Wallmuth v. Rapides Parish School Bd.

802 So. 2d 28, 2001 WL 515329
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 12, 2001
Docket01-0042
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 802 So. 2d 28 (Wallmuth v. Rapides Parish School Bd.) 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
Wallmuth v. Rapides Parish School Bd., 802 So. 2d 28, 2001 WL 515329 (La. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

802 So.2d 28 (2001)

Leonard J. WALLMUTH, et ux
v.
RAPIDES PARISH SCHOOL BOARD.

No. 01-0042.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

May 16, 2001.
Writs Granted October 12, 2001.

*29 Kay A. Theunissen, Jennifer A. Wells, Lafayette, LA, Counsel for Rapides Parish School Board.

Terry Aubin, Attorney at Law, Pineville, LA, Counsel for Leonard J. Wallmuth, et al.

Court composed of HENRY L. YELVERTON, JOHN D. SAUNDERS, and JIMMIE C. PETERS, Judges.

YELVERTON, Judge.

The Rapides Parish School Board appeals a judgment which found it 100% liable for injuries sustained by Joshua Wallmuth while at school. For the following reasons we conduct a de novo review of the evidence as to liability. We find the School Board 70% at fault and the intentional wrongdoer 30% at fault.

*30 FACTS

Joshua was a seventh-grade student in 1996 at Jones Street Junior High School, now named Smith Junior High School in Pineville, Louisiana. The incident resulting in this suit took place during second hour PE on April 18 that year. Other than Joshua, three other boys—Nathaniel Smith, David Zeno, and Chris Davidson— were involved in the incident.

The boys had been playing volleyball. Joshua was on one team, and the other three boys were on the opposing team. According to David, Coach David Brasher told the boys to hit the ball over the net only two times. David explained that Chris kept hitting the ball over the net after the two times. When Chris would hit the ball the third time, he hit it right to Joshua who would catch the ball rather than hit it. This made Chris mad at Joshua. Chris' team lost so they had to sit in the bleachers while Joshua's team played the other team. While they were sitting in the bleachers, Chris yelled out to Joshua that he was "going to get him" when they got in the locker room.

The injury occurred after the boys went to the locker room. Joshua testified that all three boys came in the locker room at the same time while he was getting dressed. He testified that David ran behind him and stood on the bench and was holding his shoulders and pulling his hair. Nathaniel punched Joshua one time. Joshua stated that Chris was standing on the side the whole time, and then all of a sudden, he ran up and kicked Joshua in the knee.

Nathaniel admits to being in the locker room and observing the incident, but denies that he even touched Joshua. David explained that when he got in the dressing room, he and Joshua started engaging in horseplay with Nathaniel eventually joining them. Nathaniel claims that Chris ran in and kicked Joshua in the knee.

Joshua's knee was injured. He had to be placed in a cast from the top of his hip down to his knee. For some time he was not able to participate in his regular sports activities. He will probably require surgery when the growth plate closes.

The Wallmuths sued the Rapides Parish School Board and its insurance company, Coregis Insurance Company. They amended their petition adding the parents and guardians of the three boys and one of the parents' homeowner's insurance carrier.

The claims against the Smiths, their insurer, and the Zenos were tried before a jury. The claims against the School Board, its insurer, and Chris were tried before the trial court. Chris was before the trial court because a preliminary default judgment had been entered against him, and the court had to decide whether to confirm the default judgment, a matter which cannot be tried by a jury. The trial court did not confirm the default judgment because there was no showing as to who was the proper person to sue regarding Chris, who was a minor.

The jury found that neither Nathaniel nor David were at fault in causing the damages to Joshua. The trial court found that the School Board was 100% liable for this accident and awarded damages in the amount of $88,062. It is from this judgment that the School Board appeals. The School Board contests its liability, and apportionment of fault, but not the amount of the award for damages.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

We will review the liability assignments de novo. The trial court declined to apportion any fault to Chris. The School Board claims that the trial court erred in *31 failing to assess any fault to Chris since he was the person who kicked Joshua and inflicted the injury. It specifically relies on Louisiana Civil Code Article 2323 which mandates that we determine the percentages of fault of all tortfeasors.

In Bell v. Ayio, 97-534 (La.App. 1 Cir. 11/13/98); 731 So.2d 893, writ denied, 98-3115 (La.2/5/99); 738 So.2d 7, the first circuit found that it was legal error for the trial court to fail to quantify fault against a student who was clearly at fault because she attacked another student and stomped her ankle causing injuries. See also Frazer v. St. Tammany Parish School Bd., 99-2017 (La.App. 1 Cir. 12/22/00); 774 So.2d 1227, writ denied, 01-233 (La.3/23/01); 787 So.2d 1001, and Wijngaarde v. Parents of Guy, 97-2064 (La.App. 4 Cir. 9/2/98); 720 So.2d 6, writs denied, 98-3144, 98-3152, 98-3162 (La.2/12/99); 738 So.2d 574, 575, where the first and fourth circuits held it was legal error to fail to quantify the fault of students who assaulted fellow students. We agree.

The trial court refused to assess any fault for the stated reason that "[t]his should not be interpreted in any way as to condone the behavior of Mr. Chris or the others, but rather it reveals the extent to which the School Board's behavior fell below the requisite standard of care demanded by the circumstances of this case." Manifestly, the trial court found that Chris was at fault for this accident. The trial court should have considered the conduct of the parties and the circumstances surrounding the conduct of each in the actual allocation of fault instead of refusing to assess any fault. Patrick v. Employers Mut. Cas. Co., 99-94 (La.App. 3 Cir. 8/11/99); 745 So.2d 641, writ denied, 99-2661 (La.11/24/99); 750 So.2d 987.

Chris was at fault in causing Joshua's injuries, and the refusal of the trial court to assess him with fault was legal error. "Where the trial court commits legal error by applying an incorrect legal standard, this court is required to determine the facts de novo from the entire record and render a decision on the merits." Bell, 731 So.2d at 897. Therefore, we will conduct a de novo review of fault. Our review of the record will not include a consideration of any comparative negligence of Nathaniel Smith or David Zeno, however, because the School Board has not requested that we review the jury's finding that they were not negligent. See La. Code Civ.P. arts. 1812 and 1917. Nor will we review the amount of the award of damages, for that has not been assigned as error.

SCHOOL BOARD LIABILITY

The School Board argues that Chris's actions were sudden, spontaneous, without warning, and clearly unanticipated by the School Board. It maintains that it acted reasonably in supervising the students. On the other hand, the Wallmuths claim that they established that there was an ongoing pattern of lack of supervision and misbehavior in the locker room throughout the year, and that the School Board breached its duty to put an end to this roughhousing and horseplay, which eventually resulted in Joshua's injuries.

A school board, through its agents and teachers, owes a duty of reasonable supervision over students. La. Civ.Code art. 2320

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
802 So. 2d 28, 2001 WL 515329, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wallmuth-v-rapides-parish-school-bd-lactapp-2001.