Jones v. McDonald's Corp.

653 So. 2d 617, 94 La.App. 1 Cir. 0277, 1995 La. App. LEXIS 655, 1995 WL 112873
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided March 3, 1995·No. No. 94 CA 0277·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinions

l2LeBLANC, Judge.

Plaintiff, Sebell Chase Jones, has appealed from a judgment sustaining defendants’ peremptory exceptions raising the objection of prescription and dismissing plaintiffs suit, with prejudice. We reverse.

FACTS

Plaintiff filed this suit alleging damages resulting from the sale by defendants, City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge (City-Parish), of an unused street adjacent to property in which plaintiff allegedly owns an interest. Pursuant to Ordinance 8469 (adopted by the Metropolitan Council of the City-Parish on August 12, 1987), the unpaved street was sold to defendant, McDonald’s Corporation, for use as a private access road and parking lot. The facts of this matter were outlined by this Court in an appeal taken by plaintiff from a prior judgment sustaining an exception of no right of action.

On June 23,1988, plaintiff, Sebell Jones, claiming to be the owner of lots K and L in Hastings Heights, filed a suit for damages against McDonald’s and the City-Parish. Although plaintiff had made no prior objection to the sale of Helene Street to McDonald’s, she contended that the actions of the City-Parish in transferring the roadway to McDonald’s for its exclusive and private use implied that the street was no longer needed for public purposes and effected an abandonment and/or revocation of the 1951 dedication of Helene Street as a public roadway.
Plaintiff further alleged that the City-Parish acted arbitrarily and capriciously in disregarding the relationship between Helene Street and the subdivision’s road system in the sale of the property to McDonald’s. Plaintiff claimed that the following damages resulted from the sale: (1) diminution in residential property value; (2) loss of her ownership in an undivided one-half interest or to the naked ownership from Lot K to the middle of Helene Street; (3) mental anguish and humiliation due to the loss of use and conversion of Helene Street; (4) violation of her reversionary rights under LSA-R.S. 48:701, 48:714, and 9:2981; and (5) creation of a nuisance in violation of her rights of neighborhood under LSA-C.C. arts. 667, 668, 669, and 2315.
Defendants answered plaintiff’s petition and subsequently filed motions for summary judgment and a peremptory exception raising the objections of no right of action and prescription. Defendants contended that plaintiff sold her interest in lots K and L on August 24, 1953. Therefore, she was not the owner of the subject property and had no right to seek damages from defendants.
Following a hearing on April 6,1990, the trial court rendered judgment on April 7, 1990, sustaining defendants’ exception rais[619] ing the objection of no right of action. Plaintiffs suit was then dismissed without prejudice. The court made no rulings on the motions for summary judgment or the objection of prescription.
|3On March 28, 1991, plaintiff filed a second suit naming McDonald’s and the City-Parish as defendants and setting forth the same basic allegations as in her first petition. Attached to plaintiffs petition was a counter letter, allegedly indicating that plaintiff is the true owner of the subject property. The following documents were also attached to the petition: (1) marriage license of Leroy B. Chase, Sr. and Bythelda George (plaintiffs parents); (2) birth certificate of Sebell Chase (plaintiff); (3) birth certificate of Leroy B. Chase, Jr; (plaintiffs brother); (4) death certificate of Leroy B. Chase, Sr.; (5) death certificate of Bythelda George Chase; and (6) death certificate of Leroy B. Chase, Jr.
Defendants filed a dilatory exception raising the objections of vagueness and lack of procedural capacity and a peremptory exception raising the objections of no right of action and prescription. Again, defendants contended that plaintiff did not own the subject lots in Hastings Heights subdivision and had no right of action against defendants.
After a hearing on September 20, 1991, the court sustained defendants’ exception raising the objection of no right of action. However, the trial court did not rule on the objections of vagueness, lack of procedural capacity, or prescription. Plaintiffs suit was then dismissed, with prejudice, and plaintiff was assessed with all costs. Jones v. McDonald’s Corp., 618 So.2d 992, 994-995 (La.App. 1st Cir.1993).

On appeal, judgment sustaining defendants’ exception of no right of action was reversed and this matter was remanded to the trial court. See Jones v. McDonald’s Corp., 618 So.2d 992 (La.App. 1st Cir.1993).

On remand, the trial court held a hearing on exceptions of prescription previously filed by defendants. Thereafter, the court rendered judgment sustaining defendants’ exceptions and dismissing plaintiffs suit, with prejudice. Plaintiff has now appealed this judgment.

ISSUE

Whether the prescriptive1 period applicable to plaintiffs suit for damages is the fifteen-day period provided by La.R.S. 33:4712 C for the filing of an opposition to a proposed municipal ordinance to sell public property?

ANALYSIS

In arguing that plaintiffs suit is prescribed, defendants rely on the fifteen-day period provided by La.R.S. 33:4712 C for filing an opposition to a proposed ordinance Uto sell public property. Since plaintiffs suit was filed well over fifteen days after the passage of the ordinance authorizing the sale in question, defendants argue plaintiffs suit is prescribed.

La.R.S. 33:4712 specifically authorizes municipalities to sell, exchange or lease public property not necessary for public purposes. The Louisiana Supreme Court has indicated there is no constitutional prohibition against a municipality alienating a public street not needed for public purposes pursuant to this statute. See, Lake Terrace Prop. Owners v. New Orleans, 567 So.2d 69, 73 (La.1990); Coliseum Square Ass’n v. New Orleans, on rehearing, 544 So.2d 351, 359 (La.1989). However, in order to do so, the municipality must comply with the following requirements of La.R.S. 33:4712:

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Jones v. McDonald's Corp., 653 So. 2d 617, 94 La.App. 1 Cir. 0277, 1995 La. App. LEXIS 655, 1995 WL 112873 (La. Ct. App. 1995).

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