Newton McNealy v. Wilfred J. Englade, Sr. ( 2020 )

STATE OF LOUISIANA
COURT OF APPEAL
FIRST CIRCUIT
2019 CA 0573
NEWTON McNEALY
VERSUS
WILFRED J. ENGLADE SR.
Judgment Rendered:
FEB 2 12020
On Appeal from the Twenty -Third Judicial District Court
In and for the Parish of Ascension
State of Louisiana
Docket No. 105, 422
Honorable Thomas J. Kliebert, Jr., Judge Presiding
Newton McNealy Plaintiff/Appellant,
Gonzales, Louisiana In Proper Person
Donnie L. Floyd Counsel for Defendant/ Appellee,
Prairieville, Louisiana Wilfred J. Englade, Sr.
BEFORE: WHIPPLE, C. J., GUIDRY, AND BURRIS,' JJ.
1
Judge William J. Burris, retired, serving pro tempore by special appointment of the
Louisiana Supreme Court.
BURRIS, J.
The plaintiff seeks review of a judgment that granted the defendant' s ex
parte motion to dismiss on grounds of abandonment, resulting in the dismissal of
the plaintiff's suit, as well as the trial court's denial of his motion to set aside the
dismissal. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
This case arises out of a property dispute between Newton McNealy and
Wilfred J. Englade, Sr. Mr. McNealy filed a petition to be restored to possession
of the property against Mr. Englade on November 15, 2012. In response, Mr.
Englade filed an answer and reconventional demand against Mr. McNealy on
January 22, 2013. Mr. McNealy answered the reconventional demand on March
71 2013 and filed a motion and order for status conference on April 18, 2013.
Following the status conference, a scheduling order was issued, and a bench trial
was set for April 15, 2014. On April 2, 2014, Mr. Englade filed a motion and
order to reschedule trial. The trial court granted the motion on April 21, 2014
and reset the trial to September 8, 2014. The trial did not go forward as
scheduled after the original trial judge recused himself from this matter on May
301 2014. On November 18, 2015, Mr. NcNealy' s then -counsel, Ms. Anna E.
Dow, filed a motion to withdraw, which the trial court granted on November 20,
2015.
No further action was taken until January 3, 2019, when Mr. Englade filed
an ex parte motion to dismiss on grounds of abandonment, seeking to dismiss
Mr. McNealy' s suit per La. Code Civ. P. art. 561. In the motion and attached
affidavit, as required by Article 561, Mr. Englade asserted that no steps have
been taken in the prosecution or defense of this matter since Ms. Dow was
allowed to withdraw as counsel for Mr. McNealy. The order was signed ex parte
on January 7, 2019, dismissing Mr. McNealy's suit as abandoned.
2
On February 6, 2019, Mr. McNealy, appearing pro se, filed a motion to set
aside the dismissal, which he erroneously identified as a ' motion for new trial or
alternatively for amendment of the judgment." In the motion, Mr. McNealy did
not contradict the factual assertions made in the defendant' s motion to dismiss
and companion affidavit nor did he assert that depositions were taken or that the
parties engaged in formal discovery not appearing in the record. Instead, Mr.
McNealy stated only that after his counsel withdrew he was " left without counsel
or any direction as what to do next." On February 11, 2019, the trial court wrote
DENIED UNTIMELY" across the order filed with Mr. McNealy' s motion to set
aside.
ASSIGMENTS OF ERROR
Through new counsel, Mr. McNealy timely filed the instant appeal, setting
forth three assignments of error :2
1. The trial court committed legal error in granting the ex parte
motion to dismiss on grounds of abandonment " as service of the
motion is procedurally defective upon McNealy."
2. The trial court committed legal error in granting the ex parte
motion to dismiss on grounds of abandonment " as notice of the
hearing is procedurally defective, as service of the hearing on the
motion is absent in the record."
3. The trial court committed legal error in denying the ' Motion for
New Trial or Alternatively for Amendment of the Judgment, as
McNealy sought to reverse the procedural defects, absence of
service and notice."
