Davis v. McQueen

842 S.W.2d 376, 1992 WL 379923
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 20, 1992
Docket09-91-304 CV
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 842 S.W.2d 376 (Davis v. McQueen) 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
Davis v. McQueen, 842 S.W.2d 376, 1992 WL 379923 (Tex. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinions

OPINION

BROOKSHIRE, Justice.

This appeal arises out of a judgment entered adverse to appellant from a lawsuit brought by appellee to compel payment for work performed. Part of the work done was pursuant to an oral agreement directly between appellant and appellee. A large, subsequently ordered part of the dozer work was based in quantum meruit for work and improvements completed and services rendered to appellant by appellee. Appellant ordered additional work and improvements to be done and completed at several different, subsequent times after the initial understanding. The scope of the work was materially enlarged. The trial was before a jury.

A part of the record reflects (although this part is from an interested witness) that the appellee contacted the appellant. The appellant informed the appellee that the appellant had purchased some land and wanted some work done on it. At first the scope of the work was limited. The work was to consist of clearing some underbrush, pushing up a fence row, and burning the “stuff” that was in the fence row.

There was a certain “branch” (a small stream) on the land that was in bad condition and the initial agreement was that if the “branch” was boggy; then the “branch” would not be worked. No big trees were to be cleared, just underbrush and light trees or smaller trees. The initial agreement, according to appellee McQueen, was that the job would be performed for the rate of $55 an hour for use of the big bulldozer (a Case 1450 bulldozer). The rate of $40 an hour was to be charged for the use of the lighter, smaller 450 John Deere bulldozer. According to appellee, both parties agreed to this arrangement as to rates and hourly charges. Appellant vehemently disagreed. Appellant contended the work was to be done for $450 an acre. Appellee vehemently denied that he had given the appellant one lump figure to do all the work. The jury agreed with appellee’s version of the litigation.

Appellee contended that if a flat rate or flat lump sum had been fixed, it would have been more expensive, higher and disadvantageous to appellant. Again, this version was given by the plaintiff below. But the jury was well within its prerogative to weigh this evidence. Appellee explained to the jury that the flat rate would have to be considerably higher than the hourly rate so that the bulldozer owner and operator would not lose money. Strong, cogent evidence exists that under the initial agreement the appellant Davis was to pay the appellee for the work that was performed at the rate of $55 an hour for the 1450 dozer and $40 an hour for the 450 dozer. After this agreement was made, the work began. But then the scope of the work was expanded.

The record reflects that the work was begun on the 4th of July, Independence Day of 1990. Mr. Ed DeWalt did most of the actual dozer work. Mr. DeWalt worked for McQueen on most jobs — however, not on all jobs. DeWalt was an experienced, expert dozer operator. A few days after the work had begun Mr. Davis authorized some additional work. Davis wanted to have more trees eliminated, some leveling work done on the “branch”, and the “branch” cleared out. This change, modification or expansion of work was agreeable to the appellee on the same basis of the $55 an hour and the $40 an hour rates.

The appellant at this later point in time wanted certain trees from 18 to 24 inches— even to 30 inches — wide at the base to be leveled. Also there were a great number of stumps that appellant wanted removed. Apparently, there were quite a large number of stumps all over the area and the stumps had to be dug out. A dozer could not simply push the numerous stumps out.

The area surrounding the “branch” was a very boggy area and that ground was very soft and the equipment could not operate on top of it. The dozer would sink. The operators had to push dirt off of a hill and let the dirt dry. Then they would have a standing or base where the equipment [378]*378could operate without sinking down. To do the last ordered work, two dozers had to be used a lot of the time. However, appellant was charged for only one dozer.

Later the appellant wanted a pond dug. In the digging of the pond, the appellant was charged only for one dozer; but two dozers were used. The reason was that the smaller dozer had to be pulled by the bigger dozer because of the nature, the dampness and the softness of the area around the pond. Some probative testimony demonstrated that the wet area existed all the way from the front of the property almost to the extreme end on one side. The “branch” was located at that end and there was water running down in it continuously. The water ran in the branch from the front of the property almost to the back over the whole of the south side of the tract of land involved.

The appellee told the appellant that it was going to take a lot more time to clear out the boggy area and to do the additional, increased work. Nevertheless, the appellant wanted the work done and wanted the boggy area cleared and cleaned. According to the appellee’s version, the appellee had discussed these problems that would arise working in a boggy area with the bulldozers with the appellant and discussed the difficulties of cleaning as well as of clearing a boggy, wet area.

There was another problem that appellant wanted remedied. On the south side of the property in question there existed a condition where sewage was coming upon the land from some people's houses located off of Davis’ land. There were two houses near the property and the sewage was running over Davis’ land. The leakage or runoff appeared to be septic tank drainage. Whatever the cause, the sewage was running upon the property of appellant. The appellant wanted to turn that sewage away so that it would go past or off his property. Therefore, a trench had to be dug to turn the sewage away from the property in question. This later work was authorized and ordered by Davis, according to the appellee’s version of this litigation.

This sewage then, by trench, was turned away from the appellant’s property and was trenched into other people’s property, but the other people had given permission for this to be done. The ditch and the other work were described to the jury in considerable detail using plats and drawings. The location of the work was designated on the maps, plats, and drawings which were before the jury. The 450 John Deere dozer was used in the ditching operation.

Undoubtedly, from time to later time, the appellant changed, enlarged and enhanced the scope of work to be done and the amount of land to be cleared. Ultimately, according to the appellee, about nine or perhaps ten acres of land were cleared. By late special requests and orders of the appellant a pond was built with the dimensions of 50' X 75'.

The pond was in a very boggy area and the dozer would simply not stand without sinking dramatically in the wet, soft area. Therefore, the operation to clear the land and also to dig the pond required the operators to hook up a cable on one dozer and to have the other dozer firmly located on high ground. Then it was necessary to build a ramp so that the operators of the dozers could go forward as well as back up. In the operation it became necessary to use the big dozer to pull the little dozer. In that manner, it was possible to build the pond that the appellant wanted. McQueen testified that appellant was very happy with the pond because the water was just as clear as if it were coming out of a faucet — like drinking water.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

David C. Hickman v. Royce Dudensing
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2007
In Re Lowery
999 S.W.2d 639 (Texas Supreme Court, 1998)
Crest Construction, Inc. v. Murray
888 S.W.2d 931 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1995)
In Re Thoma
873 S.W.2d 477 (Texas Supreme Court, 1994)
Davis v. McQueen
842 S.W.2d 376 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
842 S.W.2d 376, 1992 WL 379923, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-mcqueen-texapp-1992.