Mitchell v. Windham

469 So. 2d 381
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 15, 1985
Docket84-139
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 469 So. 2d 381 (Mitchell v. Windham) 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
Mitchell v. Windham, 469 So. 2d 381 (La. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

469 So.2d 381 (1985)

Alan M. MITCHELL, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Doyle WINDHAM, et al., Defendants-Appellants.

No. 84-139.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

May 15, 1985.

*382 Stafford, Stewart & Potter, Larry A. Stewart, Alexandria, for defendants-appellants.

J.P. Mauffray, Jr., Jena, for plaintiff-appellee.

Before DOMENGEAUX, DOUCET and YELVERTON, JJ.

*383 YELVERTON, Judge.

The plaintiff, Alan Mitchell, brought this suit seeking tort damages based on a wrongful arrest, false imprisonment, and the failure to provide necessary medical attention to a jail inmate. Made defendants were Doyle Windham, the Sheriff of LaSalle Parish, and his liability insurer, North River Insurance Company. From the granting of plaintiff's motion for summary judgment as to the issues of liability, and from a jury award of $10,605 in damages, the defendants appeal, urging that the summary judgment was improper, and arguing in the alternative that the award was excessive. We agree that the summary judgment was improper to the extent of its finding of liability based on a wrongful arrest, and we must remand for further proceedings as to that tort. We will not remand the rest of the case, because we have strong doubts as to whether plaintiff can prevail in his claim based on a wrongful arrest, and in the interest of avoiding a third trial on the remaining issues, including quantum, we shall decide them here, under the authority of Gonzales v. Xerox Corporation, 320 So.2d 163 (La.1975).

This case has a complex procedural history. It was originally tried by a jury on all issues of liability and quantum in March 1982. The jury rendered a verdict in favor of the defendants and a judgment was signed dismissing plaintiff's suit. Plaintiff immediately moved for a new trial, and asked that a directed verdict or summary judgment be granted in his favor as to the issue of liability. On April 26, 1982, the trial court signed a judgment granting a new trial and, in that same judgment directed a verdict in favor of the plaintiff on the issue of liability. The defendants appealed from that judgment. See our opinion Mitchell v. Windham, 426 So.2d 759 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1983). In that opinion we set aside the directed verdict in favor of the plaintiff and remanded the case to the trial court for the purpose of conducting the new trial, and for further proceedings according to law.

After remand, on October 7, 1983, the plaintiff filed a motion for summary judgment as to the issues of liability only. On October 25, 1983, the trial court granted and signed a summary judgment, based on the admissions of fact in the record and the sworn testimony from previous hearings and trials. On November 14, 1983, the case was tried by a jury, the jury issues being limited to whether the plaintiff was damaged and, if so, by how much. The jury's verdict awarded plaintiff $10,605. Judgment was signed on December 6, 1983. On December 20, 1983, defendants filed a "Motion and Order for Appeal" stating they were aggrieved by the December 6, 1983, judgment. An order for an appeal was granted on December 21, 1983. It is clear from the briefs that the defendants' appeal was regarded as having been taken from both the judgment granting the plaintiff's motion for summary judgment and the judgment of quantum; therefore, we shall review both judgments. See Dural v. City of Morgan City, 449 So.2d 1047 (La. App. 1st Cir.1984).

The issues presented by this appeal are 1) whether the trial court erred in granting the plaintiff's motion for summary judgment as to liability, and if not, 2) whether the award by the jury was excessive.

A summary judgment is appropriate only if the summary judgment evidence shows no genuine issue as to any material fact, and that the mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. LSA-C.C.P. art. 966; Whitney v. Mallet, 442 So.2d 1361 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1983), writ denied 445 So.2d 437 (La.1984).

Concerning the facts of Mitchell's arrest, the extensive record contains considerable detail. Sheriff Windham testified at the March 1982 trial that on April 25, 1980, he received two phone calls from a sheriff in Oklahoma who advised him that the Oklahoma authorities had a felony warrant for Mitchell's arrest, that Mitchell was currently residing with his parents in Jena, Louisiana, and that the Oklahoma authorities wanted him to arrest Mitchell. Sheriff Windham told the Oklahoma authorities on *384 each occasion that he would arrest Mitchell once he received a teletype from them. The teletype was received, confirming that the Oklahoma authorities had a felony warrant for Mitchell's arrest charging him with taking mortgaged property out of the state and disposing of it, a felony in Oklahoma, and Sheriff Windham then ordered deputies Smith and Ashley to arrest the plaintiff.

Deputies Smith and Ashley testified that they arrested the plaintiff on April 25, 1980, on the instructions of Sheriff Windham. They stated that they advised plaintiff of his rights at arrest and that he was being arrested based on a felony warrant. Deputy Smith then further testified that Mitchell was advised of his rights again when he was booked in jail at 11:05 A.M. on that date.

Mitchell testified that when he was arrested the deputies advised him he was being arrested based on a warrant from Oklahoma, although they did not know the charge, and that Deputy Smith read him his rights. Plaintiff was informed of the charge the afternoon of his arrest.

Concerning plaintiff's detention in jail the record reveals that Mitchell was not brought before a judge until May 8, 1980. The sheriff testified that he thought Mitchell had been brought before a judge within 72 hours, as required by LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 230.1, and that there must have been a mistake in not taking him before the judge within that time.

The plaintiff also testified that he had informed the deputies that he had a medical appointment with an eye doctor on May 2. The appointment was for evaluation purposes only to see if his eye was ready for surgery. The deputies did not let him keep this appointment.

As this court stated in Johnson v. State through Dept. of P. Safety, 451 So.2d 104 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1984), writ denied, 457 So.2d 15 (La.1984):

"False imprisonment occurs when one is arrested and restrained against his will by another who acts without a warrant or other statutory authority. It is restraint without color of legal authority. Kyle v. City of New Orleans, 353 So.2d 969 (La.1977); Richard v. State, through Department of Public Safety, 436 So.2d 1265 (La.App. 1st Cir.1983), writ denied, 441 So.2d 1223 (La.1983). If a police officer acts pursuant to statutory authority in arresting and incarcerating a citizen, there is no false arrest or imprisonment. Kyle v. City of New Orleans, supra."

In Johnson, supra, the plaintiff was stopped and ticketed for speeding by Louisiana Trooper Sanders. Sanders requested a N.C.I.C. check. The N.C.I.C. printout showed that Leonard Johnson, Jr. was wanted by authorities in Bell County, Texas, on charges of aggravated prostitution. The physical description on Johnson's driving record was similar to the description provided by the N.C.I.C. printout. The date of birth was identical. Johnson was arrested by Trooper Sanders. After spending six days in jail, it was discovered that the incarcerated Johnson was not the wanted fugitive. He sued for false imprisonment. The trial court found reasonable cause to arrest the plaintiff and rendered judgment in favor of the defendants. This court stated:

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469 So. 2d 381, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mitchell-v-windham-lactapp-1985.