Lloyd v. Monroe Transit Authority ex rel. City of Monroe

185 So. 3d 866, 2016 La. App. LEXIS 37, 2016 WL 154992
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 13, 2016
DocketNo. 50,292-CW
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 185 So. 3d 866 (Lloyd v. Monroe Transit Authority ex rel. City of Monroe) 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
Lloyd v. Monroe Transit Authority ex rel. City of Monroe, 185 So. 3d 866, 2016 La. App. LEXIS 37, 2016 WL 154992 (La. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

CARAWAY, J.

hWe granted supervisory review of the trial court’s denial of an exception- of prescription con'cerning a tort suit, which was attempted to be filed electronically by facsimile on the last date of the prescriptive period. The transmission was not confirmed as received by the’ clerk of court’s fax machine until the next morning, and the petition was then received and a suit number assigned. From Our review of the statutory provisions for such electronic filings, we conclude with-the trial court that prescription was properly interrupted under the facts of this case and affirm.

Facts

'■ On May 1, 2013, disabled and wheelchair bound, Detrand Lloyd rode as a guest passenger on a Monroe city bus when the bus braked, causing him to fall out of his wheelchair onto the floor of the bus. As a result of the fall, Lloyd suffered injury including a fractured tibia.

Lloyd attempted to institute his negligence action on the one-year anniversary date of the accident, May 1, 2014. He sued the Monroe Transit Authority through the City of Monroe and Travelers Indemnity Company of America (“Travelers”), as liability insurer. To file the petition, plaintiffs counsel attempted a facsimile (“fax”) filing beginning at 4:24 p.m., before the end of the business day on May 1, 2014. Other attempts continued into the evening. However, receipt of the doc[867]*867ument by the clerk, of court via fax was not made until the following morning. Defendants concede that it is the practice of the subject clerk of court to turn off the fax machine at the close of regular business hours.

|2Upon receipt of the fax at 8:44 a.m. the next day, the clerk stamp filed the petition on May 2, 2014. A confirmation of the fax filing and request for original petition and filing fees on May 2, 2014, was provided to counsel by the clerk of court.1

The defendants filed an Exception of Prescription seeking dismissal of the suit on the grounds that it was filed more than one year after the accident and thus barred by La. C.C. art. 3492 providing a one-year prescriptive period for delictual actions.2 Defendants argued that the filing of the suit on May 2, 2014, when the petition alleged the accident date of May 1, 2013, evidenced on the face of the pleadings that prescription had run.

Lloyd opposed the prescription exception, arguing that before the end1 of the business day on May 1, 2014, counsel attempted to fax file the petition, but “due to circumstances beyond the control” of counsel, receipt of the petition by the clerk of court was not made until the morning of May 2, 2014. A busy signal was reflected on the, attempted fax transmissions. Lloyd also argued that counsel continued to attempt to fax the filing after business hours but before midnight to no- avail as the machine continued to give a busy result.

Additionally, Lloyd included the following documentation, evidencing the attempts by counsel to file the action on May 1:

|⅞1) An affidavit of "a" paralegal which indicated that he had called the Ouachita Parish Clerk’s office on the afternoon 'of May 1, 2014 to confirm the fax number and the 4:30 p.m. closing time. The paralegal was also informed that if another fax was being sent at the same time, the machine “may not” receive the fax.
2) A.copy.of the initial communication result report from counsel’s fax machine which showed the initial attempt by counsel to fax the pleading to the clerk’s office on May 1, 2014 at, 4:24 p.m. The document showed five attempts by counsel to, complete the transmission and five corresponding E-2 codes, which according to the document reflected a busy error.
3) Copies of the 10 additional unsuccessful communication reports of May 1, 2014 (from 4:34-7:03 p.m.) reflecting five attempts on each and an additional one of the morning-of. May 2, 2014 at 8:15 a.m., showing another five attempts. Notably all but one of the 55 attempts made by counsel reflected an E-2 error. Only on the 5:25 p.m. attempt did one E-3 error appear, indicating No Answer.
4) A copy of the final successful communication report of May 2, 2014 at 8:46 a.m. which showed an “OK” result.

At the- December 2014 hearing, both sides submitted the issue of prescription on briefs, ■ exhibits and. the argument of counsel. The parties stipulated to the fact [868]*868that the plaintiff validly fax filed the petition which was stamp filed May 2, 2014, and that the prescriptive period would have run as of 11:59 p.m. on- May 1, 2014. The parties also agreed that on the face of the pleadings, the prescriptive period had run and it was- plaintiffs burden to show suspension or interruption.

' After considering the submitted documentation and arguments of counsel, the trial court overruled the defendants’ exception in oral Reasons for judgment, finding that the action: by the clerk’s office regarding the operation of its fax machine was beyond the plaintiffs control and operated to shorten the prescriptive period. A written judgment followed on March 3, 2015.’ The |4defendants sought supervisory reviéw ' of the ruling which this court gianted and docketed for argument on August 5,2015.

Discussion

- In brief, defendants first urge the application of de novo review on the grounds that the trial court made no factual determination in this case.3 Specifically defendants argue that the court erroneously ruled as a matter of law that the clerk was required to keep the fax machine operating after hours.

Defendants also argue that the trial court erred in denying the exception because prescription is interrupted only when the fax is received by the clerk, not by any attempt to fax the document. Because the'fax was not received until May 2, 2104, defendants contend that the case had prescribed.

Delictual actions are subject to a liberative prescription of one year. This prescription commences to run from the day injury or damage is sustained. La. C.C. art. 3492; Titus v. IHOP Restaurant, Inc., 09-951 (La.12/1/09), 25 So.3d 761. Generally, prescription statutes are strictly construed against prescription and in favor of the claim sought to be extinguished by it; thus, of two possible constructions, that which favors maintaining, as opposed to barring an action, should be adopted. Wells v. Zadeck, 11-1232 (La.3/30/12), 89 So.3d 1145; Carter v. Haygood, 04-0646 (La.1/19/05), 892 So.2d 1261. In relevant part, La. C.C. art. 3454 provides that prescription accrues only upon the expiration of the last day of the prescriptive period, Land if that day is a legal holiday, prescription accrues upon the expiration of the next day that is not a legal holiday.

La. C.C.P. art. 421 states that a civil action is a demand for the enforcement of a right. It is commenced by the filing of a pleading presenting the demand to a court of competent jurisdiction. Prescription is interrupted when the. obligee commences action against the obligor, in .a court of competent jurisdiction and venue. . See La. ■C.C. art. 3462.

The jurisprudence has long defined the filing of an action as the depositing of a suit with the clerk or one of his deputies. Wiggins v. Arkansas Louisiana Gas Co., 441 So.2d 803 (La.App. 2d Cir.1983); Ellzey v. Employers Mut. Liability Ins. Co., 388 So.2d 843 (La.App.

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185 So. 3d 866, 2016 La. App. LEXIS 37, 2016 WL 154992, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lloyd-v-monroe-transit-authority-ex-rel-city-of-monroe-lactapp-2016.