Court Opinion

ID: 9891693
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-19 15:09:50.149525+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:59:38.351611
License: Public Domain

STATE OF LOUISIANA

                                     COURT OF APPEAL

                                       FIRST CIRCUIT

                                      NO. 2023 CA 0068

                                MAXIMUS US SERVICES, INC.

                                            VERSUS

             DR. COURTNEY N. PHILLIPS, IN HER CAPACITY AS THE
        SECRETARY OF THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

                                                   Judgment Rendered:
                                                                        OCT 18 2023

      r ci

                                        Appealed from the
                                    19th Judicial District Court
                           Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana
                                           No. C713723

                         The Honorable Donald R. Johnson, Judge Presiding

       Fernin F. Eaton                               Attorney for Defendant/ Appellant,
       Baton Rouge, Louisiana                        Louisiana Department of Health

       Carroll Devillier, Jr.                        Attorneys for Plaintiff/Appellee,
       Danielle L. Borel                             Maximus US Services, Inc.
       Baton Rouge, Louisiana

                      BEFORE: WELCH, HOLDRIDGE, AND WOLFE, JJ.

G1{
WOLFE, J.

      The Louisiana Department of Health ( LDH) appeals the district court' s

judgment that reversed in part the decision of the Commissioner of the Department

of Administration, Jay Dardenne, and ordered LDH to release $ 1, 753, 787. 09 in

funds to Maximus US          Services ( Maximus).         In connection therewith, LDH

additionally challenges the district court' s judgment overruling exceptions of lack

of procedural capacity and subject matter jurisdiction. We vacate the judgments and

remand for further proceedings.

                     FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

      This matter involves a dispute over LDH withholding in excess of $3 million

in payments allegedly owed to Maximus' under two contracts for Medicaid services.

Pursuant to La. R.S. 39: 1672. 2 and 1672. 4 of the Louisiana Procurement Code,

Maximus filed a formal claim and notice of controversy with the Commissioner.

After review, the Commissioner found that LDH owed Maximus $ 1, 637, 967. 42 of

the amounts Maximus requested.           Unsatisfied with that result, Maximus filed a

petition for judicial review in the district court, seeking an increase in the amount

the Commissioner awarded.

       The original petition for judicial review named Dr. Courtney N. Phillips, in

her official capacity as Secretary of LDH, as defendant. The district court signed a

scheduling order on December 2, 2021,              in which it ordered production of the

administrative record, set briefing deadlines, and ordered the parties to appear on

March 11,    2022 for oral argument.         Dr. Phillips responded with exceptions of

insufficiency of service of process, insufficiency of citation, lack ofjurisdiction over

her person, and lack of procedural capacity on the part of Maximus.                Dr, Phillips

       In its claim, Maximus represented that in September 2020, it legally changed its name from
Maximus Health Services, Inc,, to Maximus US Services, Inc.          In the district court, LDH
challenged Maximus' s procedural capacity to proceed. In setting forth the facts and procedural
history, we reference " Maximus" without making any legal determination of procedural capacity.

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also filed a motion to vacate the December 2, 2021 scheduling order in light of the

pending exceptions.     The district court' s order indicated that the scheduling order

would be discussed at the hearing on the exceptions.

      The district court held a hearing on the exceptions on February 28, 2022.

Counsel for LDH appeared and represented that he had previously conveyed to

Maximus that LDH would have no objection to Maximus filing an amended petition,

which would cure all defects addressed in the exceptions other than Maximus' s lack

of procedural capacity.      The parties then addressed the exception of lack of

procedural capacity, with Maximus putting on evidence to establish its corporate

name change.       At the conclusion of the hearing, the district court sustained the

exception of lack of procedural capacity and granted Maximus a specified time

frame to amend its petition.     Although the scheduling order was discussed, the

district court made no ruling with regard to it.

      Maximus amended its petition for judicial review, naming LDH as defendant

in place of Dr. Phillips.    On February 4, 2022, the district court signed a new

scheduling order that set briefing deadlines and ordered the parties to appear on April

21, 2022, for oral argument      In response, LDH filed another exception of lack of

procedural capacity, as well as an exception of lack of subject matter jurisdiction

based on the matter being perempted or prescribed.          The district court set the

exceptions for hearing on June 6, 2022.

