Case Name: Michael FONTENOT v. Doug MOREAU
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1995-11-17
Citations: 662 So. 2d 1037
Docket Number: No. 95-C-1799
Parties: Michael FONTENOT v. Doug MOREAU.
Judges: LEMMON, J., concurs and assigns reasons.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 662
Pages: 1037–1038

Head Matter:
Michael FONTENOT v. Doug MOREAU.
No. 95-C-1799.
Supreme Court of Louisiana.
Nov. 17, 1995.

Opinion:
hPER CURIAM.
The court of appeal's finding (and that of the district court) that res judicata bars the plaintiffs claim is erroneous. Payment of a demanded sum to avoid prosecution can hardly be deemed a compromise and settlement.
The district attorney's permissible fee is $140.00, not the $165.00 he demanded and received by check in that amount payable to him. That the District Attorney might have collected more, in addition to the $140.00 due him, than $25.00, that is, $15.00 for each of the three checks "payable to the person or entity that honored the worthless check or cheeks" (Schwegmann's Super Market in this instance) is no defense to his having collected as his fee $25.00 more than the statute allows.
The judgments of the court of appeal and of the district court are, therefore, reversed. The case is remanded to the district court for further proceedings consistent with this per curiam opinion.
JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF APPEAL REVERSED; REMANDED TO DISTRICT COURT.
LEMMON, J., concurs and assigns reasons.
WATSON, J., dissents and assigns reasons.
. The plaintiff issued three checks totalling $250.00, for which the District Attorney was entitled to collect $140.00 in collection fees ($60.00 each for the first two checks and $20.00 for the third check). In addition to this amount, the District Attorney charged the plaintiff an additional fee of $25.00, which is 10% of the face value of the checks the plaintiff issued. The statute does not authorize this additional fee.