Court Opinion

ID: 9674420
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 04:28:18.736599+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:27.517985
License: Public Domain

SANDERS, Justice
(concurring in part and dissenting in part).
I fully concur in the holding that the third party demand is not before this Court and in the reinstatement of the original judgment based on this holding.
I am compelled to dissent, however, from the remand of the case. As I view it, the remand is founded upon faulty procedural doctrine, the effect of which will be to burden the courts and litigants with piecemeal litigation and multiple appeals.
Briefly stated, the majority theory is that the district court rendered only a partial judgment in this case, which left the third party demand pending without disposition in that court. Hence, it is reasoned, the case should be remanded for the purpose of permitting the third party demand to be litigated.
*409If the third party demand is still pending in the trial court, as the majority holds, there is nothing in this court to remand. The rehearing was “limited to a consideration of the third party claim.” A final judgment has terminated the case as to all other matters. Furthermore, from the standpoint of the trial court, no remand is needed to permit that court to dispose of the third party demand, already pending there.
Serious objection, however, must be taken to the premise that the trial court rendered only a partial judgment, which left the third party demand pending and undisposed of. The record reflects that in its third party demand, the Pacific Coast Fire Insurance Company sought to recover from Montaldo Insurance Agency the amount of any judgment that might be rendered against Pacific in favor of the plaintiffs. After an answer had been filed to both the main demand and the third party demand, the case was assigned for trial. The parties produced their evidence upon the main demand and third party demand. The case was then submitted to the Court for decision. In written reasons, which referred to the third party demand, the court concluded that Pacific “did not know” of the restaurant-use until after the fire. For this reason, the court concluded “there will be judgment in favor of the defendants dismissing plaintiffs’ suit at their costs.” The subsequent, formal judgment recited that the “cause” had been heard and submitted to the court for adjudication. For the written reasons previously filed, the court rendered judgment in favor of the defendants, Pacific and Montaldo, dismissing plaintiffs’ suit at their costs.
Thus, the third party demand was tried, submitted to the court for decision, and referred to in the court’s reasons for judgment. Although the formal judgment did not mention the third party demand, it adjudicated the “cause.” It terminated the suit as to all parties. This is so because the third party demand was completely incidental to and dependent upon the principal claim. If the plaintiffs failed in the principal demand, the third party demand also failed. When a judgment is silent as to “any demand which was an issue in the case under the pleadings,” such silence constitutes a rejection of the demand. Succession of Foster, 240 La. 269, 122 So.2d 96. The judgment operated as a dismissal of the third party demand. See True v. McDonald, La.App., 161 So.2d 394; Howze v. Arrow Transportation Company, 5 Cir., 1960, 280 F.2d 403, certiorari denied, 364 U.S. 920, 81 S.Ct. 285, 5 L.Ed.2d 260.
In Howze v. Arrow Transportation Company, supra, the court considered the effect of a judgment similar to that in the present case on a third party demand. The court reasoned that the rejection of the principal demand also disposed of the dependent third party demand in stating:
*411" “Thus, Arrow’s claim against Zurich and Zurich’s right to reimbursement from Howze'are both conditioned and dependent on the success of Howze’s action against Arrow. And, of course, judgment in favor of Arrow would dispose of Arrow’s claim against Zurich and Zurich’s claim against Howze.”
. To support its holding that the trial court rendered a partial judgment, non-dispositive of the third party demand, the majority relies upon Article 1915 of the LSA-Code of Civil Procedure, which provides:
“A final judgment may be rendered and signed by the court, even though it ‘may not grant the successful party all of the relief prayed for, or may not adjudicate all' of the issues in the case, when the court:
“(1) Dismisses the suit as to less than all of the plaintiffs, defendants, third party plaintiffs, third party defendants, or interveners;
“(2) Grants a motion for judgment on the pleadings, as provided by Arti- ' cles 965, 968, and 969;
“(3) Grants a motion for summary judgment, as provided by Articles 966 through 969; or
“(4) Renders judgment on either the principal or incidental demand, when the two have been tried separately, as provided by Article 1038. ’
“If an appeal is taken from such a judgment, the trial court nevertheless shall retain jurisdiction to adjudicate the remaining issues in the case.”
As I view the Article, it has no application to the present case. It merely authorizes partial judgments, that is, it vests discretion in the court to render partial judgments in the four situations described. To render such a judgment, however, the court must indicate by appropriate language that only a partial disposition is being made or that the court is retaining jurisdiction to adjudicate other issues.
Neither the trial judge’s written opinion nor the formal judgment contains any indicia of partial judgment. As previously noted, the recitals indicate a disposition of the entire case. The trial judge obviously did not intend to keep part of the case under advisement.
Since no partial judgment was rendered, it becomes unnecessary to consider whether the case falls under either of the four situations described in Article 1915, LSA-C.C.P.
For the reasons assigned, I concur in the reinstatement of the original judgment but respectfully dissent from the remand.