Landor v. Allstate Ins. Co.

571 So. 2d 843, 1990 WL 202646
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 12, 1990
Docket89-737
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 571 So. 2d 843 (Landor v. Allstate Ins. Co.) 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
Landor v. Allstate Ins. Co., 571 So. 2d 843, 1990 WL 202646 (La. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

571 So.2d 843 (1990)

Eunice A. LANDOR, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY, Harlow V. Woods and Mark E. Guidry, Defendants-Appellees.

No. 89-737.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

December 12, 1990.
Writ Denied February 8, 1991.

Wm. H. Lambert, Lafayette, for plaintiff/appellant.

Martin, Taulbee, Rowe, Bares & Oliver, Terry L. Rowe, Lafayette, for defendants/appellees.

Before GUIDRY, FORET and KING, JJ.

GUIDRY, Judge.

Plaintiff, Eunice A. Landor, appeals a judgment of the trial court sustaining defendants' exception of prescription and dismissing her tort suit, with prejudice.

On August 2, 1987, Ms. Eunice A. Landor, a femme sole, was involved in an automobile accident at the intersection of Southwest Evangeline Thruway and East Taft Street in Lafayette, Louisiana. The other vehicle was driven by Mark Guidry but owned by Harlow Woods, an insured of Allstate Insurance Company (hereafter Allstate). Landor filed suit against the defendants, Guidry, Woods and Allstate, on September 19, 1988, more than one year after the accident.

On appeal, Landor urges that certain actions taken by Allstate following the accident interrupted the course of prescription of La.C.C. art 3492.

"Generally, tort actions prescribe one year from the day injury or damage is sustained. La.C.C. art. 3492. However, prescription is interrupted when one acknowledges the right of the person against whom he had commenced to prescribe. La.C.C. art. 3464. Liberative prescription is interrupted when the debtor acknowledges the right of the creditor. Acknowledgment of such a right may be formal or informal, express or tacit. See Comments, La.C.C. art. 3464; Flowers v. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, 381 So.2d 378 (La. 1979). Interruption of prescription for an unliquidated claim for damages can be accomplished by a tacit acknowledgment by the debtor. Flowers, supra; Richardson v. Louisiana Farm Bureau, Etc., 393 So.2d 200 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1980), writ denied, 398 So.2d 529 (La. 1981). Once a plaintiff's petition shows *844 on its face that the prescriptive period has run, the burden of proof is on the plaintiff to show an interruption or suspension of prescription. Simmons v. Bartleet Chemical, Inc., 420 So.2d 1273 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1982).
As our Supreme Court in Flowers v. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, supra, at 382, states:
`... acknowledgement sufficient to interrupt prescription may be made verbally, in writing, by partial payment, by payment of interest or by pledge, or in other ways, and that it may be implicit or it may be inferred from the facts and circumstances.'"

Williams v. American Family Mutual Insurance Company, 520 So.2d 1082 (La. App. 3rd Cir.1987).

Shortly after the accident, plaintiff engaged William H. Lambert as her attorney. In his negotiations with Allstate, Lambert dealt with three different adjusters: Anna Primeaux, Chuck Hebert and Gale Badon. The following was introduced at trial:

1. Letter from Ms. Primeaux to Lambert dated October 19, 1987, whereby Ms. Primeaux offers to "take care of Ms. Landor's property damage".
2. Letter from Lambert to Ms. Primeaux dated November 13, 1987, in which the liability of Allstate's insured is alleged and in which Ms. Landor's "to date" medical expenses are listed. Letter also makes demand for payment of plaintiff's property damage and lists the cost to replace Ms. Landor's damaged windshield ($207.50) plus two estimates ($1,005.95 and $1,027.25) to repair Ms. Landor's vehicle.
3. Letter from Anna Primeaux to Lambert dated November 24, 1987 tendering a check for $1,213.46 ($207.50 plus $1,005.96, the lower of the two estimates submitted with Lambert's letter of November 13, 1987) to cover plaintiff's property damage plus cover letter requesting additional medicals "... so we can evaluate her claim".
4. Letters from Ms. Primeaux to Lambert dated December 14, 1987 and January 4, 1988 complaining of being unable to reach Lambert and requesting up to date medicals.
5. Letter from Charles Hebert to Lambert dated January 12, 1988, notifying Lambert of Hebert taking over the handling of plaintiff's claim, requesting up to date medicals and permission to take plaintiff's statement.
6. March 1, 1988 letter from Hebert to Lambert requesting up to date medicals so that Allstate can "... make a prompt and fair settlement with you and your client".
7. March 2 and 14, 1988 letters from Lambert to Hebert giving up to date medicals and advising Allstate that plaintiff anticipates surgery. Both letters suggest "... you revise your reserve to accomodate this major injury and the substantial accompanying expenses".
8. Hebert's letter of June 8, 1988 to Lambert in which Hebert requested additional medicals and states: "If treatment is complete forward above with settlement demand".
9. July 20, 1988 letter to Lambert from Gail Badon informing Lambert that she is now handling the Landor claim.
10. Letter dated July 29, 1988 from Lambert to Hebert, which Allstate denies receiving. This correspondence provides up to date medicals, acknowledges Allstate's letters of June 8 and July 20, 1988 and suggests that Hebert contact Lambert so that "... we can continue our discussions of compromise, along the lines of our telephone settlement conference of April 18, 1988." In closing, Lambert states he will hold claim in abeyance until contacted by Hebert.
11. August 17, 1988 letter from Ms. Badon to Lambert requesting Lambert contact her in order to attempt "... to settle this matter".

This suit was filed on September 19, 1988. Defendants urged that prescription tolled on August 2, 1988. The trial judge agreed concluding in written reasons for judgment as follows:

"The facts showed that through her correspondence defendant's claim representative attempted only to determine plaintiff's *845 medical condition; not to admit the company's liability for plaintiff's personal injuries. Plaintiff's Exhibit E[1] was a unilateral statement of intent and the fact that defendant insurer received this letter (which defendant insurer denied) does not constitute an acknowledgement nor indicate that the insurer joined him in a delay.
This Court in considering all the circumstances surrounding the negotiations concludes that an acknowledgement of plaintiff's claim did not take place before prescription tolled. The intentions of the parties in relation to the payment of property damage was apparent. Defendant insurer identified the draft as `property damage' and it was cashed as such by Ms. Landor. The cover letter of November 24, 1987 that accompanied the draft notified plaintiff's counsel that the draft was for Ms. Landor's property damage. Thereafter all correspondence concerned only plaintiff's medical condition.
There was no evidence presented which clearly and specifically indicated that defendant insurer accepted liability."

We reverse concluding that the payment in full, after demand, of plaintiff's property damage claim on November 24, 1987 served to interrupt the prescription of La. C.C. art. 3492.

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Bluebook (online)
571 So. 2d 843, 1990 WL 202646, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/landor-v-allstate-ins-co-lactapp-1990.