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Curtis Wrecker, LLC v. Town of Vidalia

Citations: 97 So. 3d 684; 12 La.App. 3 Cir. 706; 2012 La. App. LEXIS 1042; 2012 WL 3192616Docket: No. 12-706

Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal; August 8, 2012; Louisiana; State Appellate Court

Narrative Opinion Summary

The case involves Curtis Wrecker, LLC, the appellant, and the Town of Vidalia, the appellee, concerning an appeal that was ultimately dismissed. Curtis Wrecker filed a lawsuit seeking damages for its removal from the Town of Vidalia’s rotation list, which occurred in 2008. The trial court, responding to an exception of prescription raised by the appellee, dismissed claims related to events prior to January 27, 2010, but allowed later claims to proceed. The appellant sought to appeal this partial final judgment, asserting it had been certified for immediate appeal. However, the trial court had not provided such certification. The court examined the appealability under Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure articles 2083(A) and 1915(B), which necessitate a final judgment to be certified by the court to be immediately appealable. The absence of certification and the partial nature of the judgment led the court to conclude that the appeal was not properly before it. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed at the appellant's cost, emphasizing the procedural requirement for certification of partial judgments before appeal.

Legal Issues Addressed

Certification of Partial Final Judgment for Appeal

Application: The trial court's partial judgment addressing only some claims required explicit certification to be immediately appealable.

Reasoning: On April 9, 2012, the Appellant filed a motion for appeal concerning the partial final judgment, which claimed that the trial court had certified the judgment for immediate appeal. However, the trial court did not provide any certification.

Dismissal of Appeal for Lack of Certification

Application: The appeal was dismissed because the judgment did not include necessary certification and thus was not ripe for appeal.

Reasoning: Since the March 5, 2012 judgment only addressed some claims, did not terminate the action for all parties, and lacked the necessary certification, it was deemed not ripe for immediate appeal.

Requirements for Final Judgment under La.Code Civ. P. art. 2083(A)

Application: A judgment must terminate the action as to all parties and claims to be considered final and appealable.

Reasoning: According to La.Code Civ. P. art. 2083(A) and art. 1915(B), a final judgment must be designated as such by the court to be immediately appealable.