet wide, down the middle of the 1-10 right-of-way. After its completion in 1970, this canal completely traversed the land sold by Loto Louviere to the State, and it was no longer physically possible to go from the north remainder to the south remainder thereof. The western end of this canal is located on the property sold by Demest Louviere to the State, but Demest Louviere still had access between his north and south remainders across that part of the parcel not traversed by the canal.

On March 22, 1972, Loto Louviere sold to Lavern J. Girouard and Bobby Ray Norman that portion of his remaining property lying south of the Gulf States Utilities servitude. This included the entire remainder south of I — 10 and the 19.536 acres lying between 1-10 and the Gulf States servitude. The purchasers were aware of the existence of the canal, but were of the opinion they were entitled to access from their property north of I — 10 to the south remainder by going around the western end of the canal on the property sold to the State by Demest Louviere. They bought the land for the express purpose of building a campground on the south remainder, and would not have bought it without access thereto. On January 15, 1974, Messrs. Girouard and Norman transferred the south remainder to Whiskey Bay Camp ’N Aire, Inc., in exchange for stock in the corporation. They remain the owners of all of the stock therein.

The State, meanwhile, decided to put in a boat launching ramp at the western end of the canal, with access thereto from the Whiskey Bay Interchange. In connection therewith, they extended a fence designed to control access into the Whiskey Bay Interchange to the western edge of the canal, thereby cutting off all access between the north and south remainders of the Demest Louviere property.

After the State denied the request of Messrs. Girouard and Norman for access to their south remainder by letter of June 14, 1974, the first of these consolidated suits was filed. In this suit, Messrs. Girouard and Norman, and Whiskey Bay Camp ’N Aire, Inc. sought a right of passage across the property of Demest Louviere to the Whiskey Bay Interchange, alleging it to be the shortest distance to a public road. De-mest Louviere brought the State into the case as a third party defendant, alleging the circumstances of the case, and the denial by the State of access between his two remainders. He prays for rescission of the sale by him to the State of the 11.444 acres on which 1-10 and the Whiskey Bay Interchange are presently situated, or alternatively, for unrestricted access across said tract and for damages arising out of the denial of access.

On October 8 and 11,1975, Demest Louvi-ere, Messrs. Girouard and Norman, and Whiskey Bay Camp ’N Aire, Inc. compromised their differences by agreeing to grant to each other full access across their respective properties to whatever access to or across the property of the State might be forthcoming as a result of these lawsuits, leaving only the third party demand of Demest Louviere against the State to be resolved.

During the pendency of the suit, Demest Louviere transferred his property to Mazel Louviere Decoux, Cynthia Louviere Gardner and Jessie Louviere, who were substituted for him as parties in this proceeding.

The second suit was originally brought by Whiskey Bay against the State, asking for a “right of passage from its enclosed property to the Whiskey Bay Interchange at the Westernmost property line of Demest Lou-viere property.” Subsequently, in an amended petition, Messrs. Girouard and Norman were joined as plaintiffs, and prayed for “a right of access from their enclosed property to the public road at the Whiskey Bay Interchange below the elevated highway”. They also prayed for damages arising out of the alleged breach of the obligation of the State to provide such access.

[1310]*1310After trial on the merits, judgment was signed ordering the State to grant to Messrs. Girouard and Norman, Whiskey Bay and the assigns of Demest Louviere, access from their respective tracts of land “to the Public Road at the boat landing facility at the Whiskey Bay Interchange of Interstate 10, below the elevated structure.” All claims for damages were disallowed.

From the judgment, the State has appealed, asking that the judgment be reversed and set aside. Demest Louviere has answered the appeal, asking that the sale from him to the State be rescinded, and that he be granted damages and attorney fees. The other plaintiffs have also answered, praying that they be awarded damages and attorney fees.

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Related

Gray v. State Ex Rel. Department of Highways
202 So. 2d 24 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1967)
St. Julien v. Morgan Louisiana & Texas Railroad
35 La. Ann. 924 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1883)
St. Julien v. Morgan's Louisiana & Texas Railroad & Steamship Co.
39 La. Ann. 1063 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1887)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
361 So. 2d 1306, 1978 La. App. LEXIS 3544, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/girouard-v-louviere-lactapp-1978.