APPLICABLE LAW
Abandonment
Louisiana Code Civil Procedure Article 561 provides, in pertinent part:
A. ( 1) An action, except as provided in Subparagraph ( 2) of this
Paragraph, is abandoned when the parties fail to take any step in
z
After this appeal was filed, Mr. McNealy' s counsel, Ronald Johnson, was elected to serve
as a judge on the 19th Judicial District Court. Consequently, Mr. Johnson filed a motion to
withdraw as counsel for Mr. McNealy on December 10, 2019. This court granted the motion on
December 17, 2019 and sent notice to Mr. McNealy's last known address provided by Mr.
Johnson.
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its prosecution or defense in the trial court for a period of three
years...
3) This provision shall be operative without formal order, but, on
ex parte motion of any party or other interested person by
affidavit which provides that no step has been timely taken in the
prosecution or defense of the action, the trial court shall enter a
formal order of dismissal as of the date of its abandonment. The
sheriff shall serve the order in the manner provided in Article
1314, and shall execute a return pursuant to Article 1292.
4) A motion to set aside a dismissal may be made only within
thirty days of the date of the sheriff's service of the order of
dismissal. If the trial court denies a timely motion to set aside the
dismissal, the clerk of court shall give notice of the order of
denial pursuant to Article 1913( A) and shall file a certificate
pursuant to Article 1913( D).
5) An appeal of an order of dismissal may be taken only within
sixty days of the date of the sheriff's service of the order of
dismissal. An appeal of an order of denial may be taken only
within sixty days of the date of the clerk's mailing of the order of
denial.
This article has been construed as imposing three requirements on a
plaintiff. First, the plaintiff must take a " step" towards prosecution of his lawsuit.
A ""step" is defined as taking formal action before the court that is intended to
hasten the suit toward judgment. Clark v. State Farm Mutual Automobile
Ins. Co., 2000- 3010 ( La. 5/ 15/ 01), 785 So. 2d 779, 784. Second, the step must
be taken in the proceeding and, with the exception of formal discovery, must
appear in the record of the suit. Id. Third, the step must be taken within the
three- year period prescribed by Article 561. Id.The underlying policy of the abandonment article seeks to prevent
protracted litigation that is filed for purposes of harassment or without a serious
intent to hasten the claim to judgment. Burgess, Inc. v. Parish of St.
Tammany, 2017- 0153 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 10/ 25/ 17), 233 So. 3d 58, 62, writ
denied, 2017- 2179 ( La. 2/ 23/ 18), 237 So. 3d 515. Abandonment is not a punitive
measure, but is designed to discourage frivolous lawsuits by preventing plaintiffs
from allowing them to linger indefinitely. Id., c1 Wilkerson v. Buras, 2013 -
Gd
1328 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 8/ 12/ 14), 152 So. 3d 969, 974, writ not considered, 2014-
2138 ( La. 11/ 26/ 14), 152 So. 3d 894. When the parties take no steps in the
prosecution or defense of their claims during the period set forth in Article 561,
the logical inference is that the party intends to abandon the claim and the law
gives effect to this inference'." Clark, 785 So. 2d at 786- 7, guoting Young v.
Laborde, 576 So. 2d 551, 552 ( La. App. 4th Cir. 1991).
Because dismissal is the harshest of punishments, the law favors and
justice requires that an action be maintained whenever possible so that the
aggrieved party has his day in court. Wilkerson, 152 So. 3d at 974. Thus, if the
plaintiff has clearly demonstrated before the court during the prescribed period
that he does not intend to abandon his lawsuit, dismissal is not warranted. Id.,
citing Hinds v. Global International Marine, Inc., 2010- 1452 ( La. App. 1st
Cir. 2/ 11/ 11), 57 So. 3d 1181, 1183- 4.
Per Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 561, abandonment is self-
executing; it occurs automatically upon the passing of three years without a step
being taken by either party and is effective without court order. See Pittman v.
