Poule D'Eau Properties, LLC v. TLC Properties, Inc. and The Lamar Company, LLC

CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 24, 2023
Docket2022CA1011
StatusUnknown

This text of Poule D'Eau Properties, LLC v. TLC Properties, Inc. and The Lamar Company, LLC (Poule D'Eau Properties, LLC v. TLC Properties, Inc. and The Lamar Company, LLC) 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
Poule D'Eau Properties, LLC v. TLC Properties, Inc. and The Lamar Company, LLC, (La. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

STATE OF LOUISIANA

COURT OF APPEAL

FIRST CIRCUIT

NUMBER 2022 CA 1011

POULE D' EAU PROPERTIES, L.L.C.

VERSUS

TLC PROPERTIES, INC. AND THE LAMAR COMPANY, L.L.C.

0 Judgment Rendered: FEB 2 4 2023

Appealed from the Thirty -Second Judicial District Court In and for the Parish of Terrebonne State of Louisiana Suit Number 179945

Honorable Randall L. Bethancourt, Presiding

Mark A. Hill Counsel for Plaintiff/Appellee Randolph J. Waits Poule D' Eau Properties, L.L.C. Matthew F. Popp New Orleans, LA

Rose M. Lebreton Counsel for Defendants/ Appellants Tyler J. Arbour Lamar Advertising of Louisiana, LLC Ryan M. Tucker and TLC Properties, Inc. New Orleans, LA

BEFORE: GUIDRY, C. J., WOLFE, AND MILLER, JJ. GUIDRY, C.J.,

Defendants/ appellants, Lamar Advertising of Louisiana, L.L.C. and TLC

Properties, Incl ( collectively Lamar), appeal from a trial court judgment granting

summary judgment in favor of plaintiff/appellee, Poule D' Eau Properties, L.L.C.

Poule D' Eau), denying Lamar' s cross motion for summary judgment, declaring

Poule D' Eau to be the sole owner of the tract of land at issue, and evicting Lamar

from the property. For the reasons that follow, we affirm in part, reverse in part, and

remand.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Joseph Duplantis, Jr. and Rosemary Whipple Duplantis owned an

approximately 72 -acre tract of land along Highway 182 between Lake Houmas

Motel and Coteau Road in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. On December 31, 2003,

Rosemary died intestate. Thereafter, in a judgment of possession dated September

15, 2005, Joseph was recognized as the owner of an undivided one- half interest in

the property. Joseph was also recognized as having a life -time spousal usufruct over

Rosemary' s undivided one- half interest in the property. The judgment of possession

further recognized Joseph and Rosemary' s six children ( Duplantis heirs) as

Rosemary' s sole surviving heirs, recognized them as the owners, and placed them in

possession of Rosemary' s undivided one- half interest in the property.

Thereafter, on September 4, 2007, Joseph executed a " Grant of Easement" in

favor of Lamar whereby Joseph, representing that he was the sole owner of the

property, granted a perpetual servitude to Lamar for the location, construction, and

maintenance of billboards on the property. Joseph subsequently died on May 31,

1 The defendants were incorrectly named in Poule D' Eau' s petition as " The Lamar Company, L.L.C." and " TLC Properties, L.L.C.," respectively.

I Under Louisiana jurisprudence, the common law word " easement" is the same as the Louisiana servitude." See Poule D' Eau Properties, L.L.C. v. TLC Properties, Inc., 18- 1400, p. 2 n.2 ( La. App. 1 st Cir. 6116120) 202OWL3249294 * I ( unpublished opinion).

E 2009. Thereafter, in August 2010, the Duplantis heirs, through their attorney,

contacted Lamar and asserted that the servitude granted by Joseph was invalid. In

July 2011, the Duplantis heirs again reached out to Lamar through their attorney,

asserting the invalidity of the servitude granted by Joseph to Lamar and offering,

unsuccessfully, to enter into a lease agreement with Lamar.

