Eastwood Electric Co. v. R. L. Branaman Contractor, Inc.

432 P.2d 139, 102 Ariz. 406, 1967 Ariz. LEXIS 282
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 27, 1967
Docket8449
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 432 P.2d 139 (Eastwood Electric Co. v. R. L. Branaman Contractor, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eastwood Electric Co. v. R. L. Branaman Contractor, Inc., 432 P.2d 139, 102 Ariz. 406, 1967 Ariz. LEXIS 282 (Ark. 1967).

Opinion

UDALL, Justice.

The appellant, Eastwood Electric Company, an Arizona corporation, plaintiff below, hereinafter referred to as “plaintiff”, filed suit on an account for the sum of $1,117.29. Appellee Branaman Contractor Inc., one of the defendants below, hereinafter referred to as “defendant”, by way of answer set up a written contract, alleged full compliance therewith and claimed damages against the plaintiff for work performed and materials furnished by defendant Branaman, and for overpayment made to plaintiff.

*407 ■ The matter was determined on defendant’s motion for summary judgment. The only issues raised before the trial court were whether the pleadings, depositions, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits executed by defendant, would show there was no genuine issue of any material fact which would indicate that defendant was entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

Briefly stated the facts are that on the 28th of November 1961 the parties entered into a written subcontract whereby plaintiff agreed to furnish materials and perform work in accordance with the terms of the subcontract in construction and improvements to be made on the Kon Tiki Motel at Phoenix, Arizona, and on El Ranch Motel in Seligman, Arizona; that in accordance with the terms of the subcontract the defendant agreed to pay to the plaintiff the sum of $45,000.00. 1

In plaintiff’s complaint it is alleged that defendant was indebted to plaintiff for materials furnished and labor performed on Kon Tiki Motel in excess of contract in the sum of $835.67, and that defendant was indebted to plaintiff for materials furnished and labor done on El Rancho Motel in excess of contract in the sum of $281.62, making a total due to plaintiff of $1,117.29.

The defendant filed an answer on October 4, 1962, alleging that the contract made by the parties had been fully complied with and that defendant had paid the plaintiff $45,192.55. 2

Defendant also filed a counterclaim alleging that in reference to the Kon Tiki job the defendant had performed labor of a value of $718.90 which should have been done by plaintiff; that under the terms of the contract the plaintiff had agreed to furnish, at its expense, lighting fixtures [L-16 through L-23] for the Kon Tiki job; that plaintiff billed the defend- and for said light fixtures in the amount of $4,264.70 and that by inadvertence and mistake the defendant paid plaintiff the sum of $4,264.70, which was not due under the contract, making a total of $4,983.60 due the defendant from plaintiff on the Kon Tiki job by reason of the overpayment to plaintiff; that in reference to the second claim, El Rancho Motel job, defendant acknowledged he was overpaid by plaintiff and is indebted to plaintiff in the sum of $125.02. In the counterclaim defendant prayed for judgment against the plaintiff for the sum of $4,858.58.

*408 The plaintiff, by the way of a defense to the counterclaim, alleged that the fixtures numbered L-16 through L-23, as set forth in the allegations of paragraph 3 of said counterclaim, were not a part of the contract; that the same were extra over and above and in addition to the materials which were the subject of the contract, and the plaintiff prayed that the counterclaim be dismissed.

Thereafter, on the 15th day of November 1963, the deposition of defendant R. L. Branaman was taken, in which defendant testified he performed labor in reference to the Kon Tiki job that was to have been furnished by plaintiff; that thereafter defendant billed the plaintiff for the sum of $718.90 for the labor so performed • but that the plaintiff refused and neglected to pay defendant said sum or any part thereof.

On or about the 18th of February, 1966, defendant Branaman filed an affidavit in the cause in which he stated, under oath, that -under the plans and specifications which were attached'as Exhibit “A” to the contract, the plaintiff agreed to furnish at' its expense lighting fixtures L-16 through L-23 as a part of the contract; that in addition the defendant did a portion of the electric labor required under the contract to be done by plaintiff in the amount of $718.90; that plaintiff billed the defendant for said lighting fixtures in the amount of $4,719.10 rather than $4,264.-70 as alleged in the counterclaim; that defendant, not realizing these items had been included in the invoices submitted by plaintiff to defendant, made payment of the same; that defendant overpaid plaintiff in the sum of $5,438 for the two items above set out. It was further stated in the affidavit that in reference to El Rancho Motel job the defendant had been overpaid in the sum of $125.02 and that defendant was indebted to plaintiff for said sum of $125.02.

No affidavits were filed by the plaintiff in opposition 'to those filed by the defendant, nor did plaintiff deny the pertinent matters stated in defendant’s deposition or in defendant’s verified counterclaim.

MOTION FOR JUDGMENT

On February 19, 1964, defendant Brana-man filed his motion for summary judgment on all issues raised by plaintiff’s complaint and the defendant’s answer, and for summary judgment in the sum of $5,312.98 on the counterclaim, on the grounds there existed no dispute as to any material fact and that defendant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

The plaintiff, by way of a reply to the motion for summary judgment, moved “that the court enter an order denying .the motion upon the grounds and for the reasons that the pleadings, affidavits and depositions on file herein clearly indicate that there axe several genuine issues. of fact to be determined before judgment may be rendered, as more fully set forth in the memorandum of points and authorities attached hereto. ”

Thereafter, a hearing was had on defendant’s motion for summary judgment and the'trial court entered an order for summary "judgment, setting forth his findings as follows: v'''

. That the answer and counterclaim of the deféndant was verified, whereas .the answer 'to the counterclaim was not verified; that defendant’s testimony given in his deposition under oath was not refuted nor were the affidavits of the defendant filed in the cause denied under oath by the plaintiff; that if there were ambiguities in the written contract by reference to plans and specifications and by reason of deletions which were initialed, these were interpreted by the defendant and there are no affidavits controverting his interpretations; that the labor and materials which defendant furnished and which he asserts were a part of the obligation of the plaintiff under the contract set forth under defendant’s affidavit, or in his deposition, is a matter which Is>not disputed under oath; that there was no showing of personal knowledge relative to the contract or its performance which would qualify Mr. *409

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Bluebook (online)
432 P.2d 139, 102 Ariz. 406, 1967 Ariz. LEXIS 282, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eastwood-electric-co-v-r-l-branaman-contractor-inc-ariz-1967.