CLB Enterprises, Inc. v. Kittok

575 So. 2d 834, 1991 La. App. LEXIS 279, 1991 WL 24813
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 14, 1991
DocketNo. 90-CA-634
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 575 So. 2d 834 (CLB Enterprises, Inc. v. Kittok) 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
CLB Enterprises, Inc. v. Kittok, 575 So. 2d 834, 1991 La. App. LEXIS 279, 1991 WL 24813 (La. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

BOWES, Judge.

This case involves claims of breach of contract made by both the plaintiff, CLB Enterprises, Inc., d/b/a Catalina Pools (hereinafter Catalina) and the defendants, Mr. and Mrs. C.D. Kittok. The trial court rendered judgment in favor of the Kittoks and against plaintiff, dismissing Catalina’s claim. The court further rendered judgment in favor of defendants, as plaintiffs-in-reconvention, for $16,500.00. Catalina appeals; we affirm.

FACTS

Two or three years prior to May 22,1981, Joseph G. Wenzel, Jr., salesman for Catalina, and defendants held the first of what was to be a series of meetings discussing the possible sale of a swimming pool to be constructed in defendants’ backyard. The backyard in question was irregularly shaped, with a 10' servitude along the back of the property and a 5' servitude along the side of the property, both in favor of Louisiana Power & Light Co. The Kittoks testified that, from the onset, Wenzel knew of the existing servitude.

Initially, in his testimony, when confronted with his earlier deposition to the contrary, Mr. Wenzel denied knowledge of the servitude during negotiations with the Kit-toks. However, on cross-examination, he admitted that he did know about the servitude. Obviously, the trial judge believed the Kittoks.

The Kittoks also testified that they did not want an “ordinary-shaped” pool. Because of these limitations, they believed that a rectangular pool would not fit into their backyard and were doubtful that any pool would do so.

During the meetings with appellees, Wenzel showed them numerous plans of pools with a variety of configurations, none of which were acceptable to the Kittoks. Appellees also testified that Wenzel even “staked out” a rectangular-shaped pool in their backyard, which shape was rejected by the Kittoks as being too ordinary. Mr. Wenzel testified initially that he did not stake out a rectangular pool. Both Wenzel and Donald Baxter, owner of Catalina Pools, testified that because of the work involved, a pool was usually never staked out before the signing of a construction contract. However, it is clear here that Wenzel was having a difficult time trying to sell a pool to appellees and it is perfectly logical that he would take unusual measures to do so. Here, again, the trial judge obviously believed the Kittoks.

After Wenzel failed to provide an acceptable pool plan, he indicated to the Kittoks that he knew an architect, a Mr. Yon Os-thoff, who could design a custom pool for them. Other testimony revealed that Wen-zel and Catalina had often used and worked with this architect before. The Kittoks were contacted by Mr. Von Osthoff, who prepared a plan for a custom pool. The location of the pool, as depicted on Von [836]*836Osthoffs plan, did not encroach on the servitudes located in appellees’ backyard.

On May 22, 1981, plaintiffs and defendants entered into a “Swimming Pool Construction Agreement”, in which Catalina agreed to construct a swimming pool in the Kittoks’ backyard, “as per plans”. Total price of construction of the pool was $19,-279.00. At that time, Mr. Kittok gave Catalina a down payment of 10%.

Two days later, Wenzel prepared a detailed scale plan of the design which encompassed the location and specifications of the pool to be built. Again, in this plan, the pool did not encroach on the servitude.

After the plans were prepared, the pool was staked out and construction was begun. Wenzel testified that, after the pool was first staked out, Mrs. Kittok made him move the location of the pool because she did not want the pool that near to her back patio. Mr. and Mrs. Kittok denied this and both testified that they did not have the location of the pool restaked. Once again, on a credibility call, the trial judge believed the Kittoks.

When the pool was approximately 80% complete, Mr. Kittok sent Catalina a check for $13,495.30 as partial payment. That weekend, the Kittoks’ son was visiting with them and casually examined the pool and discovered that one wall of the pool encroached on the 10' servitude running along the rear of the property. An accurate tape measurement immediately confirmed this. Therefore, on Monday, Mr. Kittok stopped payment on the check. All construction on the pool ceased and this litigation ensued.

On September 23, 1982, CLB filed a petition for breach of contract and for damages, alleging that defendants breached the contract by their failure to make payment. Appellees filed a reconventional demand against Catalina, alleging breach of contract and damages for faulty workmanship.1

During the pendency of the action, several attempts were made to purchase property from the Kittoks’ neighbor to the rear. These attempts were unsuccessful.

Witnesses for Catalina testified that they offered to relocate the wall of the swimming pool so that it would no longer encroach on the servitude. The Kittoks have refused this offer because it would reshape the configuration of the pool so that it would be almost rectangular and such a configuration had never been acceptable to the Kittoks.

The pool is still in defendants’ backyard remaining unfinished since the summer of 1981.

After a trial on the merits, the court ruled against plaintiff and for defendants on the principal demand, dismissing plaintiff’s petition. The trial court also ruled in favor of defendants and against plaintiff on the reconventional demand, awarding to defendants $6,500.00 for costs to have the pool removed and the hole refilled and $10,-000.00 for loss of use and enjoyment of the property and for embarrassment to the Kit-toks.

ANALYSIS

On appeal, plaintiff-appellant, Catalina, assigns three specifications of error:

I. The Court erred in dismissing Catalina’s claim, awarding Catalina nothing for the work it performed and in failing to enforce the provision of Catalina’s contract placing responsibility for the location of the pool upon the owners.
II. The Court erred in awarding Mr. and Mrs. Kittok nonpecuniary damages.
III. The Court erred in awarding Mr. and Mrs. Kittok prospective damages for the cost of removal.

I. DISMISSAL OP APPELLANT’S SUIT AND FAILURE TO ENFORCE PROVISIONS OF CONTRACT

Catalina argues that pursuant to the terms of the contract, it is not liable for the [837]*837faulty construction of the pool because of the pool’s encroachment on the servitude.

In Frank’s Petroleum, Inc. v. Mayo, 438 So.2d 696, 699 (La.App. 2 Cir.1983), the court said:

“Contracts must be construed in such a way as to lead to logical conclusions and to give effect to the obvious intention of the parties. They must be interpreted in a common-sense fashion, according to the words of the contract their common and usual significance. The contract must be viewed as a whole and, if possible, practical effect given to all its parts, according to each the sense that results from the entire agreement so as to avoid neutralizing or ignoring any of them or treating them as surplusage. When there is anything doubtful in agreements, we must ascertain the common intention of the parties.” [citations omitted]

See also LSA-C.C. arts. 2045, 2050; Lambert v. Maryland Casualty Company, 418 So.2d 553 (La.1982); West Side Funeral Home, Inc. v. Nicholas,

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Bluebook (online)
575 So. 2d 834, 1991 La. App. LEXIS 279, 1991 WL 24813, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clb-enterprises-inc-v-kittok-lactapp-1991.