Falcon v. Louisiana Employers Safety Ass'n Self Insurers Fund
Falcon v. Louisiana Employers Safety Ass'n Self Insurers Fund
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal from the judgment of the trial court maintaining a peremptory exception raising the objection of prescription. For the following reasons, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Plaintiff, Larry J. Falcon, filed a petition to recover workmen’s compensation benefits on June 30, 1989.
On November 21, 1989, defendant, Louisiana Employers Safety Association Self Insurers Fund (Employers), filed its answer, asserting the peremptory exceptions raising the objections of no cause/no right of action and prescription. The record does not show any further action taken with regard to these objections until Employers again filed a peremptory exception based solely upon the objection of prescription on May 17, 1990. A rule to show cause why the exception should not be maintained and the suit dismissed was initially set for July 13, 1990.
On July 12, 1990, the trial court granted an ex parte motion filed by Gloria D. Falcon, as administratrix of the estate of Larry J. Falcon, to substitute another attorney as counsel of record for plaintiff.
The amended petition deleted the allegations that prior to June 30, 1988, Larry Falcon was not totally disabled and expected to return to work. Instead, the petition, as amended, alleged that Larry Falcon was immediately incapacitated and totally disabled as a result of the June 1, 1988 heart attack, rather than as a result of the second heart attack which occurred on June 30, 1988.
At the hearing
Plaintiff filed a motion for new trial on October 9, 1990. The trial court heard the motion on November 16,1990, and on January 17, 1991, signed a judgment denying the motion for new trial for reasons orally assigned. In the court’s oral reasons, which were transcribed and made part of the record herein, the learned trial judge rebuked plaintiff’s counsel for what the judge considered to be barratry
Counsel for plaintiff does not dispute that plaintiff’s claim has prescribed, but assigns error to the trial court’s ruling on the prescription exception as it relates to the original petition and to the amended
DISCUSSION
Plaintiffs counsel argues on appeal that the trial court erred in concluding that the original petition, on its face, had not prescribed as to all claims asserted therein. As the trial court correctly noted, it is clear from this argument that counsel’s purpose is not to proceed further with this suit but to contrive or buttress another cause of action — namely, one of malpractice against prior counsel. This Court does not countenance such a strategy and perceives the present appeal as a feigned and nonexistent controversy aimed at eliciting what would amount to an advisory opinion from this court regarding the merits of the original petition. It is fundamental in our law that courts sit to administer justice in actual cases and that they do not and will not act on feigned ones, even with the consent of the parties. St. Charles Parish School Board v. GAF Corporation, 512 So.2d 1165, 1173 (La. 1987), on rehearing.
A matter is considered moot in a case when the rendition of the judgment can have no practical legal effect upon the existing controversy (emphasis added). Board of Regents, State of Louisiana v. Board of Trustees for State Colleges and Universities, 460 So.2d 80 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1984). The Court will not rule on a question of law which becomes moot since the decree would serve no useful purpose and give no practical relief. Board of Regents, 460 So.2d at 81-82.
Once plaintiff amended his suit, whether the cause of action stated in the original petition had prescribed on the face of the pleading became a moot question. Nevertheless, we do not consider it inappropriate for the trial court to have ruled upon the objection of prescription with respect to both the original petition and to the amended petition, when the amended petition was filed on the same day arguments on the objection of prescription were heard.
In the absence of evidence, the objection of prescription must be based upon the facts alleged in the petition, and all allegations thereof are accepted as true. Capital Drilling Company v. Graves, 496 So.2d 487, 488 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1986). Plaintiff alleged in the original petition that he did not become disabled until June 30, 1988. As we previously stated in Holmes v. Baton Rouge Water Works Company, 558 So.2d 629 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1990):
Generally, a worker’s compensation claim is barred unless asserted within one year from the date of the accident. When the injury does not result at the time of the accident or does not develop immediately after the accident the one year limitation does not take effect until one year from the time the injury develops. In such cases, however, the claim is forever barred unless instituted within two years of the accident. La.R.S. 23:1209(A).
Development of the injury has been equated in the jurisprudence with development of the disability. ‘[Disability marks the time from which it is clear*20 that the employee is no longer able to perform the duties of his employment in a satisfactory manner.’ [citations omitted] 558 So.2d 629, at 631.
Indeed, it is apparent that the purpose of amending the original petition was to insure that the exception raising the objection of prescription would be maintained, resulting in dismissal of the suit.
Plaintiff does not object to the dismissal of this suit on grounds that the petition, as amended, has prescribed. Accordingly, by plaintiffs own admission, this action can not be prosecuted any further. Moreover, any legal question arising from the trial court's ruling as it pertains to the original petition has become moot. Therefore, we affirm the trial court’s judgment maintaining the exception of prescription and dismissing the petition, as amended by plaintiff’s present counsel. Finding no jus-ticiable controversy, or issue worthy of review, we decline to “clarify” the trial court’s judgment. We affirm the judgment of the trial court maintaining defendant’s peremptory exception raising the objection of prescription. Appellant is cast with all costs of this appeal.
AFFIRMED.
LeBLANC, J., concurs and assigns reasons.
. This petition is referred to herein as the original petition.
. As set forth in appellant’s brief, Larry Falcon died on October 28, 1989.
. This hearing was not transcribed and made part of the record on appeal.
. "Barratry” is the stirring up or creation of a suit by a lawyer.
. We note that the trial court stated in its October 2, 1990 judgment that the amended petition was filed on September 18, 1990. However, that is the date of the certificate of service, not the date of formal filing. It is apparent that the trial court physically received the amended petition prior to its being filed with the clerk of court.
Concurring Opinion
concurring.
Based on my conclusion that plaintiff’s claim for worker’s compensation benefits as asserted in his amended petition was prescribed, I concur in the result reached in the majority opinion. However, I disagree with the majority’s finding that it was appropriate for the trial court to rule on the objection of prescription with respect to plaintiff’s original petition. Once the original petition was amended, the objection of prescription with respect to the original petition was moot, since the original petition no longer existed in its original form at that point. Thus, the trial court’s ruling with respect to the original petition was superfluous and without legal effect in these proceedings.
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