Ostheimer v. Venvirotek of Louisiana, Inc.

674 So. 2d 337, 1996 WL 242987
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 30, 1996
Docket95 CA 2126
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 674 So. 2d 337 (Ostheimer v. Venvirotek of Louisiana, Inc.) 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
Ostheimer v. Venvirotek of Louisiana, Inc., 674 So. 2d 337, 1996 WL 242987 (La. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

674 So.2d 337 (1996)

William Alexander OSTHEIMER, Sterling W. Ostheimer and Dr. Arthur C. Ostheimer
v.
VENVIROTEK OF LOUISIANA, INC.

No. 95 CA 2126.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

April 30, 1996.

*338 Robert B. Butler, Houma, for Appellees William Ostheimer, Sterling W. Ostheimer and Arthur C. Ostheimer.

Robert Atkinson, Claude F. Reynaud, Jr., Baton Rouge, for Appellants Venvirotek of Louisiana, Inc. and First Louisiana Business & Industrial Development Corporation.

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

PITCHER, Judge.

Defendant, Venvirotek of Louisiana, Inc. (Venvirotek), and intervenor, First Louisiana Business & Industrial Development Corporation (First BIDCO), appeal from the grant of a motion for partial summary judgment in favor of William Ostheimer, Sterling W. Ostheimer and Arthur C. Ostheimer (plaintiffs). Additionally, First BIDCO appeals from the judgment of the trial court, sustaining plaintiffs' peremptory exception pleading the objection of no cause of action.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Plaintiffs are the present owners of a tract of land containing 427.4377 acres, located in Sec. 2, Township 18 South, Range 16 East, and in Sec. 60, 61, 62, and 63, Township 17 South, Range 16 East, in Terrebonne Parish.

Plaintiffs acquired the tract of land from the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (Northwestern) in August of 1993.[2] Northwestern acquired the property by virtue of a Sheriff's sale. On January 15, 1979, a mortgage on this tract of land in favor of Northwestern, was executed and recorded. Thereafter, the promissory note secured by the mortgage was not paid in accordance with its terms, and the holder of the note (Northwestern) foreclosed on the mortgage.

Venvirotek is the owner of a tract of land, containing eight acres, located in Sections 82, Township 17 South, Range 16 East, and Section 2, Township 18 South, Range 16 East, in Terrebonne Parish. Venvirotek acquired this property from Aglands Investment Company and Chemfix Technologies, Inc. on January 4, 1985.[3] The Act of Sale stated as follows:

VENDOR does hereby assign unto PURCHASER such rights as it enjoys in the use of the non exclusive servitude of passage over the existing shell road extending from U.S. Highway 90 to the property conveyed.

On or about April 25, 1987, an agreement was reached between Chemfix Technologies, *339 Inc. and Aglands, which states that Aglands acknowledges that it granted to Houma Fluid Services under date of April 25, 1987, a surface lease adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway with a pipeline right-of-way extending back to the Houma Fluid Services' existing disposal facility. The lease was for a one-year term, and was an extension of an original lease, dated April 29, 1985. The agreement also cites that, under certain circumstances, the lease would be extended for an additional twenty-five years.

Venvirotek is also the owner of a five acre tract of land acquired from South Coast Investment Company on October 1, 1992.[4] The Act of Sale stated as follows:

Vendor does not, by this instrument grant unto purchaser any rights of way over the existing shell road lying adjacent to the western boundary of the tract sold from the point where the existing shell road adjoins the Northwest corner of Tract G down to the intersection with the North Bank of the Gulf Intercoastal Right of Way.
VENDOR does agree by separate instrument to grant a right of way, provided a mutually acceptable agreement regarding maintenance can be agreed upon by VENDOR and PURCHASER.

On or about October 5, 1992, South Coast Investment Company of Delaware entered into an agreement with Venvirotek, which provided as follows:

Venvirotek accepts the existing right of way from U.S. Highway 90 to its existing 8 acre site in its current condition, and further accepts the additional right of way from its existing 8 acre site to the proposed subject property to be purchased from South Coast in its present condition.

The agreement also provided that Venvirotek was responsible for the maintenance of said right-of ways.

It is undisputed that the two tracts of land owned by Venvirotek are surrounded by plaintiffs' tract of land.

On March 31, 1994, plaintiff filed a petition, seeking a judgment (1) declaring the property to be free and clear of any pipeline right-of-way, road right-of-way and/or other easement or servitude or right-of way or lease whatsoever in favor of Venvirotek; (2) declaring that any lease, pipeline right-of-way and/or road right-of-way and road maintenance agreement, is null and void of no effect and canceling and erasing all such from the records of Terrebonne Parish; and (3) ordering Venvirotek to remove the pipeline and to restore the property to its former condition. The petition also alleged that plaintiffs were entitled to be paid the fair market value of the use of the property, from the date plaintiffs purchased the property until the date judgment is rendered. Attached to the petition was the legal description of plaintiffs' property.

On May 6, 1994, First BIDCO filed a petition of intervention to resist the demands of plaintiffs which adversely affect the rights of First BIDCO. In this petition, First BIDCO alleged that it holds a first mortgage on Venvirotek's eight acre tract of land, said mortgage being recorded on August 21, 1992. First BIDCO also claims that it is negotiating an option which will entitle it to acquire Venvirotek's five acre tract of land. First BIDCO alleged that the property encumbered by its mortgage and the other Venvirotek property is completely enclosed by the plaintiffs' property. First BIDCO further alleged that, if plaintiffs get the relief sought, the property owned by Venvirotek will be rendered worthless. First BIDCO alleges that its rights in Venvirotek's property could be readily ascertained by an examination of the public records; yet they received no notice of the Sheriff's sale. Because it did not receive notice, First BIDCO alleges that the judicial sale is invalid, as is plaintiffs' claim. First BIDCO prays that plaintiffs' claims be dismissed.

On May 6, 1994, First BIDCO also filed an answer to plaintiffs' petition, denying the allegations contained therein.

Thereafter, plaintiffs filed several exceptions to First BIDCO's petition for intervention: an exception of improper intervention *340 and improper procedure, an exception pleading the objection of no right of action, and an exception pleading the objection of no cause of action. In support of these exceptions, plaintiffs alleged that First BIDCO's remedy was limited to damages under LSA-R.S. 13:3886.1[5].

Venvirotek filed an answer to plaintiff's petition on June 10, 1994.

On August 1, 1994, plaintiffs filed a motion for partial summary judgment, alleging that there was no genuine issue of material fact insofar as their entitlement to the declaratory relief sought, reserving the question of damages for a trial on the merits.

First BIDCO subsequently amended its petition for intervention and alleged that LSA-R.S. 13:3886.1 was unconstitutional under the due process clause of the United States Constitution and the Louisiana Constitution.

Thereafter, Venvirotek amended its answer and filed a reconventional demand, alleging that, if the conventional rights of way at issue were terminated, it was still entitled to a right of passage under LSA-C.C. arts. 689-696.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
674 So. 2d 337, 1996 WL 242987, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ostheimer-v-venvirotek-of-louisiana-inc-lactapp-1996.