Karas v. LeVay

38 Mass. App. Dec. 179
CourtMassachusetts District Court, Appellate Division
DecidedJuly 1, 1967
DocketNo. 55827
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 38 Mass. App. Dec. 179 (Karas v. LeVay) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts District Court, Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Karas v. LeVay, 38 Mass. App. Dec. 179 (Mass. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

Murphy, J.

This is an action in contract by the plaintiffs, Peter Karas and his wife, Jean C. Karas, against Emory LeVay, Trustee of the Emory Realty Trust.

The plaintiffs’ declaration is in two counts. [180]*180Count One alleges that the plaintiffs paid the defendant $21,000.00 for a lot of land and for a house constructed for them by the defendant ; that the defendant breached his agreement by failing to perform the construction of the house in a workmanlike manner, and failed to complete the work he agreed to perform. Count Two is a count for money had and received in the amount of $2,500.00.

The defendant’s answer is a general denial and the defense that the acceptance of the deed to the premises was a merger that discharged the defendant from any (liability.

During the course of the trial, the defendant testified that the plaintiffs owed him $245; the plaintiffs objected because the defendant had not pleaded this claim and that it was therefore inadmissible. However, the trial justice at the closing arguments suggested that the defendant amend his answer, and he was allowed to do so. The amended answer is one for recoupment for $245, the balance due on the sale of the property on December 29, 1965, and the second paragraph is in set-off for $245, the balance due on the sale of the plaintiffs’ property.

The parties have stipulated that all exhibits introduced at the trial are incorporated herein by reference and may be used before the Appellate Division. The plaintiffs claiming to be aggrieved by the finding for the defendant in set-off, by the finding for the defendant on [181]*181Counts One and Twp of the plaintiffs’ declaration, by the decision of the trial justice and by the denial of the plaintiffs’ motion for a new trial, the case is hereby reported to the Appellate Division for determination.

The plaintiff filed three requests for rulings, which were allowed.

The court [warrantably] made the following special findings:

“I find that the defendant in good faith substantially built the house for the plaintiffs in accordance with his agreement to do so. In fact, in order to please the plaintiffs, the defendant without making additional charges therefor, made changes which the plaintiffs had requested from time to time during the construction.
“During the construction the plaintiffs, one or both, were on the site almost daily and interested themselves in every detail of the construction from start to finish. On December 29, 1965, they accepted a deed of the premises and moved in. They had previously moved in some of their possessions and cleaned up the house to make it ready for occupancy, an allowance on the price having been granted by the defendant for that purpose.
“At the time of passing papers on December 29, 1965, the plaintiffs were short $700.00 of the agreed purchase price. Mr. Karas assured the defendant that he had .'left the money at home but would, if the passing of papers [182]*182were allowed to continue, deliver that sum to the defendant later in the day. The plaintiffs paid only part of the $700.00 balance and still owed the defendant $245.00.
“After moving in, the plaintiffs began to make complaints; and the defendant on all occasions attempted to remedy the matters complained of. Some of the alleged defects were obvious to the plaintiffs even before they accepted the deed.
“In February, 1966, because of offense taken by Mr. Karas at something the defendant is alleged to have said, the details not appearing, Mr. Karas forbade Mr. LeVay or his workmen to again enter the premises to correct the items the plaintiffs were complaining about although the defendant has at all times, even at the present time, been willing to try to satisfy the plaintiffs. As late as the end of March, the defendant had been presented with a long list of alleged defects. As to that list, I find little merit, except as to a few items, such as the correction of nails which for one of three understandable reasons had started to protrude from the wall boards in several rooms and to repaper where necessary as a consequence; the repair and correction of some bathroom tile and fixtures; the adjustment of doors for proper closure; some touch up painting; and the installation of a clean out door for the chimney. The cost of doing this work would be relatively small. It should be observed that [183]*183the doors were ‘pre-hung’. After installation, the plaintiffs desired different hinges and hardware for the doors. The defendant furnished hinger and hardware, and Mr. Karas agreed to change the hinges himself. The consequent adjustment may well have been necessitated by the plaintiff’s own faulty work. The defendant’s offer to do the above work was conditioned upon admission to the premises, which permission was withheld without justification. Instead, this action was commenced in August, 1966.
“I find that the defendant and his workmen have been unjustifiably denied access to the premises by the plaintiffs and that the- defendant is thereby excused from doing the above described work. See Kauranen v. Mattaliano, 347 Mass. 583 and cases cited.
“On all the evidence I find for the defendant on both counts.
“I find for the plaintiff LeVay in set off in the snm of $245.00 with interest from December 29,1965.
“The Plaintiffs’ three requests for rulings are allowed. ’ ’

The court found for the defendant on court One and Two of the plaintiffs’ declaration, and for the defendant in set-off in the amount of $245.00 with interest from December 29, 1965.”

After receipt of the justice’s decision, the plaintiffs seasonably filed a motion for a new [184]*184trial assigning as reasons, therefore, the following :

“1. There is newly discovered evidence.
2. The finding and decision of the trial justice reflects a mistake of law injuriously affecting the substantial rights of the plaintiffs. ’ ’

On December 23, 1966, the motion for a new trial was argued and the attorney for the plaintiffs stated that because the trial had run until four o’clock he did not call Mrs. Karas to the stand. Plaintiffs’ counsel stated she would have rebutted the testimony of Mr. LeVay, as to the denial of permission of Mr. LeVay’s workmen to come onto the premises after the papers had passed. At the end of the trial, the plaintiff was not precluded from offering additional evidence by the trial justice. On December 27,1966, the plaintiffs received notice that the motion for a new trial had been denied.

The extensive special findings and the more than ample reported evidence indicates clearly that the judge considered all the evidence in making his finding. True, as pointed out in the plaintiffs’ brief, there were one or two items not mentioned in the findings, such as the amount of asphalt used on the driveway, and the fact that the fireplace foundation was misplaced. These items at first blush would seem to be substantial, however, neither of them were mentioned in the list of things remaining to be done which was given to the defendant by [185]*185the plaintiff when the plaintiff took possession of the premises.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
38 Mass. App. Dec. 179, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/karas-v-levay-massdistctapp-1967.