Picou v. Terminix Pest Control

• Court: Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• Decided: September 30, 2025
• Docket: 25-30149
• Status: Unpublished

Opinion

Case: 25-30149 Document: 41-1 Page: 1 Date Filed: 09/30/2025

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States Court of Appeals ____________ Fifth Circuit

FILED No. 25-30149 September 30, 2025 Summary Calendar Lyle W. Cayce ____________ Clerk

Kellie Picou,

Plaintiff—Appellant,

versus

Terminix Pest Control, Incorporated,

Defendant—Appellee,

consolidated with _____________

No. 25-30200 _____________

Dean Chauvin,

Defendant—Appellee. Case: 25-30149 Document: 41-1 Page: 2 Date Filed: 09/30/2025

______________________________

Appeals from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana USDC Nos. 2:22-CV-3700, 2:22-CV-3673 ______________________________

Before Dennis, Haynes, and Ramirez, Circuit Judges. Per Curiam: * Plaintiffs Kellie Picou and Dean Chauvin appeal the district court’s award of attorney’s fees after the dismissal of their complaints. The district court ably articulates in its decisions the reasons why the awards are correct. See Picou v. Terminix Pest Control, Inc., 22-CV-3700, 2024 WL 3742724, at *1–3 (E.D. La. Aug. 8, 2024); Chauvin v. Terminix Pest Control, Inc., 22-CV-3673, 2024 WL 3742686, at *1 (E.D. La. Aug. 7, 2024). We find no abuse of discretion. Terminix requests an award of reasonable attorney’s fees for this appeal. “A long and consistent line of Fifth Circuit precedent allows awards of attorneys’ fees for both trial and appellate work.” Rizzo v. Children’s World Learning Centers, Inc., 173 F.3d 254, 263 (5th Cir. 1999) (citation omitted). Accordingly, we AFFIRM the district court’s judgments, award Terminix attorney’s fees for this appeal, and REMAND to the district court for determination of the amount. See DeCorte v. Jordan, 497 F.3d 433, 445 (5th Cir. 2007).

_____________________ * This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.