Lawson v. Straus

660 So. 2d 892, 1995 WL 499773
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 23, 1995
Docket95-C-1017, 95-C-1028
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 660 So. 2d 892 (Lawson v. Straus) 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
Lawson v. Straus, 660 So. 2d 892, 1995 WL 499773 (La. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

660 So.2d 892 (1995)

Sheila LAWSON, et al.
v.
Dr. Jeffrey STRAUS, et al.

Nos. 95-C-1017, 95-C-1028.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

August 23, 1995.
Writ Denied December 8, 1995.

*893 Gwendolyn Sue Hebert, Hulse, Nelson & Wanek, New Orleans, for relator, Continental Cas. Co. (95-C-1017).

Margaret E. Bradley, Law Offices of Robert E. Birtel, Metairie, for relator, St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co. (95-C-1028).

Jack A. Ricci, Gary John Giepert, Ricci & Giepert, New Orleans, for respondents, Dr. Jeffrey Straus and Louisiana Eye Center of New Orleans.

Before PLOTKIN, WALTZER and MURRAY, JJ.

WALTZER, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Relators, Continental Casualty Company (95-C-1017) and St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (95-C-1028), seek supervisory review of the trial court's action holding a partial summary judgment granted by the trial court to have been a final, appealable judgment. The partial summary judgment of 29 March 1994 decreed that defendant Jeffrey Straus was owed a defense in this sexual harassment suit by insurers, Relators herein.

The issue before this Court is whether that partial summary judgment was an interlocutory order, from which this writ would be properly taken, or a final judgment, from which Relators were obliged to appeal in a timely manner.

We consolidate these writ applications, and deny the relief sought by Relators.

ANALYSIS

The legal issue is well settled.

In Treadway v. Vaughn, 633 So.2d 626 (La.App. 1st Cir.1993), writ denied, 94-0293 (La. 3/25/94), 635 So.2d 233, Continental Casualty Company, a Relator herein, appealed from a partial summary declaratory judgment on the issue of an insurer's duty to defend its insured. Continental argued there that La.C.C.P. art. 1915, defining the appealability of partial judgments, made resolution of the "duty to defend" issue by partial summary judgment inappropriate. The court heard and rejected Continental's argument.

The judgments rendered against Relators hereinbelow on 29 March 1994 were not interlocutory. See, Dennis v. Finish Line, Inc., 93-0638 (La.App. 1 Cir. 3/11/94), 636 So.2d 944, writ denied, 94-1652 (La. 10/7/94), 644 So.2d 636; Charles v. LeBlanc, 93-871 (La.App. 3 Cir. 3/2/94), 633 So.2d 866, writ denied, 94-1314 (La. 9/2/94), 643 So.2d 148; Ellis v. Transcontinental Ins. Co., 619 So.2d 1130 (La.App. 4th Cir.1993), writ denied 625 So.2d 1043 (La.1993), reconsideration denied, 629 So.2d 365 (La.1993); Siat v. Fauria, 494 So.2d 1224 (La.App. 5 Cir.1986), writ denied, 497 So.2d 1012 (La.1986), reconsideration denied, 500 So.2d 416 (La.1987).

Relators' reliance on Everything on Wheels v. Subaru South, 616 So.2d 1234 (La. 1993) is misplaced. That case's reasoning applied to the appealability of judgments on partial exceptions. The Court's holding makes clear that this opinion is consistent with the Court's subsequent denial of writs in the Dennis, Charles, and Ellis cases:

A judgment which, without dismissing a party, adjudicates some (but less than all) claims, defenses, or issues presents a greater problem. Such a partial judgment usually results from a motion for summary judgment or a motion for judgment on the pleadings, both of which are specifically *894 listed in Article 1915. But such a partial judgment can also result from an exception of no cause of action, as occurred in this case. Article 1915 lists the exclusive instances in which partial final judgments are permitted. Lee v. Lee, 375 So.2d 769 (La.App. 4th Cir.1979). Because Article 1915 does not authorize a partial final judgment on an exception of no cause of action (unless a party is dismissed), the judgment in the present case is an interlocutory judgment which is not appealable in the absence of irreparable injury. 616 So.2d at 1241. (Emphasis added.)

CONCLUSION

Based on this uniform line of authority from four circuits including our own, and from which the Louisiana Supreme Court uniformly denied applications for writs, we conclude that Relators' remedy from the adverse judgments of 29 March 1994 was by appeal. The judgments were not interlocutory, and exercise of this Court's supervisory jurisdiction is inappropriate. We therefore deny supervisory relief under the facts and procedural history of this case.

WRIT DENIED. TRIAL COURT ACTION AFFIRMED.

PLOTKIN, Judge, concurring with written reasons:

This writ application presents the important unresolved procedural question of whether the granting of a partial summary judgment on an insurer's duty to defend a suit against his insured is an interlocutory judgment, which may be reviewed on supervisory writs, or a final judgment, which is subject to appeal. The majority's conclusion that the judgment is a final, appealable judgment is based purely on the fact that all previous cases have treated it as such. After extensive study of the subject, I believe that the majority's ultimate conclusion is correct under the applicable Louisiana jurisprudence as it now stands. However, because the Louisiana Supreme Court has previously indicated that determination of the status of a partial summary judgment as final or interlocutory may be subject to some question, I assign the following additional reasons for denying the writ. See Everything on Wheels Subaru, Inc. v. Subaru South, Inc., 616 So.2d 1234, fn. 12 (La.1993).

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

In August of 1992, plaintiffs, Shelia Lawson, Lisa Prince, and Kimberly Kady, commenced this action against defendants, Dr. Jeffrey Straus, Louisiana Eye Center of New Orleans d/b/a Straus Azar Medical Surgical and Lazar Eye Center (Louisiana Eye Center), Medical Care International, Continental Casualty Company (CNA), and St. Paul Insurance Co. (St. Paul). In their petition, plaintiffs alleged that Dr. Straus had sexually harassed them while at work and elsewhere on numerous occasions.

Dr. Straus and his employer, Louisiana Eye Center, answered plaintiffs' petition and filed a reconventional demand against CNA and St. Paul, seeking to compel the insurers to provide Dr. Straus and Louisiana Eye Center with a defense. Although St. Paul initially acceded to this demand and provided a defense, it later unilaterally withdrew its defense. CNA completely refused to provide a defense.

In March of 1994, the trial court considered CNA's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, seeking relief from any obligation to provide a defense of the instant matter. On March 29, 1994, the trial court issued its judgment on the motion, finding that CNA did, in fact, owe Dr. Straus and Louisiana Eye Center a defense. Nothing in the record indicates that CNA either sought writs on or appealed this judgment.

In June of 1994, the trial court considered a similar Motion for Partial Summary Judgment filed by St. Paul, in which it also sought relief from any obligation to defend Dr. Straus or Louisiana Eye Center. On June 15, 1994, the trial court denied this motion as well.

In September of 1994, St. Paul sought writs on this judgment from this Court. On October 18, 1994, the court denied writs, explaining that the ultimate result reached by the trial court was correct. The record does not disclose whether St. Paul sought further review from the Louisiana Supreme Court.

*895 Relying on the March and June judgments in his favor, on November 10, 1994, Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
660 So. 2d 892, 1995 WL 499773, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lawson-v-straus-lactapp-1995.