Case Name: John MORRIS, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. SCHLUMBERGER, LTD., et al., Defendants-Appellees
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1983-05-05
Citations: 436 So. 2d 1178
Docket Number: No. 82-770
Parties: John MORRIS, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. SCHLUMBERGER, LTD., et al., Defendants-Appellees.
Judges: Before GUIDRY, STOKER and KNOLL, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 436
Pages: 1178–1185

Head Matter:
John MORRIS, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. SCHLUMBERGER, LTD., et al., Defendants-Appellees.
No. 82-770.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.
May 5, 1983.
On Rehearing Aug. 1, 1983.
On Rehearing Sept. 6, 1983.
Writ Denied Nov. 18, 1983.
McHale, Bufkin & Dees, Louis D. Bufkin and Michael K. Dees, Lake Charles, for plaintiff-appellant.
Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles, Bert M. Cass, Jr., New Orleans, Scofield, Bergstedt, Gerard, Mount & Vernon, Richard E. Gerard, Jones, Tete, Nolen, Hanchey, Swift & Spears, Gregory Massey and Hunter Lundy, Lake Charles, for defendants-appellees.
Before GUIDRY, STOKER and KNOLL, JJ.

Opinion:
STOKER, Judge.
This is an appeal relative to a claim brought in state court pursuant to the Jones Act and general maritime law. The jury awarded the plaintiff $150,000 and ap portioned the fault causing plaintiff's injury on a percentage basis among three defendants. The jury found that Transworld Drilling Company (Transworld), plaintiff's employer, was fifty percent at fault, Phillips Petroleum Company (Phillips) was forty percent at fault, and Schlumberger, Ltd., was ten percent at fault. Before trial Schlumberger, Ltd., and Halliburton Company, both originally named as defendants, settled with the plaintiffs and were voluntarily dismissed. It is not clear from the record whether another defendant, Gilley & Associates, Inc., was dismissed, but the defendant was not mentioned in the verdict or the judgment. The trial court signed a judgment against Transworld and Phillips "in solido" for $135,000 ($150,000 less the ten percent attributable to Schlumberger, Ltd.).
APPEALS
The plaintiff appeals, asserting that the failure of the trial court to grant pre-judgment interest on the award was error. Transworld and Phillips answered the appeal urging that the trial court erred in granting legal interest from the date the jury rendered its verdict. They assert that the correct date from which to begin the accrual of legal interest is from the date judgment was signed. Transworld and Phillips also contend in their answer to the appeal that the trial court erred in casting those defendants liable "in solido" in that they were liable to plaintiff only in proportion to their respective degrees of fault.
PRE-JUDGMENT INTEREST
Plaintiff contends that in cases of claims under general maritime law the award of pre-judgment interest lies within the discretion of the judge, and that such interest should not be denied in the absence of some peculiar circumstance. However, in addition to asserting a claim under general maritime law and the doctrine of unseaworthiness against defendant Transworld, plaintiff's claim was also brought pursuant to the Jones Act. Against Phillips, the plaintiff asserted a claim for negligence under general maritime law.
Regarding the claim arising under the Jones Act, this court faced a similar question of law in Morris v. Transworld Drilling Co., 365 So.2d 46 (La.App. 3rd Cir. 1978). In that case this court found that the federal law as to interest on a Jones Act judgment is substantive and is therefore controlling and that, in a Jones Act case tried at law (rather than at admiralty), pre-judgment interest is not available. See cases cited therein. See also Rains v. Diamond M. Company, 396 So.2d 306 (La.App.1981), writ denied 396 So.2d 623 (La.1981), United States cert. denied 455 U.S. 938, 102 S.Ct. 1427, 71 L.Ed.2d 648 (1982). This case differs from the cited cases in that this is not a pure Jones Act claim against Tran-sworld. Plaintiff also sues under the doctrine of unseaworthiness and general maritime law. We conclude that pre-judgment interest cannot be awarded on the judgment against Transworld although it is joined with a general maritime law claim.
