Associated Architects & Engineers, Inc. v. Lubbock Glass & Mirror Co.

422 S.W.2d 942, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2522
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 23, 1967
Docket7743
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 422 S.W.2d 942 (Associated Architects & Engineers, Inc. v. Lubbock Glass & Mirror Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Associated Architects & Engineers, Inc. v. Lubbock Glass & Mirror Co., 422 S.W.2d 942, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2522 (Tex. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

CHAPMAN, Justice.'

This is an appeal from a jury verdict for Lubbock Glass & Mirror Company against Southwestern Sheet Metal Works, Inc. and Associated Architects & Engineers, Inc. of Lubbock. Judgment was also entered in favor of Southwestern Sheet Metal Works, Inc., against Associated Architects & Engineers, Inc. of Lubbock for indemnity as to recovery by Lubbock Glass & Mirror Co. and for $906.07 on Southwestern’s cross-action against Associated Architects. The parties will be hereinafter referred to as appellant or Associated Architects, Lubbock Glass and Southwestern. Howard Schmidt was named in the petition of Lubbock Glass as a defendant but by stipulation at the beginning of the trial, it was agreed that as general manager his actions as they relate to the case were binding upon Associated Architects.

Lubbock Glass received a purchase order from Southwestern," subcontractor for the construction of a Central Foods Building at Texas Technological College, for six Type “A” Skylights “as per plans and spec.” for said building. The purchase price was $1,077.

The plans and specifications referred to were drawn under the supervision of Howard Schmidt for Associated Architects. The particular type skylights were of a diagonal prism type which had the prisms arranged in such manner as to diffuse or deflect the sunlight in the summer time in order to aid in the cooling of the building and to permit the sunlight to come through in the winter time to aid in the heating of the building.

*944 Lubbock Glass in following the plans and specifications drawn by Associated Architects ordered six “C-45-D” Skylights from Products Research Company. They were subsequently delivered to Southwestern for installation. When placed on their respective openings, it was discovered that the north arrow was pointing west instead of north, thus negativing the benefits of the sun the prisms were designed to utilize.

The skylights were not installed at first but just left covering the openings. Subsequently, the skylights were rejected by Associated Architects and the proper model ordered, which was “C-54-D” Skylights. When the construction of the building was completed, Southwestern installed and made secure the first skylights delivered because the correct ones had not arrived and underneath the skylight holes was about $200,000 worth of kitchen, produce, processing and bakery equipment.

Associated Architects is before us upon eighteen points of alleged error. Its Points 12, 13, 16 and 17 are neither restated, briefed nor argued. Therefore, we may assume those points were waived. Rule 418, Vernon’s Ann.Tex.Rules of Civil Procedure; McClanahan v. Cook, 401 S.W.2d 352 (Tex.Civ.App.-Amarillo, 1966, no writ) and the authorities there cited on the question.

In response to the court’s submission the jury found: “(1) the ‘C-45-D’ Skylights furnished to Southwestern complied with the plans and specifications furnished by appellant for the building; (2) Howard Schmidt was negligent in preparing the plans and specifications and such negligence proximately caused Lubbock Glass to order the skylights; (3) the damages caused to Lubbock Glass were $1,077; (4) the architect rejected the skylights furnished by Lubbock Glass and installed by Southwestern; that such rejection was negligence and a proximate cause of damages to Southwestern in the amount of $906.07, (shown to be the cost of returning from El Paso and installing the proper skylights after they were delivered); (5) Southwestern installed the first skylights with the north arrow pointing west, but such installation was not negligence.”

In its first five points appellant contends there is no evidence to support the jury’s findings that the “C-45-D” Skylights complied with the plans and specifications; that appellant was negligent in preparing them and such negligence was a proximate cause of the - $1,077 damages to Lubbock Glass; that the action of Southwestern in installing the “C-45-D” Skylights was not negligence. In its Point 15, grouped with its first five points, appellant contends the court erred in overruling appellant’s motion for instructed verdict “which reasons are more fully set out in said motion.”

In its Points 6 through 11 appellant contends there is factually insufficient evidence to support the jury’s answer to Special Issues 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 12. By the use of the term “factually insufficient evidence” throughout this opinion, we have reference to the question of the great weight and preponderance of the evidence.

In passing upon the factually insufficient points, our requirements are detailed in the following language found in the Supreme Court of Texas’ per curiam opinion in In re King’s Estate, 150 Tex. 662, 244 S.W.2d 660 (1951) and the many cases following it:

“The question requires the Court of Civil Appeals, in the exercise of its peculiar powers under the constitution and Texas Rules of Civil Procedure Nos. 451, 453, and 455, to consider and weigh all of the evidence in the case and to set aside the verdict and remand the cause for a new trial, if it thus concludes that the verdict is so against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence as to be manifestly unjust — this, regardless of whether the record contains some ‘evidence of probative force’ in support of the verdict.”

*945 Both Jack Redinger and Charles Shepherd of Lubbock Glass testified in effect that the detailed drawings for the skylights called for “C-45-D” Skylights, which was what Lubbock Glass ordered. Mr. Schmidt himself testified his firm drew the plans for the skylights; he expected all parties to rely on its company’s specifications; that Exhibit P-3 indicated a 4' x S' skylight diagonal curb type would bear a code number “C-45-D” and admitted that if he were drawing them over again he would show 5' x 4' on the detail instead of 4' x 5'.

If we understand appellant’s contention it is that because the skylights were not oriented in their placement with the north designation facing north, (as testified to by their witnesses and admitted by all concerned), then they did not meet the plans and specifications. Therefore, there is no evidence or the evidence is factually insufficient to support the jury findings.

Such reasoning is not sound. Lubbock Glass had no responsibility as to the installation but only to supply the type materials called for on the plans and specifications, which they did. Secondly, the information for installation is not relevant to the question of the type or size skylight needed. Because the specifications from which the order by Lubbock Glass was placed were improper, it was impossible to orient them to the recommendations of the manufacturer. Appellant cannot rely on the impossibility created by its own improper plans to justify its contention of no evidence or factually insufficient evidence to support the jury findings that the skylights furnished by Lubbock Glass complied with the plans and specifications, that appellant was negligent in the drawing of the plans, and that such negligence was a proximate cause of the damages Lubbock Glass suffered.

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422 S.W.2d 942, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2522, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/associated-architects-engineers-inc-v-lubbock-glass-mirror-co-texapp-1967.