Don Smart & Assoc. v. Lanier Bus. Prod.

551 So. 2d 665, 1989 WL 119583
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 11, 1989
DocketCA 88 1140
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 551 So. 2d 665 (Don Smart & Assoc. v. Lanier Bus. Prod.) 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
Don Smart & Assoc. v. Lanier Bus. Prod., 551 So. 2d 665, 1989 WL 119583 (La. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

551 So.2d 665 (1989)

DON SMART & ASSOCIATES—CENTURY 21
v.
LANIER BUSINESS PRODUCTS and United States Leasing Corporation.

No. CA 88 1140.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

October 11, 1989.

*667 Waldon Hingle, Slidell, for plaintiff-appellee.

Richard Macaluso, Hammond, for defendant-first-appellant Lanier Business Products.

Clarence F. Favret, Jr., New Orleans, for defendant-second-appellant U.S. Leasing Corp.

Before CARTER, SAVOIE and ALFORD, JJ.

*668 ALFORD, Judge.

The defendant, Lanier Business Products (Lanier), appeals the trial court's judgment in favor of the plaintiff, Don Smart & Associates—Century 21 (Smart) whereby the court rescinded the lease/sale of two copying machines for redhibitory defects and awarded Smart $8,792.25 for payments made to United States Leasing Corporation (USLC) $1,500.00 in repair costs, $200.00 in damages and $3,000.00 in attorney fees, plus interest and all costs. Lanier also appealed the judgment rendered against it in favor of third party plaintiff, USLC, in the amount of $12,046.46, plus interest and costs. USLC appealed the dismissal of its reconventional demand against Smart.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Smart, a real estate sales firm located in Slidell, Louisiana, lease/purchased two 3-M Secretary II Beta copiers from Lanier for separate offices in July and November of 1980, respectively.[1] The managers of the respective offices acquired the machines after discussing their needs with the same Lanier sales representative, Randy Humphrey. In conjunction with the execution of the agreements between Lanier and Smart, Lanier transferred the contracts to USLC, and Smart made payments on its account to USLC.

Prior to the real estate managers' decisions to acquire the specific machines in question, both testified that they explained to Humphrey the need for machines capable of (1) producing consistently superior copies in order for the company to maintain its professional image, (2) handling their growing need for copies and (3) reproducing mailing labels for mailouts. Humphrey assured them the copiers could handle the load required by the expanding business, would make consistently superior quality copies "as good as the original", and would reproduce mailing labels as long as the correct mailing labels were used. Additionally, one of the managers indicated the need for quick service in the event of a problem since it was essential to their business to have immediate reproduction of contracts. Humphrey did not advise either of the managers that the copiers were incapable of copying edge to edge, a capability which was needed by Smart since sales agreements often have initials in the margins but which the managers did not specifically mention. Humphrey instructed Smart's employees briefly about operator maintenance, indicating that cleaning of the coronas and other maintenance only needed to be done on a weekly basis and would only take a short time.

Within three months after delivery, the copiers began producing copies that were smeared, blurry and streaked. The paper jammed often and the initials in the margins on sales agreements did not reproduce. The machine did not make labels (the print would rub off or smudge as soon as it was touched) even though Smart's employees used the recommended products. Lanier made numerous service calls to correct copy quality, jamming, and other problems, which corrections, according to testimony by Smart's employees, lasted only a few days. In early 1982, Smart consolidated its two offices and moved both machines to one location. Smart continued using the machines, interchanging them on the basis of whichever one was working better at a specific time, and shutting the other one off until service work could be performed. This procedure continued until Smart decided to demand recission of the lease/purchase agreement, and attempted to tender the two copiers back to Lanier in November of 1982. Lanier refused to accept the tender.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On May 17, 1983, Smart filed suit against Lanier and USLC for cancellation of the leases, return of all payments, damages, interest, costs, and attorney's fees. Alternatively, *669 Smart prayed for recission of the lease/sale agreements because of latent defects. USLC filed a reconventional demand against Smart for the unpaid lease payments and a third party demand against Lanier for indemnity, plus costs, expenses and attorney's fees. The case was tried on September 23, 1985; counsel were granted time to file post-trial briefs, and the matter was taken under advisement.

On February 27, 1986, the judge issued written reasons holding that the agreements between Lanier and Smart constituted contracts of sale rather than lease, that there was sufficient evidence to show latent defects in the machines at the time of purchase, and that Lanier knew of the defects. The court rescinded the lease/sale agreements and awarded damages, attorney's fees, costs or repair and return of payments as stated previously. At that time, the court dismissed USLC's reconventional demand but did not rule on their third party demand. On March 18, 1986, the judge issued amending and supplemental reasons for judgment and granted USLC's third-party demand. On March 19, he signed a judgment in accordance with these reasons.

Thereafter the court issued a supplemental judgment as well as granting an order to strike the judgment, both of which are not in the record. On April 2, 1987, the court sought review of the proceedings by the First Circuit, and the First Circuit remanded the case back to the court to allow the court to make the record whole and to render a judgment.

On July 21, 1987, the court issued reasons for judgment reaffirming its prior decision and on March 30, 1988, signed a judgment in favor of Smart against Lanier and USLC in the amount of $8,792.25 plus interest and costs and against Lanier solely for $1,500.00 for repairs, $200.00 for damages for inconvenience and $3,000.00 attorney's fees, plus interest and costs. The judgment dismissed USLC's reconventional demand against Smart and granted USLC's third party demand against Lanier for $12,046.46 plus interest and all costs.

Lanier then perfected a suspensive appeal, contending that the trial court erred (1) in finding that the photocopiers were defective and not reasonably fit for their intended use, (2) in finding Smart met its burden of proof, (3) in awarding attorney's fees against a non-manufacturing vendor, (4) in awarding damages against a non-manufacturing vendor, and (5) in failing to award a reduction in price or a credit for the use and benefit enjoyed by Smart. Additionally, Lanier raised, for the first time, a peremptory exception claiming prescription of Smart's claims, challenged the validity of the judgment in favor of USLC and raised the peremptory exception alleging no cause of action and no right of action against USLC. USLC appealed the trial court's decision dismissing their reconventional demand against Smart for $12,046.46 in unpaid installments, plus interest. Smart did not appeal or answer the appeal.

REDHIBITORY DEFECTS

As stated in Cox v. Lanier Business Products, Inc., 423 So.2d 690, 692 (La.App. 1st Cir.1982), writ denied, 429 So.2d 129 (La.1983):

In order to maintain an action of redhibition, the plaintiff must prove that the vendor sold the thing to him, and that the thing contained a "redhibitory defect".

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

Related

Pratt v. Himel Marine, Inc.
823 So. 2d 394 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2002)
Bienvenu v. Allstate Ins. Co.
819 So. 2d 1077 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2002)
McGough v. Oakwood Mobile Homes, Inc.
779 So. 2d 793 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2000)
Crane v. Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc.
743 So. 2d 780 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
Dixie Roofing v. Allen Parish Sch. Bd.
690 So. 2d 49 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1996)
Vincent v. Hyundai Corp.
633 So. 2d 240 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1993)
Gurley v. Schwegmann Supermarkets, Inc.
617 So. 2d 41 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1993)
SUNBELT SEC. SERVICES v. Delahoussaye
572 So. 2d 598 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1990)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
551 So. 2d 665, 1989 WL 119583, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/don-smart-assoc-v-lanier-bus-prod-lactapp-1989.