JJW Development, L.L.C. v. Strand Systems Engineering, Inc.

378 S.W.3d 571, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 7300, 2012 WL 3636887
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 24, 2012
DocketNo. 05-10-01359-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 378 S.W.3d 571 (JJW Development, L.L.C. v. Strand Systems Engineering, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
JJW Development, L.L.C. v. Strand Systems Engineering, Inc., 378 S.W.3d 571, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 7300, 2012 WL 3636887 (Tex. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion By Justice LANG-MIERS.

This is an appeal from the trial court’s order dismissing with prejudice claims by JJW Development, L.L.C. and John J. Wingfield, Jr. against Strand Systems Engineering, Inc. In two issues, JJW and Wingfield argue that the trial court erred because it interpreted former section 150.002 of the civil practice and remedies code to mean that they had to file a certificate of merit for their breach of contract claim and by dismissing their breach of contract claim on the pleadings.1 We reverse the trial court’s order and remand the case to the trial court for further proceedings.

BACKGROUND

Homeowner Wingfield and builder JJW sued foundation contractor Ramer Concrete, Inc. for negligence, breach of contract, and violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act arising from a cracked foundation built by Ramer for [574]*574Wingfield’s home. JJW and Wingfield added Strand as a defendant in their second amended petition, asserting claims of negligence and breach of contract against Strand. They contended Strand — whom they alleged designed the foundation and had the responsibility to inspect it prior to pouring — “failed to perform any type of meaningful or adequate pre-pour inspection” of the foundation. Citing section 150.002(b), JJW and Wingfield also stated they would “file the required Certificate of Merit within thirty (30) days.” Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem.Code Ann. § 150.002(b) (granting a plaintiff thirty days after filing complaint to file a certificate of merit if the period of limitation will expire within ten days of filing the complaint).2 They did not do so.

Strand filed a motion to dismiss with prejudice, contending that “[t]he claims against Strand are based upon alleged negligence in the practice of engineering by Strand” and that JJW and Wingfield did not file a certificate of merit with then-second amended petition as required by chapter 150 of the civil practice and remedies code. See id. § 150.002. Strand argued that, under section 150.002(d), “all of Plaintiffs’ claims against Strand should be dismissed with prejudice, as Plaintiff[s] failed to file a Certificate of Merit with their initial pleading against Strand.” See id. § 150.002(d).

JJW and Wingfield filed their third amended petition, alleging only the following breach of contract claim against Strand:

Breach of Contract — SSE
SSE undertook the contractual obligation to conduct a pre-pour inspection of the pad. One required element of the pre-pour inspection is to measure the depth of slab to ensure that when the concrete is placed that the slab will be of the proper thickness as set forth in the applicable plans and specifications. The plans and specifications prepared by SSE required a 4" thick slab. As part of its pre-pour inspection obligations, SSE owed a contractual duty to the Plaintiffs to measure the depth of the slab. This duty arises out of the SSE pre-pour inspection contract (express or implied). SSE did not measure the depth of the slab.
SSE breached the contract by failing to measure the depth of the slab. SSE’s breach caused the Plaintiffs to suffer damages, including cracking to the interior and exterior floors and walls and damage to the plumbing system. Plaintiff [sic] has suffered diminution in value of the residence because of the need for repairs. Plaintiff [sic] will suffer loss of use and other damages due [to] the necessary repairs. The losses and damages sustained by Plaintiffs as a result of SSE’s breach of contract are to the subject matter of the contract, i.e. the foundation and elements related to the foundation.

They alleged that “[i]t [wa]s factually impossible for [Strand] to have actually measured the depth of the slab given the as-built thickness of the concrete.”

In response to Strand’s motion to dismiss, JJW and Wingfield argued that, because they amended their petition and dismissed their negligence claim, Strand’s motion to dismiss was moot. They also contended that the court should deny Strand’s motion to dismiss because chapter 150 applies only to negligence claims, not to claims for breach of contract, so the requirement for a certificate of merit does not apply to JJW and Wingfield’s breach of contract claim against Strand.

[575]*575The court granted Strand’s motion to dismiss with prejudice. JJW and Wing-field filed a Motion to Reconsider and/or for New Trial, which was denied. This appeal followed.

Standard of Review

We review an order granting a chapter 150 motion to dismiss under an abuse of discretion standard. Belvedere Condos, at State Thomas, Inc. v. Meeks Design Grp., Inc., 329 S.W.3d 219, 220 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2010, no pet.). An abuse of discretion occurs when the trial court acts in an unreasonable and arbitrary-manner or without reference to any guiding rules or principles. Id.

We review the trial court’s construction and application of a statute de novo. Id.; DLB Architects, P.C. v. Weaver, 305 S.W.3d 407, 409 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2010, pet. denied). We are guided by a number of principles when we construe statutes. Our primary objective when construing a statute is to discern and give effect to the legislature’s intent. TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co. v. Combs, 340 S.W.3d 432, 439 (Tex.2011). To discern the legislature’s intent, we begin with the statute’s words. Id. If a statute uses a term that has a particular meaning or assigns a particular meaning to that term, we are bound by the statutory usage. Id. Statutory terms that are undefined are typically given their ordinary meaning, but if a more precise or a different definition is apparent from the use of the term in the context of the statute, we apply that meaning. Id. If the statute is unambiguous, we interpret the statute according to its plain language unless such an interpretation would lead to absurd results. Id. We consider a statute as a whole, rather than by its isolated provisions. See id. “We presume that the Legislature chooses a statute’s language with care, including each word chosen for a purpose, while purposefully omitting words not chosen.” Id.

Analysis

The parties agree that the following language from the 2005 version of section 150.002 applies:

§ 150.002 Certificate of Merit.

(a) In any action or arbitration proceeding for damages arising out of the provision of professional services by a licensed or registered professional, the plaintiff shall be required to file -with the complaint an affidavit of a third-party licensed architect, registered professional land surveyor, or licensed professional engineer competent to testify, holding the same professional license as, and practicing in the same area of practice as the defendant, which affidavit shall set forth specifically at least one negligent act, error, or omission claimed to exist and the factual basis for each such claim.

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378 S.W.3d 571, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 7300, 2012 WL 3636887, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jjw-development-llc-v-strand-systems-engineering-inc-texapp-2012.