Strahan v. Maytag Corp.

760 So. 2d 463, 99 La.App. 4 Cir. 0869, 2000 La. App. LEXIS 1054, 2000 WL 528075
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 5, 2000
DocketNo. 99-CA-0869
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 760 So. 2d 463 (Strahan v. Maytag Corp.) 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
Strahan v. Maytag Corp., 760 So. 2d 463, 99 La.App. 4 Cir. 0869, 2000 La. App. LEXIS 1054, 2000 WL 528075 (La. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

LKLEES, Chief Judge.

Plaintiffs, Ronald Gurley and James Gurley, individually and on behalf of the Succession of Kenneth B. Gurley and Clara Mae Gurley, appeal the trial court’s judgment granting defendant Gregory Wilson’s exceptions of improper venue and improper cumulation of actions, and defendant Whitney National Bank’s motion to allow redemption of litigious rights. We affirm. ■

In 1985, Edward Strayhan, Kenneth Gurley, Ronald Gurley and James Gurley formed the corporation Southern Jenn-Air Distributors, Inc., now known as Southern Kitchen and Baths, Inc. In 1986, Whitney National Bank extended a line of credit to Southern Jenn-Air Distributors, Inc. As security for the line of credit, Whitney required the personal guarantees of Edward Strayhan, Kenneth Gurley and Ronald Gurley.

In July of 1989, Kenneth Gurley died. The succession of Kenneth Gurley and his wife, Clara Mae Gurley, was opened by Gregory Wilson, an attorney working in the Wilson & Sexton firm, in the Parish of East Baton Rouge.

In October of 1990, Jenn-Air canceled its franchise with Southern Jenn-Air Distributors; Inc. On November 20, 1991, Whitney National Bank filed suit against Southern Jenn-Air Distributors, Inc., Edward Strayhan and Ronald Gurley | ¡^because the loan went into default. Whitney National Bank filed a claim in the succession of Kenneth Gurley and Clara Mae Gurley because Kenneth Gurley had passed away. Thereafter, Whitney National Bank filed a motion to appoint itself provisional administrator of the succession. Plaintiffs allege that although Whitney National Bank contacted Greg Wilson, and his firm Wilson & Sexton, to advise them of its intent to seize the estate of Kenneth and Clara Gurley, neither Greg Wilson nor his firm did anything until after Whitney National Bank seized the estate. In 1992, James Gurley, who was not an obligor of the Whitney National Bank, intervened seeking to have Whitney National Bank removed as succession representative and to have himself appointed executor of the estate.

On September 9,. 1992, Plaintiffs filed this suit against Whitney National Bank [466]*466seeking damages as a. result of its mismanagement of the succession. Additionally, Plaintiffs also asserted a claim of legal malpractice against Gregory Wilson and his law firm, Wilson and Sexton.1 However, Plaintiffs failed to request service on either Gregory Wilson or Wilson and Sexton. On September 17, 1997, Plaintiffs amended their petition re-naming as defendants Gregory Wilson and Wilson and Sexton and requesting service of process. Also worth noting is the fact that Plaintiffs failed to state in their Petition that defendants Gregory Wilson and Wilson & Sexton and defendant Whitney are joint and solidary obligors. In fact, the only time the language “joint and solidary obligors” is mentioned is in Plaintiffs’ First Supplemental and Amending Petition where it states, “there be judgment against...Gregory 0. Wilson and Wilson & Sexton and the Home |sInsurance Company, individually, jointly, severally, and in solido for reasonable damages....”

