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811 So. 2d 1009

Docket No. 01-CA-1358.

Short v. Ochello

Rosalie Winn Short, Wife of/and Charles R. SHORT v. Louis J. OCHELLO, et al.

Louisiana Court of Appeal

Decided February 26, 2002.

Louisiana Court of Appeal · decided 2002-02-26

Cited by 5 later decisions — most recently November 2015

5 state decisions

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“An appeal does not lie from the court's refusal to render any judgment on the pleading or summary judgment.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Rubin v. Westport Ins. Corp.

Relies on 298 So. 2d 100 - Batson v. Time, Inc. · Merco Lands, Inc. v. Hutchison

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 2002-02-26

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

¶1Jack E. Morris, Metairie, LA, for Plaintiffs/Appellees Rosalie Winn Short wife of/ and Charles R. Short, Jr.

¶2Kevin K. Gipson, Martin L. Broussard, Jr., Broussard & Associates, New Orleans, LA, for Defendant/Appellee (Louis J. Ochello).

¶3Temple A. Stephens, Neal, Stephens & Grace, Metairie, LA, for Defendant/Appellant (Assurance Company of America).

¶4Leonard A. Young, Kevin J. Christensen, Bienvenu, Foster, Ryan & O'Bannon, New Orleans, LA, for Defendants/Appellees Wal-Tec Inc., Wal-Tec of LA., Inc. James McDaniel & Robert McDaniel.

¶5Thomas M. Richard, Chopin, Wagar, Cole, Richard, Reboul & Kutcher, Mandeville, LA, for Defendant/Appellee (Colony Insurance Company).

¶6William E. Scott, III, Watson, Blanche, Wilson & Posner, Baton Rouge, LA, for Defendant/Appellee (Bituminous Casualty).

¶7Panel composed of Judges SOL GOTHARD, JAMES L. CANNELLA and WALTER J. ROTHSCHILD.

¶8SOL GOTHARD, Judge.

¶9This is an appeal from the denial of a motion for summary judgment filed by defendant, Assurance Company of America (Assurance). Plaintiffs, Rosalie and Charles Short, filed a motion to dismiss the appeal in this Court. Because we find merit in plaintiffs' motion to dismiss, we hereby dismiss the appeal and remand the matter to the trial court for further proceedings. We further allow Assurance thirty days from the rendition of this decision to apply for supervisory writs.

¶10The record shows that plaintiffs filed a petition against Louis Ochello for breach of contract and warranties in connection with a construction contract. In a supplemental and amending petition, plaintiffs added Assurance as a defendant.

¶11Assurance filed a motion for summary judgment seeking a ruling that none of the policies issued to defendant Louis Ochello afforded coverage for damages claimed by plaintiffs. After a hearing on the matter, the trial court denied the motion. The written judgment of the denial contains a certification by the trial judge that the ruling is final and immediately appealable pursuant to C.C.P. article 1915. Assurance filed a timely appeal with this Court. Plaintiffs filed a motion to dismiss the appeal.

¶12LSA-C.C.P. article 968 provides that, "an appeal does not lie from the court's refusal to render any judgment on the pleading or summary judgment." Assurance concedes the denial of a motion for summary judgment is generally not appealable, but argues that the certification *1010 of the trial judge that the matter is final and appealable makes the ruling appealable. We disagree. That portion of article 968 which makes the denial of a summary judgment not appealable is a special rule and is not affected by article 1915. See; Batson v. Time, Inc.,298 So.2d 100 (La.App. 1 Cir.1974), writ denied299 So.2d 803 (La.1974), which held that article 968 prevails over article 2083 which allows an appeal from an interlocutory judgment that causes irreparable injury.

¶13We find that the denial of a motion for summary judgment is not a final, appealable judgment, the designation by the trial court notwithstanding. Accordingly, we grant plaintiffs' motion to dismiss the appeal. However, because Assurance relied on a declaration by the trial court that the ruling was immediately appealable, we give Assurance thirty days from the rendition of this opinion to file an application for supervisory review in this Court.

¶14APPEAL DISMISSED; MATTER REMANDED FOR FURTHER PROCEEDINGS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS OPINION.

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