Case Name: Patrick MORESI, et al., Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. STATE of Louisiana, DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES, Defendant-Appellant
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1989-11-15
Citations: 552 So. 2d 1259
Docket Number: No. 88-753
Parties: Patrick MORESI, et al., Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. STATE of Louisiana, DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before STOKER, DOUCET and LABORDE, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 552
Pages: 1259–1270

Head Matter:
Patrick MORESI, et al., Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. STATE of Louisiana, DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 88-753.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.
Nov. 15, 1989.
Rehearing Denied Dec. 21, 1989.
Moresi & Moresi, Paul G. Moresi, Jr., Abbeville, & Domengeaux & Wright, Richard C. Broussard, Lafayette, plaintiffs-ap-pellees.
Allen, Gooch, Arthur I. Robison, Lafayette, for State.
Lawrence W. Moon, Lafayette, for defendant-appellee.
Before STOKER, DOUCET and LABORDE, JJ.

Opinion:
DOUCET, Judge.
This action arises primarily out of certain events which occurred on January 11, 1985 at Stelly's Landing in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana.
On that day, Wildlife and Fisheries Agents Larry Breaux and Ivan Vaughn, Jr. were at Stelly's Landing for the purpose of investigating complaints that Byron Beg-naud had taken over the limit of ducks. None of the agents knew Byron Begnaud by sight. In connection with this investigation, the agents stopped all the boats which came into the landing. The third boat to come in and be stopped at the landing that morning was occupied by Patrick Damas Moresi, who was 18 years old at the time, and by Kern Alleman, who was 21. Kern Alleman died in February 1987, before the trial of this matter in April 1988.
The young men were returning from the Moresi and Alleman Camp driving a mud-boat belonging to Dr. Howard Alleman, the father of Kern Alleman, and towing a flatboat containing equipment and supplies. Visible in the boat were five limits of ducks and an ice chest. Three of the limits were tagged as belonging to Paul Moresi, Jr., the father of Patrick Damas Moresi, Dr. Howard Alleman, and John Willis Darby. The other two untagged limits had been shot that day by Kern Alleman and Patrick Damas Moresi. The agents approached and boarded the boat. They did not ask permission to board. They examined the five limits of ducks. The agents inquired-as to the ownership of the ducks and were informed that they belonged to the young men and to people remaining at the camp. The agents asked why no hunting license numbers appeared on the tags. Moresi replied that this was not required by law. Upon checking a pamphlet of hunting regulations, the agents discovered that Moresi was, in fact, correct.
The agents next inquired as to the contents of the ice chest. They were told that it contained the ducks from the previous day's hunt. Agent Breaux then opened the ice chest. According to the trial testimony of Patrick Damas Moresi, this was done without permission. Inside the chest were three more limits of ducks, one of which was tagged. The agents then asked why two limits were untagged. Moresi replied that the ducks were part of their possession limit and did not require tagging. Agent Breaux then went to his truck and called Agents Jukes and Schriefer, who were at the Little Prairie Landing, to determine whether possession of the untagged ducks from the previous day's hunt constituted a violation and to notify them to come to Stelly's landing. The agent then returned to the landing and read Moresi and Alleman the Miranda warning. Agent Breaux testified that the young men were under detention from that point.
When Agents Jukes and Schriefer arrived at Stelly's landing, Agent Jukes boarded the boat. He stated in his trial testimony that this was to inspect the boat for safety. He admits that he did not ask permission to board and did not have a warrant. Agent Jukes indicated in his testimony that he asked where the life jackets were and upon being told that they were in a locked compartment on the bow, he asked where the key was, took the key from the boat's ignition, and unlocked and inspected the locked compartment. Patrick Damas Moresi's testimony indicates that there was no discussion as to life jackets or their whereabouts. According to his testimony, an agent simply boarded the boat, and told Kern Alleman to give him the keys. Alle-man did so and the agent unlocked the forward compartment and inspected it thoroughly. There is no testimony to indicate that a citation for a safety violation was ever discussed. No citation for any safety violation was given.
