Court Opinion

ID: 9476930
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 06:09:23.34402+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:45:35.561171
License: Public Domain

PATRICK E. HIGGINBOTHAM, Circuit Judge,
specially concurring:
I join Judge Williams’ opinion affirming the district court, but disagree with one of its reasons. Whether or not there has been a voluntary dismissal under the Louisiana statute that sets the conditions for tolling the Louisiana prescriptive period is a matter of Louisiana law. Louisiana, as a matter of its substantive policy, does not extend the benefit of tolling to a plaintiff who “voluntarily” terminates a suit. The treatment of a termination by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and its characterization as voluntary may well inform a conclusion that a particular dismissal was voluntary, but it does not control that conclusion.
Our decision in Hilbun v. Goldberg, 823 F.2d 881 (5th Cir.1987), is not to the contrary. There we concluded that where the Federal Rules afford a form of dismissal not available under Louisiana law we were “to decide this question as we believe the Louisiana courts would if they were to address it.” Id. at 883. I am persuaded that a Louisiana court would conclude that the only “dismissal” at issue was not effective until after the disputed amendment was made. We need say no more.