Flanagan, 2018- 1566 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 4/ 17/ 19) 2019 WL 1648954, * 2
unpublished), writ denied, 2019- 00801 ( La. 9/ 17/ 19), 279 So. 3d 379, citin
Clark, 785 So. 2d at 784. Once abandonment has occurred, action by the
plaintiff cannot breathe new life into the suit. Savoie v. Larmarque Ford, Inc.,
16- 221 ( La. App. 5th Cir. 12/ 7/ 16), 205 So. 3d 1001, 1005, ! q Clark, 785
So. 2d at 789.
There are two jurisprudential exceptions to the abandonment rule, one
considers the reason for the plaintiff's inaction and the other focuses on the
defendant' s conduct. Food Perfect, Inc. v. United Fire & Casualty Co.,
2012- 2492 ( La. 1/ 18/ 13), 106 So. 3d 107, 108 ( per curiam), citin Clark, 785
So. 2d at 784- 5. The former, the plaintiff -oriented exception, is at issue here.
This exception is based on contra non va/entem and evidences the well -
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established rule that prescription does not run against one who is unable to
interrupt it. Courtney v. Henderson, 602 So. 2d 95, 96 ( La. App. 4th Cir.
1992). This exception applies when the plaintiff establishes that his failure to
prosecute is caused by circumstances beyond his control. Food Perfect, 106
So. 3d at 108, citing Clark, 785 So. 2d at 784- 5. Such circumstances include
natural disasters, service in the military, or confinement to a mental institution.
Id. and Jones v. Phelps, 95- 0607 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 11/ 9/ 95), 665 So. 2d 30,
34, writ denied, 95- 2907 ( La. 2/ 2/ 96), 666 So. 2d 1104.
Standard of Review
Whether a step in the prosecution or defense of a case was taken in the
trial court within a period of three years is a question of fact subject to a
manifest error analysis on appeal. Wilkerson, 152 So. 3d at 974. On the other
hand, whether a particular act, if proven, qualifies as a step in furtherance of the
action and thereby precludes abandonment is a question of law that we review
by simply determining whether the trial court's interpretative decision is correct.
Id., citing Hinds, 57 So. 3d at 1183.
ANALYSIS
The defendant, Mr. Englade, identified the motion to withdraw filed by Ms.
Dow as the last "' step" taken in the prosecution or defense of this litigation. 3
However, a motion to withdraw as counsel of record is not a " step in the
prosecution" that interrupts the abandonment period. See Brown v. Edwards,
435 So. 2d 1073, 1075 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 1983), writ denied, 441 So. 2d 751 ( La.
1983); citin Prater v. Schuylkill Products Co., Inc., 281 So. 2d 829 ( La. App.
1st Cir. 1973) writ denied, 282 So. 2d 719 ( La. 1973). Therefore, for purposes of
3
In the affidavit filed with the motion to dismiss on grounds of abandonment, the defendant
incorrectly stated that Ms. Dow was allowed to withdraw on December 20, 2015. However, this
court notes that the order was signed by the trial court on November 20, 2015. This error is
immaterial, however, because abandonment occurred by operation of law prior to December
2015. See Brown, 435 So. 2d at 1075, recognizing that the clerk's certificate identifying the
incorrect date of the last action in the suit did not affect the validity of the dismissal under
Article 561.
0
La. Code Civ. P. art. 561, the last step taken in prosecution or defense of this
matter occurred on April 21, 2014, when the trial court granted the defendant' s
motion to reset the trial. See Wilkerson, 152 So. 3d at 977- 8, recognizing that
an action taken by the trial court is a " step" in the prosecution or defense when
it acts in response to an action taken by a party, thereby completing that party's
step. However, a step taken by the court on its own motion, such as the trial
court's order of self -recusal in this matter, is not a step that interrupts the period
of abandonment. Id. at 977.
Attorney's Withdrawal
Mr. McNealy does not contend that a step was taken in the prosecution or
defense of this matter within three years prior to the order of dismissal. Instead,
Mr. McNealy contends that he was unaware that his former attorney, Ms. Dow,
withdrew from the representation and was further unaware that no action was
taken on his behalf following counsel' s withdrawal. Therefore, Mr. McNealy
maintains that he " should not be prejudiced by the inactions of his previous
counsel of record." We find this argument unpersuasive.
