Suire v. Lafayette City-Parish Government

Summary

The court held that installing thin metal sheeting with a backhoe was not the statutorily defined ultrahazardous activity of pile driving, so the plaintiff could not proceed under absolute liability. It held that the contractual indemnity claim against the general contractor was premature, while the insurer had a present duty to defend the City as an additional insured but not the engineering firm. The court reinstated summary judgment for the City on the oral-contract claim, affirmed dismissal of all claims against the engineering firm, and allowed the detrimental-reliance and inverse-condemnation claims to proceed. No separate opinions were provided in the record.