After Plaintiffs filed suit, Ronald Gurley and Edward Strahan filed chapter 7 bankruptcy petitions. Whitney National Bank purchased from their respective trustee’s their individual causes of action. Thus, because James Gurley had no individual right in the succession suit and was the only remaining plaintiff, he requested the court to place him in possession of the lawsuit in exchange for taking $1,500.00 less as a legatee in the succession. Thereafter, on July 22, 1998, the trial court granted Whitney National Bank’s motion to allow redemption of litigious rights whereby it would deposit $1,500.00, plus interest, into the registry of the court. In granting Whitney National Bank’s motion, the trial court dismissed with prejudice James Gurley suit, as individual and heir, and as a vested legatee put into possession of an asset of the Succession of Kenneth Gurley and Clara Gurley. Additionally, the trial court granted Gregory Wilson’s exceptions of improper venue and improper cumulation and dismissed all claims against Gregory Wilson with prejudice. Plaintiffs appeal this final judgment.

On appeal, Plaintiffs assign five errors by the trial court: (1) that the trial court erred by granting Gregory Wilson’s exception of improper venue; (2) that the trial court erred in failing to transfer Plaintiffs’ suit against Gregory Wilson to a court of competent venue rather than dismissing the suit with prejudice; (3) that the trial court erred by granting Gregory Wilson’s exception of improper cumulation of actions; (4) that the trial court erred in failing to sever the actions for trial rather than dismissing the suit against Gregory Wilson with prejudice; and (5) that the trial court erred in granting the motion to allow redemption of litigious rights filed by Whitney National Bank and dismissing with prejudice the suit of James Gurley.

|4I. VENUE

Plaintiffs allege that venue is proper in Orleans Parish for the claims against Gregory Wilson for malpractice because the claimed damages were caused jointly or severally by Greg Wilson, his firm Wilson & Sexton, and Whitney. Additionally, Plaintiffs contend that Wilson & Sexton’s failure to object to venue prevents Greg Wilson from objecting to improper venue. Plaintiffs’ argument has no merit.

The general rule for venue states, in pertinent part, that an action against “[a]n individual who is domiciled in the state shall be brought in the parish of his domicile; or if he resides but is not domiciled in the state, in the parish of his residence.” La. C.C.P. art 42. Moreover, in a malpractice action, venue is proper in the parish where the wrongful conduct occurred. Chambers v. LeBlanc, 598 So.2d 337, 337-338 (La.1992). In this case, [467]*467Gregory Wilson was not only domiciled in Baton Rouge, but he opened the Succession in the Parish of East Baton Rouge. Plaintiffs allege in their petition that Gregory Wilson failed to file a Request for Notice in the Succession proceedings, and failed to timely file for an administration of the Succession. Thus, none of the wrongful conduct alleged occurred in Orleans Parish. Accordingly, under the general venue provisions, Orleans Parish was the improper venue for the claims asserted against Gregory Wilson.

We must now address whether the venue exception for joint or solidary obli-gors provides any assistance to Plaintiffs filing suit against Greg Wilson in Orleans Parish. La. C.C.P. art 73 states, in pertinent part, that “[a]n action against joint or solidary obligors may be brought in a par: ish of proper venue, under Article 42, as to any obligor who is made a defendant...” First, for reasons discussed |sbelow, we find that defendants Gregory Wilson and Whitney should not be joined in the same suit. As previously discussed, nowhere in the Petition, or First Supplemental and Amending Petition, do plaintiffs allege that Gregory Wilson and Wilson & Sexton are joint and solidary obligors with Whitney. Moreover, Plaintiffs fail to allege facts in7 dicating why Orleans Parish is proper venue for the Baton Rouge law firm Wilson & Sexton. Second, we find that Wilson & Sexton’s failure to object to improper venue in New Orleans did not affect Gregory Wilson’s right to object to venue. See Spott v. Otis Elevator Company, 601 So.2d 1355, 1360 (La.1992) (holding that the failure of one defendant to object to venue does not affect another defendant’s right to object to venue.) Further, according to Spott,

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760 So. 2d 463, 99 La.App. 4 Cir. 0869, 2000 La. App. LEXIS 1054, 2000 WL 528075, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/strahan-v-maytag-corp-lactapp-2000.