The order allowing Ms. Dow to withdraw as counsel for Mr. McNealy was
signed on November 20, 2015. As the defendant points out, there is no
indication in the record that Mr. McNealy made any effort to contact Ms. Dow in
the years following her withdrawal to inquire about the status of the case or to
move the matter along. In fact, Mr. McNealy' s plea of ignorance of counsel' s
withdrawal for more than three years demonstrates the opposite is true. 4 Mr.
4
The motion to withdraw reflects that Ms. Dow complied with the notice requirements of the
applicable rules governing attorney withdrawal, including a good faith attempt to notify the
client in writing of the withdrawal and of the status of the case. See Uniform Rules of Louisiana
District Courts, Rule 9. 13; Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1. 16. Prior to filing the
motion to withdraw, Ms. Dow sent a certified letter to Mr. McNealy' s last known address ( which
he does not dispute was and is his correct address) advising him of her imminent withdrawal,
as they hadpreviously discussed. The letter was returned " unclaimed." The certificate of service
on the motion also reflects that counsel sent the motion to Mr. McNealy via U. S. mail or by
facsimile on November 18, 2015. Finally, because no hearing or trial was scheduled at the time
the motion was filed, Ms. Dow was properly permitted to withdraw ex parte. See District Rule
9. 13( e).
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McNealy failed to ensure that his case was properly moving forward, and the
fault is his and his alone. There is no evidence in the record that suggests to
this court that Mr. McNealy did not intend to abandon his suit. Mr. McNealy
failed to present evidence sufficient to establish that circumstances beyond his
control excused his failure to prosecute.
Our conclusion is consistent with Louisiana jurisprudence, which
recognizes that inaction by a party's attorney is not a circumstance beyond the
control of a party justifying the application of the exception. See Haisty v.
State, Department of Transportation & Development, 634 So. 2d 919, 922
La. App. 2d Cir. 1994), citing Brennan v. Shell Offshore, Inc., 602 So. 2d 97La. App. 4th Cir. 1992), recognizing that the plaintiff -oriented exception to the
abandonment rule is " designed to protect parties who are physically incapable of
taking the requisite steps." Id. See also Courtney, 602 So. 2d at 97, holding that
the plaintiff -oriented exception to the rule of abandonment did not apply where
the plaintiff's attorney died ten days before the end of the abandonment period.
In Pecot v. Calcasieu -Cameron Hospital Service District, 2003- 1102
La. App. 3d Cir. 2/ 18/ 04), 867 So. 2d 56, 61- 62, writ denied, 2004- 0719 ( La.
5/ 7/ 04), 872 So. 2d 1085, the court found the plaintiff's attorney's inaction did
not provide a reason to maintain the suit, although the plaintiff suffered from
depression, had limited education, was advanced in age, took numerous types of
medications, and had other physical problems. "[ Plaintiff] was not prevented
from contacting another attorney who could have acted more diligently on her
behalf. In other words, Plaintiff could have rectified the situation." Id. at 62.
Similarly, in Succession of Knox, 579 So. 2d 1164 ( La. App. 2d Cir.
1991), the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the plaintiffs suit as
abandoned. The court rejected the plaintiff's argument that she was unaware
that her attorneys were not prosecuting her suit or that it could be dismissed for
failure to prosecute. See also In re Succession of Roberts, 2015- 356 ( La.
App. 3d Cir. 11/ 4/ 15), 178 So. 3d 261, 264, writ denied, 2015- 2227 ( La.
