Hopkins v. Coco

174 So. 3d 201, 2014 La.App. 4 Cir. 1191, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 1474, 2015 WL 4598032
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 29, 2015
DocketNo. 2014-CA-1191
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 174 So. 3d 201 (Hopkins v. Coco) 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
Hopkins v. Coco, 174 So. 3d 201, 2014 La.App. 4 Cir. 1191, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 1474, 2015 WL 4598032 (La. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

MADELEINE M. LANDRIEU, Judge.

| ^Plaintiffs, David and Gwendolyn Hopkins, appeal the trial court’s judgment granting motions for summary judgment in favor of defendants, GBS Properties, LLC, d/b/a Prudential Gardner Realtors, Dane Ruffins, and Juanita Coco. For the reasons below, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS BELOW

David and Gwendolyn Hopkins listed for sale a residential property they owned, located at 412 Sable Drive in Arabi, Louisiana (“the property”). They entered into an Agreement to Purchase with Juanita Coco, the buyer, who was represented by Dane Ruffins, a real estate agent for GBS Properties, LLC d/b/a/ Prudential Gardner Realtors (“Prudential”). Ultimately, the Act of Sale did not take place as Ms. Coco was unable to secure financing.

Following the failed sale, Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins filed a Petition for Damages against Ms. Coco, Ms. Ruffins, and Prudential, in its capacity as Ms. Ruffins’ employer. The petition alleged that Ms. Coco failed to make a good faith effort to secure financing and that Ms. Ruffins failed to timely notify Ms. Coco’s lender that 12they had agreed to reduce the purchase price to the appraised value of the property. Ms. Coco, Ms. Ruffins, and Prudential filed motions for summary judgment, all of which were granted by the trial court. This appeal followed.

DISCUSSION

In their sole assignment of error, Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins assert that the trial court erred in granting these motions for summary judgment because there are genuine issues of material fact as to (1) whether Ms. Coco acted in good faith in her efforts to secure financing as required by the agreement; (2) whether Ms. Coco and Ms. Ruffins had a duty to seek an extension of the Act of Sale date; (3) whether Ms. Ruffins’ actions and/or inactions constituted fraud or negligent misrepresentation; and (4) whether Ms. Ruffins’ actions breached her duty to act in good faith to get the agreement to the Act of Sale.

We review the trial court’s granting of a motion of summaiy judgment de novo using the same criteria applied by the trial court to determine whether summary judgment is appropriate. Fleming v. Hilton Hotels Corp., 99-1996, p. 2 (La.App. 4 Cir. 7/12/00), 774 So.2d 174, 176. At the time of the hearing on the motion for summary judgment, Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure article 966(B)(2) provided that summary judgment

... shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions, together with the affidavits, if any, admitted for purposes of the motion for summary judgment, show that there is no genuine issue as to material fact, and that mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

lsIn determining whether an issue is “genuine,” courts cannot consider the merits, make credibility determinations, evaluate testimony, or weigh evidence. Mitchell v. St. Paul Fire and Marine Ins. Co., 01-[203]*2030596, p. 3 (La.App. 4 Cir. 2/6/02), 809 So.2d 517, 519 (citations omitted).

Ms. Coco, Ms. Ruffins, and Prudential, as movants for summary judgment, have the burden of proof on the motion; however, because they do not bear the burden of proof at trial, they are only required “to point out to the court that there is an absence of factual support for one or more elements essential to the adverse party’s claim, action, or defense.” La. C.C.P. art. 966(C). Once they have done so, the burden shifts to Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins “to produce factual support sufficient to establish that [they] will be able to satisfy [their] evidentiary burden at trial.” La. C.C.P. art. 966(C).

A purchaser’s remedy against a real estate broker is limited to damages for fraud under LSA-C.C. art.1953 et seq., or for negligent misrepresentation under LSA-C.C. art. 2315. Cormier v. Coldwell Banker, 14-360, p. 5 (La.App. 3 Cir. 11/5/14), 150 So.3d 557, 560, citing Waddles v. LaCour, 06-1245, p. 5 (La.App. 3 Cir. 2/7/07), 950 So.2d 937, 942. Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins did not allege fraud in their petition for damages. At the hearing on the motions for summary judgment, counsel for Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins made an oral motion to amend the pleadings to include allegations of fraud. This motion was denied by the trial court. The appellants do not raise this procedural ruling of the trial court as an error on appeal. However, in their appellant brief, Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins make allegations of fraud, hwhich they contend, preclude the granting of summary judgment in favor of the defendants. As these allegations of fraud are not part of the record before us, we cannot consider them.

To recover for negligent misrepresentation, “there must be a legal duty on the part of the defendant to supply correct information, a breach of that duty, and damage. to the plaintiff cause by the breach.” Hughes v. Goodreau, 01-2107, p. 19 (La.App. 1 Cir. 12/31/02), 836 So.2d 649, 663; see also, La. C.C. art. 2315; Tres’ Chic in a Week, L.L.C. v. Home Realty Store, 07-1373, p. 5 (La.App. 1 Cir. 7/17/08), 993 So.2d 228, 232. A real estate broker owes a specific duty to communicate accurate information to the seller and the purchaser. Id. Here, Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins allege in their suit that they had agreed to lower the purchase price of their home in accordance with the appraisal; that Ms. Ruffins failed to timely communicate this amended offer to the lender; and that her failure to do so resulted in Ms. Coco not being approved for financing. They further allege that Ms. Coco failed to act in good faith in securing financing.

Ms. Coco, Ms. Ruffins, and Prudential assert that there are no material facts in dispute as to the interactions between the parties to the sale. They allege that the Hopkins have presented no facts to establish that Ms. Coco did not act in good faith in her efforts to secure financing; that Ms. Ruffins did not breach her duty to communicate accurate information to the buyer, seller, and/or lender; and, that the Hopkins have not presented any facts to establish that the conduct of either Ms. |sCoco or Ms. Ruffins resulted in the failure of the lender to timely provide financing for the sale.

In support of their motions for summary judgment, Ms. Coco, Ms. Ruffins, and Prudential filed into evidence (1) Ms. Ruffins’ deposition and affidavit, (2) the purchase agreement and amendment to the sale price, (3) the appraisal report on the property, (4) the deposition of Lori Serpas, a representative from Countrywide Bank, and (5) the notice from Countrywide Bank denying the loan. Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins offered no evidence in opposition to the motions.

[204]*204Ms. Ruffins deposition established that Ms. Coco had contacted her for assistance in' finding a home in St. Bernard Parish. Ms. Coco already had a loan officer in-place. On or about March 1, 2008, Ms. Coco, with the assistance of Ms. Ruffins, entered into a purchase agreement for the property owned by Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins. The agreement stated, in pertinent part, that

Buyer agrees to make good faith'application, which includes ordering and paying for an appraisal and credit report if required for loan approval, within 7 calendar days of acceptance of this offer or any counteroffer and written proof from the lender that the application has been made shall be supplied by BUYER to the- SELLER. Written commitment by the lender to make loan(s), without contingencies except subject to approval of title, shall be obtained by BUYER and shall constitute final loan approval.

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174 So. 3d 201, 2014 La.App. 4 Cir. 1191, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 1474, 2015 WL 4598032, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hopkins-v-coco-lactapp-2015.