World War II Theatre, Inc. v. Norman White, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance, City of New Orleans; Erroll G. Williams, Assessor, Orleans Parish; And Lawrence E. Chehardy, Chairman, Louisiana Tax Commission

Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided February 2, 2026·No. 2025-CA-0398·Published·Judge Paula A. Brown

Opinion

WORLD WAR II THEATRE, * NO. 2025-CA-0398 INC.

*

VERSUS COURT OF APPEAL

*

NORMAN WHITE, CHIEF FOURTH CIRCUIT FINANCIAL OFFICER AND * DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, STATE OF LOUISIANA CITY OF NEW ORLEANS; ******* ERROLL G. WILLIAMS, ASSESSOR, ORLEANS PARISH; AND LAWRENCE E. CHEHARDY, CHAIRMAN, LOUISIANA TAX COMMISSION

APPEAL FROM

BOARD OF TAX APPEALS

NO. L01363,

Judge Cade R. Cole,

******

Judge Paula A. Brown

******

(Court composed of Chief Judge Roland L. Belsome, Judge Paula A. Brown, Judge Rachael D. Johnson)

Cheryl Mollere Kornick Robert S. Angelico Tyler D. Trew LISKOW & LEWIS, APLC 701 Poydras Street, Suite 5000 New Orleans, LA 70139

COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLEE

John J. Weiler Reese F. Williamson WEILER & REES, LLC 909 Poydras Street, Suite 1250 New Orleans, LA 70112

COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

JUDGMENT VACATED;

REMANDED WITH INSTRUCTIONS

FEBRUARY 02, 2026

PAB RLB RDJ

This is a tax dispute. Appellant Erroll G. Williams, in his capacity as Assessor for the Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office (the “Assessor”), appeals the May 12, 2025 judgment rendered by the Board of Tax Appeals, State of Louisiana, Local Tax Division (the “BTA”). The judgment found that Appellee, World War II Theatre, Inc. (the “Theatre”), was exempt from the taxes it paid under protest for City of New Orleans 2022 Original Business Personal Property Tax Bill No.

102102511P in the amount of $183,596.99 and City of New Orleans 2022 Original Real Estate Tax Bill No. 102103307 in the amount of $370,425.44 (collectively, the “2022 taxes”). After calculating the accrued interest on the monies paid under protest and placed into escrow, the BTA awarded the Theatre refunds in the amounts of $186,571.26 and $376,426.33. For the reasons that follow, we vacate the BTA’s May 12, 2025 judgment and remand the matter for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Many of the facts leading to the instant appeal were previously recited by this Court in World War II Theatre, Inc. v. White, 24-0474 (La. App. 4 Cir.

2/18/25), 409 So.3d 275 (“World War II 1.0”). We will use portions of that

recitation here. The property at issue is the Higgins Hotel & Conference Center (the “Hotel”), which is wholly owned and operated by the Theatre. “The Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation,1 whose sole shareholder is National World War II Museum, Inc. ([the] “Museum”).” World War II 1.0, 24-0474, p. 2, 409 So.3d at 278. “The Theatre owns the Hotel[,] which is located across the street from the Museum.” Id. “The Theatre filed an application in 2020 for tax exempt status of the Hotel for tax year 2021, which was denied by the Assessor.” Id. The Assessor then issued to the Hotel tax bills for property and business personal property taxes for the 2022 tax year, both of which had a delinquency date of March 16, 2022. “On or about February 15, 2022, the Theatre paid the taxes under protest.” Id. “Pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2134(C)(1)-(2),2 the Theatre notified the tax collector of its intention to file suit.” Id.

1 Found in the Internal Revenue Code at 26 USCA § 501, the statute defines, in part, entities that

are exempt from Federal income taxes as “[c]orporations . . . organized and operated exclusively for . . . educational purposes . . . no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual . . . .” 2 La. R.S. 47:21349 (C)(1)-(2) provides,

(1) A person resisting the payment of an amount of ad valorem tax due or the enforcement of a provision of the ad valorem tax law and thereby intending to maintain a legality challenge shall timely pay the disputed amount due under protest to the officer or officers designated by law for the collection of the tax and shall give such officer or officers, notice at the time of payment of his intention to file suit for the recovery of the protested tax. The portion of the taxes that is paid by the taxpayer to the collecting officer or officers that is neither in dispute nor the subject of a suit contesting the legality of the assessment shall not be made subject to the protest. The taxpayer shall submit separate payments for the disputed amount of tax due and the amount that is not in dispute and not subject to the protest. Upon receipt of a notice, the protested amount shall be segregated and held by the collecting officer for a period of thirty days.

