Filed: Oct. 14, 1999
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT _ No. 98-30657 _ JERON J. LAFARGUE; SUSAN KYLE, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated; RONALD RICHARD, JR.; SEPTIME RICHARD, JR.; WINNIFRED RICHARD CHAMPAGNE; SHARON RICHARD BIGGS; SIDNEY J. RICHARD, JR., ARTHUR H. OWENS; PRUDENCE LAFARGUE BURNS; HOPE RICHARD SANSING; RICHARD WAYNE OWENS; SHAYNE OWENS BELL; BARBARA VEEDER MCKOIN; CAROL VEEDER WOMMER; DIANE SIMONS LOVELL, Plaintiffs-Appellants, versus UNITED STATES OF
Summary: IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT _ No. 98-30657 _ JERON J. LAFARGUE; SUSAN KYLE, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated; RONALD RICHARD, JR.; SEPTIME RICHARD, JR.; WINNIFRED RICHARD CHAMPAGNE; SHARON RICHARD BIGGS; SIDNEY J. RICHARD, JR., ARTHUR H. OWENS; PRUDENCE LAFARGUE BURNS; HOPE RICHARD SANSING; RICHARD WAYNE OWENS; SHAYNE OWENS BELL; BARBARA VEEDER MCKOIN; CAROL VEEDER WOMMER; DIANE SIMONS LOVELL, Plaintiffs-Appellants, versus UNITED STATES OF ..
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IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
_____________________
No. 98-30657
_____________________
JERON J. LAFARGUE; SUSAN KYLE, on behalf of
themselves and all others similarly situated; RONALD
RICHARD, JR.; SEPTIME RICHARD, JR.; WINNIFRED
RICHARD CHAMPAGNE; SHARON RICHARD BIGGS;
SIDNEY J. RICHARD, JR., ARTHUR H. OWENS;
PRUDENCE LAFARGUE BURNS; HOPE RICHARD
SANSING; RICHARD WAYNE OWENS; SHAYNE OWENS
BELL; BARBARA VEEDER MCKOIN; CAROL VEEDER
WOMMER; DIANE SIMONS LOVELL,
Plaintiffs-Appellants,
versus
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; LOUISIANA
INTRASTATE GAS COMPANY, L.L.C.,
Defendants-Appellees.
_______________________________________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of Louisiana
(97-CV-2393-R)
_______________________________________________________
October 13, 1999
ON PETITION FOR REHEARING
Before REAVLEY, JOLLY and EMILIO M. GARZA, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
Appellants have petitioned for rehearing and cite two Louisiana Supreme Court decisions
holding that a reversionary clause is not required to protect the interest of the donor when the
purpose of the donation is no longer met. Those cases are: Board of Trustees of Columbia Road
*
Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the Court has determined that this opinion should not be
published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R.
47.5.4.
Methodist Episcopal Church of Bogalusa v. Richardson,
44 So. 2d 321 (La. 1950) and Orleans
Parish School Bd. v. Campbell,
132 So. 2d 885 (La. 1961). The donation in those cases placed an
express condition or charge on the donee, which is not the case at hand.
We previously noted that, under Louisiana law, “[e]ach provision in a contract must be
interpreted in light of the other provisions so that each is given the meaning suggested by the
contract as a whole.” La. Civ. Code art. 2050. The circumstances that distinguish our case from
Richardson and Campbell are that (1) the donation in our case repeatedly states that the servitude
conveyed is assignable and perpetual, and (2) the conveyance listed several express grounds for
termination, including ten years of non-use, abandonment, and the failure of the government to
commence construction of the “Strategic Petroleum Reserve pipeline” by December 1, 1981, but
did not provide for a termination if the use of the pipeline changed after completion of the
pipeline. In these circumstances, and reading the contract as a whole, we conclude that Louisiana
law would not recognize an implied reversionary interest that is triggered when the use of the
pipeline changes. We believe that the Louisiana courts would hold that, given the express
grounds for termination, and the language stating that the servitude is otherwise perpetual and
assignable, the servitude should revert to the donor (or his heirs) only for those reasons expressly
stated. Louisiana law recognizes the maxim expressio unius est exclusio alterius – the expression
of one implies the exclusion of others – in the construction of statutes and agreements. Theriot v.
Midland Risk Ins. Co.,
694 So. 2d 184, 187 (La. 1997); Harper v. Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana,
25 So. 466, 468 (La. 1899).
Treating the Petition for Rehearing En Banc as a Petition for Panel Rehearing, the Petition
for Panel Rehearing is DENIED. No member of the panel nor judge in regular active service of
the court having requested that the court be polled on Rehearing en Banc (FED. R. APP. and 5TH
CIR. R. 35), the Petition for Rehearing En Banc is DENIED.
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