Johansen v. LA. HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASS'N

916 So. 2d 1081
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 29, 2005
Docket2004 CA 0937
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 916 So. 2d 1081 (Johansen v. LA. HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASS'N) 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
Johansen v. LA. HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASS'N, 916 So. 2d 1081 (La. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

916 So.2d 1081 (2005)

Linda Wife of/and Neal JOHANSEN, Individually and as Natural Tutors of Their Minor Daughter, Krystin Johansen
v.
LOUISIANA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, Reserve Christian High School, Tommy Henry, Commissioner of the LHSAA, Mac Chauvin, Assistant Commissioner, and B.J. Guzzardo, Assistant Commissioner.

No. 2004 CA 0937.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

June 29, 2005.

*1084 William F. Wessel, Victoria L. Bartels, New Orleans, Counsel for Plaintiffs/Appellants Linda Johansen and Neal Johansen.

R. Bradley Lewis, Bogalusa, Counsel for Defendants/Appellees Louisiana High School Athletic Association, Tommy Henry, Mac Chauvin, and B.J. Guzzardo.

Before: GUIDRY, GAIDRY, and McCLENDON, JJ.

GAIDRY, J.

The plaintiffs, Neal Johansen and Linda Johansen, appeal the judgment of the 19th Judicial District Court dismissing their petition for injunctive relief and damages on the peremptory exception of no cause of action of the defendants, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, Inc., Tommy Henry, Mac Chauvin, and B.J. Guzzardo. We dismiss the appeal in part as moot, and otherwise affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand the case to the trial court, for the reasons stated below.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs are the parents of Krystin Johansen, a minor enrolled as a student in Maurepas High School in Livingston Parish during the 2001-2002 school year. Krystin participated in interscholastic basketball at that school. Plaintiffs then resided in the community of Maurepas on a 10½ acre tract on which their residence, a barn, and dog kennels were situated. In June 2002, plaintiffs purportedly decided to change their residence to St. John the Baptist Parish in order to serve special educational needs of their minor son. They rented an apartment in LaPlace that month, but did not establish it as their residence until September 2002. Plaintiffs *1085 then placed a sign on their Maurepas property, advertising it for sale, and also placed a newspaper advertisement. They left some personal items which could not be moved to their LaPlace apartment due to their condition or size. They also changed their mailing address and discontinued their telephone service in Maurepas, although Mrs. Johansen continued to use the property in operating a dog breeding kennel. Krystin and her brother were enrolled as students at Reserve Christian School, a private school.

Reserve Christian School is a member of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (the LHSAA). The LHSAA is a nonprofit corporation first organized as an association in 1920. There are presently over 400 member schools, and the LHSAA certifies the eligibility of approximately 70,000 student athletes annually. Although not a state agency, the State of Louisiana has left to the LHSAA the enforcement of the administration of interscholastic athletic competition between its member schools.[1]

Upon enrolling their children at Reserve Christian School, plaintiffs met with the principal to specifically discuss the issue of Krystin's eligibility to play girls' varsity basketball under the LHSAA's transfer rule and its related rule on bona fide changes of residence. Upon reviewing the facts provided by plaintiffs relating to their purported change of residence, the principal advised plaintiffs that he felt plaintiffs were in compliance with those rules.

Thereafter, the LHSAA received a complaint charging Reserve Christian School, as an LHSAA member, with violation of the transfer and bona fide change of residence rules regarding Krystin's eligibility. The LHSAA retained a private investigator to investigate plaintiffs' residence status and to conduct surveillance of the Maurepas property. LHSAA assistant commissioners Mac Chauvin and B.J. Guzzardo undertook further investigation, interviewing the principal and requesting that plaintiffs meet them at the Maurepas property. According to plaintiffs' petition, the assistant commissioners demanded access to the house in order to search it, with the threat to immediately declare Krystin ineligible to participate in interscholastic athletics if permission was denied. Plaintiffs then consented to their entry into the house, and the assistant commissioners conducted an inspection of the premises.

On January 22, 2003, the LHSAA issued an LHSAA Rule Infraction Notification and the ruling of its commissioner, Tommy Henry, that Reserve Christian School violated the LHSAA transfer and bona fide change of residence rules by permitting Krystin to play girls' varsity basketball. In addition to being placed on administrative probation, the school was fined and assessed the cost of the private investigator, and forfeited the fifteen games in which Krystin played between October 25, 2002 and December 28, 2002 to the opposing schools.

Reserve Christian School appealed Commissioner Henry's ruling to the LHSAA executive committee, which conducted a hearing on January 29, 2003. The school and plaintiffs were permitted to present evidence in support of their contention that there was a bona fide change of residence and that the LHSAA's rules were not violated. The executive committee ultimately upheld Commissioner Henry's ruling.

On February 5, 2003, plaintiffs instituted the present civil action by filing a petition in the 40th Judicial District Court for the Parish of St. John the Baptist, seeking *1086 injunctive relief and damages based upon the LHSAA's action. Named as defendants were the LHSAA, Commissioner Henry, Mr. Chauvin, Mr. Guzzardo (hereinafter referred to as "defendants"), and Reserve Christian School.[2] Following the denial of declinatory, dilatory, and peremptory exceptions by that district court, defendants applied for supervisory writs to the Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, and that court granted the application, sustaining the declinatory exception raising the objection of improper venue and transferring the action to the 19th Judicial District Court for the Parish of East Baton Rouge.

Following the change in venue, defendants reurged those exceptions which had previously been denied. Following a hearing on December 18, 2003, the trial court sustained the peremptory exception of no cause of action and dismissed plaintiffs' petition by judgment signed on January 14, 2004. The remaining exceptions were declared moot and dismissed. Plaintiffs now appeal.

REVIEW OF JUDGMENT SUSTAINING PEREMPTORY EXCEPTION OF NO CAUSE OF ACTION

The objection that a petition fails to state a cause of action is properly raised by the peremptory exception. La. C.C.P. art. 927(4). A trial court's judgment sustaining the peremptory exception of no cause of action is subject to de novo review by an appellate court, employing the same principles applicable to the trial court's determination of the exception. Stroscher v. Stroscher, 01-2769, p. 3 (La.App. 1st Cir.2/14/03), 845 So.2d 518, 523.

The purpose of the peremptory exception of no cause of action is to determine the sufficiency in law of the petition, in terms of whether the law extends a remedy to anyone under the petition's factual allegations. Id. Generally, no evidence may be introduced to support or controvert the exception. La. C.C.P. art. 931. However, Louisiana jurisprudence recognizes an exception to this rule, whereby evidence admitted without objection may be considered by the court, as enlarging the pleadings. Stroscher, 01-2769 at p. 3, 845 So.2d at 523.

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916 So. 2d 1081, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johansen-v-la-high-school-athletic-assn-lactapp-2005.