In Barton v. Zapata Offshore Company, 397 F.Supp. 778 (E.D.La., 1975), the court rejected the notion that an unseaworthiness claim when combined with a Jones Act claim retains its status as a claim "at law" and is therefore governed by normal admiralty principles which allow prejudgment interest to be awarded. At page 780 the court stated:
"The Supreme Court's opinion in Fitzgerald v. United States Lines Co., 1963, 374 U.S. 16, 83 S.Ct. 1646, 10 L.Ed.2d 720, does not warrant an interest award here. Plaintiff's counsel contends Fitzgerald did not say that an unseaworthiness claim becomes a claim "at law" when joined with a Jones Act claim and sent to a jury; therefore the unseaworthiness claim should be governed by normal admiralty principles, which allow prejudgment interest to be awarded.
"There might be merit to this analysis if either the jury had denied recovery under the Jones Act and found unseaworthiness, or if there were some element of admiralty damage not allowable under the Jones Act. But here the verdict found the employer liable under the Jones Act as well as the general maritime law; the elements and amounts of damage claimed were identical. If the court may not award prejudgment interest on the Jones Act claim, there is no separate "pure" admiralty item on which to allow interest. Furthermore, the reason given by the court in Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc. v. Richardson [295 F.2d 538 (2nd Cir. (1961)], supra, for denying a right to prejudgment interest in jury-tried Jones Act cases — that the jury considers the delay in making an award — would apply with equal force to a jury-tried unseaworthiness claim. In sum, the plaintiff may not claim the benefits of a jury trial on an unseaworthiness claim completely merged with a Jones Act claim as to quantum and then attempt to unscramble the verdict after he prevails."
In the instant case, the verdict sheet returned by the jury does not indicate whether Transworld, the employer, was found liable under the Jones Act or general maritime law. The verdict merely finds Tran-sworld "at fault". Plaintiff's petition does not apportion damages among the claims. Thus, there are no "pure" admiralty elements which allow an award of pre-judgment interest. The plaintiff is not entitled to pre-judgment interest as to the portion of the judgment representing Transworld's liability.
We also conclude that plaintiff may not be granted pre-judgment interest against Phillips because the parties failed to submit this question to the jury. Whether to grant pre-judgment interest is a question of fact, and if it is not reserved to the court and is not submitted to the jury, it may not be granted by the court. Havis v. Petroleum Helicopters, Inc., 664 F.2d 54 (5th Cir.1981) and cases cited therein. Havis involved a diversity action brought pursuant to general maritime law only and tried to a jury. The issue of pre-judgment interest was never submitted to the jury nor reserved to the court even though the granting of pre-judgment interest is a factual issue. The purpose for allowing pre-judgment interest is "maintaining whole the damages granted a claimant". Havis v. Petroleum Helicopters, Inc., supra, at page 55.
As stated above, the granting of prejudgment interest in these cases is a matter of federal substantive law. The purpose of the federal courts in allowing such interest is to compensate the claimant. The issue is one of fact and should have been presented to the jury for its consideration. The trial court did not err in refusing to grant prejudgment interest.
LEGAL INTEREST
The trial judge signed the judgment on September 17, 1982, and granted legal interest from June 29,1982, the date the jury rendered its verdict. If the trial judge intended to give pre-judgment interest he was in error, as discussed above. If the trial court intended to award interest from the date of judgment, the question becomes was the "date of judgment" the date the jury rendered its verdict or the date the judgment was signed?
Title 28 U.S.C. section 1961 provides as follows:
"Interest shall be allowed on any money judgment in a civil case recovered in a district court. Execution therefor may be levied by the marshal, in any case where, by the law of the State in which such court is held, execution may be levied for interest on judgments recovered in the courts of the State. Such interest shall be calculated from the date of the-entry of the judgment, at the rate allowed by State law." (Emphasis added).
This statute provides for interest to run from "entry of judgment". Under Louisiana Law, there is no statute which straightforwardly decrees when post-judgment interest begins to run. However, several statutory provisions in Book II, Title VI, Chapter 3, "Rendition", of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, indicate that the definitive point in time regarding the effectiveness of final judgments is the date that the judgment is signed by the trial judge. The statutory provisions are as follows:
"Art. 1911. Final judgments; signing; appeals
"Except as otherwise provided by law, every final judgment shall be signed by the judge. For the purpose of an appeal as provided in Article 2083, no appeal may be taken from a final judgment until the requirement of this Article has been fulfilled."
