Court Opinion

ID: 9367858
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-02-01 22:05:49.757235+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:16:03.702345
License: Public Domain

Office Of The Clerk
                                          Court of Appeal, First Circuit
                                                       State of Louisiana
                                                        www.la-fcca.org
Rodd Naquin                                                                                              Post Office Box 4408
Clerk of Court                                                                                               Baton Rouge, LA
                                                                                                                  70821-4408
                                         Notice of Judgment and Disposition                                   (225) 382-3000

                                                     February 01, 2023

Docket Number: 2022 - CW - 0928

Hamp's Construction, LLC
   versus
State of Louisiana, Department of Transportation and
Development

TO:    Kirk A. Bergeron                        Jonathan S. Giepert
       1201 Capital Access Rd., RrT            3501 N. Causeway Blvd., Sui
       P.O. Box 94245                          Metairie, LA 70002
       Baton Rouge, LA
       70804-9245

       Amanda D. Hogue                         John I. Hulse IV
       Conroy Law Firm
       3501 N. Causeway Boulevarc              jih@conroylawfirm.com
       Suite 500
       Metairie, LA 70002
       ahogue@conroylawfirm.com

       Mitchell A. Palmer                      Hon. Trudy White
       Thornhill & Collings, L.C.              300 North Blvd
       1308 Ninth Street                       Suite 6201
       Slidell, LA 70458                       Baton Rouge, LA 70802
       mitchell@rboweslaw.com

In accordance with Local Rule 6 of the Court of Appeal, First Circuit, I hereby certify that this notice of judgment and
disposition and the attached disposition were transmitted this date to the trial judge or equivalent, all counsel of record,
and all parties not represented by counsel.

                                                     RODD NAQUIN
                                                     CLERK OF COURT
                  STATE OF LOUISIANA
          COURT OF APPEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT
HAMP'S CONSTRUCTION, LLC                         NO.   2022 CW 0928
VERSUS
STATE OF LOUISIANA,                            FEBRUARY 1, 2023
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
AND DEVELOPMENT

In Re:     Hamp's Construction, LLC,  applying for supervisory
           writs, 19th Judicial District Court, Parish of East
           Baton Rouge, No. 639857.

BEFORE:    GUIDRY, C.J., WOLFE AND MILLER, JJ.

     WRIT GRANTED.     A motion in limine is a device to test the
admissibility of evidence prior to trial as an extension of the
trial court's gatekeeper function for which great deference is
afforded.   It is not intended to resolve issues of law, such as
the   contractual   and    statutory    interpretations   at   issue.
Succession of Shaw v. Alexandria Inv. Grp., LLC, 2017-582 (La.
App. 3d Cir. 7/26/17), 248 So.3d 332.       The scope of a motion in
limine was exceeded in this case.      Here, for the trial court to
find that the scope of admissible evidence of damages is limited
to the costs recoverable under the provisions of Section 108.11
of the contract necessarily required findings from the trial
court that exceed the court's gatekeeper function.               Such
findings exceed the purpose and limits of a motion in limine.
Moreover, the effective result of the trial court's findings
essentially dismissed plaintiff's detrimental reliance claims
without a disposi ti ve motion.    As such, the trial court's June
27,   2022    judgment   which    granted    defendant's,   Louisiana
Department of Transportation and Development's,           motions in
limine are reversed and the motions in limine are denied.

                                 JMG
                                 EW
                                 SMM

COURT OF APPEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT

    DEPUTY CLERK OF COURT
        FOR THE COURT