Coastal Contractors, Inc. v. Tri-City Construction Co.

238 So. 2d 36, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5191
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 30, 1970
DocketNo. 8046
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 238 So. 2d 36 (Coastal Contractors, Inc. v. Tri-City Construction Co.) 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
Coastal Contractors, Inc. v. Tri-City Construction Co., 238 So. 2d 36, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5191 (La. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

PICKETT, Judge.

This is a suit by a furnisher of labor and material on a public works, under the provisions of LSA-R.S. 38:2241 et seq. On September 24, 1965, the Department of Highways of the State of Louisiana entered into a written contract with Tri-City Construction Company, Inc., to construct State Project Number 714-10-07, which included the repair or construction of a bridge on Polk Street in the City of Hou-ma, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. The [37]*37United Bonding Insurance Company was the surety on the contract as required by statute. The Tri-City Construction Company, Inc. (hereinafter referred as TriCity) sub-contracted the construction of the Polk Street Bridge to the Coastal Contractors, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as Coastal). The plaintiff, Coastal, alleges as a cause of action that between January 7, 1966, and March 28, 1966, it furnished all the labor and material required for the completion of the work undertaken by it for the sum of $17,726.50, of which amount the balance of $14,126.95 is due and unpaid, for which amount Coastal instituted this suit against Tri-City and its surety, the United Bonding Insurance Company (hereinafter referred to' as United). The plaintiff additionally claims interest from judicial demand, penalties and attorney’s fees, and recognition of recorded liens.

Tri-City and United filed an answer of general denial of liability. United as third party plaintiff named Tri-City, Robley P. Guidry and Mrs. Edith Guidry (hereinafter called the Guidrys) as third party defendants. The two last named third party defendants appeared as signatories on a “general indemnity agreement” given in favor of United. Thereafter, United and Tri-City named the Department of Highways of the State of Louisiana (hereinafter referred to as the State) as a third party defendant. The State filed an answer and reconventional demand against Tri-City and United, and attached thereto a copy of the performance bond issued by United. Thereafter, the State filed an amended answer and reconventional demand against Tri-City and United. The various parties to this action filed numerous pleas and exceptions, none of which are pertinent to the issues before us.

Coastal filed a motion for a summary judgment, based on a deposition and affidavit. The court awarded judgment in favor of plaintiff, Coastal, and against the defendant, Tri-City and United, in solido, for the sum of $14,126.95, together with legal interest thereon from date of judicial demand until paid, and attorneys’ fees in the amount of ten percent on both principal and interest, with recognition of Coastal’s lien and privilege. United has appealed suspensively from that judgment.

In support of its motion for a summary judgment, the plaintiff filed an affidavit given by its vice-president and a deposition it had taken from Allen E. Long, the general superintendent for Tri-City at the time the Polk Street Bridge was being constructed. The deposition shows that Mr. Long represented Tri-City during the construction of the Polk Street Bridge. He testified that he was physically present during the construction of the Polk Street Bridge and from personal knowledge he knows that the labor was performed and the material described in the exhibits attached to his deposition went into the construction of the project. He, also, testified that the balance due plaintiff by Tri-City as disclosed by Exhibit-Coastal #5 attached to his deposition was correct. The affidavit states that within the personal knowledge of the affiant plaintiff furnished all the labor and material necessary for the construction of the bridge on Polk Street, and that the balance due thereon was $14,126.95. The appellant offered no evidence of any kind in connection with the motion for a summary judgment.

In this court the appellant contends, as it did in the trial court, and as shown by its third party demand against the State that there exists a genuine issue of material fact, i. e., in that the State had breached the contract which it had bonded, and had destroyed the contract by reason of its breach thereof. Hence, appellant contends that since the contract bonded has passed out of existence, there could be no bond in existence. Appellant further contends that if there is no bond in existence, then the materialmen have no surety against whom to collect; hence a summary judgment would not be in order. Appellant, accordingly, argues that because of the facts alleged in the third party suit of Tri-City and appellant against the State there re[38]*38mains issues of fact which should be determined before a final judgment can be rendered adjudicating the claim of the appel-lee. Finally, United opines that if it prevails in its claim against the State, the State would be cast in judgment in favor of appellee, rather than appellant.

Applicable to appellant’s contentions are LSA-C.C.P. Articles 966 and 967, both as amended by Act 36 of 1966. The pertinent parts of those articles provide:

“* * *. The judgment sought shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue of fact, and that mover is entitled to the judgment as a matter of law. LSA-C.C.P. Art. 966.
When a motion for summary judgment is made and supported as provided above, an adverse party may not rest on the mere allegations or denials of his pleading, but his response, by affidavits or as otherwise provided above, must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial. If he does not so respond, summary judgment, if appropriate, shall be rendered against him.
If it appears from the affidavits of a party opposing the motion that for reasons stated he cannot present by affidavit facts essential to justify his opposition, the court may refuse the application for judgment or may order a continuance to permit affidavits to be obtained or depositions to be taken or discovery to be had or may make such other order as is just.” (Emphasis ours.) LSA-C. C.P. Article 967.

We have pointed out that appellant offered no evidence whatever in opposition to the motion for a summary judgment. In support of its argument that there remains a genuine issue of a material fact, appellant relies solely on its pleadings and particularly its third party demand against the State. But under the plain wording of the quoted and emphasized portion of LSA-C.C.P. Article 967, supra, the appellant cannot rest on the mere allegation and denial contained in its pleadings. As between appellant and appellee, the appellant has pointed out no genuine issue of fact.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
238 So. 2d 36, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5191, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coastal-contractors-inc-v-tri-city-construction-co-lactapp-1970.