"Art. 1912. Final judgment; multi-parish districts, signing in any parish in the state
"A final judgment may be signed in any parish within the state and shall be sent to the clerk of the parish in which the case is pending."

"Art. 1915. Partial judgment
"A final judgment may be rendered and signed by the court, even though it may not grant the successful party all of the relief prayed for, or may not adjudicate all of the issues in the case, when the court:
(1) Dismisses the suit as to less than all of the plaintiffs, defendants, third party plaintiffs, third party defendants, or in-terveners;
(2) Grants a motion for judgment on the pleadings, as provided by Articles 965, 968, and 969;
(3) Grants a motion for summary judgment, as provided by Articles 966 through 969; or
(4) Renders judgment on either the principal or incidental demand, when the two have been tried separately, as provided by Article 1038.
"If an appeal is taken from such a judgment, the trial court nevertheless shall retain jurisdiction to adjudicate the remaining issues in the case."
The date of the sighing of the judgment is the date which begins the delays for the taking of appeals, and has been used by courts to determine the date from which prescription, execution, revival of judgments, and other rights arise. Carpenter v. Travelers Insurance Co., 402 So.2d 282 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1981), Adams v. Ross, 300 So.2d 192 (La.App. 1st Cir.1974), Broyles v. Broyles, 209 So.2d 60 (La.App. 1st Cir.1968), Sellers v. Continental Oil Co., 188 So.2d 466 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1966), Viator v. Heintz, 201 La. 884, 10 So.2d 690 (La.1942). Thus, even though the chapter is headed "Rendition" (which in common terminology would mean stating or declaring the judgment of the court and which may be said to be the equivalent of the rendering of the verdict by the jury) the date of the signing of the judgment is the date that triggers the variety of post-judgment actions that a party may take.
We conclude that the trial court erred in granting legal interest from the date of the jury verdict, and it should have granted legal interest from the date the judgment was signed.
SOLIDARY LIABILITY
Phillips and Transworld contend the court erred in casting them liable in solido and cite several cases to support the proposition that the federal law on the matter is substantive, controlling, and does not allow solidary liability.
In Leger v. Drilling Well Control, Inc., 592 F.2d 1246 (5th Cir.1979) the U.S. Fifth Circuit held the reasoning of the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Reliable Transfer Company, 421 U.S. 397, 95 S.Ct. 1708, 44 L.Ed.2d 251 (1975), which applied the doctrine of comparative negligence in a maritime collision case, to be equally applicable in a non-collision personal injury case. Leger went on to hold that a non-settling party would not be able to reduce the plaintiff's recovery by the value of the settlement. In Reed v. Pool Offshore Company, 521 F.Supp. 324, 326 (W.D.La.1981), the court mathematically applied the doctrine of comparative negligence to joint tort-fea-sors.
These cases and the others cited by defendants-appellants give examples of defendants being held liable for their proportionate percentages of fault. However, this does not mean a plaintiff may only recover from any defendant that defendant's proportionate liability amount.
As a general rule a judgment against two or more defendants decides nothing as to their rights or liabilities inter sese, but only their liability to plaintiff. 49 C.J.S. § 440c, page 872. While each wrongdoer may be primarily responsible for only its portion of the total amount of damages, if the plaintiff cannot recover from one of them, the other or others must respond for the full amount of damages. 2 C.J.S. § 280, page 407, American Independent Oil Company v. Alkaid, 289 F.Supp. 329 (S.D.N.Y.1967), Empire Seafoods, Inc. v. Anderson, 398 F.2d 204 (5th Cir.1968), cert. denied, 393 U.S. 983, 89 S.Ct. 449, 21 L.Ed.2d 444 and Doyle v. United States, 441 F.Supp. 701 (D.S.C., 1977).
Although referred to as having "joint and several liability" in the cases decided above, solidary obligors have essentially the same rights and obligations, including contribution, as the examples of those cases. See 34 La.Law Review 231, foot notes 12-15, and Civil Code articles cited therein.
In view of the foregoing, the trial court did not err in casting the defendants liable in solido.
DECREE
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed, except insofar as it provides for legal interest on the judgment from June 29,1982. The judgment is hereby amended to provide for legal interest on the award from September 17, 1982. Costs are to be paid one-half by plaintiff and one-half by Transworld and Phillips.
AMENDED AND AFFIRMED AS AMENDED.