Agents Schriefer and Jukes then went with Moresi and Alleman to their fathers' camp. The testimony of Patrick Damas Moresi conflicts with that of the agents as to whether the agents asked Moresi and Alleman to take them to the camp. Agent Breaux testified that Moresi and Alleman told him they wanted to go back to the camp to speak to their fathers, one of whom was a lawyer. He states that he relayed this to Schriefer when he radioed him. Breaux further testified that he told Moresi and Alleman someone would have to go back with them since the investigation was unfinished. Schriefer stated in his testimony he told Moresi and Alleman that he would like to ride back with them and that they assented. Patrick Damas Moresi testified that neither he nor Kern Alleman expressed a desire to return to the camp. In support of this he testified that if he wanted to speak to his father, he had a CB radio available with which to do so. Additionally, he testified that the agents did not ask either him or Alleman to take them. According to Moresi's testimony, they were simply required to take the agents back to the camp. He did not believe they had any choice but to take the agents back to the camp.
After arriving at the Moresi-Alleman Camp, Shriefer identified himself to Paul Moresi, Jr. and Dr. Howard Alleman as a State game warden and asked the persons present at the camp to identify the tagged limits of birds found in the boat. The birds were identified. Agent Jukes opened and searched several ice chests found in the camp. Agent Jukes admitted at trial that this was done without permission and without a search warrant. Agent Schriefer then informed the Moresis and Allemans that he intended to issue citations for game violations to Patrick Damas Moresi and Kern Alleman. Agent Schriefer told Paul Moresi, Jr. that the young men would be taken back to the landing and cited. Paul Moresi, Jr. and Dr. Alleman accompanied them.
Once back at Stelly's landing, Agent Schriefer informed them that Patrick Da-mas Moresi and Kern Alleman would be issued citations for either taking over the limit of migratory game birds or possession of untagged game birds or both. Paul Moresi then asked Agent James Nunez, who had arrived during their absence from the landing, to examine the ducks to determine that two of the limits claimed by the young men had been shot the day before. Dr. Alleman told Agent Schriefer that it could be seen that the birds had been shot the day before because their eyes had opa-cified. Agent Schriefer ignored their remarks. Paul Moresi, Jr. told Agent Schriefer that it is not an offense to possess one's own limit of birds untagged. Agent Nunez testified that he, too, in formed the other agents that this was not a violation. Paul Moresi, Jr. then asked Agent Schriefer to check the law regulating migratory game birds. Upon checking, Agent Schriefer could find no such violation. In spite of this, citations were issued to Patrick Damas Moresi and Kern Alle-man for possession of untagged migratory game birds. Two untagged limits belonging to the young men were confiscated. Testimony indicates that they were later donated to the Catholic Church in Creole, Louisiana. The hunters then went on their way. At least three other hunters were cited for the same reason that day. None of the charges were ever prosecuted.
On January 15, 1986, Paul Moresi, Jr. and Dr. Alleman sent a letter to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries notifying it of the actions of its agents on January 11, 1986. Paul Moresi, Jr. further appeared before a meeting of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission on March 5, 1986 in order to protest the events of January 11, 1986. He notified the Commission that further harrassment of his family would result in legal action. A few days later, Patrick Damas Moresi received a letter from J. Burton Angelle, Secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. That letter indicated that all charges against him had been withdrawn. The letter further stated that: "Although the charges were filed in good faith the Agents involved later ascertained that no violation occurred."
On March 25, 1986, Patrick Damas More-si and Kern Alleman returned to the camp. Lodged in the front door they found a business card of Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agent Scott Guillory. Handwritten on the back of the card was the message: "We missed you this time but look out next time!!" The card was signed "Jimmie and Scott". Patrick Damas More-si testified that when the card was found a portion of it preceding the exclamation points was torn out. Agents Scott Guillory and Jimmie Meaux later testified that the missing portion had held the name Clyde. They explained that they were looking for the camp belonging to Clyde Prejean which is located on the same canal as the Moresi-Alleman Camp. They had never been to either camp. They testified that they did not see the Prejean camp on the way down and seeing the Moresi-Alleman Camp, left the card, believing it to be the Prejean camp.
