Guidroz v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Co.

334 So. 2d 535, 1976 La. App. LEXIS 4245
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 24, 1976
Docket10731
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 334 So. 2d 535 (Guidroz v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Co.) 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
Guidroz v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Co., 334 So. 2d 535, 1976 La. App. LEXIS 4245 (La. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

334 So.2d 535 (1976)

Robert GUIDROZ and Yvette Guidroz, Plaintiffs-Appellees,
v.
STATE FARM FIRE AND CASUALTY CO., Defendant-Appellant.

No. 10731.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

May 24, 1976.
Rehearing Denied June 30, 1976.

Larry P. Boudreaux, Thibodaux, for defendant-appellant.

*536 Keith M. Whipple, Houma, for plaintiffs-appellees.

Robert B. Butler, III, Houma, for intervenor, Community Homestead Assn.

Before SARTAIN, CHIASSON and EDWARDS, JJ.

SARTAIN, Judge.

State Farm Fire and Casualty Company (State Farm) brings this appeal from the district judge's refusal to issue a venire facias commanding the Jury Commission of the Parish of Terrebonne to furnish a jury venire for trial of the instant lawsuit. We affirm.

The relevant facts as evidenced by the record show that on June 5, 1975, plaintiffs instituted suit on an insurance contract issued by State Farm to cover damages sustained as a result of a fire in plaintiffs' home. On September 10, 1975, State Farm filed an amended answer wherein it alleged arson on the part of either or both of the plaintiffs and further requested a trial by jury as to all issues.

Pursuant to motion and order submitted by plaintiffs and filed on October 29, 1975, the matter was fixed for trial to be held on December 8, 1975.

Following receipt of notice of fixing, counsel for State Farm alleges that on or about November 13, 1975, he mailed a motion directly to the trial judge requesting that the jury bond be set and for a continuance urging, inter alia, that trial by jury could not be perfected prior to December 8, 1975.

On November 17, 1975, counsel for plaintiffs filed a motion in opposition to State Farm's request for a continuance. A copy of this motion was sent to opposing counsel. The order contained in the motion directed State Farm to show cause on November 28, 1975, why its motion for a continuance should not be disallowed and set aside. On this date (November 28, 1975), the minutes reflect that State Farm's motion for a continuance was denied and the trial date of December 8, 1975, reaffirmed. Counsel for State Farm objected since a jury had not been summoned and moved for an appeal. The trial judge directed counsel to prepare and present a formal motion for appeal with appropriate citations therefor and to submit a copy to opposing counsel.

Also, on November 28, 1975, plaintiffs filed a motion to have the court rescind its order permitting State Farm to file its amending answer (wherein trial by jury was first requested) of September 10, 1975. The basis for this motion was that the amending answer was filed for the purpose of circumventing C.C.P. Article 1732. The rule issued pursuant thereto was returnable December 2, 1975. On this later date, counsel for plaintiffs withdrew their motion, presumably with the satisfaction of knowing that State Farm's motion for a continuance had been denied, trial set for December 8, 1975, and time insufficient to secure a jury venire. However, on this date it was first discovered that State Farm's written motion (November 13, 1975) for a continuance and request to fix bond were not in the record and had not been signed by the trial court. The trial judge then signed a file copy, setting bond in the amount of $1800.00. On this same day, December 2, 1975, an order decreeing the issuance of a venire facias was presented to and denied by the trial judge.

On December 8, 1975, when the case was called for trial, State Farm presented its motion for a suspensive appeal which was granted.

State Farm contends here that the trial judge erred in ruling (1) that it was not entitled to a continuance on November 28, 1975, (2) that it was not entitled to appeal from such ruling, and (3) in denying its motion for a venire facias.

When this matter was argued before us we asked both counsel to submit briefs on *537 the point of whether a suspensive appeal lies of right from the court's refusal to grant a jury trial or to effect the procedures requisite thereto. It is evident from these briefs, and we must assume the trial judge concurred, that all parties hereto are of the opinion that an appeal from such a ruling is the appropriate remedy. We feel constrained to address ourselves to this matter because of the uncertainty which prevails and the increasing frequency in which supervisory writs are being sought relative to controversies arising from requests for jury trials, bonds, and the venire facias. That there is some doubt as to the appropriate remedy is understandable.

In Wilson Sporting Goods Company v. Alwes, 17 So.2d 382 (La.App., 1944), this court stated:

"The appeal here is one from an interlocutory judgment denying the defendant the right to have the case tried by a jury. From what was said in the prevailing opinion of the Supreme Court in refusing the writs in this case, above quoted, and from what was said in the above cited case, we conclude that the interlocutory judgment appealed from is one that would work an irreparable injury to defendant by depriving him of a trial by jury, if he is entitled to a jury trial. There would seem to be no reason to force defendant to go to the expense of trying his case before the court, while on an appeal from a judgment on the merits, he might be able to convince the appellate court that his case should have been tried by a jury and thus have the entire trial nullified and the case tried over before a jury. It would be a difficult matter to ascertain in such a situation just how the defendant could be compensated in money by reason of such a denial."

This was after writs had been applied for to the Supreme Court and after the following language is noted wherein the said court denied the same:

"Relator's petition discloses that the Court of Appeal, and not this Court, has appellate jurisdiction of this case. If, as alleged by relator, the ruling of the trial judge denying his prayer for a trial by jury will cause him irreparable injury, his remedy was to appeal to the Court of Appeal for the First Circuit, and not to invoke the supervisory jurisdiction of this Court as a substitute for the appeal. Code of Practice, Art. 566. Writs refused."
"O'Niell, C. J., is of the opinion that the relator's remedy is to urge his complaint on the appeal from the final judgment, if it goes against him."

It is apparent that this court concluded that Alwes, as a school principal, should not be put to the possible expense of multiple trials. This finding was necessary for it was an appeal from an interlocutory order. Nonetheless, the language in Alwes has been construed to mean that even in the absence of a showing of irreparable injury an appeal will lie from the refusal to grant a jury trial. City of New Orleans v. Williams, 86 So.2d 410 (4th La.App. 1956), Southern Baptist Hospital v. Williams, 89 So.2d 769 (4th La.App., 1956); and, Hernandez v. Sartain, 297 So.2d 740 (1st La.App., 1974).

In First National Bank of Commerce, New Orleans v. Miller, 328 So.2d 383 (4th La.App., 1976), the court first noticed the problem with which we are here concerned. In Miller, the defendant asked for a jury trial in response to a suit against him for a deficiency judgment. His request was denied and he obtained both writs of certiorari and an appeal. The court elected to act on the writ (since it was the first relief sought) and disposed of the issue via that procedure rather than on appeal.

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Bluebook (online)
334 So. 2d 535, 1976 La. App. LEXIS 4245, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guidroz-v-state-farm-fire-and-casualty-co-lactapp-1976.