(2) A legality challenge suit must be filed within thirty days from the date of the protested payment. If a suit is timely filed contesting the legality of the tax or the enforcement of a provision of the tax law and seeking recovery of the tax, then that portion of the taxes paid that are in dispute shall be further deemed as paid under protest, and that amount shall be segregated and shall be further held pending the outcome of the suit. The portion of the taxes that is paid by the taxpayer to the collecting officer or officers that is neither in dispute nor the subject of a suit contesting the legality of the tax shall not be made subject to the protest.

As more specifically laid out in World War II 1.0:

On March 8, 2022, the Theatre filed a [Petition to Recover Taxes Paid Under Protest (the “Petition”)]. In [the Petition], the Theatre alleged that it [was] entitled to exemption from ad valorem taxes pursuant to La. Const.

art. VII[, §] 21(B) and had timely filed the application for exemption. The Assessor filed peremptory exceptions and an answer on April 7, 2022. On June 7, 2022, the Theatre filed a motion for summary judgment seeking a judgment that it was entitled to tax exemption for the tax year 2022. On June 15, 2022, the Assessor filed supplemental exceptions of no cause of action, no right of action and prescription alleging that pursuant to La. R.S.

33:2828(D),[3] the Assessor’s exceptions should be sustained because the Theatre failed to timely apply for the tax exemption.

On August 11, 2022, the BTA held a hearing on the Assessor’s peremptory exceptions. The BTA rendered judgment and denied the Assessor’s exceptions of no cause of action, no right of action and prescription. On November 8, 2022, the Assessor filed a cross motion for summary judgment arguing that the Theatre’s tax-exempt status should be denied.

On December 8, 2022, the BTA held a hearing on both motions for summary judgment. The BTA rendered judgment denying all the motions for summary judgment on March 8, 2023.

The matter proceeded to trial on September 14, 2023. On December 13, 2023, the BTA issued its Order with Written Reasons. The BTA ruled in favor of the Theatre, finding that the Hotel operates in support of the Museum’s mission and the Hotel and its amenities are essential to the Museum’s charitable purpose. The BTA also held that the Hotel was exempt from Orleans Parish ad valorem taxes for 2022, and that the Theatre was entitled to a full refund of the payments paid under protest.

Id. at pp. 2-3, 409 So.3d at 278.

In its Written Reasons for the December 13, 2023 Order, the BTA relied on:

its interpretation of La. Const. art. VII, § 21(B); the decision rendered in the case of Hotel Dieu v. Williams, 403 So.2d 1255 (La. App. 4 Cir. 8/31/81) aff’d 410 So.2d 1111 (La. 1982); and the testimony of Steven Watson (“Mr. Watson”), 3 Louisiana Revised Statutes article 33:2828(D), which was later repealed by Acts 2024, No. 422, § 1, effective August 1, 2024, provided at the time the Theatre filed its Petition:

D. Each assessor shall evaluate and grant or deny the request for tax exemption, or grant a partial tax exemption based on the assessed value of that proportion of the property not being used for an exempt purpose, by the first day of August of each year which shall determine the liability for or exemption from taxation for the calendar year. Each determination by the assessor shall be subject to review as provided by law.

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World War II Theatre, Inc. v. Norman White, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance, City of New Orleans; Erroll G. Williams, Assessor, Orleans Parish; And Lawrence E. Chehardy, Chairman, Louisiana Tax Commission, (La. Ct. App. 2026).

World War II Theatre, Inc. v. Norman White, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance, City of New Orleans; Erroll G. Williams, Assessor, Orleans Parish; And Lawrence E. Chehardy, Chairman, Louisiana Tax Commission (World War II Theatre, Inc. v. Norman White, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance, City of New Orleans; Erroll G. Williams, Assessor, Orleans Parish; And Lawrence E. Chehardy, Chairman, Louisiana Tax Commission) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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