      On April 19, 2022, the parties appeared before the district court for a status

conference, which was conducted on the record.      Maximus' s counsel explained that

the status conference was requested to clarify how to proceed since oral arguments

on the petition for judicial review were scheduled to be heard on April 21, 2022, but

LDH' s exceptions were set for hearing in June and LDH had yet to file an opposition

to the petition.    Counsel and the district court discussed the February 28, 2022

hearing and the rulings made that day, which had not been memorialized in a written

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judgment. The district court ordered both parties to submit proposed judgments for

it to compare to a transcript of the February 28, 2022 hearing.

       The district court then canceled the April 21, 2022 hearing on the petition for

judicial review. The district court advised, " I am going to set a new date to hear the

exceptions today which will be sooner than the June 6th date."      The district court

stated it would allow approximately 30 days, or until May 19, 2022, for the parties

to conduct discovery and that it would set the hearing approximately two weeks later,

but before the end of the month. The district court asked counsel to review their

calendars so that a hearing on the exception could be set during the last two weeks

of May. At Maximus' s request, the district court agreed that the petition for judicial

review would be set for hearing on the same date as the exceptions, stating " Yes. I

intend to resolve on the merits, during the month of May, this case....     I intend to

allow the defense process that' s due and achieve that objective." The district court

then recessed the matter so that it could meet with counsel in chambers to review the

filings of record.

       On May 23, 2022, counsel for Maximus appeared before the district court for

a hearing on LDH' s exceptions and the petition for judicial review. Counsel for

LDH did not appear.       Counsel for Maximus represented that she could not reach

LDH' s counsel by phone or email and requested " a default type judgment." Counsel

for Maximus reminded the district court of the April 19, 2022 status conference and

stated "
           We discussed everything and we reset both their exceptions and the petition

for judicial review for today."    The district court asked, " And we did that in open

court?"    Counsel for Maximus responded, " We did that in open court on April 19th.

Everyone was here, we confirmed the date[.]"       The district court then allowed the

hearing to proceed.

       Counsel for Maximus requested that the court deny LDH' s exceptions but

noted they had witnesses and exhibits to present if the court found it necessary. The

                                            M
district court confirmed that the time was 10: 50 a.m., that the hearing was set for

10: 00 a. m., that counsel for Maximus unsuccessfully attempted to contact counsel

for LDH, and that it allowed the matter to proceed at Maximus' s request. The district

court then overruled the exceptions " based upon ... the pleadings."

      The district court then allowed Maximus to argue in support of its petition for

judicial review, took the matter under advisement, and ordered counsel for Maximus

to submit a proposed judgment.     Immediately thereafter, the district court asked if

there was a statement from LDH' s counsel. Maximus' s counsel stated that at 10: 51,

LDH' s counsel responded that the district court had set everything for hearing on

June 6, 2022.   Maximus' s counsel disagreed, stating, " we had it set for June 6th, and

you, your honor, moved everything up because it was unfair to us that we had to

continue to drag this out."    The district court responded, " Noted. We' ll deal with

the informal communication subsequent, I suppose."

      On June 1,     2022, counsel for Maximus filed a proposed judgment that

overruled LDH' s exceptions of lack of procedural capacity and lack of subject matter

jurisdiction. Counsel for Maximus certified that the proposed judgment had been

circulated to all parties on May 23, 2022, and that no response from LDH was

received.   The district court signed the judgment overruling the exceptions on June

14, 2022.

       On September 13, 2022, counsel for Maximus filed a proposed judgment that

granted its petition for judicial review and awarded it the relief it requested.

Specifically, the judgment reversed in part the decision of the Commissioner and

ordered LDH to release funds in the amount of $1, 753, 787. 09 to Maximus.           The

district court signed the judgment the same date, issuing no reasons for its judgment.

       LDH      suspensively   appealed   the    September   13,   2022   judgment   and

additionally challenged the June 14, 2022 judgment on the exceptions.         After the

record was lodged with this court, LDH filed a motion with the district court,

                                            bi
requesting supplementation of the appellate record with certain missing items,

including proof of notice of the May 23, 2022 hearing. Considering the motion, the

district court issued an order, directing its clerk' s office to conduct a search for the

items alleged to be missing from the record and either supplement the record with

the items or file a statement that they were not found after a due and diligent search.

The appellate record was not supplemented with proof of notice of the May 23, 2022

hearing or a statement by the clerk of the district court that such proof was not found

after a due and diligent search. However, on LDH' s motion to supplement, next to

LDH' s statement that it has been unable to find any notice or return of service of

notice for the May 23, 2022 hearing, there appears an undated, handwritten notation

that reads, " None per Mindy[.]"

