Opinion ID: 23914
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Denial of Appellants' Motion for a New Trial

Text: 8 [W]hen the district court's ruling is predicated on its view of a question of law, it is subject to de novo review. Munn v. Algee, 924 F.2d 568, 575 (5th Cir.) (denial of motion for new trial reviewed de novo where partial summary judgment had been decided on availability of damages, a question of law) (citing Dixon v. International Harvester Co., 754 F.2d 573, 586 (5th Cir.1985)), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 900 (1991). 9 The order denying a new trial was predicated on the conclusion that Appellants had failed to show a mistake of law in the court's summary judgment analysis or in its application of Louisiana law. The district court found that the Appellants effectively were seeking to relitigate their takings claim under the United States Constitution. See Simon v. United States, 891 F.2d 1154, 1159 (5th Cir. 1990) (Rule 59 motion may not be used to relitigate old matters or raise new arguments). The district court reasoned that because Appellants had treated their unconstitutional takings claim throughout the litigation as a claim arising under the Louisiana Constitution and not the United States Constitution, summary judgment was properly decided under the former. 10 The district court's ruling was correctly and properly decided under the Louisiana Constitution based on the Appellants' presentation of the issues. A party has presented an issue in the trial court if that party has raised it in either the pleadings or the pretrial order, or if the parties have tried the issue by consent under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(b). 6 Portis v. First Nat'l Bank, 34 F.3d 325, 331 (5th Cir. 1994) (citing Myrick v. City of Dallas, 810 F.2d 1382, 1386 (5th Cir.1987)). An issue must be presented so as to put the opposing party and the court on notice that it is being raised. Id. (citing Simon, 891 F.2d at 1158). 11 Neither the district court nor Monsanto could have been on notice from the Appellants' pleadings that remedies were sought under the federal Constitution. The case had been removed from state court on grounds of diversity rather than federal question jurisdiction. The district court therefore applied the substantive law of the state in which it was sitting, Louisiana. See Erie Ry. Co. v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64 (1938). In point six of its petition before the state court, Appellants had referred only to the language of the Louisiana Constitution in informing the court of its basis for their takings claim: 12 Monsanto's actions in unilaterally appropriating the property of Mr. Mongrue and the Gisclairs amounts to an unconstitutional taking of their property without payment of just compensation. See Article 1 Section 4 of the Louisiana Constitution, which states that [p]roperty shall not be taken or damaged by any private entity authorized by law to expropriate, except for a public and necessary purpose and with just compensation paid to the owners . . . Monsanto should be answerable in damages for just compensation for the property expropriated by Monsanto. 13 R1-288. In the absence of any reference to the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, neither the district court nor Monsanto could have reasonably been on notice that Appellants' petition included a federal claim. 7 Had Appellants intended to bring a takings claim under the federal Constitution, they had the chance to amend their petition once it became obvious that Monsanto understood that the takings claim continued to be based on the Louisiana Constitution. In its motion for judgment on the pleadings, Monsanto stated: The plaintiffs also assert that Monsanto's use of injection wells constitutes a taking by a private citizen in violation of Article I Section 4 of the Louisiana Constitution. R1-250. In their response, Appellants failed to clarify that, as they now allege, their claim was actually brought under both the Constitutions of the United States and of Louisiana. Rather, Appellants asserted that they met the elements of expropriation by again citing only the Louisiana Constitution. R1-217. Similarly, Appellants failed to invoke the federal Takings Clause in opposition to Monsanto's motion for summary judgment. 14 Because the Appellants were attempting to relitigate their takings claim on a new basis, Appellants' motion was properly denied. 8