At trial, plaintiffs introduced a video tape taken March 1987, showing the Prejean camp to be clearly visible from the canal. Testimony indicated that the camp had not been moved between March 1986 and March 1987 and that no changes had occurred to impair the visibility of the camp.
Upon the card being given to him by his son, Paul Moresi, Jr. called Wildlife Commission member Jack Cappel and sent him a copy of the note. On May 7, 1986, he sent a letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, to J. Burton Angelle, requesting injunctive relief from harrassment by Wildlife Agents pursuant to La. R.S. 56:648.1 and 56:648.2. On April 16, 1986, Mr. Angelle responded to the March letter to Commission member Cappel enclosing a copy of a written statement by Agents Guillory and Meaux explaining the card. Dr. Clyde Prejean also called Paul Moresi, Jr. to corroborate their story by saying that he knew one of the agents and had invited him to his camp. No answer to the May 7, 1986 letter was received until December 1987, in which the Department declined to take action.
On May 8, 1986, suit was filed on behalf of Patrick Damas Moresi, Kern Alleman, Paul Moresi, Jr., and Howard Alleman pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and La.C.C. art. 2315 for damages arising out of the incidents of January 11 and March 25, 1986. A trial on the merits was held on April 19, 1988. After hearing all the evidence the trial judge assigned oral reasons for judgment. On May 9, 1988, judgment was rendered dismissing plaintiffs' suit against Agent Nunez. He further rendered judgment in favor of the plaintiffs and against Agents Meaux and Guillory and the State of Louisiana in the amount of $1,000 to each plaintiff. Additionally, judgment was rendered in favor of plaintiffs and against Agents Schriefer, Vaughn, Breaux, and Jukes as follows:
I.ACTUAL DAMAGES
a) PAUL G. MORESI, JR. $10,000.00
b) PATRICK DAMAS MORESI $10,000.00
c) HOWARD ALLEMAN $13,000.00
d) HOWARD ALLEMAN and BILLIE JOYCE FREDERICK $10,000.00 ALLEMAN
II.PUNITIVE DAMAGES
a) PAUL G. MORESI, JR. $ 1,000.00
b) PATRICK DAMAS MORESI $ 1,000.00
c) HOWARD ALLEMAN $ 1,000.00
d) HOWARD ALLEMAN and BILLIE JOYCE FREDERICK $ 1,000.00 ALLEMAN
III.ATTORNEYS' FEES $32,939.10
Costs were assessed against the defendants. Defendants filed this appeal and have assigned error as follows:
I. Did the trial court err in concluding that an unlawful detainment, arrest, search and seizure occurred?
II. Did the trial court err in requiring defendants' counsel to mirandize plaintiff Patrick Moresi before questioning him about facts leading up to the incident which is the subject of the lawsuit?
III. Did the trial court err in concluding that Agents Meaux and Guillory were negligent in their actions in leaving a "card" at the Moresi-Alleman camp by mistake and that damages were due as a result thereof?
IV. Was the award of $32,939.10 in attorney fees by the trial court excessive?
V. Did the trial court err in awarding punitive damages to plaintiffs?
ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR NUMBERS 1, 2, and 3:
La.R.S. 56:54 gives Wildlife Agents authority to arrest without a warrant "... any person violating any of the laws or regulations under the jurisdiction of the department," under the same circumstances required for a warrantless arrest under La.C.Cr.P. art. 213. La.C.Cr.P. art. 213 provides, in pertinent part, that a peace officer may make an arrest where he has "... reasonable cause to believe that the person to be arrested has committed an offense, although not in the presence of the officer_" The reasonable cause required by La.C.Cr.P. art. 213 has been defined ad equivalent to probable cause. State v. Arceneaux, 425 So.2d 740 (La.1983).
