Wilson v. Transportation Consultants, Inc.

899 So. 2d 590, 2005 WL 775811
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 2, 2005
Docket2004-CA-0334, 2004-CA-0335
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 899 So. 2d 590 (Wilson v. Transportation Consultants, Inc.) 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
Wilson v. Transportation Consultants, Inc., 899 So. 2d 590, 2005 WL 775811 (La. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

899 So.2d 590 (2005)

Noel WILSON, Jr.
v.
TRANSPORTATION CONSULTANTS, INC. and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.
Terecita Cornelius Lavalois and Lawrencia Encalade
v.
Noel Wilson, Jr., Illinois National Insurance Company, Transportation Consultants, Inc., and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

Nos. 2004-CA-0334, 2004-CA-0335.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

March 2, 2005.

*594 J. Douglas Sunseri, Dawn Danna Marullo, Nicaud, Sunseri & Fradella, L.L.C., Metairie, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellant.

Paul Michael Elvir, Jr., Olinde & Dubuclet, Metairie, LA, for Defendant/Appellee.

(Court composed of Judge PATRICIA RIVET MURRAY, Judge TERRI F. LOVE, Judge MAX N. TOBIAS Jr.).

*591 TERRI F. LOVE, Judge.

This appeal arises from an action filed to recover damages sustained as a result of an automobile accident. The trial court awarded Noel Wilson, Jr. $124,800 in damages. It is from this judgment that Noel Wilson, Jr. appeals. For the reasons assigned below, we affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Noel Wilson, Jr. ("Mr. Wilson") was driving southbound on Third Street approaching the intersection of Third Street and Baronne when an automobile operated by Terecita Lavalois ("Ms. Lavalois") in which Lawrencia Encladade ("Ms. Encladade") was a passenger, broadsided his truck on the left side.

*595 A truck, leased by Transportation Consultant, Inc. ("TCI") and used by Alfreddie Davis ("Mr. Davis"), a TCI employee, was parked at the corner of the Third Street and Baronne Street intersection allegedly obscuring the view of the stop sign. As a result, Officer Byron Mitchell of the New Orleans Police Department issued a citation to Mr. Davis for improperly parking the truck. Mr. Wilson asserts Mr. Davis' improper parking was the sole cause of the accident. Conversely, TCI, Mr. Davis and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company contend that the improper parking obscured the view of the stop sign, but that it did not completely obstruct Mr. Wilson's view.

Upon being transported to Charity Hospital following the accident, Mr. Wilson complained of neck, back, pelvis, shoulder, and jaw pain. Additionally, he sustained six broken teeth and suffered numerous lacerations. To treat his continuous neck and back pain following the accident, Mr. Wilson received a cervical epidural injection, intradiscal electra thermal therapy, and an anterior cervical fusion.

Mr. Wilson filed suit against TCI, its insurer, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company ("Liberty Mutual"), and later added Ryder Truck Rental ("Ryder") as lessor of the truck to TCI.[1] Additionally, Ms. Lavalois and Ms. Encladade filed suit against Mr. Wilson, his insurer Illinois National Insurance Company, TCI, and Liberty Mutual. However, Ms. Lavalois and Ms. Encladade settled their claims against Mr. Wilson, Illinois National Insurance Company, TCI and Liberty Mutual prior to trial.

Immediately preceding the trial, the trial court granted a Motion in Limine, filed by TCI, which sought to exclude a correspondence from a claims adjuster at Liberty Mutual. The correspondence attributed 10% of the fault for the accident to Mr. Wilson and 90% to TCI. The correspondence also documented a payment to Mr. Wilson for his property damage and TCI's portion of his automobile rental expense.

After a three-day trial on the merits, the jury found Mr. Davis forty percent (40%) negligent and in the course and scope of his employment, thus, holding TCI and Liberty Mutual liable for damages. The jury also allocated forty percent (40%) fault to Mr. Wilson and twenty percent (20%) to an unnamed third party. The jury calculated the damages as follows:

  Medical bills                         $104,116
  Lost earnings                           45,000
  General damages allocation:
    Past physical pain and suffering      40,721
    Future physical pain and suffering    40,721
    Past medical pain and suffering       40,721
    Future medical pain and suffering     40,721
_________________________________________________
  Total                                 $312,000

The trial court issued the judgment reflecting the jury's verdict on October 24, 2003. On November 3, 2003, defendants filed a Motion to Amend Judgment asserting that the wording of the original judgment was ambiguous. On November 5, 2003, in its Judgment and Reasons for Judgment denying defendants' Motion to Amend Judgment, the trial court found that the judgment, as written, was not ambiguous and lead to clear interpretation. The November 5, 2003 Judgment reiterated the judgment rendered on October 24, 2003, in that TCI and Liberty Mutual's allocation of fault was forty percent (40%) of the damages awarded in the amount of $312,000. On December 12, 2003, Mr. Wilson filed this devolutive appeal. In addition to Mr. Wilson's assertion of eight assignments of error committed by the trial court, TCI and Liberty Mutual aver that the devolutive appeal filed by Mr. Wilson was not timely.

*596 DEFECT IN MOTION FOR APPEAL

First, TCI and Liberty Mutual seek the dismissal of this appeal due to a defect in the order of appeal. On October 24, 2003, the trial court judge signed the judgment. On November 3, 2003, TCI/Liberty Mutual filed a Motion to Amend the Judgment contending an ambiguity as to damages, but the motion was denied on November 5, 2003. TCI and Liberty Mutual contend that Mr. Wilson did not timely file a notice of appeal from the October judgment. They assert that Wilson mistakenly appealed the judgment dated November 5, 2003, instead of the October judgment and therefore, the appeal should be dismissed due to this defect. This argument is without merit.

An error misstating the date of judgment in a motion for appeal does not require dismissal where the: 1) appellant actually intended to appeal from a related judgment of the trial court; 2) errors assigned in brief on merits were adjudicated by a related judgment; or 3) parties were aware of which judgment appellant intended to appeal, and the appellee was not prejudiced by the error in date. Melara v. Government Employees Ins. Co., 00-1305, p. 2 (La.App. 5 Cir. 12/13/00), 777 So.2d 552, 554; Roger v. Roger, 99-765, pp. 3-4 (La.App. 5 Cir. 1/12/00), 751 So.2d 354, 356; and State, Dept. of Transportation & Development v. Estate of Summers, 527 So.2d 1099, 1102 (La.App. 1st Cir.1988).

Examination of TCI/Liberty Mutual's motion and Mr. Wilson's brief reveal the intent to appeal the judgment dated October 24, 2003. Additionally, the errors assigned by Mr. Wilson are based upon the October judgment. Neither TCI nor Liberty Mutual has demonstrated any prejudice. Accordingly, this assertion is without merit.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

In plaintiff's assignments of error, Mr. Wilson avers that both the jury and the trial court committed reversible errors. Mr. Wilson avers that the jury erred in its allocation of fault by assessing him with 40% contributory negligence and in assessing only 40% negligence to TCI. Mr. Wilson also asserts that the jury erred in awarding him general damages in the amount of $162,884 for injuries sustained as a result of the accident.

In addition to the aforementioned assignment of errors committed by the jury, Mr. Wilson also avers that the trial court erred by including a jury interrogatory allowing the jury to assess fault to an unidentified third party and the jury erred in assessing that unidentified third party with 20% fault.

Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
899 So. 2d 590, 2005 WL 775811, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilson-v-transportation-consultants-inc-lactapp-2005.