Opinion ID: 1458154
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Tort Indemnity and Contribution

Text: Defendants claim that the district court should have dismissed this action because Louisiana does not allow contribution or indemnity claims, and this suit, properly characterized, is one for contribution or indemnity. The defendants have not provided this court with any relevant legal authority for the proposition that this is a contribution or indemnity suit in disguise. Moreover, defendants' argument fails because plaintiffs sued based on the theory that Lakeview Medical and the LAA defendants breached a duty to Kadlec by making intentional and negligent misrepresentations about Dr. Berry in the referral letters supplied to Kadlec. As a result of these misrepresentations, plaintiffs suffered a foreseeable financial injury in excess of $8 million. This is not a lawsuit asking for contribution or indemnity. It is a lawsuit that alleges breaches of duties owed to Kadlec. Therefore, defendants' argument is rejected. We are not convinced by defendants' other challenges to plaintiffs' intentional and negligent misrepresentation claims. In particular, LAA complains that there was insufficient evidence that Kadlec reasonably relied on the letters from Dr. Preau and Dr. Dennis. We disagree.