By judgment of possession dated June 6, 2012, the Duplantis heirs were

recognized as the legatees of Joseph under his notarial last will and testament and as

such, were recognized as owners and were placed in possession of Joseph' s

undivided one- half interest in the property. The Duplantis heirs subsequently sold

the property to Poule D' Eau on September 8, 2016.3

Thereafter, Poule D' Eau filed a Petition for Petitory Action Seeking

Declaratory Judgment and Eviction of Defendants on May 16, 2017. Poule D' Eau

asserted that Lamar had erected three advertising signs on the property and despite

amicable demand, has refused to vacate the property. Poule D' Eau also alleged that

none of the Duplantis heirs consented to the servitude granted by Joseph in favor of

Lamar and as such, the servitude was null and void. Poule D' Eau sought a judgment

declaring it to be the sole owner of all rights over the property and evicting Lamar

from the property.

Lamar responded by filing an Answer, Affirmative Defenses, and Exceptions,

including the peremptory exception raising the objections of no right of action and

prescription. Poule D' Eau subsequently filed a motion for summary judgment,

asserting that Joseph, as a usufructuary, was not permitted under Louisiana law to

encumber, alienate, or otherwise dispossess the Duplantis heirs, who are the naked

owners, of any portion of the property. As such, Poule D' Eau asserted that the

3 On April 7, 2015, Patrick Duplantis, one of the Duplantis heirs, sold his undivided interest in the property to Poule D' Eau. Thereafter, Poule D' Eau acquired the remaining interest in the property from the remaining Duplantis heirs by an Act of Exchange dated September S, 2016. 3 servitude is null and void and it should be granted summary judgment declaring the

servitude null and void and evicting Lamar from the property.

Following a hearing on Lamar' s exceptions and Poule D' Eau' s motion for

summary judgment, the trial court signed a judgment on April 13, 2018, maintaining

Lamar' s exception raising the objection of no right of action and dismissing all of

Poule D' Eau' s claims against Lamar with prejudice. Poule D' Eau appealed the trial

court' s judgment, and this court reversed the trial court' s judgment and remanded

the matter for further proceedings. Poule D' Eau Properties L.L.C. y. TLC

Properties, Inc., 18- 1400, p. 9 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 6116120), 2020 WL 3249294 * 5

unpublished opinion).

On October 19, 2021, Poule D' Eau filed another motion for summary

judgment asserting that Lamar' s servitude is suspended pursuant to La. C. C. art. 714

due to the lack of consent to the servitude by the Duplantis heirs. As such, Poule

D' Eau asserted that Lamar has no legal or contractual right to maintain its

advertising signs on the property and should be evicted from the property. Lamar

filed an opposition to Poule D' Eau' s motion for summary judgment, wherein it

pointed out that while Poule D' Eau referenced several documents in its motion for

summary judgment, it only attached and filed one exhibit to its motion, being this

court' s prior opinion. Accordingly, Lamar objected to all referenced documents to

the extent that they are not attached to the motion for summary judgment.

Lamar filed a cross- motion for summary judgment on January 4, 2022,

asserting that it is entitled to summary judgment dismissing Poule D' Eau' s claims.

Lamar asserted: the Duplantis heirs knowingly did not take action and their

acceptance of Joseph' s succession confirmed the servitude agreement and cured

their failure to consent prior to Poule D' Eau' s ownership; Poule D' Eau cannot

establish that Lamar entered or remained on the tract without a legal right; the

servitude burdened the entire property upon the Duplantis heirs coming into

4 ownership of the whole tract through the judgment of possession under La. C.C. art.

719; any right of action to annul the servitude is prescribed; and Poule D' Eau had

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Poule D'Eau Properties, LLC v. TLC Properties, Inc. and The Lamar Company, LLC, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/poule-deau-properties-llc-v-tlc-properties-inc-and-the-lamar-company-lactapp-2023.