Marable v. Empire Truck Sales of Louisiana, LLC

165 So. 3d 1069, 2015 WL 1883672
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 27, 2015
DocketNo. 2014-C-1102
StatusPublished

This text of 165 So. 3d 1069 (Marable v. Empire Truck Sales of Louisiana, LLC) 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
Marable v. Empire Truck Sales of Louisiana, LLC, 165 So. 3d 1069, 2015 WL 1883672 (La. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinions

ROLAND L. BELSOME, Judge.

hln compliance with the directive of the Louisiana Supreme Court, Wayne Marable, et al v. Empire Truck Sales of Louisiana, LLC, et al.,1 remanding this matter for consideration on the merits, we consider the relators’ request for review of the trial court’s denial of their exceptions of res judicata.

Standard of Review

In Countrywide Home Loans Servicing, LP v. Thomas, 12-1304 (La.App. 4 Cir. 3/20/13), 113 So.3d 355, 357, writ denied, 13-0894 (La.5/31/13), 118 So.3d 397, this Court articulated that appellate courts review issues of fact in connection with an exception of res judicata under a manifest error or clearly wrong standard; however, appellate courts review issues of law de novo. Additionally, because the legal doctrine of res judicata is stricti juris, any doubt regarding its applicability must be resolved against its application. Fletch-inger v. Fletchinger, 10-0474 (La.App. 4 Cir. 1/19/11), 56 So.3d 403. Finally, the moving party bears the onus of proving the essential elements of res judicata. Porter v. Louisiana Citizens Prop. Ins. Corp., 11-0101 (La.App. 4 Cir. 8/31/11), 72 So.3d 946.

[1071]*1071| ¡facts and Procedural History

The facts of this case are not in dispute. The only question before this Court is whether a comatose interdict was properly before the trial court when motions for summary judgment were granted, dismissing the relators, Daimler Trucks North American, LLC (DTNA) and KLLM Transport Services, LLC (KLLM), from the suit with prejudice.

Connie Marable (Connie) was seriously injured in an accident when her husband’s freight truck allegedly shifted into forward gear, and dragged her underneath the vehicle.

Connie was rendered comatose and subsequently interdicted. Her husband Wayne Marable (Wayne) was appointed curator. The interdiction proceeding was filed in Orleans Parish Civil District Court and was allotted to Division “D”. Following the interdiction, Wayne filed suit personally and on behalf of Connie against Empire Truck Sales (Empire) and its general manager Curtis Hudspeth (Hudspeth) in Orleans Parish Civil District Court (Marable suit), alleging that Empire’s faulty work or failure to work on the truck caused the accident which injured Connie. That suit was allotted to Division “I”.

Later, Bill and Engelique Jones (the Jones plaintiffs), Connie’s adult children from a previous marriage, filed suit on their own behalf in Orleans Parish Civil District Court (Jones suit) against not only Empire and Hudspeth, but also: Wayne; Great West Casualty Company, Wayne’s insurer; and DTNA and KLLM. More specifically, the petition claimed that DTNA was negligent in the defective design of the truck, and that KLLM, as Wayne’s employer and lessor of the freight truck, was responsible for the truck’s defective condition. At some point, the Jones suit was consolidated with the Mara-ble suit in Division “I”.

UOn September 13, 2013, DTNA and KLLM filed motions for summary judgment as to the Jones suit’s claims. Several months later, on January 6, 2014, Bill Jones filed a first amended and supplemental petition, reasserting the claims contained in the original petition and further asserting that he, as “undertutor” to Connie, brought the claims not only on behalf of himself, but also on behalf of Connie. However, at that point in time, Wayne was Connie’s curator and the only person who had authority to act on her behalf in a legal capacity.

At the hearing on the motions for summary judgment, the Jones plaintiffs maintained that they did not have sufficient evidence to oppose the motions. Accordingly, on January 24, 2014, the trial court granted DTNA and KLLM’s motions for summary judgment dismissing the claims against DTNA and KLLM with prejudice.

Thereafter, on March 10, 2014, Division “I” issued an order appointing Wayne and Mr. Jones co-curators of Connie: Wayne with respect to future litigation against Empire, including its excess insurer, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company (Fireman’s Fund); and Mr. Jones with respect to future litigation against potential parties, including the relators, but excluding Empire and Fireman’s Fund. Thereafter, Mr. Jones on behalf of Connie filed a second supplemental and amending petition reasserting claims against all defendants contained in the original and first amending petitions and adding factual allegations against DTNA and KLLM in connection with the truck’s lack, of safety interlocks and precautions. DTNA and KLLM responded by filing exceptions of res judicata and/or motion to dismiss, arguing that the trial court’s January 2014 judgment granting their motions for summary judgment and dismissing the claims [1072]*1072with prejudice precluded Mr. Jones’ reasserted claims.

|4Mr. Jones filed an opposition to the exceptions of res judicata arguing that the claims that were dismissed by the granting of summary judgment were brought on behalf of the Jones plaintiffs, personally, not on behalf of Connie, since Mr. Jones was legally barred from asserting such claims until he was assigned co-curator on March, 10, 2014. Connie’s rights, at the time the motions for summary judgment were granted, were exclusively represented by Wayne. The trial court denied relators’ exceptions of res judicata. Writ applications were filed in this Court and denied.2 Subsequently, relators sought review from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court remanded the matter to this Court for argument, briefing, and a full opinion.

Discussion

Louisiana’s res judicata statute provides in pertinent part:

Except as otherwise provided by law, a valid and final judgment is conclusive between the same parties, except on appeal or other direct review, to the following extent:
⅜ ⅝ ⅜ ⅜ ⅝
(2) If the judgment is in favor of the defendant, all causes of action existing at the time of final judgment arising out of the transaction or occurrence that is the subject matter of the litigation are extinguished and the judgment bars a subsequent action on those causes of action.

La. R.S. 13:4231.

The Louisiana Supreme Court has set forth five requirements that must be satisfied for a finding that a second action is precluded by res judicata: (1) the judgment is valid; (2) the judgment is final; (3) the parties are the same; (4) the cause or causes of action asserted in the second suit existed at the time of the final judgment in the Ififirst litigation; and (5) the cause or causes of action asserted in the second suit arose out of the transaction or occurrence that was the subject matter of the first litigation. Chevron USA, Inc. v. State, 2007-2469, p. 10 (La.9/8/08), 993 So.2d 187, 194.

The issue before this court questions whether the party currently asserting claims against DTNA and KLLM and the same party whose claims were dismissed when the motions for summary judgment were granted are the same.

DTNA and KLLM argue that the trial court’s judgment granting the motions for summary judgment and dismissing them with prejudice precluded Bill Jones’ reasserted claims. However, Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
165 So. 3d 1069, 2015 WL 1883672, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/marable-v-empire-truck-sales-of-louisiana-llc-lactapp-2015.