Gonzales v. Southwest Mobile Homes, Inc.

309 So. 2d 780
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 6, 1975
Docket4900
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 309 So. 2d 780 (Gonzales v. Southwest Mobile Homes, Inc.) 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
Gonzales v. Southwest Mobile Homes, Inc., 309 So. 2d 780 (La. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

309 So.2d 780 (1975)

Nelson J. GONZALES, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
SOUTHWEST MOBILE HOMES, INC., Defendant-Appellee, and
Champion Home Builders Company, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 4900.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

February 12, 1975.
Rehearings Denied March 12, 1975.
Writ Refused June 6, 1975.

*781 Davidson, Meaux, Onebane & Donohoe by Lawrence L. Lewis, III, Lafayette, for defendant-appellant.

Jefferson J. Moss, Jr., Lafayette, for plaintiff-appellee.

Dubuisson, Brinkhaus, Guglielmo & Dauzat by James G. Dubuisson, Opelousas, Edwards, Stefanski & Barousse by Nolan J. Edwards, Crowley, for defendant-appellee.

Before FRUGÉ, CULPEPPER and DOMENGEAUX, JJ.

FRUGÉ, Judge.

Plaintiff, Nelson J. Gonzales instituted this suit against Southwest Mobile Homes, Inc., Champion Home Builders Co., and The First National Bank of Crowley, Louisiana. The action against Southwest and Champion was based on a redhibitory vice in a mobile home purchased by the plaintiff from Southwest, which mobile home was *782 manufactured and sold to Southwest by Champion. The action against First National Bank was for cancellation of a note and mortgage given in connection with the purchase and financing of the mobile home. After trial on the merits judgment was rendered in favor of the plaintiff against Southwest and Champion for the purchase price and finance charges connected with the purchase of the mobile home, and for certain incidental charges which the plaintiff had been obligated to pay in connection with the purchase of the mobile home. Judgment was also rendered in favor of First National Bank on a reconventional demand against the plaintiff on the note signed by the plaintiff. Judgment was also rendered in favor of Southwest on its third party demand against Champion for the amount of the judgment rendered in favor of the plaintiff against defendant, Southwest. An appeal was taken by Champion, and Southwest answered this appeal. We affirm in part, and reverse and render in part.

In October of 1971, the plaintiff purchased from Southwest one three-bedroom mobile home for the purchase price of $7,195.00. The mobile home had been manufactured by Manatee, a division of Champion Home Builders. In connection with the purchase, the plaintiff executed a chattel mortgage and vendor's lien in favor of the vendor, Southwest. A promissory note was signed by the plaintiff in the amount of $12,194.40, payable to the order of Southwest, which note was later assigned to the defendant, First National Bank of Crowley. Following the purchase of the mobile home, a number of defects were discovered by the plaintiff. Some of the window frames and door frames in the mobile home were not water tight and because of this defect water leaked into the trailer. The heating unit did not function properly so as to keep the interior of the mobile home at a comfortable temperature. Defective switches resulted in all the light switches in the mobile home having to be changed. The duct work of the heating system was improperly connected and had to be repaired. Several other defects were alleged to have been present, including defects in the drain pipe for the automatic clothes washer, defects in the insulation in the bottom of the trailer, defects in the sewer pipes, and defects in the gas line for the hot water tank. The plaintiff demanded rescission of the sale and tendered the mobile home to the seller by certified letter dated February 28, 1972. The plaintiff then filed suit on March 28, 1972, for rescission of the sale based on the alleged redhibitory vices, wherein the plaintiff prayed for rescission, an award of the down payment and the monthly installments paid by him up to that time on the note, payment of damages for inconvenience and discomfort and for expenses incurred by the plaintiff to prepare the site for his mobile home. He also prayed for cancellation of the note and mortgage which had been assigned to First National Bank, and in the alternative, that the defendants Southwest and Champion be required to assume the plaintiff's obligation and liability to First National Bank on the note. Answers were filed by Southwest and Champion denying the allegations of the plaintiff's petition. A similar answer was filed by First National Bank, and a reconventional demand was made by the bank alleging that the plaintiff was delinquent in his obligation on the note and as a result the bank was entitled to judgment against the plaintiff, for the sum of $11,797.92, plus attorney's fees. A third party demand was filed by Southwest against Champion alleging that Champion sold the trailer to Southwest and in connection with said sale vendor had warranted that the mobile home was free of any vices or defects and was suitable for the purposes for which it was placed on the market. Southwest prayed that in the event it should be held responsible in any way to the plaintiff that it have judgment over and against Champion for any and all damages for which it might be cast.

Following the trial judgment was rendered in favor of the plaintiff against defendant *783 Southwest and Champion for the full amount of the plaintiff's indebtedness on the note. Judgment was also rendered in favor of plaintiff in reconvention, First National Bank, against the plaintiff for the same amount. Judgment was also rendered in favor of the plaintiff and against Southwest and Champion for the sum of $319.30 for the amount paid by the plaintiff for sales tax, license, title certificate and official fees paid in connection with the purchase of the mobile home. Judgment on the third party demand was rendered in favor of Southwest against Champion on the express warranty between the parties limiting the third party plaintiff to its having the mobile home repaired by Champion under the terms of the express warranty. A new trial was later granted for the limited purpose of reargument and a new judgment was subsequently signed granting the same relief as that granted in the previous judgment with the following change. Judgment was rendered on the third party demand in favor of Southwest against Champion for the full amount of the judgment rendered in favor of the plaintiff against Southwest. An appeal was taken by Champion, which appeal has been answered by Southwest.

We predicate our discussion of the issues involved in this case with a brief summary of the trial judge's written reasons for judgment.

The trial judge first found in his written reasons for judgment that First National Bank of Crowley was the holder in due course of the note, and as such should recover the amount remaining due on the note. The trial judge noted that the plaintiff, his wife and several friends, as well as some of the workmen who had worked on the trailer, went into great detail in their trial testimony as to various defects which were present. From their testimony the trial judge concluded that several of the items complained of in the plaintiff's petition, such as the light switches, bathroom fixtures and water heater, had been fixed and were presently no problem. The main defects complained of which were the subject of his decision was the leaking of various windows and doors in the mobile home and the improper functioning of the heater. He noted that the leaking around the different windows was proved by the testimony of various witnesses, who had testified that they had seen the leaks and the damage that was being done by the leaks. These leaks apparently occurred on that side of the mobile home from which the wind was blowing.

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Bluebook (online)
309 So. 2d 780, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gonzales-v-southwest-mobile-homes-inc-lactapp-1975.