Carroll v. Bergen

2002 WY 166, 57 P.3d 1209, 2002 Wyo. LEXIS 194, 2002 WL 31528607
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 2002
Docket01-200
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 2002 WY 166 (Carroll v. Bergen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carroll v. Bergen, 2002 WY 166, 57 P.3d 1209, 2002 Wyo. LEXIS 194, 2002 WL 31528607 (Wyo. 2002).

Opinions

KITE, Justice.

[¶ 1] Appellant Dale E. Carroll inspected a home Appellee Thomas W. Bergen was interested in buying and provided a report stating the house appeared to be “structurally sound.” Mr. Bergen bought the property and thereafter sued Mr. Carroll alleging he had relied on the report to purchase the house but later discovered additional repairs were necessary. After a bench trial, the trial court awarded Mr. Bergen a $14,954 judgment against Mr. Carroll, and this appeal followed. We reverse and remand for a new trial.

ISSUES

[¶ 2] We rephrase the issues:

1. Did a valid contract exist?
2. Was Mr. Carroll’s case unfairly prejudiced because Mr. Bergen was allowed to call a witness, not designated as an expert, to testify as a lay witness as to the industry standard for contracts and the need for repairs?
3. Was the damage award clearly erroneous because it was supported only by undesignated expert testimony?

FACTS

[¶ 3] On or about March 4, 1998, Mr. Bergen, through his real estate agent, Mary Fahringer of Real Estate of Star Valley, made an offer to purchase a house in Alpine. The offer had a provision permitting the buyer to obtain “electrical, mechanical, structural, environmental and/or other inspections of the Property by qualified professional inspectors and/or engineers.” The seller accepted the offer, and Mr. Bergen asked Ms. Fahringer to arrange a “home inspection.” She contacted Mr. Radford, the inspector for the Town of Alpine, who had performed several inspections for her in the past. Because he was going out of town, he referred her to Mr. Carroll.

[¶ 4] Ms. Fahringer contacted Mr. Carroll and asked him to perform a “home inspection,” which he agreed to do with the understanding he would be paid a fee and mileage. She did not specifically ask him to perform a “structural inspection,” nor did she explicitly communicate the nature of the inspection she wanted beyond requesting a “home inspection.”

[¶ 5] Ms. Fahringer was present for the roughly forty-five-minute home inspection [1213]*1213during which she and the seller advised Mr. Carroll of a broken window and a leak in the downstairs bathtub. Mr. Carroll prepared a handwritten report after the inspection in which he stated in part:

I am pleased to have done the inspection on the above referenced home. I found the home to be structurally sound.
.... Roof supports strong, 12" log construction, caulked where necessary.

After reviewing the report, Ms. Fahringer called Mr. Carroll to advise him he had mistakenly indicated the house was built of solid log when it was actually constructed of structured insulated panels with log facing. Mr. Carroll rewrote the report so it was consistent with Ms. Fahringer’s information and indicated only two problems with the house: a crack in the window in the northwest end of the home and a leak in the upstairs bathtub.1 Thereafter, Mr. Carroll submitted an invoice for $462 that was never paid.

[¶ 6] Mr. Bergen never spoke to Mr. Carroll prior to the inspection and did not provide him with any instructions. Mr. Bergen received the home inspection report, completed the purchase, and moved into the house on approximately April 1, 1998. Upon taking possession, he began to notice problems which were not reflected in the inspection report such as a damaged deck board, a partially finished wall, gaps between the walls and the logs supporting the roof, a lack of insulation around window casings, a fireplace which did not draw properly, and a sagging floor.

[¶ 7] Robert Wagner of R & R Builders came to the house to build a dormer and noted additional problems. He determined the sag in the floor was caused by a lack of support which could be repaired by placing a concrete pier and a post in the crawl space. He also concluded there were problems with some of the girders and the porch was built with wood intended for interior, not exterior, use. In October of 1999, Mr. Wagner estimated the total cost of all the “repairs,” without any itemization, would not exceed $15,000. At trial in June of 2001, he testified, allegedly as a lay witness, over Mr. Carroll’s continuing objection that his testimony should be precluded because he was not designated as an expert witness pursuant to the prehearing scheduling order. Mr. Wagner testified the same repairs in 2001 would likely cost $17,000 due to increased material, labor, and overhead expenses. In answer to questions posed by the court, he also testified the Uniform Building Code (UBC) was the standard for most contracts and construction in the building industry.

[¶ 8] The other trial witnesses were the real estate agent, Mr. Bergen, and Mr. Carroll. The court found a contract existed and awarded Mr. Bergen judgment against Mr. Carroll for $14,954 ($15,000 less the $46 unpaid inspection fee) plus $45 in court costs. Mr. Carroll appealed contending the trial court erred in finding there was a valid contract; and, alternatively, if there was a contract, Mr. Carroll did not breach it; or, if a valid contract was breached, no damages were proved.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

[¶ 9] Our standard of review when a trial is held before the bench is well established:

The factual findings of a judge are not entitled to the limited review afforded a jury verdict. While the findings are presumptively correct, the appellate court may examine all of the properly admissible evidence in the record. Due regard is given to the opportunity of the trial judge to assess the credibility of the witnesses, and our review does not entail weighing disputed evidence. Findings of fact will not be set aside unless the findings are clearly erroneous. A finding is clearly erroneous when, although there is evidence to support it, the reviewing court on the entire evidence is left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed. We review a district court’s conclusions of law de novo on appeal.

Springer v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Wyoming, 944 P.2d 1173, 1175-76 (Wyo.1997) [1214]*1214(citations omitted); see also Saulcy Land Company v. Jones, 983 P.2d 1200, 1203 (Wyo.1999).

DISCUSSION

[¶ 10] “Whether an oral contract exists is a question of fact to be determined by the trier of fact.” Williams v. Dietz, 999 P.2d 642, 644 (Wyo.2000). The trial court found: “Plaintiff, through his real estate agent, contracted with Defendant to perform a home inspection on a home that Plaintiff was buying.” Mr. Carroll argues there was no valid contract because (1) the real estate agent made all the arrangements with him but was not authorized to enter into outside contracts on Mr. Bergen’s behalf, (2) there was no consideration because no payment was ever made for the “home inspection,” and (3) there was no mutual assent to the contract terms.

[¶ 11] The record demonstrates Mr. Bergen and Ms.

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Bluebook (online)
2002 WY 166, 57 P.3d 1209, 2002 Wyo. LEXIS 194, 2002 WL 31528607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carroll-v-bergen-wyo-2002.