Laborde v. Dastugue

868 So. 2d 228, 2004 WL 389437
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 25, 2004
Docket2003-CA-1491
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 868 So. 2d 228 (Laborde v. Dastugue) 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
Laborde v. Dastugue, 868 So. 2d 228, 2004 WL 389437 (La. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

868 So.2d 228 (2004)

Davy P. LABORDE, Jr. and Lisa Marie Laborde
v.
Quentin D. DASTUGUE, Penny Matherne Dastugue, Jack Lehman Sternberg, Glynis Elizabeth Schmolke d/b/a S.H. Bremen Company, Tommy Crane and Tommy Crane, Inc.

No. 2003-CA-1491.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

February 25, 2004.
Rehearing Denied March 16, 2004.

*230 Davy P. Laborde, Law Firm of Davy P. Laborde, New Orleans, LA, for Plaintiffs/Appellants, Davy P. Laborde, Jr. and Lisa Marie Laborde.

Lura Lisa Wall, The Wall Law Firm, River Ridge, LA, for Defendants/Appellees, Tommy Crane, Inc. and St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company.

Richard P. Richter, Christopher C. Chocheles, Terri B. Loughlin, Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein Mcalister & Hilbert, L.L.C., New Orleans, LA, for Defendants/Appellees, Quentin D. Dastugue and Penny Matherne Dastugue.

(Court composed of Judge MICHAEL E. KIRBY, Judge TERRI F. LOVE, Judge LEON A. CANNIZZARO, JR.)

LEON A. CANNIZZARO, JR., Judge.

This case involves an appeal by the plaintiffs from the trial court's granting of summary judgments in favor of certain defendants stemming from a real estate transaction.

STATEMENT OF FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Tommy Crane, a real estate agent, listed for sale property located at 425 Central Avenue in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The property was owned by Quentin D. Dastugue and his wife, Penny Matherne Dastugue. It was leased to Jack Sternberg, and his wife, Glyniss Schmolke *231 Sternberg, who were tenants in the property at the time it was listed. The Sternbergs had made a written offer to purchase the property, which the Dastugues accepted. The Sternbergs, however, were unable to obtain financing, and they were unable to purchase the property at that time.

Approximately four months later, Mr. Laborde contacted Mr. Crane after receiving a sales brochure describing the property. The Labordes submitted to the Dastugues, through Mr. Crane, a written agreement containing a ninety-day option to purchase the property. After some negotiation, an option agreement, which gave the Labordes the exclusive right to purchase the property within ninety days, was signed by the Dastugues and the Labordes. The option contained a provision giving the Labordes the right to sell, assign, or transfer to a third party their rights under the option, and it also contained a provision prohibiting the Dastugues from taking any "steps to unduly delay, deny, thwart, or unreasonably interfere with the Purchaser's [the Labordes'] exercise of the Option." When they signed the option, the Labordes paid to the Dastugues, through Mr. Crane, a non-refundable deposit in the amount of $1,000.

The option provided that "[w]ithin 10 days following the execution of this Agreement, Purchaser shall inspect the Property and if Purchaser elects to proceed with the Option Agreement, Purchaser shall pay the $20,000 balance of the Option payment." Although the Labordes did have an inspection of the property made by a professional home inspector, they paid the balance of the option payment before the inspection began.

After the Labordes had paid the entire amount of the option payment, they received a written report of the results of the inspection of the property. The report disclosed that although the sales brochure given to the Labordes by Mr. Crane stated that the property was located on an acre and a half lot with 4,400 square feet of living area in "excellent condition", the property actually was located on a lot measuring only three-fourths of an acre, the living space was 1,000 square feet less than was stated in the brochure, and there were major concerns about the condition of the roof and certain other aspects of the house. Mr. Crane explained that the discrepancy in the square footage was a result of different measuring techniques being used. The sales brochure also contained the following disclaimer:

The information supplied herein while not guaranteed is from sources we believe reliable. It is subject to errors, omissions .... The Real Estate board contract allows a buyer a 10 day inspection period to verify all information contained herein and we highly recommend all buyers to do so. To avoid reliance on information which could be erroneous, it is highly recommended that any purchaser provide for an inspection period in the purchase agreement to allow for verification of all information contained herein. (Emphasis added.)

Mr. Laborde is an attorney, and he advised Mr. Crane that his exercise of the option was dependent upon a favorable result in a case that was on appeal. He told Mr. Crane that if the final outcome in the case were favorable, he and his wife would purchase the property. If not, they would assign their rights under the option agreement to a third party.

A few weeks after the option agreement was executed, Mr. Laborde advised Mr. Crane that because he was concerned about the results of the inspection of the property and because the lawsuit on appeal had not yet been resolved, he intended *232 to assign his rights under the option so that he could recoup the money that he had paid to the Dastugues. Mr. Crane told Mr. Laborde that the Sternbergs remained interested in purchasing the property and suggested that Mr. Laborde contact them. Mr. Crane received no compensation for putting the parties in contact with each other, and he contends that he did this solely as a courtesy to the Labordes.

Mr. Sternberg advised Mr. Laborde that he was obtaining the financing necessary to purchase the property and that he and his wife wanted to purchase the Labordes' rights under the option. Although the Labordes contend that Mr. Sternberg and Mr. Crane repeatedly assured them that the Sternbergs' financing was approved, that they were going to purchase the property, and that they would purchase the Labordes' option, a formal sale of the option was never consummated. In fact, the Labordes claim that the Dastugues, acting through Mr. Crane, assured them that if the Sternbergs did not purchase the option from the Labordes, the Dastugues would evict the Sternbergs from the property. Nine days after the option expired, however, Mrs. Sternberg purchased the property from the Dastugues.

The Labordes brought the instant suit against the Dastugues, the Sternbergs, Mr. Crane, and Mr. Crane's company, Tommy Crane, Inc., alleging that these parties conspired to misrepresent material facts regarding the size, condition, and value of the property for the purpose of gaining unjust enrichment. The Labordes also alleged that the parties were liable for tortious interference with a contract and for breach of contract.

The original petition was amended twice. The first amendment to the petition supplemented the original petition by asking not only for damages but also for the rescission of the sale of the property to the Sternbergs and the reinstatement of the option. The second amendment to the petition added St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, the insurer for Mr. Crane and his company, as a defendant.

Mr. Crane, Tommy Crane, Inc., and St. Paul Insurance Company filed a motion for summary judgment. The Dastugues also filed a motion for summary judgment. Both motions were heard, and summary judgment was granted in favor of Mr. Crane, Tommy Crane, Inc., St. Paul Insurance Company, and the Dastugues. The Labordes' claims against these defendants were dismissed with prejudice. The Labordes are now appealing the granting of the summary judgments and the dismissal of the parties from this case with prejudice.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
868 So. 2d 228, 2004 WL 389437, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/laborde-v-dastugue-lactapp-2004.