Rockholt v. Keaty

226 So. 2d 76, 1969 La. App. LEXIS 6155
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 2, 1969
DocketNo. 7732
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 226 So. 2d 76 (Rockholt v. Keaty) 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
Rockholt v. Keaty, 226 So. 2d 76, 1969 La. App. LEXIS 6155 (La. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinions

MARCUS, Judge.

This is an action in which plaintiffs Joseph F. Rockholt, John I. McCain and [77]*77Charles F. Duchein have sought a right of passage over the land of the defendant under Article 699 et seq., of the Civil Code. The plaintiffs originally owned a tract of land in East Baton Rouge Parish containing 35.521 acres. However, the State Highway Department expropriated a 300 foot strip, consisting of 7.211 acres, across plaintiffs’ property leaving a northern portion of 17.954 acres and a southern portion of 10.308 acres. The northern portion is the tract of land involved in this litigation. It is trapezoidal in shape and is surrounded on the west by the lands of the defendant and Keaty Place Subdivision, on the north by the lands of Drusilla Place Subdivision, on the east by property belonging to Coastal Rentals Corporation and on the south by the right-of-way for Interstate 12. By judgment dated February 2, 1965 in the matter of State of Louisiana, Through the Department of Highways v. Joseph F. Rockholt, et al., No. 93,840 Nineteenth Judicial District Court, Parish of East Baton Rouge, plaintiffs herein were awarded $92,816 for the property expropriated, damages to the remainder, and engineering fees.

Subsequently, plaintiffs filed this suit under Article 699 of the Civil Code claiming a servitude of passage over the land of the defendant. Since the highway which bisected plaintiffs’ property is a non-access interstate highway and since there are no public roads touching the northern portion of plaintiffs’ property, it is alleged that the action of the Highway Department caused plaintiffs’ property to become “landlocked” thereby entitling them to relief under the provisions of the aforementioned Civil Code Article. By this suit they seek a 50 foot servitude across the corner of defendant’s property bordering on the right-of-way for Interstate 12 to other property owned by the plaintiffs from which an outlet may be secured to Drusilla Drive.

An exception of no cause of action together with a motion for summary judgment was filed by defendant. The motion for summary judgment was based upon the following grounds: (1) The property of the plaintiffs is not an “enclosed” estate within the meaning of Article 699 of the Civil Code. (2) Alternatively, plaintiffs would only be entitled to a servitude of passage to the nearest public road which is not across the land of defendant. (3) Further alternatively, plaintiffs have no plans, proposals, or immediate use for their property and, therefore, have shown no necessity for the servitude sought. (4) In the further alternative, plaintiffs have already been fully compensated by the Department of Highways for damages caused by the loss of the right to ingress and egress and, as such, have no claim against the defendant. The exception of no cause of action was based upon the first ground relied on in defendant’s motion for summary judgment i.e. that plaintiffs’ property is bordered by a public road and, therefore, the plaintiffs are not entitled -to a right of passage under R.C.C. Article 699.

The court below rendered judgment sustaining the exception of no cause of action and granting the motion for summary judgment and dismissing the plaintiffs’ suit. From this judgment, the plaintiffs have perfected this appeal.

In his written reasons for judgment, the trial judge found the case of English Realty Company v. Meyer, 228 La. 423, 82 So.2d 698 (1955) was “on all fours with the present case” and concluded that Article 699 does not apply where property is bordered by a public road even where the public road is a limited access highway. He further concluded that in such a case the remedy of the landowner is against the public authority (Highway Department) and not against the adjacent landowner. He stated further that in this case the plaintiffs had their remedy against the Highway Department and that his court was the same trial forum in the expropriation suit where plaintiffs were awarded damages for their loss of ingress and egress from the property involved in this litigation..

[78]*78Accordingly, the first issue that this Court must determine is the applicability of Article 699 to the facts of this case. If it is decided that this Article does not apply, the alternative arguments of defendant are of no moment.

Article 699 of the Civil Code provides:

“The owner whose estate is enclosed, and who has no way to a public road, a railroad, a tramroad or a water course may claim the right of passage on the estate of his neighbor or neighbors to the nearest public road, railroad, tram-road or water course and shall have the right to construct a road, railroad or tramway according to circumstances and as the exigencies of the case may acquire (require), over the land of his neighbor or neighbors for the purpose of getting the products of his said enclosed land to such public road, railroad, tram-road or water course, or for the cultivation of his estate, but he shall be bound to indemnify his neighbor or neighbors in proportion to the damage he may occasion. As amended Acts 1916, No. 197.”

The English Realty case relied upon by the trial judge involved a similar type suit to obtain a right of passage under Article 699. In that case the plaintiff originally owned an 18 acre tract of land in the City of Shreveport which bordered the Linwood Overpass. Plaintiff then sold off various parts of this land, retaining only about a 5 acre tract which formed a triangle bounded by the railroad right-of-way on one side and the Linwood Avenue approach to the viaduct on the other, and on the south by lands which plaintiff had previously sold to defendants. Plaintiff’s land fronted 700 feet on Linwood Avenue, most of which was below the level of the ramp leading over the viaduct with 43 front feet which was on the same level as the adjacent highway. Plaintiff contended that its property was landlocked as the City of Shreveport would not allow it access into Linwood Avenue and accordingly that it was entitled to a right of passage over defendant’s property to the nearest public road. Defendants filed an exception of no cause of action which was overruled by the trial court. The case was ultimately tried on the merits and the trial judge granted plaintiff a servitude across the front of defendants’ property and assessed damages against plaintiff for the value of this right of passage. The Supreme Court reversed the trial court by sustaining the exception of no cause of action originally filed by defendants. In discussing the applicability of Article 699, the Court stated:

“The point appears to be well taken, for, even if it be assumed that defendants are incorrect in their position that the abutment of the land to the railroad property renders the codal article irrelevant to the case, it is difficult to perceive how the property can be adjudged to be “inclosed” when it fronts on Linwood Avenue, a public road. Enclosed estates, as envisioned by the Articles of the Code embraced in Section 5 of Chapter 3 of the Title ‘Predial Servitudes’, means lands shut off from access to public roads and the like by reason of their being entirely surrounded by other lands. This is made clear by Article 700, which provides for the manner in which the right of passage is to be located. It states ‘The owner of the estate, which is surrounded by other lands, * * * ’ and Article 702 declares that ‘A passage must be furnished to the owner of the land surrounded by other lands * * *.’ Thus, lands abutting a public road cannot be regarded as being within the purview of Article 699.” (Page 700).

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Bluebook (online)
226 So. 2d 76, 1969 La. App. LEXIS 6155, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rockholt-v-keaty-lactapp-1969.