Indian Bayou Hunting Club, Inc. v. Taylor

261 So. 2d 669, 1972 La. App. LEXIS 6869
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 19, 1972
Docket3695
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 261 So. 2d 669 (Indian Bayou Hunting Club, Inc. v. Taylor) 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
Indian Bayou Hunting Club, Inc. v. Taylor, 261 So. 2d 669, 1972 La. App. LEXIS 6869 (La. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

261 So.2d 669 (1972)

INDIAN BAYOU HUNTING CLUB, INC., Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
L. J. TAYLOR et al., Defendants-Appellants.

No. 3695.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana. Third Circuit.

February 7, 1972.
On Rehearing April 19, 1972.
Rehearing Denied May 16, 1972.

*670 Olivier & Brinkhaus, by Armand J. Brinkhaus, Sunset, for defendants-appellants.

Dubuisson & Dubuisson by James T. Guglielmo, William A. Brinkhaus, Opelousas, Babineaux & Huval by Jack N. Huval, Lafayette, for plaintiff-appellee.

Before SAVOY, MILLER and DOMENGEAUX, JJ.

SAVOY, Judge.

Plaintiff, as lessee of certain real property in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, brought this suit against defendants alleging they were trespassing on a portion of said property leased without the consent of lessee; that defendants maintained a camp on said property; that although notified to remove said property and desist trespassing on said leased property, defendants have continued to ignore said request. Plaintiff also alleged that it feared defendants would continue to damage said property and requested that the court issue a permanent injunction against defendants enjoining them from trespassing and hunting on said property. Plaintiff also prayed for damages, but that claim has been abandoned and is not before us for decision.

Defendants filed a general denial to plaintiff's petition, and then assuming the position of plaintiffs-in-reconvention, stated that recently they have been boat riding on Lake Fordoche, Bayou Fordoche and Dixie Canal, and that because of certain obstruction placed in said streams, they have been unable to navigate in the above-mentioned streams; that defendants have maintained a camp on Lake Fordoche on a four-acre tract adversely and notoriously for a period in excess of thirty years. Plaintiffs-in-reconvention prayed for an injunction enjoining defendant-in-reconvention from interfering with the free use of the above streams, and also from interfering with the use of the camp, and also asked for damages for blocking navigable streams and interfering with their use of the camp site. They also asked for attorney's fees. Defendants further alleged they owned the camp site for a period in excess of thirty years. Defendants filed an exception of no cause of action on the basis that plaintiff's petition did not allege irreparable injury as provided for by LSA-C.C.P. Article 3601, and also prayed for a money judgment.

After a trial on the merits, the trial court granted plaintiff an injunction enjoining defendants from trespassing on land leased to plaintiff, and from using Dixie Canal for navigation purposes. The court also granted judgment in favor of defendants (plaintiffs-in-reconvention) enjoining plaintiff (defendant-in-reconvention) from blocking and interfering with the use of Lake Fordoche and Bayou Fordoche. From this judgment defendants have appealed. Plaintiff has answered the appeal.

*671 The first issue to be determined by this Court is that of the exception of no cause of action filed by defendants.

In plaintiff's petition there is no allegation that it will suffer irreparable injury, and it has asked for a money judgment, in addition to the prayer for an injunction against defendants.

LSA-C.C.P. Article 3601 provides in part:

"An injunction shall issue in cases where irreparable injury, loss, or damage may otherwise result to the applicant, or in other cases specifically provided by law."

In the case of Greenberg v. De Salvo, 254 La. 1019, 229 So.2d 83, the Supreme Court of this State said:

"`Irreparable injury justifying an injunction is that which can not be adequately compensated in damages, or for which damages can not be compensable in money. * * *' Pennington v. Drews, 209 La. 1, 24 So.2d 156, 163. * * *.
"The writ of injunction, being a harsh, drastic, and extraordinary remedy, should issue only where the party seeking same is threatened with irreparable loss or injury without adequate remedy at law. * * *." (Citations omitted.)

Since plaintiff has not alleged irreparable injury as required by LSA-C.C.P. Article 3601, and has, in fact, prayed for a money judgment, we are of the opinion that the exception of no cause of action should be maintained, and plaintiff's suit dismissed at its costs.

We next consider the reconventional demand. As to the reconventional demand, there are four issues to be determined: (1) whether the Dixie Canal is a navigable stream; (2) whether defendants (plaintiffs-in-reconvention) are entitled to the ownership of the camp site by virtue of thirty years prescription; (3) should defendants be granted damages; and (4) should defendants be allowed attorney's fees.

The record reveals that Dixie Canal was built by a private corporation for its individual use. Counsel for defendants contends that the canal is navigable and subject to use by the public.

In D'Albora v. Garcia, 144 So.2d 911 (La.App. 4 Cir. 1962) (cert. den.) the court went into a detailed discussion as to when a stream is navigable. In its opinion, the court said:

"A test of the navigability of water bottoms is that those which are navigable in fact must be regarded as navigable in law, and they are navigable in fact when they are so used or are susceptible to such use, or are shown to be capable of commercial use. * * *." (Citations omitted.)

Applying the test mentioned above to the facts of the instant case, we conclude that Dixie Canal is a navigable stream.

The next issue is that of the ownership by defendants of the campsite. LSA-C.C. Articles 3499-3505 deal with acquisitive prescription of thirty years for immovable property.

LSA-C.C. Article 3500 states:
"The possession on which this prescription is founded must be continuous and uninterrupted during all the time; it must be public and unequivocal, and under the title of owner."
LSA-C.C. Article 3503 states:
"How favorable soever prescription may be, it shall be restricted within just limits. Thus, in the prescription of thirty years, which is acquired without title, it extends only to that which has been actually possessed by the person pleading it."

Defendants have not proven that they have complied with the provisions of either article of the Civil Code cited above. We *672 conclude that the trial court properly rejected their ownership to the camp site. Counsel for defendants argues that they are entitled to maintain the camp as their answer has alleged sufficient facts to claim possession of said property under the Code of Civil Procedure dealing with possessory action. We are of the opinion that the pleadings are not broad enough to cover the possessory action. However, admitting for purposes of argument that the pleadings would be broad enough for this purpose, there is no showing that defendants have possessed said property without interruption for a period in excess of one year of the disturbance as provided for by LSA-C.C.P. Art. 3658.

Defendants pray for damages for obstruction of the public streams and for preventing them from using the camp site. Defendants, having failed to prove thirty years acquisitive prescription as provided by the articles of our Civil Code enumerated herein, cannot recover damages for plaintiff preventing them from entering the camp site. Defendants sued for damages because of plaintiff's obstruction of the stream in controversy.

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Bluebook (online)
261 So. 2d 669, 1972 La. App. LEXIS 6869, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/indian-bayou-hunting-club-inc-v-taylor-lactapp-1972.