                                    DISCUSSION

       LDH argues on appeal that the district court erred in overruling its exceptions

and proceeding to a hearing on the merits on May 23, 2022, without providing LDH

did proper notice of the hearing. Based on the record before us, we agree.

        Among the foundations of our system of justice is due process, which

embodies fundamental fairness and at its essence requires notice and an opportunity

to be heard before a decision is made."     In re Office of Chief Justice, Louisiana

Supreme Court, 2012- 1342 ( La. 10/ 16/ 12),      101 So. 3d 9, 10.   Thus, it is a basic

principle of our legal system that a final judgment cannot be rendered against a party

who has not been provided with proper notice.        LMB Services, LLC v. Iberville

Parish Government, 2021- 0950 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 3/ 16/ 22), 341 So. 3d 655, 658.

       The record of the proceedings in the district court reflect ongoing confusion

as to when LDH' s second set of exceptions and the hearing on the merits of the

amended petition for judicial review were scheduled.          The record contains the

transcript of the April 19, 2022 status conference that was conducted in open court

with all counsel present, wherein the district court acknowledged that at that time
the hearing on the exception was scheduled after the hearing on the petition for

judicial review.    The district court then canceled both of those hearing, stating that

it would reset both the exceptions and petition for judicial review for hearing in late

May. However, no specific date for that hearing was stated on the record before the

matter was recessed for the parties to meet in the district court' s chambers.

       Maximus argues on appeal:

       The LDH had actual and in-person notice of the scheduling of the
       hearing on May 23, 2022, but chose not to participate. LDH' s counsel
       was present in court on April 19, 2022 when the [ District] Court
       explicitly upset the June 6, 2022 hearing date and LDH' s counsel
       personally selected the May 23, 2022 hearing date— along                          with
       undersigned counsel --       with the [ District] Court' s staff.

       Maximus' s argument suggests that the May 23, 2022 date was selected while

the parties met with district court' s staff in chambers. The minutes of court for the

date of the status conference similarly suggest that the hearing date was discussed in

chambers, stating " the petition for judicial review was to be set on the same new

date selected in chambers[.]"

       While the parties and district court' s staff may have discussed a May 23, 2022

hearing date while meeting in chambers, there is no reference to that date in the

transcript of the April 19, 2022 status conference and the record contains no evidence

that LDH was given notice that the matters were, in fact, set for hearing on May 23,

2022.2 Consequently, due process requires that we vacate the district court' s June

14,   2022 judgment that overruled LDH' s exceptions and the district court' s

September 13, 2022 judgment that reversed in part the Commissioner' s decision.

                                         CONCLUSION

       For the foregoing reasons,           the June     14, 2022 and September 13, 2022

judgments of the district court are vacated. This matter is remanded to the district

z
        In fact, LDH maintains that after the status conference it received notice setting the petition
for judicial review for hearing on June 6, 2022.

                                                  V1
court for further proceedings. The assessment of costs shall await final disposition

of this matter.

      VACATED AND REMANDED.
                                 STATE OF LOUISIANA

                                   COURT OF APPEAL

                                      FIRST CIRCUIT

                                    DOCKET NUMBER

                                        2023 CA 0068

                             MAXIMUS US SERVICES, INC.

                                          VERSUS

            DR. COURTNEY N. PHILLIPS, IN HER CAPACITY AS THE
         SECRETARY OF THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

0   HOLDRIDGE, J. concurs.

          Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure article 961 requires a written motion and

    a written order or an oral motion and an oral order in open court. If an order is set

    orally in open court, the oral order shall be included in the transcript and in the

    minutes of court.   If an order is not made in open court, La. C. C. P. art. 1313( C)

    mandates that an order that sets a court date shall be served by registered or certified

    mail, by actual sheriff service, by actual delivery by a common courier, or by e -

    mailing the document, whereby the sender receives an electronic confirmation of

    delivery.

          In this case, there is no order in the transcript or in the minutes setting the

    court date. Further, there is no evidence of compliance with La. C. C. P. art. 1313( C)

    of notice and service of the court date. Therefore, no requirement of the Code of

    Civil Procedure was followed by the trial court in setting this matter for trial. Any

    judgment resulting from this failure to follow the mandated procedures must be

    vacated.