LOUISIANA LIVESTOCK SANITARY BD. v. Johnson

372 So. 2d 585
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 25, 1979
Docket6905
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 372 So. 2d 585 (LOUISIANA LIVESTOCK SANITARY BD. v. Johnson) 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
LOUISIANA LIVESTOCK SANITARY BD. v. Johnson, 372 So. 2d 585 (La. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

372 So.2d 585 (1979)

LOUISIANA LIVESTOCK SANITARY BOARD, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
Jessie JOHNSON, Defendant-Appellee.

No. 6905.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

March 7, 1979.
Writ Granted June 25, 1979.

*586 Burgess E. McCranie, Jr., Metairie, for plaintiff-appellant.

Preston N. Aucoin, Ville Platte, for defendant-appellee.

Before WATSON, SWIFT and STOKER, JJ.

STOKER, Judge.

This appeal is an episode in a continuing effort by plaintiff, Louisiana Livestock Sanitary Board, to require plaintiff cattleman to comply with LSA-R.S. 3:2221 et seq. The statutes involved have as their object the detection and eradication of certain diseases found in cattle. This case has been on appeal before this court on three prior occasions and certiorari has been denied twice by the Louisiana Supreme Court. The following two issues are posed by the present appeal:

1. Was the trial judge correct in dismissing plaintiff's petition asking for the imposition of the penalties provided for under LSA-R.S. 3:2232 on the grounds that such penalties can only be imposed pursuant to a criminal prosecution?
2. Assuming the trial judge was correct in his reasoning regards LSA-R.S. 3:2232, was he correct in dismissing plaintiff's rule entirely?

CASE HISTORY

This case originated as a suit for a mandatory injunction brought by the Louisiana Livestock Sanitary Board against Jessie Johnson, a cattle owner who resides in Evangeline Parish. The relief sought by the Board was an injunction ordering the defendant to pen and restrain his cattle for testing for brucellosis disease pursuant to LSA-R.S. 3:2221. The plaintiff filed a motion *587 for summary judgment. The trial court granted this motion and issued a mandatory injunction in accordance with plaintiff's prayer. The defendant appealed and we reversed and remanded at 299 So.2d 378 (La.App. 3rd Cir. 1974) finding that there was a genuine issue of material fact.

After the remand, the trial judge denied plaintiff the injunction which it sought on the grounds that the infected bull had been isolated from the remainder of the herd for a period of eight months. We reversed that judgment holding that while the evidence did support the trial judge's factual findings, this did not prevent an application of R.S. 3:2221 requiring a cattle owner to present and restrain his cattle for testing.[1] This case was "remanded to the district court for the issuance of a mandatory injunction ordering the defendant, Jessie Johnson to pen and restrain his herd of cattle located at his Point Blue Farm in Evangeline Parish, for the purpose of brucellosis testing and identifying as provided by the statute, LSA-R.S. 3:2221, on a date and time to be fixed by the district court, as provided by law and the views expressed herein."[2]

After the second remand, the plaintiff filed a new petition for a mandatory injunction in accordance with the judgment on appeal and the trial court issued an injunction in conformance therewith. Defendant then appealed from the judgment granting the injunction contending that it would be impossible for him to comply, since he did not know to which "herd of cattle" the injunction referred. In an unpublished opinion,[3] we affirmed the decision of the district court, holding that "herd of cattle" referred to all cattle on the defendant's Point Blue Farm.

SUMMARY OF PRESENT ISSUES

Hence, at that point, the case would seem to have been concluded. However, apparently the Louisiana Livestock Sanitary Board feels that the defendant has failed to comply with the injunction because it has since filed a "Petition For Contempt And Penalties". (This petition was filed May 11, 1978, Tr. 101 et seq.) In this petition, plaintiff alleges that when defendant submitted his cattle to testing for brucellosis, some of the cattle were found to be infected. Plaintiff further alleges that defendant then refused to present and restrain his cattle for identification and branding pursuant to LSA-R.S. 3:2226.

The prayer to plaintiff's petition reads as follows:

WHEREFORE, Petitioner prays that the Defendant, Jessie Johnson, be ordered to show, at a date and time to be fixed by this Honorable Court, why he should not be held in contempt of this Court's order dated March 13, 1978; why he should not have his cattle reacting to the Brucellosis test on March 23, 1978 identified and branded by an authorized agent of the Louisiana Livestock Sanitary Board as required by LSA-R.S. 3:2226; and why he should not be penalized in accordance with the provisions of LSA-R.S. 3:2232.

From this prayer, it can be seen that the plaintiff is seeking three forms of relief in this case which are:

1. Imposition of penalties against the plaintiff pursuant to LSA-R.S. 3:2232;
2. An order directing plaintiff to have his infected cattle branded and inspected;
3. A finding that plaintiff was in contempt of court.

Defendant filed numerous and varied exceptions and motions attempting to have plaintiff's rule for contempt and penalties dismissed. The trial judge, however, did not rule on these exceptions but on July 13, 1978, (Tr. 115) ex proprio motu dismissed the rule giving written reasons. (Tr. 116-119)

*588 PENALTIES UNDER LSA-R.S. 3:2232

We adopt the reasoning of the trial judge insofar as it dismisses plaintiff's attempt to impose the penalties which are provided for in LSA-R.S. 3:2232. In this regard we quote with approval the following from the trial judge's written reasons for judgment:

While considering the exceptions and motions, the court read and reviewed the findings of many cases touching on the matters raised by them, and one case in particular caught the court's attention. This is Wall v. Wall [La.App.], 225 So.2d 47, Appeal after remand, 230 So.2d 420, where the court of appeal, First Circuit, with Judge Sartain as organ of the court, states that the proceedings for contempt is by its very nature quasi-criminal.
It should be observed that the penalties to which the defendant in this case could be subjected to under LSA-R.S. 3:2232, if found guilty of constructive contempt, could be a fine of up to $1,000.00 and imprisonment of up to one year, or both.
The Legislative history of LSA-R.S. 3:2232 is instructive and interesting.
Act No. 261 of 1938, Section 13, declares the violation of the statute to be a misdemeanor and prescribes penalties, and so does the Amendment of that statute of 1944, by Act No. 104, Section 6, which increased the penalty to a fine of not more than $500.00, and imprisonment of not more than 6 months, or both.
The present statute, LSA-R.S. 3:2232, amended by Acts 1954, No. 118, Section 4, sets forth the penalty for violation of the statute at a fine of not less than fifty dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or in default thereof, imprisonment for not less than 30 days nor more than one year, or both. And while this particular statute does not declare it to be a misdemeanor, it is nonetheless one by its very words and terms. (Emphasis supplied)
The Court is convinced that in view of the rulings of the Supreme Court of Louisiana, in Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners v. Bates, La. [258 La. 1049], 249 So.2d 127, and the United States Supreme Court in Bloom v.

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Bluebook (online)
372 So. 2d 585, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/louisiana-livestock-sanitary-bd-v-johnson-lactapp-1979.