La.R.S. 56:55(A) provides that:
§ 55. Search with or without warrant
"The secretary or any commissioned wildlife agent may visit, inspect and examine, with or without search warrant, records, any cold storage plant, warehouse, boat, store, car, conveyance, automobile or other vehicle, airplane or other aircraft, basket or other receptacle, or any place of deposit for wild birds, wild quadrupeds, fish or other aquatic life or any parts thereof whenever there is probable cause to believe that a violation has occurred."
The first issue before the court is not whether any offense was committed. It is conceded that none was. Nor does appellant argue with the finding that an arrest, search and seizure occurred. The first issue before the court is whether the defendant agents had probable cause to believe an offense had occurred so as to justify the subsequent detention, arrest, search, and seizure.
The Louisiana Supreme Court in State v. Arceneaux, supra, stated that:
"Reasonable cause, which we have treated under this article as consonant with the probable cause concept, exists when the facts and circumstances known to the arresting officer and of which he has reasonably trustworthy information are sufficient to justify a man of ordinary caution in believing that the person to be arrested has committed a crime. Beck v. Ohio, 379 U.S. 89, 85 S.Ct. 223, 13 L.Ed.2d 142 (1964); State v. Drew, 360 So.2d 500 (La.1978). Probable cause may be judged by the probabilities and practical considerations of everyday life on which average men, and particularly average police officers, can be expected to act. State v. Drew, supra. Compliance with these standards is in the first instance a substantive determination to be made by the trial judge from the facts and circumstances of the case. Ker v. California, 374 U.S. 23, 83 S.Ct. 1623, 10 L.Ed.2d 726 (1963); State v. Drew, supra.
In this case, Patrick Damas Moresi and Kern Alleman were finally cited with possession of untagged migratory game birds in violation of 50 C.F.R. 20.36, which provides that:
"No person shall put or leave any migratory game birds at any place (other than at his personal abode), or in the custody of another person for picking, cleaning, processing, shipping, transportation or storage (including temporary storage), or for the purpose of having taxidermy services performed unless such birds have a tag attached, signed by the hunter, stating his address, the total number and species of birds, and the date such birds were killed. Migratory game birds being transported in any vehicle as the personal baggage of the possessor shall not be considered as being in storage or temporary storage."
Defendants contended at trial that they had probable cause to believe that this statute was being violated because they were not aware that birds being transported as part of a person's personal baggage were exceptions to the tagging requirement.
Defendant/appellants argued that the conduct of Patrick Damas Moresi and Kern Alleman constituted a technical violation of this statute, because the statutes forbids a person from putting or leaving migratory game birds at any place. This is an absurd interpretation of the statute which would require hunters to tag birds as they fall out of the sky. When one reads the statute as a whole rather than piecemeal it is clear that the statute is meant to prohibit a hunter from putting or leaving untagged birds outside of his own custody for picking, cleaning, processing, shipping, transportation, storage or taxidermy purposes.
Probable cause cannot be brought into existence by an officer's mistaken belief that a certain course of conduct constitutes an offense, where the conduct is, on its face, lawful. As the court stated in Loe v. Whitman, 107 So.2d 536 (La.App. 1st Cir.1959):
"The public is not to be subjected to arrest and harrassment by enforcement officers for acts which are erroneously deemed by the officers to constitute offenses when, in reality, they are not, as would have been disclosed by a casual investigation. Ignorance of the law, as has often been stated, is no excuse. This should have particular application to the officers charged with its enforcement. A thorough knowledge of their duties and of the laws they are charged with enforcing are indispensable. We think it would be going to unreasonable lengths to hold that a citizen cannot complain and cannot proceed for redress for actions of force and violence because he may have been considered by the officers to have violated the law, when, in fact, there was no law and no violation, which the officers could and would have ascertained on making the slightest investigation or familiarizing themselves with the provisions of the statute upon which they relied." (Emphasis supplied.)
