Court Opinion

ID: 9946918
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-01 18:07:33.362913+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:25:42.987324
License: Public Domain

STATE OF LOUISIANA

                             COURT OF APPEAL

                               FIRST CIRCUIT

                               NO. 2023 CA 0651

                                JAMES CREGG
      1
                                    VERSUS

                         BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF
     LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AND AGRICULTURAL AND
                          MECHANICAL COLLEGE

                                      Judgment Rendered:     MAR 01 2024

                               Appealed from the
                           19th Judicial District Court
                    In and for the Parish of East Baton Rouge
                               State of Louisiana
                               Docket No. 710803

              The Honorable Wilson E. Fields, Judge Presiding

Christopher L. Whittington                  Counsel for Plaintiff/Appellee,
Robert L. Campbell                         James Cregg
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Leo C. Hamilton                             Counsel for Defendant/Appellant,
Carroll Devillier                          Board of Supervisors of Louisiana
Alexandra C. Hains                         State University and Agricultural
Baton Rouge, Louisiana                     and Mechanical College

Jeff Landry
Attorney General
Christine S. Keenan
Elizabeth Bailly Bloch
Special Assistant Attorneys General
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

          BEFORE; McCLENDON, HESTER, AND MILLER, JJ.
 MILLER, J.

          This matter is before us on appeal by defendant, the Board of Supervisors of

 Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College (" LSU"),

 from a February 2, 2023 judgment of the trial court granting Mr. Cregg' s motion to
 tax costs and fees, and awarding same, pursuant to the trial court' s earlier

 September     8,   2022 judgment finding that LSU terminated the employment

agreement without cause, awarding liquidated damages, and casting LSU with all
costs of these proceedings.

         The facts and procedural history of this case are more fully developed in the

companion case to this appeal, Cregg v. Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State

University and A icultural and Mechanical College, 2023- 0127 ( La. App. 1St Cir.

 l_I_), —    So. 3d _,   also handed down this date.    Therein, we reviewed the trial

court' s September 8, 2022 judgment awarding Iiquidated damages in the amount of

 492,945.20 to Mr. Cregg in his suit against LSU as a result of his termination.

After considering that appeal, we determined LSU terminated the employment

agreement with cause and reversed the September 8, 2022 judgment of the trial

court.

         To the extent that the February 2, 2023 judgment at issue in this appeal was

rendered in furtherance of and under the authority of the trial court' s ruling casting
LSU with all costs in the September 8, 2022 judgment, which we reversed, we find

the February 2, 2023 judgment is likewise improper and must be vacated.

                                      DECREE

         Based on the above and foregoing reasons, the February 2, 2023 judgment of

the trial court is vacated. Costs of this appeal are assessed to the plaintifflappellee,

James Cregg.

         VACATED.

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