Opinion ID: 672368
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: 2 In April 1988, Pelican Homestead and Savings Association (Pelican) filed suit in Louisiana state court against United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company (USF & G). Pelican claimed that the dishonest acts of one William C. Smith, Jr., caused it to suffer losses and that those losses were covered under a Savings and Loan Blanket Bond issued to it by USF & G. In November 1991, Pelican moved for partial summary judgment on the issue of liability only; USF & G filed a cross-motion for summary judgment on January 15, 1992. 3 On January 31, 1992, Pelican was closed and the RTC was appointed as receiver for Pelican. On February 11, 1992, the state court entered a judgment denying Pelican's motion for partial summary judgment and granting in part and denying in part USF & G's motion for summary judgment. Although we do not have the reasons for the state court's decision (the judgment states that the reasons were orally assigned), the state court's judgment recites that summary judgment was granted in favor of USF & G on counts 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 23, 24, and 25 and denied on counts 1-11, 14, 17, 20, and 22. Neither party claims that a motion or petition for appeal to the Louisiana Court of Appeals was made by either party as required by LA.CODE CIV.PROC.ANN. art. 2121 (West Supp.1994). Several days later the RTC moved to substitute as party plaintiff for Pelican; the state court granted the motion and granted the RTC's motion to stay the proceedings for ninety days on February 21, 1992. 4 On April 28, 1992, the RTC removed the action to federal district court pursuant to 12 U.S.C. Sec. 1441a(l )(3)(A)(i). In May 1992, the RTC moved for a new trial or, in the alternative, for reconsideration of the state court's judgment. USF & G filed a cross-motion seeking the same relief in August 1992. The district court requested supplemental briefing from the parties regarding the proper disposition of the case in light of our decision in FDIC v. Meyerland Co. (In re Meyerland Co.), 960 F.2d 512 (5th Cir.1992) (en banc), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 967, 122 L.Ed.2d 123 (1993). The district court then entered an order denying the parties' motions for new trial or for reconsideration of the state court's judgment. The denial of the parties' motions is reported at RTC v. United States Fidelity & Guar. Co., 838 F.Supp. 276 (M.D.La.1993). The court concluded that existing law required it to take the state court judgment in the same condition in which it left the state system. Id. at 279. Concluding that Louisiana recognizes partial summary judgments as final, appealable judgments, the court held that the state court's judgment was equally final and appealable in the federal courts. Id. at 280. The court thus entered the state court judgment as its own by order entered November 15, 1993, and directed the parties to follow federal procedures applicable following entry of a final judgment. The RTC filed a second motion for new trial, which was denied on February 24, 1994. 5 The RTC filed a notice of appeal of the three district court orders; it has also filed a motion to dismiss the appeal. USF & G agrees that the appeal should be dismissed, but contends that the RTC, in its motion to dismiss the appeal, is surreptitiously seeking the same relief that it would be seeking on appeal. Indeed, the RTC asks us not only to dismiss the appeal but also to remand the case to the district court with instructions to vacate its previous judgments adopting the state court judgment and to administer the case to its conclusion.