Court Opinion

ID: 9374919
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-02-24 17:04:15.764273+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:16:54.127655
License: Public Domain

STATE OF LOUISIANA

                           COURT OF APPEAL

                             FIRST CIRCUIT

                             NO. 2022 CA 1013

                   THE CONTINUING TUTORSHIP OF
                     TREYVIYON LENARD HARRIS

                                   Judgment Rendered:         FEB 2 4 2023

                             Appealed from the
                         19" Judicial District Court
                  In and for the Parish of East Baton Rouge
                             State of Louisiana
                            Docket No. P111952

           The Honorable Donald R.. Johnson, Judge Presiding

Todd E. Gaudin                           Counsel for Plaintiff/Appellee,
Baton Rouge, LA                          Janice W. Harris

John N. Samaha                           Counsel for Appellant/ Defendant,
Baton Rouge, LA                          Patrice R. Pena

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

       This matter is before us on appeal by Patrice R.                    Pena, the mother of

Treyviyon Lenard Harris, from a judgment of the district court appointing Janice

Lavon Harris (      a.k.a Janice Wilson Harris or Janice W. Harris) as the continuing

tutrix of Treyviyon. For the reasons that follow, we vacate and remand.

                        FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

       Treyviyon was morn on July 26, 2004. On July 22, 2022, four days prior to

his eighteenth birthday, his maternal grandmother, Ms. Harris, filed a petition to

approve continuing tutorship of Treyviyon based on his diminished "                       mental

acuity"    and be appointed as his continuing tutrix, pursuant to La. C. C. art. 354.

Ms.   Harris avers that a continuing tutor is necessary because Treyviyon' s

intellectual disability renders him vulnerable to trickery, manipulation, and injury,

such that he requires an adult to " look out"           for his best interests and reasonably

oversee his affairs and personal safety.              Ms. Harris contends that Treyviyon' s

parents    are "   not readily available."       She alleges that his mother is alive and

residing in Moore, Oklahoma, but does not have physical custody of Treyviyon

and has not been the primary caretaker of Treyviyon since at least 2019, and that

his father is deceased.'         Ms. Harris avers that Treyviyon has lived with her

exclusively for most of his life, and consistently since 2019, during which time she

has served as his sole caregiver, satisfying all of his needs.             Ms. Harris sought the

appointment of Treyviyon' s uncle, Allen Wilson, Jr.,            as his continuing undertutor.

       In support of her petition, Ms. Harris attached Treyviyon' s birth certificate,'

a medical chart note from Treyviyon' s mental health provider, Treyviyon' s

          While Treyviyon' s birth certificate lists " Patrice Rhocher Harris" as his mother, his
mother is erroneously identified in the petition as " Allen Wilson, Jr."

          Although the birth certificate does not list the name of Treyviyon' s father, Ms. Harris
avers that his father is Robert Lee Truvillion, Jr., who died on February 2, 2009, in Baton Rouge.
In an attempt to verify his death, counsel for Ms. Harris annexed a signed statement to her
petition, noting " Death certificate unavailable but obituary appears online."

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Individual Education Program ( IEP) from the East Baton Rouge Parish School

System, the Coroner' s Concurrence with the allegations of his mental status, an

initial detailed descriptive list of Treyviyon' s assets, an oath of tutrix, and an oath

of undertutor.     On July 22, 2022, the district court signed a judgment of continuing

tutorship appointing Ms. Harris as Treyviyon' s continuing tutrix and Mr. Wilson as

his continuing undertutor.

       Treyviyon' s mother, Ms. Pena, filed the instant appeal. On appeal, Ms. Pena

contends that she received no notice, formal or informal, of these proceedings; that

the district court erred in ordering continued tutorship and appointing Ms. Harris as

Treyviyon' s continuing tutrix where Ms.                Harris had no right of action to seek

continuing tutorship without legal custody of Treyviyon; and, alternatively, that in

the event Ms. Harris possessed a right of action, the proof submitted in support of

her petition was insufficient.'

                                          DISCUSSION

       Persons, including certain children, with intellectual disabilities or mental

deficiencies may be placed under continuing or permanent tutorship without

formal or complete interdiction in accordance with the following rules and

procedures stated in the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure. La. C. C. art. 354.

       A petition for continuing or permanent tutorship of an intellectually disabled

person may be filed: (       1)   when the intellectually disabled person is above the age

of fifteen; ( 2)   when the intellectually disabled person possesses less than two-thirds

of the intellectual functioning of a person of the same age with average intellectual

functioning, evidenced by standard testing procedures administered by competent

       3T the extent that Ms. Pena alleges in her brief that she was granted custody of
Treyviyon in a proceeding entitled, " State    of Louisiana In The Interest of Treyviyon Lenard
Harris, bearing docket number 27, 305, 14"'    Judicial District Court, Parish of Calcasieu, State of
Louisiana," we note that an appellate court must render its judgment upon the record on appeal,
La. C. C. P. art. 2164, and the appellate briefs of the parties form no part of the record on appeal.
Augustus v. St. Mary Parish School Board, 95- 2498 ( La. App. I" Cir. 6128196), 676 So. 2d 1144,
1156. Thus, this court has no authority to consider on appeal facts referred to in appellate briefs
or in exhibits attached thereto, if those facts are not contained in the record on appeal.      In re
J. E.T., 2016- 0384 ( La. App. I" Cir. 10131116),   211 So. 3d 575, 580.

