LeBlanc v. Phillips

546 So. 2d 1339, 1989 La. App. LEXIS 1398, 1989 WL 73569
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 28, 1989
DocketNo. 88-371
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 546 So. 2d 1339 (LeBlanc v. Phillips) 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
LeBlanc v. Phillips, 546 So. 2d 1339, 1989 La. App. LEXIS 1398, 1989 WL 73569 (La. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

DOUCET, Judge.

This suit arises out of an incident which occurred on May 15, 1985, when Jeff Le-Blanc’s nose was broken when he was struck in the face by Odell Baker, Jr. Both were minors and students at S.J. Welsh Middle School in Lake Charles at the time of the incident.

Suit was filed by Jeff’s father, Floyd J. LeBlanc, Jr. (appellant). Named as defen[1340]*1340dants were Gerald and Patsy Phillips and Allstate Insurance, the Phillips’ homeowners insurer. LeBlanc urged that the Phillips were liable because at the time of the incident, they had the legal care, custody, and control of Odell Baker, Jr. Additionally, LeBlanc asserted that the Phillips were liable because they were guilty of independent acts of negligence in failing to properly train and discipline Odell and keep him in the school’s behavioral disordered class.

Mr. and Mrs. Phillips filed a motion for summary judgment on the basis that they were not the tutors or administrators of the estate of the minor, Odell Baker, Jr., and were therefore not legally liable for his acts. Summary judgment was granted by the trial court. Specifically, the court held that the Phillips, as the “legal custodians,” were not legally liable for the minor’s acts either under La.C.C. art. 237, La.C.C. art. 2318, or as a result of independent acts of negligence on their part. It is from this judgment that LeBlanc appeals.

In appellant’s first assignment of error, he urges that “The trial court erred in holding that Gerald and Patsy Phillips, as 'legal custodians’ of the minor Odell Baker, Jr., are not legally liable for damages occasioned by the said minor under the provisions of Civil Code article[s] 237 and 2318.” We disagree.

Gerald and Patsy Phillips were awarded legal custody of Odell Baker, Jr. by judgment of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court, under Juvenile Docket No. 6311, on December 9, 1983. Odell had been adjudicated delinquent and was on probation and supervised regularly by the juvenile probation office. There has been no tutorship proceeding by which the Phillips have become duly constituted tutors.

The Louisiana Civil Code states generally that parents are liable for the tor-tious acts committed by their minor children.

La.C.C. art. 237 provides:

“Fathers and mothers are answerable for the offenses or quasi-offenses committed by their children, in the cases prescribed under the title: of Quasi-contracts, and of offenses and Quasi-offenses.”

La.C.C. art. 2318 further states:

“The father and the mother and, after the decease of either, the surviving parent, are responsible for the damage occasioned by their minor or unemancipated children, residing with them, or placed by them under the care of other persons, reserving to them recourse against those persons.
The same responsibility attaches to the tutors of minors.”

In the instant case, it is undisputed that Odell’s father is deceased. His. mother, therefore, would be liable under La.C.C. art. 2318. LeBlanc, nevertheless, argues that Odell’s mother would not be liable for Odell’s offense since the Phillips had legal custody of him at the time of the incident. LeBlanc asserts that liability does not attach to the parent, if the child does not reside with him when the damage to another occurs or if the parent has lost custody of the child. This blanket statement, however, is misplaced as is evidenced in Flannigan v. Valliant, 400 So.2d 225 (La.App. 4th Cir.1981). In this case, a minor was in custody of his mother pursuant to a divorce decree. The minor, however, was not residing with his mother. The minor had lived for a short period of time with his father and then moved in with a friend. In Flcmnigan, supra, the court stated that:

“With respect to the case before us, we find that the liability of the father for the tortious acts of his minor son was suspended by virtue of the 1970 divorce decree which awarded the custody of Wayne to his mother.”

The court further stated:

“However, we reach the opposite result with respect to the mother. Since she had legal custody of the minor son at the time of the alleged battery she had parental liability for the son’s tortious acts. The fact that Wayne resided outside of the mother’s abode does not relieve her of that liability.” (Emphasis added.)

[1341]*1341This principle was stated even more strongly in Audubon Ins. Co. v. Fuller, 430 So.2d 343 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1983). In Audubon, the court made the following statement:

“On appeal appellant argues that since the minor son was living with his father under his care and supervision at the time of the alleged incident the father should also be vicariously liable under LSA-Civ.Code arts. 237 and 2318. We disagree. The parent’s liability under art. 2318 is vicarious and his liability is not based upon the presumption of fault for having failed to properly supervise and train the minor. Deshotel v. Travelers Indemnity Company, 231 So.2d 448 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1970), affirmed [257 La. 567] 243 So.2d 259 (La.1971); and Deshotel v. Casualty Reciprocal Exchange, 350 So.2d 283 (La.App. 3rd Cir.) writ denied 352 So.2d 1037 (La.1977).
******
“.... we agree with the decision of the trial court to the extent that the responsibility of the custodial parent under art. 2318 remains fixed irrespective of the actual residence, and that the parental responsibility under art. 2318 of the noncustodial parent has been suspended by the force and effect of law regardless of the actual residence of the child.” Audubon Insurance Company, supra 345, 346.

Moreover, in Deshotel v. Casualty Reciprocal Exch. (La.App. 3rd Cir.1977), 350 So.2d 283, the court made the following analysis:

“We hold that the responsibility of the father under Article 2318, where it has not passed to the mother, remains fixed irrespective of actual residence, and liability continues with the only exception being those cases where the State has exercised its sovereign right and power and has superseded parental authority. In such cases the authority and liability of the parent is suspended. Williams v. City of Baton Rouge, 252 La. 770, 214 So.2d 138 (1968).”

In light of the foregoing authority, it is evident that the assignment of liability rests on the effect of the state’s power in making such an assignment as between the parents in domestic proceedings. Thus, in the instant case, the question becomes whether legal custody as awarded under the authority of the juvenile court makes such a suspension of parental authority. We find that it does not.

La.R.S. 13:1569(11) which defines “legal custody,” expressly states that rights granted under the statute are “all subject to the powers, rights and duties and responsibilities of the guardian of the person of the child and subject to any residual parental rights and responsibilities_” (Emphasis added.) A reading of the express language of this statute makes it clear that it does not intend to terminate or suspend parental rights and responsibilities on the basis of transfer of custody by the juvenile court.

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Bluebook (online)
546 So. 2d 1339, 1989 La. App. LEXIS 1398, 1989 WL 73569, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leblanc-v-phillips-lactapp-1989.