Joel Colby Stevens v. Hospital Service District Number 1 of Tangipahoa Parish

Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided December 19, 2025·No. 2025 CA 0240·Unknown

Opinion

STATE OF LOUISIANA

FIRST CIRCUIT

2025 CA 0240

JOEL COLBY STEVENS

VERSUS

HOSPITAL SERVICE DISTRICT NUMBER I OF TANGIPAHOA PARISH D/B/ A NORTH OAKS HEALTH SYSTEM AND NORTH

JUDGMENT RENDERED:

DEC 19 2025

Appealed from the Twenty -First Judicial District Court Parish of Tangipahoa • State of Louisiana Docket Number 2020- 0002314 • Division D

The Honorable Brian K. Abels, Presiding Judge

Tony B. Jobe COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT Covington, Louisiana PLAINTIFF— Joel Colby Stevens

Craig J. Robichaux COUNSEL FOR APPELLEE Elisia S. Tipton DEFENDANT— Hospital Service Mandeville, Louisiana District No. I of Tangipahoa Parish d/ b/ a North Oaks Health System and North Oaks Occupational Health

BEFORE: MILLER, EDWARDS, AND FIELDS, JJ.

EDWARDS, J.

Plaintiff appeals a judgment of the district court that granted a motion for

summary judgment filed by Defendant and dismissed Plaintiff' s lawsuit seeking damages for Defendant' s alleged fraud and negligence with prejudice. For the

reasons that follow, we reverse.

Plaintiff, Joel Colby Stevens, was a licensed commercial helicopter pilot and certified flight instructor. In order to be employed in either capacity, Stevens was required to hold both a pilot' s license and a medical certificate, both of which are

issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (" FAA"). See 14 C. F. R. §§ 61. 3( c)

61. 23( a).

On or about September 11, 2019, Stevens was offered conditional

employment as a commercial helicopter pilot with Bristow, U.S., LLC subject to a

pre- employment drug test. Stevens reported to North Oaks Occupational Health in Hammond, Louisiana (" the clinic") on October 3, 2019, to complete a urine drug screening. Stevens made several attempts during his October 3, 2019 visit to provide a sufficient volume of urine for testing as required by U.S. Department of

Transportation (" DOT") regulations but was unable to do so. Despite being warned that leaving the clinic before completing the drug test would be considered a refusal to test, Stevens left the clinic without providing a sufficient sample for drug testing approximately one and a half hours after his arrival.

After learning Stevens left the clinic without completing the test, Bristow rescinded its offer of employment to Stevens the next day. Bristow also reported

Stevens' failure to complete the drug test to the FAA in accordance with 14 C.F. R.

120. 111( d).' The FAA later revoked Stevens' pilot' s license and medical

certificate following an investigation.

On September 4, 2020, Stevens filed a petition for damages in the 21 st Judicial

District Court (" the 21 st JDC suit"), naming Hospital Service District No. 1 of Tangipahoa Parish d/b/ a North Oaks Health System and North Oaks Occupational

Health (" North Oaks") as the sole defendant. Stevens asserted that the collector at

the clinic (" Flanagan") failed to adhere to the mandatory " shy bladder" procedures provided in 49 C. F. R. § 40. 193 for Stevens' urine collection by failing to urge Stevens to drink up to 40 ounces of water reasonably distributed over up to three hours or until a sufficient specimen was provided.

Stevens also alleged Flanagan " engaged in subsequent fraudulent conduct to

cover up her misconduct[,]" including misrepresenting to Bristow and the FAA that she gave Stevens the required 40 ounces of water to drink; failing to document that Stevens tried three separate times during his visit to the clinic on October 3, 2019, to provide a sufficient sample; falsely documenting in the electronic record that Stevens left the clinic before the test was completed; incorrectly advising Stevens that "he would just need to get another authorization form from Bristow and try again another day"; and later, giving inaccurate information to an FAA investigator.