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persons or other relevant evidence acceptable to the court; ( 3)              by the parents of

such person, or the person entitled to custody or tutorship if one or both parents are

dead, incapacitated, or absent persons, or if the parents are judicially separated or

divorced or have never been married to each other;                  and (   4) with the written

concurrence of the coroner of the parish of the intellectually disabled person' s

domicile.       La. C. C.    art.   355.   The continuing or permanent tutorship shall not

automatically end at any age but shall continue until revoked by the court of

domicile. La. C. C. art. 355.

           When the person to be placed under the continuing tutorship is above the age

of fifteen, and under the age of majority,                the proceeding shall be conducted

according to the procedural rules established for ordinary tutorships.             La. C. C. art.

356( 1).     However, when the person to be placed under the continuing tutorship is

above the age of majority, the proceeding shall be conducted according to the

procedural rules established for interdictions. La. C, C. art. 356( 2).

           At the time the petition for continuing tutorship was filed herein, Treyviyon

was under the age of majority. Thus, the procedural rules established for ordinary

tutorships applied.         See La. C. C. art. 356( 1).   Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure

article 4065 provides that in ordinary tutorship proceedings, when a petition for

appointment as legal or dative tutor is filed, the applicant shall annex an affidavit

listing to the best of his knowledge the minor' s ascendants and collaterals by blood

within the third degree and the surviving spouse of the minor' s mother or father

dying last who reside in the state. A copy of the petition for appointment shall be

mailed by registered or certified mail to each person listed in the affidavit and

notice of the application shall be published once in the parish where the petition

was filed, in the manner provided by law,              La. C. C. P. art. 4065. The word "   shall"

is mandatory.      La. C. C. P. art. 5053. Thus, the requirements of La. C. C. P. art. 4065

are mandatory and may not be waived. Matter of Custody of Booty, 95- 0828 ( La.

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App,    I"   Cir. 1119195), 665 So. 2d 444, 448 n. 2 (             recognizing that La. C. C. P. art.

4065 requires notice to selected relatives of the minor child of the filing of the

petition for tutorship and that a lack of notice could invalidate the appointment of

the provisional tutor).

        Accordingly, because Treyviyon was not yet eighteen at the time the petition

was filed,     it was necessary for Ms. Harris to follow the procedural rules for

ordinary tutorships, which required her to annex an affidavit to her petition listing

Treyviyon' s ascendants and collaterals by blood within the third degree and the

surviving spouse of the minor' s mother or father dying last who reside in the state.

Thereafter, she was required to send, by registered or certified mail, a copy of the

petition for appointment to each person listed in the affidavit.

        On the record before us, it does not appear that the procedural rules for

notice were complied with.            There is no evidence that an affidavit was prepared

and filed with the petition for appointment nor is there evidence that the petition

was sent by registered or certified mail to Ms. Pena in accordance with La. C. C. P.

art.   4065.    Because Ms.        Pena was not provided with notice of the continuing

tutorship proceedings as required, we find the district court' s judgment appointing

Ms.    Harris as Treyviyon' s continuing tutrix and Mr.                     Wilson as Treyviyon' s

undertutor is an absolute nullity and must be vacated.'                      See In re Tutorship of

Cardenas, 2009- 2020 ( La. App. 1"           Cir. 6111110), 38 So. 3d 1284, 1286- 1287; In re

Tutorship of Woodard, 216 So. 2d 132,                   134 (   La. App. 2" I Cir.    1968); and In re

Robertson, 283 So. 2d 834, 836 ( La. App. 2° a Cir. 1973).

        4When an appellate court notices an absolute nullity, the court is empowered to vacate or
correct the judgment on its own motion.        See La. C. C. P. arts. 2002( A)(2), 1201( A), and 2164;
Thurman v. Aguilar, 2021- 1514 ( La. App. I"       Cir. 6/ 22122), 343 So. 3d 784, 798, writ denied,
2022- 01110 ( La. 11/ 1! 22),   349 So. 3d 7; New Orleans and Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots
Association v. Wartenbur ,      2020- 0193 ( La. App.   1St Cir, 11/ 12/ 20), 316 So. 3d 39, 42.

                                                   FJ
      Considering our finding herein that Ms. Harris failed to comply with the

mandatory requirements of La. C. C. P.    art. 4065, we pretermit discussion of Ms.

Pena' s assignments of error.

                                   CONCLUSION

      For the above and foregoing reasons, the July 22, 2022 judgment of the

district court is vacated and this matter is remanded to the district court for further

proceedings.    All costs of this appeal are assessed to the plaintiff/appellee, Janice

Lavon Harris.

      VACATED AND REMANDED.

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