Bridges v. Osborne

525 So. 2d 337, 1988 WL 35568
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 19, 1988
DocketCA 87 0178
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 525 So. 2d 337 (Bridges v. Osborne) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bridges v. Osborne, 525 So. 2d 337, 1988 WL 35568 (La. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

525 So.2d 337 (1988)

R. Hunter BRIDGES, III, and Kandi Bridges, Individually, and d/b/a Trademasters
v.
Mr. and Mrs. Milton OSBORNE.

No. CA 87 0178.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

April 19, 1988.

*338 Jose Romanach, Office of Robin Poirier, Baton Rouge, for plaintiffs-appellees R. Hunter Bridges, III, Kandi Bridges d/b/a Trademasters.

Milton Osborne, Jr., Baton Rouge, for defendant-appellant Milton Osborne.

Before SHORTESS, LANIER and CRAIN, JJ.

LANIER, Judge.

This action commenced as a suit for collection of the open account balance due on an oral contract to paint and repair one-half of a duplex apartment house and for the attorney fee authorized by La.R.S. 9:2781. The defendant husband filed an answer in which he denied owing the debt and reconvened against the plaintiffs asserting a tort claim for damages for malicious prosecution. On the day of trial, the defendant wife filed a single pleading containing a dilatory exception raising the objections of vagueness and prematurity and an answer. The trial court rendered judgment from the bench in favor of the plaintiffs and against the husband and wife for $1,178.40, with legal interest thereon from date of judicial demand until paid, an attorney fee of 25% of the principal and interest due, and all costs, subject to a credit of $200 paid after *339 suit was filed. This suspensive appeal was taken by the husband.

FACTS

In October of 1985, TradeMasters Maintenance and Repair Service (TradeMasters) was hired by the owner (a Mrs. Willis) of one-half of a duplex located at 1416 Sharlo Avenue in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to paint her half of the building. TradeMasters is a trade name used by R. Hunter Bridges, III and his wife, Kandi O. Bridges. Hunter Bridges contacted Mrs. Yvonne Osborne about painting the other one-half of the duplex. Mrs. Yvonne Osborne is married to Milton Osborne, Jr. TradeMasters subsequently was hired to paint the Osborne one-half of the duplex. During the painting, some repairs were done, and the total cost of painting and repair of the Osborne one-half of the duplex was $1,478.40. The work on the Osborne one-half was completed on October 27, 1985, and a billing for this work was sent out on October 28, 1985, payable by November 4, 1985.

When this bill was not timely paid, Kandi Bridges called Yvonne Osborne to discuss payment. Mrs. Osborne advised she could not pay the bill in full. Mrs. Bridges and Mrs. Osborne agreed that one-half of the bill would be paid in November of 1985 and the other one-half would be paid in December of 1985. Mrs. Bridges sent out a second billing dated November 14, 1985, which stated the following: "If you wish to pay ½ of bill, then please pay $739.20 no later than Nov. 27. A balance of $739.20 will be due no later than Dec. 11."

On December 4, 1985, TradeMasters received $300 along with a copy of the November 14, 1985 billing which had the following written on it:

$300 Enclosed Will send balance ASAP Thank you Yvonne Osborne

On December 6, 1985, TradeMasters sent out a third billing which gave credit for the $300 payment and stated "[b]alance due no later than December 14, 1985."

No payment was made by December 14, 1985. On December 18, 1985, the attorney for TradeMasters made demand by certified mail for payment within fifteen days. This suit was filed on January 16, 1986. TradeMasters received a $200 payment on January 30, 1986.

OBJECTIONS OF PREMATURITY AND VAGUENESS

(Assignment of Error 1)

Mr. Osborne contends the trial court erred in overruling Mrs. Osborne's dilatory exception raising the objections of prematurity and vagueness.

Only Mr. Osborne appealed the judgment of the trial court. Mrs. Osborne did not appeal, and the judgments of the trial court against her are final, definitive and executory. Mr. Osborne individually has no standing to complain on appeal about judgments adverse to Mrs. Osborne.

Mr. Osborne did not raise the objections of prematurity and vagueness in a dilatory exception in the trial court. This court will not consider issues raised by a party for the first time on appeal. State Farm Fire & Casualty Company v. Williams, 486 So.2d 849 (La.App. 1st Cir.1986).

This assignment of error is without merit.

MALICIOUS PROSECUTION

(Assignment of Error 3)

Mr. Osborne contends the trial court erred for not finding the appellees liable for malicious prosecution and rendering judgment accordingly.

The elements of a malicious prosecution action are: (1) the commencement or continuance of an original criminal or civil judicial proceeding; (2) its legal causation by the present defendant in the original proceeding; (3) its bona fide termination in favor of the present plaintiff; (4) the absence of probable cause for such proceeding; (5) the presence of malice therein; and (6) damage conforming to legal standards resulting to plaintiff. Jones v. Soileau, 448 So.2d 1268 (La.1984); O'Conner v. *340 Hammond Police Department, 439 So.2d 558 (La.App. 1st Cir.1983).

The trial court found as a fact that Mr. Osborne failed to prove the elements of the tort of malicious prosecution. We have carefully reviewed the evidence of record and conclude that this factual finding is not clearly wrong. Arceneaux v. Domingue, 365 So.2d 1330 (La.1978).

LIABILITY OF HUSBAND (OR WIFE) FOR COST OF PAINTING AND RPAIR OF HIS (OR HER) SPOUSE'S SEPARATELY OWNED IMMOABLE RENTAL PROPERTY

(Assignment of Error 2)

Mr. Osborne contends the trial court committed error by finding him liable for the cost of the painting and repair work performed by TradeMasters. Mr. Osborne cites La.C.C. arts. 2363 and 2360 and asserts the following:

At the outset it should be noted that there is not a scintilla of evidence in the record to show that Appellants were married at the time the obligation involved herein was incurred. Furthermore, even if the Court was justified in implicitly finding that Appellants were married at the time of the obligation, there was no evidence to prove that the obligation was incurred for the common interest of Appellants or for the interest of Appellant MILTON OSBORNE.
. . . .
For an obligation to be a community obligation it must have been incurred during the existence of a community property regime pursuant to Article 2360. In this case, there was no evidence of there being a community property regime at the time the obligation was incurred. Moreover, there was no evidence that the obligation was for Appellants common interest or for the interest of Appellant MILTON OSBORNE. Therefore, the Court erred in finding MILTON OSBORNE liable for the debt involved herein.

Existence of Community When Obligation Incurred

Mr. Osborne testified he was married to Mrs. Osborne in 1981. On cross-examination, Mr. Osborne admitted he was married to Yvonne Osborne at the time of trial (October 20, 1986). Mr. Osborne was not questioned about the status of this marriage at the time the obligation to repair and paint the duplex was incurred in October of 1985. However, Mr. Bridges gave the following testimony:

Q. Okay ... when did—what was the arrangement, if any, that you came up with with Mrs. Osborne?

A. Okay, I called Mrs. Osborne. I told them I needed—I was going to paint the duplex.

Q. Whose duplex?

A. Mrs. Willis' duplex.

Q. Okay.

A.

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Bluebook (online)
525 So. 2d 337, 1988 WL 35568, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bridges-v-osborne-lactapp-1988.