Court Opinion

ID: 9930018
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-05 22:06:30.880533+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:57:41.595272
License: Public Domain

STATE OF LOUISIANA
          COURT OF APPEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT
JENNIFER SEVIN AND WEBSTER                       NO.   2023 CW 1248
SEVIN, III, ON BEHALF OF
THEIR MINOR CHILD, CHANNING
SEVIN
VERSUS
HANNAH BECNEL, THE TOT SPOT                    FEBRUARY 5, 2024
EARLY LEARNING CENTER, LLC,
AND WESTERN WORLD INSURANCE
COMPANY

In Re:      Western   World   Insurance   Company,    applying    for
            supervisory writs,    19th  Judicial    District   Court,
            Parish of East Baton Rouge, No. 701345.

BEFORE:    GUIDRY, C.J., CHUTZ, LANIER, MILLER AND GREENE, JJ.

     WRIT GRANTED.      We find the trial court abused its
discretion in denying the motion for leave to file an amended
answer filed by the defendant, Western World Insurance Company.
Amendments to pleadings should be liberally allowed provided the
movant: 1) is acting in good faith, 2) the amendment is not
sought as a delaying tactic, 3) the opponent will not be unduly
prejudiced, and 4) trial of the issues will not be unduly
delayed.   Hogan v. State Farm Automobile Insurance Company, 94-
0004 (La. App. 1st Cir. 12/22/94), 649 So.2d 45, 50, writ
denied, 95-0215 (La. 3/17/95), 651 So.2d 276.     Here, there was
no evidence that the defendant, Western World Insurance Company,
was not acting in good faith, that the amendment was being used
as   a   delaying  tactic,  that   plaintiffs  would   be  unduly
prejudiced, or that the trial would be unduly delayed, as there
are no pending deadlines and this case has not yet been set for
trial.   We reverse the trial court's November 3, 2023 judgment
and grant the motion for leave to file an amended answer filed
by the defendant, Western World Insurance Company.

                                 WRC
                                 WIL
                                  HG

      Guidry, C.J.,dissents and would deny the writ application.
The   criteria   set
                  forth in Berlitz Const. Co., Inc. v. Hotel
Investors of New Iberia, Inc., 396 So.2d 878 (La. 1981)      (per
curiam), are not met.

     Miller, J., would refuse to consider the writ application.
The writ application failed to include a copy of the pleadings
upon which the ruling was founded, including a copy of the
motion at issue and a copy of the July 24, 2023 hearing
transcript, in violation of Uniform Rules of Louisiana Courts of
Appeal, Rule 4-5 (C) (8).

COURT OF APPEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT

      11.,,J)
      DEPUTY CLERK OF COURT
          FOR THE COURT