Philippe v. Lloyd's Aero Boliviano

589 So. 2d 536, 1991 WL 226460
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 18, 1991
DocketCA 90 1139
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 589 So. 2d 536 (Philippe v. Lloyd's Aero Boliviano) 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
Philippe v. Lloyd's Aero Boliviano, 589 So. 2d 536, 1991 WL 226460 (La. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

589 So.2d 536 (1991)

Robert PHILIPPE and Viola Philippe
v.
LLOYD'S AERO BOLIVIANO, Travelworld, Olson-Travelworld Organization, Ltd., and Alana International Travel.

No. CA 90 1139.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

October 18, 1991.
Writ Denied January 6, 1992.

*537 Penrose C. St. Amant, Gonzales, for Alana Intern. Travel.

Keith Nordyke, June E. Denlinger, Baton Rouge, for plaintiffs/appellants.

Walter F. Marcus, III, New Orleans, for Olson-Travelworld Organization.

Before SHORTESS, LANIER and CRAIN, JJ.

LANIER, Judge.

This action is a suit asserting causes of action in tort and contract for a medical condition that developed in a tourist during a South American tour. Made defendants are (1) Olson-Travelworld Organization, Ltd., and one of its corporate divisions, Travelworld, Inc., hereinafter called Olson, the tour organizer; (2) Home Insurance Company (Home), Olson's insurer; (3) Lloyd's Aero Boliviano (Lloyd's), a common carrier airline; (4) ABC Insurance Company, Lloyd's insurer; (5) Alana International Travel (Alana), the plaintiffs' local travel agent; and (6) Commercial Union Insurance Company (Commercial), Alana's insurer. The plaintiffs are Robert and Viola Philippe, a husband and wife. Olson and Home filed a peremptory exception raising the objection of no cause of action.[1] The trial court sustained the exception, and, pursuant to La.C.C.P. art. 934, granted the plaintiffs 30 days to amend their petition to state a cause of action. The plaintiffs did not amend their petition and the trial court rendered judgment dismissing the petition against Olson and Home with prejudice. The plaintiffs took this devolutive appeal.

FACTS

The objection of no cause of action raised in the peremptory exception questions whether the law affords any remedy to a plaintiff under the allegations of the petition. La.C.C.P. art. 927(4); Succession of Bertaut, 572 So.2d 142 (La.App. 1st Cir.1990), writ denied, 573 So.2d 1111 (La.1991). Pursuant to La.C.C.P. art. 931, *538 "[N]o evidence may be introduced at any time to support or controvert the objection that the petition fails to state a cause of action." For purposes of the objection of no cause of action, all facts pleaded in the petition are accepted as true, and any doubts are resolved in favor of the sufficiency of the petition. Succession of Bertaut, 572 So.2d at 144.

The pertinent facts[2] in the petition, as amended, are as follows:

2.
Defendant Travelworld is alleged, on information and belief, to be a division or subsidiary of defendant Olson-Travelworld Organization. Travelworld and Olson-Travelworld Organization are in the business of organizing, promoting, sponsoring, selling and arranging international tours.
3.
Travelworld and Olson-Travelworld Organization prepare, print and distribute in the State of Louisiana advertising, brochures, and literature pertaining to these tours. Travelworld and Olson-Travelworld Organization contract with local travel agents, including travel agents within the State of Louisiana, to perform certain services involved in these tours such as booking reservations. Travelworld and Olson-Travelworld Organization also serve as agents, in the State of Louisiana, for transportation companies and common carriers which provide transportation services in connection with these tours.
4.
Travelworld and/or Olson-Travelworld Organization has distributed various brochures and literature to plaintiffs, pertaining to these tours. In particular, in 1987, Travelworld and/or Olson-Travelworld Organization distributed to plaintiffs in Louisiana brochures pertaining to its upcoming tours of South America.
5.
This literature makes representations about the experience and reputation of Travelworld/Olson-Travelworld and states that they have researched the locations to which they arrange tours.
6.
The literature represents that Travelworld/Olson-Travelworld is a member of various professional organizations which subscribed to standards of professional conduct, including guaranteeing truth in their advertising.
7.
Plaintiffs, having toured on prior occasions with Travelworld/Olson-Travelworld Organization, decided to participate in one of these tours called "Grand South America" which was scheduled for October, 1987. In selecting this tour and choosing to participate in it, plaintiffs relied on the representations made through this literature.
8.
Defendant Alana International Travel is a corporation or other entity which *539 holds itself out to the public as a professional travel agent. Alana was the local travel agent in Gonzales, Louisiana, responsible for making certain arrangements for the "Grand South America" tour.
9.
The literature distributed to plaintiffs instructs them to make inquiries of the local travel agent through which the tour is arranged. The travel agent is represented to be an experienced professional in the travel business, knowledgeable on the details of the tours, and qualified to give guidance about travel.
10.
The responsibilities of Alana included, but were not limited to, providing information on details of the trip, handling billing, contacting carriers to arrange ticketing, issuing tickets, confirming reservations, and accepting payment from plaintiff.
11.
In undertaking these responsibilities, Alana was acting on behalf of, and as agent for, plaintiffs in securing their participation in this tour and providing information about the travel which plaintiffs had selected.
11a.
As part of their efforts to arrange this tour for plaintiffs, representatives of Alana International Travel contacted Olsen-Travelworld/Travelworld [sic] to inquire about health requirements for participants in this tour. Employees of Alana further contacted local health agencies to determine what health precautions should be taken by persons traveling to the countries included in the tour. Alana International Travel and Olsen-Travelworld/Travelworld [sic] had actual knowledge of the health hazards of high altitude areas such as La Paz, Bolivia.
12.
As a consequence of undertaking these responsibilities, Alana stood in a fiduciary capacity toward plaintiffs. This duty included the obligation to inform itself of facts pertinent to the tour plaintiffs had selected, including the risks and special health considerations of such travel, and to disclose such information to plaintiffs.
13.
Plaintiffs purchased tickets for this tour, including tickets on a flight by defendant Lloyd's Aero Bolivano [sic]. Plaintiffs purchased these tickets from Alana, made payment to Alana, and received those tickets through Alana. On information and belief, Alana was acting under contract with, or on behalf of, Lloyd [sic] Aero Bolivano [sic] in soliciting, receiving, and transmitting this payment and ticket in Louisiana.
14.

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Bluebook (online)
589 So. 2d 536, 1991 WL 226460, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/philippe-v-lloyds-aero-boliviano-lactapp-1991.