Stevens also alleged Flanagan consulted with her supervisor, Jennifer Murry, who completed official documentation for Stevens' visit to the clinic although she

did not personally meet with Stevens and spoke to a Bristow representative regarding the incomplete test. Stevens alleged that Murry " knew or should have known her

intentional misrepresentation ... would damage or destroy Mr. Stevens' career and reputation." Stevens asserted in the 21st JDC suit that the actions of Flanagan and

1 Employers must notify the FAA within two working days of any employee who holds an FAA - issued medical certificate who has refused to submit to a drug test required under the DOT regulations. See 14 C. F.R. § 120. 111( d).

Murry led to North Oaks inaccurately reporting to Bristow that Stevens left the clinic before completing his mandatory drug test, which resulted in Bristow rescinding its job offer and the FAA revoking his pilot' s license and medical certificate.

Stevens asserted that North Oaks acted in a " careless, negligent, intentionally negligent, wanton[,] and fraudulent manner" by failing to properly train and supervise its employees, failing to follow standardized urine collection protocols, generating and disseminating an erroneous electronic record of Stevens' visit to the clinic to Bristow and the FAA, generating and disseminating Flanagan' s and

Murry' s false statements to Bristow and the FAA, and conspiring to suppress the truth of Flanagan' s " fatally flawed collection" from both Bristow and the FAA to

Stevens' detriment. Stevens prayed for judgment against North Oaks " in a sum to

compensate him for his damages as allowed by law[,]" including but not limited to loss of past and future income and other economic losses, attorney' s fees, and costs. North Oaks filed an answer to the 21 st JDC suit on March 12, 2021.

On June 10, 2021, North Oaks filed an exception raising the objection of res judicata, in which North Oaks alleged Stevens' causes of action against it in the 21 st JDC suit are precluded by " issue preclusion." According to North Oaks, the issue at stake in the 21st JDC suit is identical to the one decided by the U.S. Fifth Circuit in Stevens v. Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, 829 F. Appx. 690 5th Cir. 2020) ( per curiam) (" the FAA suit"), wherein the federal court denied

Stevens' petition for review of the FAA order revoking his medical certificate.2 North Oaks alleged that in both the FAA suit and the 21 st JDC suit, Stevens claimed

North Oaks and its employees acted negligently when he appeared for his drug test and their negligence caused the FAA to revoke his authorization. North Oaks urged

2 The authority of the FAA Administrator under 49 U.S. C. § 44703 to issue, renew, or deny a medical certificate is delegated to the Federal Air Surgeon pursuant to 14 C. F. R. § 67. 407. The U.S. Fifth Circuit has subject matter jurisdiction over Stevens' challenge to the order revoking his medical certificate pursuant to 49 U.S. C. § 46110.

11,

the district court to dismiss the 21st JDC suit because "[ a] ll of the arguments made

in [the 21st JDC suit] have been previously litigated in the [ U.S.] Fifth Circuit and are therefore precluded under the doctrine of issue preclusion." Stevens opposed the

exception.

After a hearing on August 23, 2021, the district court issued a judgment signed September 27, 2021, overruling North Oaks' exception raising the objection of res judicata. North Oaks filed a notice of intent to seek supervisory review from this court, and this court ultimately denied the writ application. See Stevens v. Hospital Service District No. l of Tangipahoa Parish, 2022- 0069 ( La. App. 1 Cir. 4/ 25/ 22), 2022 WL 1210974 ( unpublished writ action).

North Oaks filed a motion for summary judgment on July 30, 2024. Therein, North Oaks argued that Stevens will be unable to meet his burden of proving any set of facts that would support his case against it, namely because Stevens' choice to leave the clinic before testing was completed is deemed a " refusal to test" pursuant to 49 C. F.R. § 40. 193( b)( 3) ( 20 19) 3 regardless ofNorth Oaks' actions. Additionally,

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