Knapp v. City of Newport Beach

186 Cal. App. 2d 669, 9 Cal. Rptr. 90, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1683
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 23, 1960
DocketCiv. 6301
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 186 Cal. App. 2d 669 (Knapp v. City of Newport Beach) 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
Knapp v. City of Newport Beach, 186 Cal. App. 2d 669, 9 Cal. Rptr. 90, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1683 (Cal. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

SHEPARD, J.

This is an action for declaratory relief, injunction and damages on account of alleged conspiracy of defendants in connection with enforcement by defendants of city ordinances and state laws regarding repair and maintenance of certain apartment and garage buildings in the city of Newport Beach, and a cross-complaint by the city of *673 Newport Beach seeking adjudication that said buildings are a public nuisance by reason of danger to public safety and health, and for an order compelling, in the alternative, either adequate repair or demolition of said buildings. Judgment was rendered against plaintiff, appellant herein, and in favor of cross-complainant, one of the respondents herein. Plaintiff appeals.

For clarity, plaintiff-appellant will hereinafter be referred to as “Knapp”; defendant and cross-complainant city of Newport Beach, respondent herein, will be referred to as “City”; and the individual defendants R. A. Glenn, D. P. Travis, and R. H. Keene, respondents herein, unless spoken of individually, will be referred to as “Officers.”

In general substance, Knapp’s complaint alleges, inter alia, ownership by her of an apartment and store building and a garage located in City; that Officers, acting as agents of City, posted notices on said buildings that said buildings were unfit for human habitation and their use was ordered discontinued ; that the buildings were not, in fact, unsafe; that the actions of Officers and City were in pursuance of a malicious conspiracy to deprive Knapp of the use of said buildings; that Knapp was damaged in specified sums. City and Officers denied the essential allegations regarding conspiracy and damage, and alleged the truth of said noticed building defects. City filed a cross-complaint alleging, in general substance, inter alia, that the buildings constituted a public nuisance by reason of the danger to public safety and health through unrepaired dilapidations and defects in said buildings, and specified in detail the points in which the buildings were thus unsafe. Knapp denied some of the specified defects and admitted a portion. She also denied lack of safety.

On appeal, all conflicts in the evidence must be resolved in favor of the judgment and, as stated in Key v. McCabe, 54 Cal.2d 736, 738 [1] [8 Cal.Rptr. 425, 356 P. 2d 169]:

“. . . when a finding of fact is attacked on the ground that there is not any substantial evidence to sustain it, the power of an appellate court begins and ends with a determination as to whether there is any substantial evidence, contradicted or uncontradieted, which will support the finding of fact.”

Findings of fact must be liberally construed to support the judgment. (Johndrow v. Thomas, 31 Cal.2d 202, 207 [5] [187 P.2d 681].)

*674 Viewing the evidence and findings in this light, the testimony adduced in the lengthy trial shows that Knapp’s apartment and store building was a multiple-storied, frame structure, 90 x 25 feet in area, containing seven rental apartments. It had been an old theatre building, built more than 40 years ago. It had been partly made over for use as rental apartments. When it first came to the attention of Officers in the latter part of 1957, Officers were unable to gain entrance for complete inspection, but their examinations from what they could see convinced them that the dilapidations required repair to make it safe for human occupancy. They posted a notice thereof on the building, first in January 1958, and later in April 1958, and still later after they had gained entrance for complete inspection through order of court, a notice dated August 13, 1958, containing 51 items of necessary repair, was given to Knapp. September 16, 1958, City filed a cross-complaint for abatement of public nuisance, hereinbefore noted.

These alleged items of defect in the apartment building, all of which were found by the court to be true, included exterior and interior plaster and stucco—the evidence showed approximately 200 square feet of plaster on walls and ceilings had actually fallen off while in other place» plaster was separated from the lath, and thus in a condition where it might fall at any time; exterior lath nails rusted through; termite damage and dry rot had severely damaged or destroyed structural members—the evidence showed this to be true at several points in foundation timbers, in some places the wood was so badly damaged that it would disintegrate under the pressure of the inspector’s fingers; fire escape ladder not secured to building—the evidence showed iron bolts attaching the ladder to the building completely rusted through; fire escape balcony improperly designed and unsafe—the evidence showed it was pulling away from the wall of the building and had sagged substantially; head room along first stair flight obstructed and too low—the evidence showed one head-clearance space on a stairway of less than 5 feet, besides obstructions that might be fatal in case of emergency or fire; transoms, stairways and certain hall doors and skylight not fire resistant; gas outlets without vents; hot-water heater improperly vented; various other specifications involved totally inadequate lighting in hallways; insufficient window area; rotten drainboard; toilet facilities in disrepair; fire hazard from debris accumulations; hazardous *675 electrical wiring; and inoperative roof drains. The judge, at the request of both parties, inspected the apartment building. This, of course, was evidence by itself sufficient to support the findings on physical defects, since, presumptively, the judge saw them.

In its judgment, the court declared the apartment building to be a public nuisance and unfit for human habitation. It enjoined the maintenance of such nuisance, ordered the repair of the building by the replacement of the structural timbers infested with fungus, dry rot and termites; support for the first floor the full length of the building; replastering of the interior walls and ceilings of the first floor, including a replastering of the north wall so as to make it one-hour fire resistant; the closing of all openings in the north wall (this wall separates the building from another building) ; reconstruction of the hazardous stair and landings to conform to existing code; reconstruction of skylight and shaft to meet code requirements; repair of fire escape and present balcony; replacement of both toilets to meet present sanitary requirements; closing of all existing openings from second floor into attic with one-hour fire resistant materials; proper vent for water heaters; replastering entire outside of building ; renailing of lath where existing nails have rusted through ; installation of exit signs; repair of roof leak and drains.

The judgment required these repairs to be commenced within 30 days and to be prosecuted continuously and diligently. Permission was given by the judgment, in lieu of such repairs, to demolish the building, commencing such demolition within 30 days. Knapp was permitted to apply to the court for an extension of time on notice and motion. She was required to secure a building permit and a use permit for the performance of said repairs.

Findings Adequate and Sufficient

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
186 Cal. App. 2d 669, 9 Cal. Rptr. 90, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1683, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/knapp-v-city-of-newport-beach-calctapp-1960.