Pelt v. Guardsmark, Inc.

451 So. 2d 621, 1984 La. App. LEXIS 8819
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 14, 1984
Docket83-CA-844
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 451 So. 2d 621 (Pelt v. Guardsmark, 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
Pelt v. Guardsmark, Inc., 451 So. 2d 621, 1984 La. App. LEXIS 8819 (La. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

451 So.2d 621 (1984)

Reginald PELT
v.
GUARDSMARK, INC., et al.

No. 83-CA-844.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

May 14, 1984.

*622 Gregory D. Frost, Lee, Greenfield & Frost, Baton Rouge, for plaintiff-appellant.

Stephen R. Wilson, Keogh, Cox & Wilson, Ltd., Baton Rouge, Wayne J. Fontana, McGlinchey, Stafford, Mintz, Cellini & Lang, New Orleans, for defendant-appellee.

Before CHEHARDY, BOWES and DUFRESNE, JJ.

DUFRESNE, Judge.

This appeal comes before us from a judgment of the district court on a consolidated action in tort and workmen's compensation. The plaintiff, Reginald Pelt, filed a petition for damages against Alice Davis and her employer, Guardsmark, Inc. and a suit for workmen's compensation benefits against his employer, Pullman-Kellogg Corporation. The district court, after a trial on the merits, rendered judgment in favor of defendants, and against the plaintiff based on the plea of prescription. The plaintiff has perfected this appeal and assigned the following specifications of error.

That the trial court erred in finding that plaintiff's claims in tort and workman's *623 compensation had prescribed, for the following reasons:

1. The trial court erroneously required plaintiff to show, by a preponderance of the evidence, that his claim had not prescribed.
2. The trial court was manifestly wrong in finding that plaintiff's claim had prescribed, in that it ignored all of the objective evidence on point, and chose to rely on the statements of defendants' employees.
3. The trial court erred in not finding that the St. Charles Parish Clerk of Court had possession of the petition on February 4, 1981, and, therefore, that this suit was filed timely.
4. The trial court failed to recognize that plaintiff's workmen's compensation claim had not prescribed under the "development of the injury" rule.

On appeal, we shall segregate and resolve the two causes of action: (1) tort, and (2) workmen's compensation.

(1) Tort Action

This case has its genesis sometime in early February, 1980. The plaintiff, Reginald Pelt, was employed by Pullman-Kellogg Corporation as a pipefitter at the Shell Refinery in Norco, Louisiana. The plaintiff arrived at the plant and reported for duty at approximately 6:20 A.M. Shortly thereafter, he began walking into the plant. At the same time, defendant, Alice Davis, who was on duty at the plant and working under the employ of the defendant, Guardsmark, Inc., was seated in her van facing away from the plaintiff. After completing the conversation she was having with a fellow employee outside of the van, she proceeded to make a U-turn in order to head towards the gate through which the plaintiff had just entered. At about the time she completed the U-turn, her vehicle struck the plaintiff.

At trial, Mrs. Davis admitted that she was in a hurry, had been talking to her passengers, and did not see the plaintiff until her vehicle struck him.

At the time of the accident, plaintiff was not aware that he had been injured. In fact, he repeatedly told Mrs. Davis that he was unhurt. However, some two to three days following the accident, he began to experience headaches and cervical pain. He reported to the Pullman-Kellogg first aid station, complaining of those symptoms. Thereafter, on February 26, 1980, he first went to see Dr. John Fraiche, and began a series of visits and treatments which lasted over nine months.

Plaintiff worked a full day on the date of the accident and on the following day. From that time on, plaintiff had increasing difficulty with his neck and with headaches, but continued to work for Pullman-Kellogg Corporation until April 10, 1980. At that time, he began to work at BASF Wyandotte, both because he thought that the work would be easier (i.e., less aggravating to his condition) and because it was closer to his home in Baton Rouge. Prior to his leaving Pullman-Kellogg, he had missed some 97 hours of work as a result of his injuries.

The plaintiff worked for BASF Wyandotte until May 29, 1980, at which time he was laid off due to his inability to do certain job related activities. In the six to seven weeks at that employment, he had missed some 65 hours as a result of his injuries.

In the next three months, plaintiff was seen not only by Dr. Fraiche, but also by Dr. John Clifford and Dr. John Faser. His condition improved somewhat and, on October 6, 1980, he returned to work.

On February 5, 1981, suit was filed herein against Alice Davis, Pullman-Kellogg Corporation, and Guardsmark, Inc. In his petition, the plaintiff alleged that the accident occurred on February 11, 1980. The defendants responded to plaintiff's suit with exceptions of prescription, contending that the accident actually happened on February 4, 1980. On July 1, 1981, a hearing was held on those exceptions, but the matter was held open for the taking of the deposition of defendant, Mrs. Davis. On September 10, 1981, the trial court rendered *624 judgment denying the exceptions of prescription as to both the tort and workman's compensation suit.

On June 28, 1983, trial on the merits was had herein. Following that trial, on September 12, 1983, the trial court rendered judgment, dismissing plaintiff's claims, both in tort and in workman's compensation. On September 29, 1983, a motion for a new trial was denied and on November 7, 1983, the trial court granted the instant appeal.

The trial judge, in his reasons for judgment stated the following:

"This court stated its position clearly— That it was necessary that plaintiff prove his case by a preponderance of the evidence on the trial on the merits. This he has failed to do.
I find that the burden of proof as explained by this court was not met by plaintiff relative to any tort and/or workmen's compensation claim. All of the facts point out that prescription has run on the claim, which is to be filed within one (1) year."

We agree with the trial court with respect to the issue of prescription regarding the tort suit against Alice Davis and Guardsmark, Inc. The record reveals that the alleged cause of action occurred more than one year prior to the commencement of this action. After carefully reviewing evidence in the record, there is sufficient legal certainty to logically conclude that the cause of action in tort arose at least several days before the disputed 11th of February, 1980. In fact, the overwhelming evidence points toward the date of February 4, 1980.

Examination of the record in the instant matter reveals that the only evidence that the accident occurred on February 11, 1980, (rather than February 4, 1980) is the testimony of plaintiff himself, either coming directly from plaintiff, or appearing in documents which he himself prepared or gave information for preparing. Plaintiff argues that of the seven people to testify on the issue of prescription, that John Fraiche, was the only "truly impartial person" to testify. The deposition of Dr. John Fraiche appears twice in the record. A simple review of this deposition reveals the obvious fact which almost begs the question. The only information which Dr. Fraiche had about the date of the accident is that which was told to him by the plaintiff, making any testimony by Dr. Fraiche a simple repetition of what he had been told at some point in time by the plaintiff himself.

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Bluebook (online)
451 So. 2d 621, 1984 La. App. LEXIS 8819, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pelt-v-guardsmark-inc-lactapp-1984.