Crooks v. State Department of Natural Resources
Louisiana Court of Appeal
263 So. 3d 540 (2018)
- Written by Tammy Boggs, JD
Facts
The area known as Catahoula Lake covered about 42 square miles in Catahoula Basin, Louisiana. The basin was flat land that extended outward from Little River. Little River drained and flowed into the lake area, and waters from the lake area outflowed through various outlets. A group of landowners who owned property on the banks of Catahoula Lake (the landowners) (plaintiffs) sued the state (defendant) for a determination of ownership over new land formed by water accretion. The ownership issue depended on the classification of the area known as “Catahoula Lake” as a river or a lake. The court held a trial on the matter during which expert evidence was presented based on historical records. The trial court found that in 1812 when Louisiana was admitted to the United States, the area in question constituted the banks of Little River. The river, which was a permanent water body, would seasonally overflow into the area known as Catahoula Lake. Under Louisiana law, accretion that occurs along riverbanks belongs to the riverbank owner. The trial court ruled in favor of the landowners, and the state appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Savoie, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 820,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 989 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
