Opinion ID: 500660
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Meaning of Private

Text: 9 The word private is not defined in the Louisiana Criminal Code. In other sources, private is defined as what it is not; it is not public. Webster defines a private individual as one not invested with or engaged in public office or employment. Webster's Third New International Dictionary, 1805 (1968). Similarly, Black's defines private agent as [a]n agent acting for an individual in his private affairs; as distinguished from a public agent.... Black's Law Dictionary 59 (5th ed. 1979). Louisiana cases, too, have defined the words private and public by reference to each other, as mutually exclusive and opposite. Galloway v. Wyatt Metal & Boiler Works, 189 La. 837, 181 So. 187, 189 (1938) (Highways are public ways as contradistinguished from private ways.); Strohmeyer v. Consumers' Electric Co., 111 La. 506, 35 So. 723, 724 (1904) (Such a business may be called 'private' as contradistinguished from a municipal or public duty or function ...). Therefore, giving the word private its plain meaning, Chairman Burgess, the holder of a public office, was not a private fiduciary. 10 The government argues, however, that the word private must be read in context with the Louisiana Public Bribery Statute. As noted above, the Public Bribery Statute limits its definition to Louisiana public officials. The government contends that public and private exhaust the universe of all people. Therefore, the government concludes, even though Burgess was a public official, he was a private fiduciary for the purpose of the Commercial Bribery Statute. 11 We disagree. Private and public, in their ordinary meaning, are opposite and do, indeed, exhaust the universe of people: a person is either a public official or private actor. However, that does not resolve the issue in the government's favor. Burgess was, indisputably, a public official. But Louisiana limited its definition of public officials to Louisiana officials. It did not, however, expand the definition of private to include everybody that was not a Louisiana public official. In other words, under the plain meaning of the words public and private, Burgess was a public official. The Louisiana legislature specifically excluded non-Louisiana public officials like Burgess from the Public Bribery Statute. That does not make Burgess a private fiduciary. All living things are divided into two basic groups: plants and animals. If the legislature defines the word animal as limited to mammals, we may not conclude that a fish is a plant. Burgess was not a private fiduciary within the plain meaning of Louisiana Commercial Bribery Statute.