Even a cursory reading of 50 C.F.R. 20.36 reveals that Patrick Damas Moresi and Kern Alleman committed no violation. As was stated in the Loe case, ignorance of the law is no excuse. The ignorance of these agents and their subsequent acts are particularly inexcusable since they were repeatedly put on notice that no offense occurred. Under the circumstances, their ignorance can certainly not be a basis for probable cause.
Appellants further assert they could have established probable cause to arrest, search and seize had the trial judge allowed them to introduce evidence that birds shot in the previous day's hunt could have been left at the camp untagged overnight. Appellants contend that this would have constituted a violation of 50 CFR 20.-36. However, the testimony at trial indicates that this interpretation of events did not arise until later in the day, well after Moresi and Alleman had been cited when Agent Schriefer called Agent Sims to verify that he had properly cited Moresi and Alleman. Probable cause is not retroactive. The existence of probable cause must be determined by facts and circumstances known to the officer at the time of the arrest, or search not on justifications for prior conduct worked out after the fact. Accordingly, the trial judge correctly ruled this evidence irrelevant.
Appellants further attempt to justify the search of the Alleman boat by arguing that the agents had probable cause to believe that Patrick Damas Moresi and Kern Alleman were in violation of the boating safety requirement that life jackets be readily accessible. Therefore, they argue a search was allowable under La.R.S. 56:55(A). The provisions of La.R.S. 56:55 do not give officers a carte blanche to conduct a general exploratory search. See: Creamer v. Porter, 754 F.2d 1311 (5th Cir.1985), and U.S. v. Kidd, 153 F.Supp. 605 (D.C.La.1957). In this case such a search was not needed to investigate a life jacket violation, if such a violation was indeed in the agent's mind at that time.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 2
We need not reach this assignment of error since the ruling complained of occurred during a proffer of evidence, which the trial judge ruled irrelevant. We have already found that the trial judge's ruling as to relevance was correct and the evidence which was the subject of the proffer was correctly excluded.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 5
By this assignment of error appellants argue that the trial judge erred in finding that Agents Meaux and Guillory were negligent in leaving the note at the Moresi-Alleman Camp.
The trial judge found that the two agents were liable under La.C.C. art. 2315. "Proof of negligence is a question of fact to be determined by the judge or jury. While appellate courts maintain jurisdiction over factual determinations, trial court decisions are only to be altered in light of manifest error. Buxton v. McKendrick, 223 La. 62, 64 So.2d 844 (1953)." Henry v. State, Department of Health and Human Resources, 482 So.2d 962 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1986). In light of the evidence brought out at trial we cannot find that the trial judge was manifestly erroneous. Therefore this assignment of error is without merit.'
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 6
Appellants next argue that the attorney's fees awarded by the trial court were excessive. Three attorneys worked on plaintiffs' case. After a careful review of the time sheets introduced in support of the fees we find that some of the billing is redundant. As a result of the elimination of these redundancies, we find that a fee of $30,091.00 is appropriate. Defendants, of course, continue to be liable for court costs at the trial level.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 7
Finally, appellants argue that the court erred in awarding punitive damages. The issue of whether punitive damages may be awarded in a suit brought under 41 U.S.C. § 1983, in the Louisiana State Courts, was directly addressed by our Louisiana Supreme Court in Ricard v. State, 390 So.2d 882 (La.1980). In that case the Court clearly ruled that such damages are not allowable under our law. Absent legislative or judicial overturning of this decision, we are bound by it. Therefore, the award of punitive damages by the trial court is overturned.
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons the trial court's awards of damages for the negligence of Agents Meaux and Guillory and its award of general damages for the actions of Agents Schriefer, Vanghn, Breaux and Jukes are affirmed. The award of punitive damages is reversed. The award of attorney's fees is reduced to $30,091.00. Costs of this appeal are to be paid by defendant/ appellants.
AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED IN PART, AMENDED IN PART.
LABORDE, J., concurs in the result.
STOKER, J., dissents and assigns written reasons.