Guild v. Stockton Ice Rink Co.

174 P.2d 338, 77 Cal. App. 2d 17, 1946 Cal. App. LEXIS 921
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 25, 1946
DocketCiv. No. 13135
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 174 P.2d 338 (Guild v. Stockton Ice Rink Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Guild v. Stockton Ice Rink Co., 174 P.2d 338, 77 Cal. App. 2d 17, 1946 Cal. App. LEXIS 921 (Cal. Ct. App. 1946).

Opinion

SCHOTTKY, J. pro tem.

Appellant commenced an action against respondents, the first cause of action of which sought to recover the sum of $2,367.97 alleged to be due upon a contract concerning the erection of an ice rink in Stockton, and the third cause of action of which sought to recover the sum of $1,215 for services as a consulting engineer rendered to respondents by appellant at respondents’ special instance and request. A second cause of action upon a book account was abandoned at the trial. .Respondents in their answer set up nonperformance by appellant and denied that any sums were, ' due appellant. Respondents also filed a cross-complaint in which they alleged an overpayment of $473.59 to appellant and also alleged that nonperformance of the contract by appellant damaged them in the sum of $11,000. During the course of the trial respondents were permitted to file an amendment to their answer setting up the defense that said third cause of action was barred by subdivision 1 of section 339 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The court found that appellant was not entitled to recover on either cause of action, and further that respondents were not entitled to recover upon their cross-complaint, the court finding also that there was an overpayment of $473.59 by respondents, but that any claim thereon had been waived by them. This appeal is from the judgment rendered against appellant upon .his complaint.

Plaintiff is a “consulting engineer for the construction of ice rinks. ’ ’ On August 1, 1941, an agent of defendants, Tom Boothe, accepted plaintiff’s proposal to construct a direct expansion ice rink for defendants. This proposal was in the form of a letter and the specifications therein were itemized with reference to another proposal which defendants had received concerning the erection of a brine ice rink. The pertinent portions of the proposal which the court found to be the agreement of the parties read:

“This equipment is designed for producing an ice skating surface 70' x 140' in the City of Stockton, California. All dimensions are subject to minor variations and changes in order to fit the apparatus to the contemplated building measurements, or secure maximum results. . . .
[19]*19“In this specification requisite performance has been considered first, availability of material second. First cost is simply the totaling of the best procurable price at this time.
“Item 1. AMMONIA COMPRESSORS
“Two—8" x 8", standard make—Worthington, BakerFrick, York or equal, complete with all standard equipment, including Y-belt drives. . . .
“Item 3: CONDENSER (Tubular condenser cheaper but not best).
“1,000 Lin. feet of condensing surface made up into vertical atmospheric evaporative condenser, complete with natural air circulation and gravity water circulation. . . .
“Item 19: MOTORS AND DRIVE
“This proposal includes the furnishing of two 125 HP Butane engines, complete with Governors, Tachometers, power takeoffs, Y-belts, fuel tank and all accessories. . . .
“Item 24: ERECTION
“Complete erection is here included. . . .
“The price of the above equipment is $22,814.00 which carries ten per cent to me. . . .
“My proposition would be ten per cent as stated. If the job cost ran over the estimated cost it would come out of my fee. If it ran under we would split the saving 50-50.
“This of course would not hold good in event of a raise in prices as my figures are based on prices quoted today. ’ ’

The three specific items of material above noted are the principal items with respect to which nonperformance is alleged. It is admitted even by plaintiff that the above specifications and price were based on new materials, and that only one used compressor was present in the finished ice rink. It is also admitted that only 750 square feet of condensing surface were installed. (With an installation using only one compressor, this condensing surface would appear to be all that could be used.) Finally, it is admitted that one of the engines was 110 h. p. and there is evidence that the other engine was only 110 h. p. However, the rink was opened to the public in November of 1941 and has been operating ever since with various difficulties in freezing and holding the ice in parts of the rink. The evidence in defendants’ favor supports the conclusion that at no time did defendants consent to the lack of a second compressor and made constant efforts to secure another one.

[20]*20The record shows that the rink as constructed cost $4,735.93 less than the $22,814 contract price and the first cause of action in plaintiff's complaint sought to recover 50 per cent of that amount pursuant to the terms of the contract. The cost of two new compressors installed is approximately $6,130 the cost of the additional condensing surface approximately $250; and the cost of the additional horsepower motors, approximately $600. The used compressor cost approximately $1,890. Defendants paid plaintiff $2,281.40, of which the court found that $473.59 was an overpayment, any claim for which was waived by the defendants, this amount being 10 per cent of the difference between actual cost and contract price and in accord with plaintiff’s testimony as to what he meant by the 10 per cent.

Appellant makes a vigorous attack upon the judgment against him as to the first cause as being contrary to and unsupported by the evidence. He argues that the agreement was a contract for his services as a consulting engineer and that it was not a contract for equipment. He argues further that in any event any variations in the equipment were but minor variations and that the contract was substantially performed. He asserts that because the court made a finding that appellant did not have a state license either as a contractor or a civil engineer, the court considered appellant as a building contractor or a civil engineer and that the court’s decision was based upon that issue.

These contentions of appellant lack substantial merit. The record amply supports the finding of the trial court that by reason of the failure of appellant to provide the equipment called for by the agreement he was not entitled to recover one-half of the difference between the cost of the rink and the contract estimate of $22,814. To hold otherwise would be to permit appellant to omit part of the equipment specified, substitute used equipment where new was specified, produce a rink less efficient than it would have been had the specified equipment been provided, and then actually profit by the lower price brought about by his failure to perform according to the plain terms of the contract.

As to appellant’s contention that the license issue was erroneously injected into the case, there is the court’s finding of the undisputed fact that appellant did not have either a contractor’s license or a civil engineer’s license, but there is no finding that, in carrying out his agreement in the [21]*21instant case, appellant was acting either as a contractor or a civil engineer.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
174 P.2d 338, 77 Cal. App. 2d 17, 1946 Cal. App. LEXIS 921, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guild-v-stockton-ice-rink-co-calctapp-1946.