USA Disaster Recovery, Inc. v. St. Tammany Parish Government
USA Disaster Recovery, Inc. v. St. Tammany Parish Government
Opinion of the Court
1 |We grant USA Disaster Recovery, Inc.’s (“USA”) writ application to reverse the judgment of the court of appeal and reinstate the district court’s ruling. Under the direction of the sheriffs office, USA performed emergency road cleaning work for St. Tammany Parish (the “Parish”) that was essential to search and rescue efforts in the immediate aftermath of the chaos following Hurricane Katrina for which USA was not compensated. After a trial on the merits, the district court found that the Parish was liable to USA for unjust enrichment damages in the amount of $37,500 plus legal interest — an amount less than half the invoiced total. In so ruling, the district court evaluated the five elements of a claim for unjust enrichment under La. C.C. art. 2298
DECREE
For the forgoing reasons, it is ordered that the judgment of the court of appeal is reversed and the district court judgment is reinstated.
REVERSED; DISTRICT COURT JUDGMENT REINSTATED.
. The five elements of a claim for unjust enrichment under La. C.C. art. 2298 are (1) an enrichment; (2) an impoverishment; (3) a connection between the enrichment and the impoverishment; (4) an absence of cause or justification for the enrichment and impoverishment; and (5) no other remedy at law. Edwards v. Conforto, 636 So.2d 901 (La. 1993); Minyard v. Curtis Products, Inc., 251 La. 624, 205 So.2d 422 (1967).
Justice Jefferson D. Hughes III, recused.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.