Noble v. Armstrong

670 So. 2d 1280, 95 La.App. 5 Cir. 720, 1996 La. App. LEXIS 366, 1996 WL 78354
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 14, 1996
DocketNo. 95-CA-720
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 670 So. 2d 1280 (Noble v. Armstrong) 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
Noble v. Armstrong, 670 So. 2d 1280, 95 La.App. 5 Cir. 720, 1996 La. App. LEXIS 366, 1996 WL 78354 (La. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

[¡jCANNELLA, Judge.

Plaintiff, Veronica Noble, appeals from a judgment denying her a trial by jury and dismissing the merits of her damage suit against defendants, Julie Armstrong, the Es[1281]*1281tate of James Armstrong, Mavis Early and Robert Early. We affirm.

The preliminary facts of this case are set out in Noble v. Armstrong, 93-841 (La.App. 5th Cir. 3/16/94), 635 So.2d 1199, 1201-1202, as follows:

In 1983 James Armstrong was adjudged an interdict after being severely injured in an automobile accident. Joseph Cascante, James Armstrong’s brother, was appointed curator for the interdict on January 21, 1983. On May 1, 1985, Veronica Noble, the former wife of Joseph Cascante, was named provisional undereuratrix and, on July 25, 1985, she was appointed undercu-ratrix. By court order, the curator was authorized to compromise and settle the interdict’s claims for personal injuries for the amount of $1,530,000. On July 22, 1986, Ronald Armstrong, James Armstrong’s brother, was appointed undercurator for the interdict, thereby replacing Veronica Noble in that capacity. On March 1, 1990, Julie Armstrong, the mother of James Armstrong, was appointed cu-ratrix of the interdict, replacing Joseph Cascante in that capacity.
_JjOn August 3,1990, Julie Armstrong, in her capacity as curatrix of James Armstrong, sued Veronica Noble, Joseph Cas-cante, Ronald Armstrong, and State Farm Fire and Casualty Company (the “Armstrong” litigation) for the misappropriation of the assets in the interdict’s estate and expenditure of the interdict’s funds without proper court authority. On September 24, 1990, a default judgment in the Armstrong litigation was entered against Veronica Noble in the amount of $705,406.47. Noble appealed the default judgment on the grounds that the default was obtained by methods prohibited by La.-C.C.P. Article 2004, i.e., ill practices and the lack of sufficient evidence to support the judgment. On October 16,1991, this Court found that the trial judge had not erred in granting the default judgment against Ms. Noble and therefore affirmed the judgment. Noble applied for writs of certiorari and/or review to the Supreme Court of Louisiana. On April 3, 1992, the Supreme Court of Louisiana vacated the judgment, granted Noble’s motion for a new trial, and remanded the case for further proceedings. In re the Interdiction of James M. Armstrong, 596 So.2d 822 (La.1992).
After the granting of the default judgment in the Armstrong litigation and before the rendition of this Court’s decision and the Supreme Court’s decision in that litigation, Noble sued Julie Armstrong, Mavis Early, Robert Early, and the Estate of James Armstrong for monetary damages she alleges to have suffered as a result of those defendants’ actions in connection with the Armstrong litigation. Defendants, Mavis Early and Robert Early, were the attorneys who represented Julie Armstrong, as curator for the interdict, in the Armstrong litigation.
The defendants-appellees in this case filed an answer denying most of the allegations contained in the plaintiffs petition, admitting however that a default judgment for $705,406.47 was obtained against Noble in the Armstrong litigation.
The defendants-appellees in this action filed motions for summary judgment. The trial court granted the defendants’ motions for summary judgment, from which the plaintiff has appealed. [Emphasis Added]

In the above case, on March 16, 1994, this court reversed the summary judgment and remanded for further proceedings consistent with the opinion.

Trial on the merits was set for March 28, 1995. When the case was called, for trial, plaintiff objected to proceeding without a jury to adjudicate the matter. The trial judge considered plaintiffs request and denied it because he said that Civil Rule VII, Section 3(a) of the Local Rules of the 24th Judicial District Court had not been followed. The rule states:

14“... all orders for a jury trial shall be presented to the judge to whom the case is allotted. Such order shall bear the endorsement of the clerk that all costs and advance deposits required by the Clerk of Court have been paid, and also, that the $84 Civil Juror Filing Fee has been paid to the Clerk of Court, Parish of Jefferson.”

[1282]*1282Plaintiff was asked to call her first witness. She asked for permission to apply for writs on the issue of whether she was entitled to a jury trial and she asked for a stay. The request for writs was granted and for a stay was denied. Plaintiff was again asked by the trial judge to call her first witness and she again declined. The trial court found that plaintiff had abandoned her case and dismissed it, with prejudice. A judgment was signed on April 6, 1995. It is from this judgment that plaintiff now appeals.

Plaintiff contends that on March 21, 1995, one week before the trial date (March 28, 1995), she paid a $300 deposit to the Clerk of Court for the 24th Judicial District Court. Then, before the trial began, plaintiff requested that the ease be tried before a jury. It was denied. Counsel for plaintiff asked for a recess to discuss a possible settlement. The recess was granted. When the parties returned, counsel for plaintiff requested that the trial court reconsider the denial of the jury trial request and he asked to put on the testimony of the Clerk of Court. The trial judge responded that he did not question that plaintiff paid the $300, but since there was no jury order signed by him, the jury trial request was again denied. There was further discussion and argument, following which, plaintiff stated her intention to take writs, asked to proffer the testimony of the Clerk of Court and requested a stay. The trial judge stated that plaintiff could take writs, but he would not stay the trial and plaintiff could not proffer the testimony. Plaintiffs counsel then asked for a second recess to again attempt a settlement. The trial judge granted the request. Upon the return of the parties, plaintiff’s counsel stated:

... The plaintiff wished a jury trial as we all know. The plaintiff | swishes only to have a jury trial today or no trial at all. Plaintiff does not wish to dismiss her case, but if the Court so wishes, let me state for the reeord, as I appreciate it, we have asked for a continuance to allow time for writs and been denied. We’ve also in fact asked for those writs. The question of whether or not she’s entitled to a jury with the record as it stands now. If the Court wishes to dismiss the case, the plaintiff has indicated to me as her co-counsel — as her new counsel that she would prefer not to proceed in order to appeal that judgment rather than be forced to proceed to trial and then perhaps have to appeal that verdict.

Defendants argued that the case should be dismissed if plaintiff refused to continue with the trial since they were ready to proceed. The trial judge concluded, as follows:

I consider this case to be abandoned for failure to prosecute. The plaintiff has refused to call their first witness. This case is therefore considered abandoned. I dismiss this ease with full prejudice. The defense will prepare a judgment for my signature.

On April 6, 1995, the trial judge signed a judgment reciting these facts and dismissing plaintiff’s case with prejudice.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Angelo v. Billings
690 So. 2d 1013 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
670 So. 2d 1280, 95 La.App. 5 Cir. 720, 1996 La. App. LEXIS 366, 1996 WL 78354, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/noble-v-armstrong-lactapp-1996.