Background
Jeanette Pierson and Lionel Pierson brought litigation against L.A.S.B.C., Inc., doing business as Bingo Zone, and Baton Rouge Girls Amateur Athletic Organization in the 19th Judicial District Court for East Baton Rouge Parish. The district-court proceeding was docketed as No. 718128.
L.A.S.B.C., Inc. applied to the Louisiana Court of Appeal, First Circuit, for supervisory writs. While the application was pending, counsel for the relator informed the appellate court that the parties had reached a settlement resolving the underlying litigation.
The Court’s Holding
The First Circuit dismissed the supervisory writ application. It relied on relator’s counsel’s correspondence advising the court that the parties had settled the underlying litigation.
Because the settlement also resolved the issues presented in the pending writ application, the court concluded that those issues were moot. The court therefore did not address the writ application’s merits.
Key Takeaways
- A settlement resolving the underlying litigation can render a pending supervisory writ application moot.
- The First Circuit dismissed the writ based on counsel’s notice that the parties had settled.
- The court issued no merits ruling on the issues raised in the writ application.
Why It Matters
The disposition illustrates that Louisiana appellate courts will dismiss supervisory-writ proceedings when a settlement eliminates the live controversy. Practitioners should promptly notify the reviewing court when a settlement resolves both the underlying case and the issues presented for supervisory review.