Norred v. Radisson Hotel Corp.

665 So. 2d 753, 1995 WL 743574
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 15, 1995
Docket95 CA 0748
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 665 So. 2d 753 (Norred v. Radisson Hotel Corp.) 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
Norred v. Radisson Hotel Corp., 665 So. 2d 753, 1995 WL 743574 (La. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

665 So.2d 753 (1995)

Donnie NORRED and Wife, Shirley Norred and Arlen J. Guidry and Wife, Linda J. Guidry,
v.
RADISSON HOTEL CORPORATION and Radisson Hotels International, Incorporated.

No. 95 CA 0748.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

December 15, 1995.

*754 Robert P. Cuccia, Houma, for Plaintiffs/Appellees —Donnie Norred, et al.

Joseph A. Reilly, Jr., Houma, for Defendants/Appellants —Radisson Hotel Corp., et al.

Before CARTER and PITCHER, JJ., and CRAIN[1], J. Pro Tem.

CARTER, Judge.

This is an appeal from a trial court judgment in an action for damages.

FACTS

On November 22, 1991, plaintiffs, Donnie and Shirley Norred and Arlen and Linda Guidry, were guests at the Radisson Hotel located at 315 Julia Street in New Orleans, occupying adjacent rooms. While the men watched television in the Guidrys' room, the ladies went next door to the Norreds' room to retrieve drinks from an ice chest. A handbag was placed between the door and the door frame of the Guidrys' room so that the ladies could reenter the room without the use of a key.

While the ladies were absent from the Guidrys' room, a man armed with a gun entered the room through the open door, threatened the two men, tied them up, taped their legs and mouths, and robbed them. When the ladies attempted to return to the Guidrys' room, they discovered that the door was locked. Unaware of the presence of the assailant and believing that the men were playing a trick on them, Mrs. Guidry attempted to climb from the balcony of the Norreds' room to the balcony of the Guidrys' room, but was unsuccessful. In the meantime, Mrs. Norred knocked on the door of the Guidrys' room, and the robber suddenly opened the door, pulled Mrs. Norred into the room, and threw her across the room. The robber then left the room. Mrs. Guidry began knocking on the door to the Guidrys' room, and, from inside, Mrs. Norred instructed her to alert hotel security that they had been robbed. Mrs. Guidry went next door to the Norreds' room to call hotel security and remained there until security personnel arrived approximately fifteen minutes later. The police arrived shortly thereafter. Mrs. Guidry then went to the Guidrys' room, where the robbery had occurred, and saw her husband in a shaken-up state. Mr. Guidry was no longer bound with tape when Mrs. Guidry entered the room.

On October 20, 1992, plaintiffs filed the instant action for damages, naming as defendants the Radisson Hotel Corporation and Radisson Hotels International, Incorporated (collectively referred to as the defendants hereafter). The petition alleged that the defendants were liable to the plaintiffs for damages arising from their failure to provide adequate security measures.

On January 4, 1994, a bench trial was held on the matter. On April 29, 1994, the trial court rendered judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, awarding the following damages: (1) Donnie Norred—$15,000.00 for mental pain and suffering, $1,800.00 for loss of money and valuables, and $120.00 for past medical expenses; (2) Shirley Norred—$20,000.00 for pain and suffering and $120.00 for past medical expenses; (3) Arlen Guidry—$15,000.00 for pain and suffering, $600.00 for loss of money and valuables, and $80.00 for past medical expenses; and (4) Linda Guidry— $10,000.00 for mental pain and suffering and $40.00 for past medical expenses.

On December 5, 1994, pursuant to a motion for new trial, the trial court rendered a second judgment, reducing Donnie Norred's and Arlen Guidry's awards for loss of money *755 and valuables to $500.00, in accordance with LSA-C.C. art. 2971, which limits an innkeeper's liability to $500.00 for a guest's loss of cash or valuables.[2]

The defendants appeal from this adverse judgment, assigning as the sole specification of error the trial court's award of damages for mental pain and suffering to Linda Guidry.[3] The defendants argue that Mrs. Guidry is not entitled to damages for the following reasons:

(1) Mrs. Guidry was not present during the incident giving rise to the mental anguish claims.
(2) Mrs. Guidry was not even aware that an incident was taking place until after it was over.
(3) Mrs. Guidry has not suffered any type of appreciable mental distress.
(4) Mrs. Guidry has had only one session with a psychologist, and that was for the sole purpose of accompanying her husband who was distraught over the incident and was the actual one for whom the treatment was intended.

However, Mrs. Guidry contends that the award of mental anguish damages to her is proper and is based on three separate and distinct theories of recovery:

(1) LSA-C.C. art. 2315 damages sustained by her as a direct victim of the armed robbery.
(2) LSA-C.C. art. 2315.6 damages sustained by her as a result of her husband's injuries.
(3) Damages due to the defendants' breach of a special, direct duty created by law, contract, or relationship as specified in Clomon v. Monroe City School Board, 572 So.2d 571 (La.1990).

DAMAGES FOR MENTAL ANGUISH

In 1990, the Louisiana Supreme Court overruled prior jurisprudence and allowed one to recover for her own mental anguish caused by injury to another in Lejeune v. Rayne Branch Hospital, 556 So.2d 559, 570 (La.1990). However, the court imposed the following restrictions on this "bystander recovery":

(1) the claimant must view the accident which caused injury to the other or come upon the scene soon thereafter;
(2) the mental anguish must be reasonable;
(3) the mental anguish must be serious and foreseeable; and
(4) the claimant must have a close relationship with the injured person.

Following Lejeune, the supreme court decided Clomon v. Monroe City School Board, 572 So.2d 571 (La.1990). In Clomon, the driver of an automobile was allowed to recover for the mental anguish she suffered from hitting a child due to the defendant's negligence. The court found that Lejeune did not apply. The court then went on to explain that "the Lejeune court did not intend to modify or interrupt the development of rules or decisions permitting recovery for emotional distress from a tortfeasor who owed the plaintiff a special, direct duty created by law, contract or special relationship." Clomon, 572 So.2d at 575. The court then based its decision allowing recovery on a breach of a direct, special statutory duty which the defendant owed to the plaintiff. Clomon, 572 So.2d at 578.

In 1991, Guillory v. Arceneaux, 580 So.2d 990 (La.App. 3rd Cir.), writs denied, 587 So.2d 694 (La.1991), was decided. Guillory involved an accident in which someone was killed as a result, in part, of a third party's negligence. The plaintiff was involved in the accident and sought to recover for her own emotional distress. The court found Lejeune inapplicable because the plaintiff was not a bystander but a participant and that Clomon did not apply because there was no breach of a direct, statutory duty. Nevertheless, the court found that plaintiff did have a cause of action, based upon the defendant's breach of his general duty of care. The court reasoned that the plaintiff was physically involved in *756 the accident and suffered emotional injury as a result, which has long been compensable even with no accompanying physical injury.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
665 So. 2d 753, 1995 WL 743574, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/norred-v-radisson-hotel-corp-lactapp-1995.