Court Opinion

ID: 9964411
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-29 21:06:17.300884+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:25:24.736468
License: Public Domain

STATE OF LOUISIANA

                                COURT OF APPEAL

                                 FIRST CIRCUIT

                                 NO. 2023 CA 0980

                                ROYDALL LUMAR

                                     VERSUS

                        CENTRAL TRANSPORT, LLC AND
                       CHEROKEE INSURANCE COMPANY

                                 Judgment Rendered:
                                                       APR 2 6 2024

                                 Appealed from the
                     Office of Workers' Compensation, District 6

l                              Parish of St. Tammany
                                 State of Louisiana
                                 Case No. 21- 05193

                           The Honorable Diane Lundeen,

                      Workers' Compensation Judge Presiding

    Joslyn R. AIex                           Counsel for Plaintiff/Appellant
    Breaux Bridge, Louisiana                 Roydall Lumar

    Nathan M. Gaudet                         Counsel for Defendants/ Appellees
    New Orleans, Louisiana                   Central Transport, LLC and
                                             Cherokee Insurance Company

               BEFORE: THERIOT, PENZATO, AND GREENE, JJ.
THERIOT, J.

       A workers' compensation claimant appeals a final judgment rendered by the

State of Louisiana, Office of Workers' Compensation, District 6 after a full trial on

the merits.     For the following reasons, we dismiss the appeal as untimely.

                        FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

       On March 20, 2020, claimant, Roydall Lumar, was injured during the course

and scope of his employment as a delivery driver with Central Transport, LLC.

Lumar allegedly sustained injuries to his right arm, shoulders, and cervical spine.

Lumar     completed      choice       of   physician     forms   in    September      2020   for   two

orthopedists and one pain management specialist.

       Central Transport paid for Lumar' s medical care as well as indemnity

benefits through August 12, 2021.               After Lumar' s orthopedists released him to

light duty work, Central Transport offered Lumar light duty employment at his pre-

accident wage, requesting Lumar return to work on August 13, 2021. On that date,

Central   Transport      filed    a    Form     1002 ( Notice         of   Payment,    Modification,

Suspension, Termination or Controversion of Compensation or Medical Benefits)

by which it advised that Lumar' s indemnity benefits would be suspended as of

August    13,    2021, though his medical benefits would " remain                  open,"    because

Central Transport offered Lumar a position within the restrictions of his treating

provider at his pre -injury rate of pay, but "[ t]he position was refused."

        Soon      thereafter,    Lumar       filed   a   Form     1008 (     Disputed    Claim     for

Compensation) with the Office of Workers'                  Compensation pursuant to La. R.S.

23: 1201. 1( A).    Lumar alleged that Central Transport improperly terminated his

indemnity benefits and denied him his choice of " orthopedist/neurosurgeon."

Central Transport and its insurer ( collectively referred to as " Central Transport")

filed an answer to Lumar' s Form 1008 in which they denied Lumar was entitled to

continued benefits because Lumar was not temporarily or permanently disabled

                                                     2
and averred that all medically necessary and related medical treatment was paid in

full. I    The answer also included                  affirmative       defenses,      namely that Central

Transport offered Lumar light duty employment at his pre -accident wage yet

Lumar did not return to work.

          This matter proceeded to trial on January 9, 2023, with Lumar appearing pro

se.   At the close of evidence, the workers' compensation judge (" WCJ") took the

matter under advisement and directed the parties to submit post -trial briefs.                                The

WCJ ultimately signed a judgment on March 13, 2023, finding Lumar was injured

during the course and scope of his employment with Central Transport and that

Lumar' s injuries necessitated medical care from orthopedists and pain management

specialists.     The WCJ concluded that ( 1) Lumar exercised his right to his choice of

orthopedic physician pursuant to La. R. S. 23: 1124( B)( 1)                         and Central Transport

authorized and paid for same; ( 2) Lumar was temporarily totally disabled pursuant

to La. R.S.      23: 1221 for a period of one day and is entitled to temporary total

disability benefits in the amount of $86. 89 for that day; ( 3) Lumar was not entitled

to any additional indemnity benefits under La. R.S. 23: 1221; and ( 4) Lumar was

not entitled to penalties or attorney' s fees under La. R.S. 23: 1201( F).                        Notice of the

judgment was mailed to the parties on March 17, 2023.

          Lumar filed a motion for new trial on April 5, 2023.                             The WCJ held a

hearing on Lumar' s motion for new trial on April 28, 2023, and denied the motion

as untimely via order signed May 1, 2023. 2 Notice of signing of the order denying

Lumar' s motion for new trial was mailed on May 4, 2023.                                Lumar then filed a

 motion to have this matter heard [ by] supervisory writs" on June 1,                               2023.     The

WCJ considered this filing to be Lumar' s " Motion for Devolutive Appeal" of the

 Central Transport later filed an amended answer to assert a new defense in accordance with La. R.S. 23: 1208 after
Lumar allegedly altered a physician' s work status report to have him found temporarily totally disabled in order to
obtain additional workers' compensation benefits.

2 The WCJ also noted there were no grounds to grant a new trial under La. Code Civ. P. art. 1972 or 1973.

                                                         C
WCFs March 13, 2023 final judgment on the merits and ordered the record be

prepared and sent to this court.'              This appeal followed.