1/ 25/ 16), 185 So. 3d 753, wherein the court stated, " We also find [ the plaintiff's]
argument that his attorney allegedly failed to advance his interests is not a factor
that serves to defeat a dismissal based on abandonment. [ The plaintiff] had
three years to check on the status of his case, yet failed to do so until over three
years had passed with no action being taken." In Manuel v. Lacarbo, 554
So. 2d 774, 775 ( La. App. 5th Cir. 1989), the court found no merit in the
plaintiffs' argument that circumstances beyond their control prevented them from
prosecuting their suit. The plaintiffs' original attorney was paid to handle their
suit "' then did nothing, dodging their attempts to contact him and ultimately
skipping town." Id. Further, other attorneys allegedly refused to take the
plaintiffs' case because the original attorney still had the file. Nevertheless, the
court affirmed the dismissal of the plaintiffs' suit as abandoned. Id. at 775- 6.
Finally, in Prater, 281 So. 2d at 830, this court affirmed the dismissal of
the plaintiff's suit, summarizing his arguments as follows:
The only contention advanced by plaintiff is that his failure to
prosecute the case was caused by circumstances beyond his control,
namely, that he is an uneducated person and that he relied on his
attorney to advance the case. Plaintiff further argues that his
attorney, or at least one of them, was in bad health and, although
the plaintiff contacted him on many occasions, the attorney did not
press the case. This contention has been disposed of by Pounds v.
Yancy, 224 So. 2d 1 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 1969), writ refused 254 La.
810, 227 So. 2d 145 ( 1969), which held that the failure of an
attorney to act is not a circumstance beyond the control of a party
such as to preclude dismissal for failure to prosecute the action.
A party's status as a pro se litigant likewise does not mitigate in favor of
extending the abandonment period. See Food Perfect, 106 So. 3d at 108,
wherein the Louisiana Supreme Court concluded that the plaintiff -oriented
exception to the abandonment rule was inapplicable, where the plaintiff did not
allege any circumstances beyond his control, such as natural disasters, prevented
him from taking any steps to prosecute this action. Rather, as a pro se litigant,
the plaintiff was simply unaware of the applicable deadlines.
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Therefore, we conclude that the withdrawal of Mr. McNealy' s counsel in
2015, with over a year remaining in the abandonment period, was not a
circumstance beyond Mr. McNealy's control sufficient to warrant application of
the plaintiff -oriented exception to the abandonment rule.
Due Process and Pre -Dismissal Notice
Next, Mr. McNealy argues that the dismissal of his suit violated due
process because he was not served with notice of the ex parte motion to dismiss
or notice of a hearing prior to the entry of the order of dismissal. Contrary to
this assertion, the law is clear that Mr. McNealy was not entitled to notice of the
filing of the motion to dismiss filed pursuant to La. Code Civ. P. art. 561 prior to
the entry of the ex parte order of dismissal. Due process likewise does not
require a contradictory hearing prior to dismissal for abandonment per Article
561.
As noted, abandonment is self-executing and occurs by operation of law.
Therefore, even without the entry of a formal order of dismissal, Mr. McNealy' s
suit was abandoned by operation of Article 561. Further, this article specifically
allows for the entry of an order of dismissal upon the filing of an " ex parte
motion of any party or other interested person..." La. Code Civ. P. art. 561( A)( 3)
emphasis added). See Wilkerson, 152 So. 3d at 976, finding the trial court did
not err by dismissing the plaintiffs' case ex parte. " Under Article 561, there is no
requirement that an ex parte motion for abandonment be served on opposing
counsel before the trial court can validly enter a formal order of dismissal. The
formal order of dismissal merely recognizes that which has already occurred
through operation of law." Id. See also Brown, 435 So. 2d at 1076 and Reese
v. Jackson, 37, 268 ( La. App. 2d Cir. 6/ 25/ 03) 850 So. 2d 1011, 1014, reaching
the same conclusion.
Finally, see Lewis v. Southern University & Agricultural &
Mechanical College, 2013- 2213 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 12/ 30/ 14), 2014 WL
103 ( unpublished), writ denied, 2015- 0495 ( La. 5/ 15/ 15), 170 So. 3d 968, wherein
this court rejected the plaintiffs' argument that the trial court erred by failing to
give notice of a hearing prior to the dismissal of their case. " Thus, no legal
requirement mandated that the district court provide the [ plaintiffs] with notice
of the court's review regarding dismissal for abandonment." Id. at * 3. In
accordance with this well- settled law, we find no merit in Mr. McNealy' s
argument.
