Kinchen v. Howes

518 So. 2d 1147, 1987 La. App. LEXIS 11071, 1987 WL 28980
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 30, 1987
DocketNo. CA-7471
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 518 So. 2d 1147 (Kinchen v. Howes) 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
Kinchen v. Howes, 518 So. 2d 1147, 1987 La. App. LEXIS 11071, 1987 WL 28980 (La. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinions

BARRY, Judge.

This appeal is from the maintenance of an exception of res judicata pertaining to a patent as community property.

In a prior proceeding involving a petition to partition community property, Janice Kinchen filed a rule to traverse alleging that her ex-husband, Dr. Howes, failed to include U.S. Patent 4072146 on the descriptive list. The trial court found that the patent was the separate property of Dr. Howes, but this court reversed. Howes v. Howes, 436 So.2d 689 (La.App. 4th Cir.1983), writ denied 441 So.2d 216 (La.1983). The characterization of the patent was specifically addressed and decreed as follows:

IT IS ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that there be and hereby is judgment herein in favor of Janice Kin-chen Howes and against Dr. Randolph Howes, declaring that Janice Kinchen Howes has a one-half undivided interest in a multiple-lumen catheter device known as the “Howes Venous Catheter Device” U.S. Patent Number 4072146 or any variation thereof as defined by Section 1(c) in License Agreement between Dr. Randolph Howes and Arrow International, Inc. dated April 15, 1982.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that a permanent injunction be and hereby is issued herein, restraining and prohibiting Arrow International, Inc. from making any further payments to Randolph M. Howes or to anyone designated by Randolph M. Howes to receive payments under the terms of the License Agreement concerning Patent Number 4072146, or any successor thereof, unless said payments are made one-half directly and by separate check to Janice Kinchen and one-half directly and by separate check to Randolph M. Howes.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the inventory of community property be and hereby is amended to include the “Howes Venous Catheter Device” U.S. Patent Number 4072146 and that Randolph M. Howes be and hereby is ordered to provide to Janice Kinchen, as owner of a one-half undivided interest in the Patent, an accounting of any and all sums received in conjunction with U.S. Patent Number 4072146 which sums are to be included in the inventory of community property.

436 So.2d at 692, as modified by C-3610 unpublished order of April 12, 1985 clarified by C-3610 unpublished order of May 13, 1985, writ denied 472 So.2d 38 (La.1985).

Ms. Kinchen filed a new descriptive list which included the patent. Dr. Howes filed a motion to traverse urging that the patent and related interests were separate property because they were developed while the couple was domiciled in a separate property state. Ms. Kinchen filed an exception of res judicata which was maintained. Dr. Howes’ motion for a new trial and a subsequent motion to reconsider were denied.

La.R.S. 13:4231, relating to res judi-cata, provides:

The authority of the thing adjudged takes place only with respect to what was the object of the judgment. The thing demanded must be the same; the demand must be founded on the same cause of action; the demand must be between the same parties, and formed by [1149]*1149them against each other in the same quality.

According to civilian theory, things adjudged are presumed correct and beyond contradiction by a later suit. Ryan v. Grandison Trust, 504 So.2d 844 (La.1987).

Dr. Howes first claims there is no identity of the thing demanded because the prior trial did not address the “related property interests” in the patent. He asserts separate and distinct property rights exist, i.e., (1) the idea for the catheter (2) its invention (3) application for the patent (4) the licensing agreement, (5) application for the reissue patent and (6) the reissue patent.

The idea of the catheter, its invention, and the application for the patent are all predicates to the existence of the patent. The licensing agreement is the resultant commercial realization which the patent confers. According to Dr. Howes’ brief, the application, for the reissue patent and issuance of the reissue patent resulted because of a technical defect in the patent. The licensing agreement, executed some three years earlier, apparently was not affected by the reissue patent. Dr. Howes’ assertion that these “related property interests” are somehow distinct from the patent as the thing demanded is without merit.

Dr. Howes also claims a lack of identity of cause. Cause of action in R.S. 13:4231 is commonly accepted as a mistranslation of the word “cause” from the French source provision. Cantrelle Fence and Supply Company v. Allstate, 515 So.2d 1074 (La.1987).

[CJause is said to be the juridical or material fact which is the basis of the right claimed, or the defense pleaded, (emphasis in original)

Mitchell v. Bertolla, 340 So.2d 287, 291 (La.1976). He reasons that the prior appeal only considered the sale of the patent during the community and his repurchase after the community ended, whereas now the question concerns location of the matrimonial domicile when he worked on the invention. We think the cause in this and the prior action clearly concern settlement of the rights of the parties to the patent. See Mai v. Mai, 419 So.2d 1251 (La.App. 4th Cir.1982), writ denied 420 So.2d 970 (La.1982); Cox v. Cox, 426 So.2d 656 (La. App. 1st Cir.1982), writ denied 430 So.2d 99 (La.1983).

The cases on which Dr. Howes relies are not applicable. In Mitchell, supra, the first suit sought nullification of a contract for nonpayment of rent and lesion beyond moiety. The second suit sought nullification based on, among others, fraud and lack of consideration. The court found no identity of cause.

Unlike Mitchell, this case does not involve nullification based on distinct vices. These may be brought at any time. Mitchell, 340 So.2d at 292; see also 2 M. Planiol, Traite Elementaire de Droit Civil, no. 54A(6), at 39 (11th Ed. La. State L. Inst, transí. 1959).

In Doyle v. State Farm (Mutual) Insurance Co., 414 So.2d 763 (La.1982), the plaintiff sought damages from an auto accident and named the tortfeasor, the tort-feasor’s insurer State Farm, and his automobile’s manufacturer. The suit was stayed pending an identical action in federal court. Plaintiff subsequently added State Farm as his UM insurer as a party defendant. Plaintiff settled his federal suit with the tortfeasor and State Farm as the tortfeasor’s insurer. Rights were reserved against State Farm as plaintiff’s UM insurer. After judgment was rendered in federal court against the automobile manufacturer, all parties in the state action were dismissed except for State Farm, as plaintiff’s UM insurer. In concluding res judi-cata did not apply, the Supreme Court found a lack of identity of parties and lack of identity of cause.

We note in Doyle that having found no identity of parties, characterizations as to cause were unnecessary since a failure of any element of res judicata will preclude its application.

Doyle, which considered two entirely different theories of recovery, is distinguishable from this case. The cause in Doyle was delictual (in federal court), while in state court it was contractual. Here Dr. [1150]*1150Howes submits one theory — the patent is separate property. See Lamb v. Lamb,

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Related

Fawer, Brian, Hardy & Zatzkis v. Howes
639 So. 2d 329 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1994)
Howes v. Howes
637 So. 2d 1282 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1994)
Kinchen v. Howes
523 So. 2d 232 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1988)

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Bluebook (online)
518 So. 2d 1147, 1987 La. App. LEXIS 11071, 1987 WL 28980, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kinchen-v-howes-lactapp-1987.