                                                 DISCUSSION

        Pursuant to La. R. S. 23: 1310. 5( B), an appeal that does not suspend the effect

or execution of an appealable judgment or order must be filed within 60 days. The

delay for filing an appeal commences to run on the day after the judgment was

signed or on the day after the district office has mailed the notice of judgment as

required by La. Code Civ. P. art. 1913, whichever is later. La. R.S. 23: 1310. 5( B).

The delay for filing an appeal of a decision of a WCJ when a motion for a new trial

has been filed is governed by the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure.                                     Id.    Under

La. Code Civ. P. art.            1974, the delay for applying for a new trial is seven days,

exclusive of legal holidays, after the clerk has mailed or the sheriff has served the

notice ofjudgment as required by La. Code Civ. P. art. 1913. Once the seven- day

period for filing a motion for new trial has passed, and no motion for new trial is

filed or said motion is untimely filed, the judgment becomes final, and appellate

delays begin to run.              Bustamante v. Morales, 2022- 1164 ( La.                           App.       1st Cir.

811123), 371 So. 3d 539, 542.                An application for new trial does not interrupt the

delays for appealing unless the application is timely, even if the trial court does not

recognize the motion as untimely. Ashton v. United Parcel Service, 2013- 1617

 La. App. 1st Cir. 616114), 147 So. 3d 748, 752.

         In this case, the WCYs judgment on the merits of Lumar' s case was signed

on March 13, 2023, and notice of judgment was mailed to the parties on March 17,

2023.     Thus, the seven- day timeframe within which to file a motion for new trial

3 See State, Dept. of Children and Family Services ex rel. A. L. v. Lowrie, 2014- 1025 ( La. 515/ 15), 167 So. 3d
573, 578 (" The characterization of a pleading by the litigant is not controlling. Pleadings are taken for what they
actually are and not for what their authors designate them."); see also Reed v. Louisiana Horticulture
Commission, 2021- 4657 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 12/ 22/ 21), 341 So. 3d 66, 68 n_2, writ denied, 2022- 00284 ( La. 4/ 12/ 22),
336 So.3d 89 ("   Generally, where it is clear from the appellant's brief that the appellant intended to appeal a
judgment on the merits, along with a judgment denying a motion for new trial, an appellate court will consider the
 appeal to be an appeal of the judgment on the merits even though the notice of appeal only refers to the judgment
 denying the motion for new trial.").

                                                            4
commenced on March 20, 2023, 4 and expired on March 28, 2023. As noted by the

WCJ, Lumar' s motion for new trial, which was filed on April 5, 2023,                                                 was

untimely. See Id.

         Because of the lack of a timely filed motion for a new trial, the delays for

filing a motion and order of appeal were not interrupted, and the 60 -day period for

filing a motion for a devolutive appeal set forth in La. R.S.                                            23: 1310. 5( B)

commenced on the day after the mailing of the notice of the judgment.                                                 See

Ashton, 147 So. 3d at 752.             Thus, the appeal delay commenced on March 18, 2023,

and expired on May 16, 2023. 5 See Id. Lumar' s motion for appeal, filed on June

1, 2023, was likewise untimely.6 Although we recognize that appeals generally are

favored by law, because Lumar failed to appeal within the delays allowed by law,

this court is without jurisdiction to consider this appeal.                                   La. R.S. 23: 1310. 5;

Bustamante, 371             So. 3d at 543.          Accordingly, without reaching the merits of

Lumar' s appeal, we are constrained to dismiss the appeal as untimely.

                                               CONCLUSION

         For the above and foregoing reasons, the appeal is dismissed at Roydall

Lumar' s cost.

         APPEAL DISMISSED.

a The day after March 17, 2023, was a Saturday, which is a legal holiday per La. R.S. 1: 55( A)( 1) and is expressly
excluded from computation of time per La_ Code Civ. P. art. 1974.      See also La. Code Civ. P. art. 5059( B)( 1).   The

same is true of Sunday. See La. Code Civ. P. arts. 1974 &      5059{B)( 1);   La. R. S. 1: 55( A)( 1)_
                                                                                                   Therefore, the delay
for filing a motion for new trial began to run on the next day that was not a legal holiday, or March 20, 2023.
s The appeal delay began on March 18, 2023, for purposes of calculating the deadline under La. R.S. 23: 1310. 5( B)
because legal holidays are to be included in the computation the 60 -day timeframe for filing a notice of appeal,
except when it is expressly excluded. See La. Code Civ. P. art. 5059( B)( 1). La. R.S. 23: 1310. 5 does not expressly
exclude the inclusion of a legal holiday; therefore, the appeal delay began to run on Saturday, March 18, 2023, and
Saturdays and Sundays are included in the calculation.

I We acknowledge this court' s statement in Shropshire v. ANCO Installation, 2014- 0902 ( La. App. 1st Cir.
12/ 23/ 14), 168 So. 3d 601, 604, which suggests the devolutive appeal delays set forth in La. Code Civ. P. arts. 1974
  2087 control " when a party actually files a motion for new trial." Even if we were to apply the appeal delays set
forth in Articles 1974 &   2087, which together allow 67 days to file a motion for appeal, the result would be the
same, as the 67th day would have lapsed on May 29, 2023, making Lumar' s motion for appeal untimely.

                                                           R