Opinion
NO. 2023-CA-0212 NO. 2023-C-0016
01-22-2024
HEIRS OF Lydia BERGERON, Wife of/ and Sidney J. Simoneaux Land Partnership, a Limited Partnership v. B-P AMOCO, Amerada Hess Corporation, WM. T. Burton Industries, Inc., Brock Exploration Corporation, Mongole Oil Company, Inc., Northwest Oil Company, Lynal, Incorporated, Quintana Petroleum Corporation, Quintana Petroleum (U.S.), Inc., et al. Heirs of Lydia Bergeron et al. v. BP Amoco et al.
Michael G. Stag, Ashley M. Liuzza, Matthew D. Rogenes, STAG LIUZZA LLC 365 Canal Street Suite 2850, New Orleans, LA 70130 Andrew A. Lemmon LEMMON LAW FIRM, LLC 15068 River Road Hahnville, LA 70057 COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT Robert B. McNeal, Kathryn Z. Gonski, Mark R. Deethardt, Jaclyn E. Hickman, Trinity A. Morale, LISKOW & LEWIS 701 Poydras Street, Suite 5000 New Orleans, LA 70139 Hunter A. Chauvin, LISKOW & LEWIS 120 Camellia Blvd., Suite 300 Lafayette, LA 70508 Lauren C. Mastio, Carl D. Rosenblum, Taylor K. Wimberly, JONES WALKER LLP 201 St. Charles Avenue Suite 5100 New Orleans, LA 70170-5100 Shawn A. Carter, Christopher B. Bailey, Matthew J. Randazzo, III, RANDAZZO GIGLIO & BAILEY LLC 900 E. Saint Mary Blvd. Suite 200 Lafayette, LA 70503-2378 Michael R. Phillips, Annie Lemelin, Claire E. Juneau, KEAN MILLER, LLP 900 Poydras Street, Suite 3600 New Orleans, LA 70112 Charles Simon McCowan, III, L. Victor Gregoire, Jr., KEAN MILLER, LLP 400 Convention Street, Suite 700 Baton Rouge, LA 70802 COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANTS/APPELLEES
APPEAL FROM CIVIL DISTRICT COURT, ORLEANS PARISH, NO. 1999-19530, DIVISION "B", Honorable Richard G. Perque, Judge, ON APPLICATION FOR REHEARING
Michael G. Stag, Ashley M. Liuzza, Matthew D. Rogenes, STAG LIUZZA LLC 365 Canal Street Suite 2850, New Orleans, LA 70130 Andrew A. Lemmon
LEMMON LAW FIRM, LLC 15068 River Road Hahnville, LA 70057 COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT
Robert B. McNeal, Kathryn Z. Gonski, Mark R. Deethardt, Jaclyn E. Hickman, Trinity A. Morale, LISKOW & LEWIS 701 Poydras Street, Suite 5000 New Orleans, LA 70139
Hunter A. Chauvin, LISKOW & LEWIS 120 Camellia Blvd., Suite 300 Lafayette, LA 70508
Lauren C. Mastio, Carl D. Rosenblum, Taylor K. Wimberly, JONES WALKER LLP 201 St. Charles Avenue Suite 5100 New Orleans, LA 70170-5100
Shawn A. Carter, Christopher B. Bailey, Matthew J. Randazzo, III, RANDAZZO GIGLIO & BAILEY LLC 900 E. Saint Mary Blvd. Suite 200 Lafayette, LA 70503-2378
Michael R. Phillips, Annie Lemelin, Claire E. Juneau, KEAN MILLER, LLP 900 Poydras Street, Suite 3600 New Orleans, LA 70112
Charles Simon McCowan, III, L. Victor Gregoire, Jr., KEAN MILLER, LLP 400 Convention Street, Suite 700 Baton Rouge, LA 70802 COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANTS/APPELLEES
(Court composed of Chief Judge Terri F. Love, Judge Rosemary Ledet, Judge Sandra Cabrina Jenkins)
JUDGE SANDRA CABRINA JENKINS
1We grant appellees, BP America Production Company, Chevron U.SA., Inc., and Wagner Oil Company’s application for rehearing for the purpose of addressing their argument that this Court failed to discuss that a claim for property damage is a personal right that must be assigned to pass to a subsequent acquirer of property by particular title, and that this Court relied on an erroneous distinction between the remedies available for sales and exchanges.
Appellees’ application for rehearing seeks reconsideration of tins Court’s December 20, 2023 opinion. Appellees argue that the Eagle Pipe & Supply, Inc. v. Amerada Hess Corp., 2010-2267 (La. 10/25/11), 79 So.3d 246, "decision was not simply the remedies available to an acquirer of allegedly contaminated property, but rather the longstanding distinction between real and personal rights that has existed under Louisiana property and obligations law for more than 160 years." The appellees further argue that this Court made an inaccurate statement in the original opinion by providing that "unlike the plaintiff in Eagle Pipe, the law has 2not provided to the heirs a cause of action in redhibition and the right to sue for recession of the sale or reduction of the purchase price in this instance." Bergeron v. B-P Amoco, 2023-0212, p. 8 (La. App. 4 Cir. 12/20/23), 382 So.3d 368. The appellees contend that Louisiana Civil Code and Louisiana jurisprudence recognize that the same rights and obligations that apply to a seller and buyer in a sale also applies to parties in a contract of exchange.
[1] However, the appellees fail to consider the applicable facts in this matter. The transfer of property was not the typical transactional exchange with a third party. The heirs inherited the property in equal shares and subsequently transferred their interest in the partnership they owned. There is no legal remedy of recession or termination of exchange that would rectify the alleged damages. Notably, "a redhibition claim is between sellers and purchasers. A redhibition action cannot be maintained absent such relationship." Con- nell v. Davis, 2006-9, p. 18 (La. App. 5 Cir. 10/17/06), 940 So.2d 195, 205 (citing Sanders v. Earnest, 34,656 (La. App. 2 Cir. 7/24/01), 793 So.2d 393).
[2] The subsequent purchaser doctrine does not apply in this action, as the law does not provide to the heirs a cause of action in redhibition and the right to sue for rescission of the sale or the reduction of the purchase price as there was no sale of the property. Accordingly, the appellees fail to produce any legal basis to warrant an amendment to this Court’s original opinion.
For these reasons, we grant the application for rehearing, deny relief, and affirm our original opinion.
APPLICATION FOR REHEARING GRANTED FOR CLARIFICATION PURPOSES; RELIEF DENIED; ORIGINAL OPINION AFFIRMED