Due Process and Post -Dismissal Notice
Similarly, Mr. McNealy asserts in brief that the dismissal of his suit violated
due process because the sheriff did not serve him with the signed order of
dismissal. Although Mr. McNealy did not assign this as error, we, nevertheless,
address the issue for completeness and in the interest of ensuring fundamental
fairness to the litigants.
Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 561( A)( 3) requires that service of
the signed order be made by the sheriff. The record contains a notice issued by
the clerk of court to Mr. McNealy on January 14, 2019. The notice states that
the defendant requested service the same day and that an " EXPARTE MOTION
TO DISMISS ON GROUNDS OF ABANDONMENT" was filed on January 3, 2019.
However, the notice does not indicate that an order was signed granting the ex
parte motion to dismiss nor does it state that notice of such signing was provided
to Mr. McNealy. Consequently, while the Ascension Parish Sheriff's service return
confirms that Mr. McNealy was personally served with this notice on January 16,
2019, it is not evident from the face of the notice that Mr. McNealy was served
with notice of the signing of the order of dismissal.
Although the record is unclear in this regard, this court notes that, in his
motion to set aside, Mr. McNealy acknowledged that he was served with a
judgment rendered against him based on abandonment." Louisiana Civil Code
art. 1853 provides,
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A judicial confession is a declaration made by a party in a
judicial proceeding. That confession constitutes full proof against the
party who made it.
A judicial confession is indivisible and it may be revoked only
on the ground of error of fact.
A judicial confession is a party' s explicit admission of an adverse factual
element and has the effect of waiving evidence as to the subject of the
admission and withdrawing the subject matter of the confession from issue.
Cichirillo v. Avondale Industries, Inc., 2004- 2894 ( La. 11/ 29/ 05), 917 So. 2d
424, 429. A judicial confession must be explicit and cannot be implied.
Yesterdays of Lake Charles, Inc. v. Calcasieu Parish Sales and Use Tax
Department, 2015- 1676 ( La. 5/ 13/ 16), 190 So. 3d 710, 729. Thus, Mr.
McNealy's argument concerning lack of notice of dismissal is unsupported.
Denial of Motion to Set Aside Order of Dismissal
In his final assignment of error, Mr. McNealy asserts that the trial court
erred by denying his motion to set aside the order of dismissal " as McNealy
sought to reverse the procedural defects, absence of service and notice." For
reasons discussed, we find no merit in Mr. McNealy' s arguments concerning
these alleged " procedural defects" and, therefore, find that Mr. McNealy failed to
present a valid argument in support of vacating the trial court' s ruling on the
motion to set aside the order of dismissal. 5
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the trial court's January 7, 2019
judgment granting the defendant's ex parte motion to dismiss on grounds of
5
Mr. McNealy does not assert that the trial court erred by denying his motion to set aside the
dismissal as untimely; however, this court notes that the trial court erred in this regard. The
order of dismissal was signed on January 7, 2019, and Mr. McNealy's motion to set aside was
filed on February 6, 2019. Although the record does not establish when the sheriff served Mr.
McNealy with the signed order, which triggers the thirty -day filing period provided by Article
561( A)( 4), it is evident that Mr. McNealy' s motion was filed within thirty days of the signing of
the order. Therefore, Mr. McNealy's motion was timely. However, because this court considered
the merits of Mr. McNealy' s arguments in favor of setting aside the order of dismissal, we find
the trial court's error in denying the motion as untimely was harmless. See Wilkerson, 152
So. 3d at 976; Reese, 850 So. 2d at 1015.
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abandonment, thereby dismissing the plaintiff's suit. We also affirm the trial
court' s February 11, 2019 order denying the plaintiff's motion to set aside the
dismissal. Costs of this appeal are assessed against the appellant, Newton
McNealy.
AFFIRMED.
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