Metairie III v. Poche' Construction, Inc.

49 So. 3d 446, 2010 La.App. 4 Cir. 0353, 2010 La. App. LEXIS 1307, 2010 WL 3819033
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 29, 2010
DocketNo. 2010-CA-0353
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 49 So. 3d 446 (Metairie III v. Poche' Construction, Inc.) 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
Metairie III v. Poche' Construction, Inc., 49 So. 3d 446, 2010 La.App. 4 Cir. 0353, 2010 La. App. LEXIS 1307, 2010 WL 3819033 (La. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

EDWIN A. LOMBARD, Judge.

11Poche Construction, Inc., original defendant and third party plaintiff in the present matter, appeals a judgment of the trial court granting an exception of per-emption filed by Labiche Plumbing, Inc., third party defendant, dismissing all third party demand claims raised against them by Poche. Poche. Construction also appeals the granting of an exception of per-emption filed by third party defendant Perrin & Carter, Inc., dismissing all third party demand claims against them raised by Labiche Plumbing. For the reasons provided below, the decisions of the trial court are affirmed.

Factual and Procedural History

Metairie III is the owner and operator of Metairie Manor, an assisted living center for the aged. On September 22, 1999, Metairie III entered into a general construction contract with Poche Construction, Inc. (“Poche”), appellant, to complete an additional housing complex on the Mé-tame Manor campus. Poche Construction entered into a subcontract with Labiche Plumbing shortly thereafter, to install the building’s plumbing system and under-slab plumbing. Labiche Plumbing then entered into a subcontract with Perrin & Carter, an'architectural and design firm, to provide the design specifications for the plumbing system. The | ^addition was completed with Metairie III taking acceptance on March 28, 2001, and the Owner’s Acceptance of Work was filed in court on April 2, 2001.

On July 24, 2002, a resident in Unit E107 complained of grease build-up and sewerage backup problems in the toilet line in her apartment. A technician from Earl’s Plumbing Service ran a camera line into the sewer lines and noted a “small sag and grease build up,” but that the line “appeared good” after service. On February 4, 2003, a separate unit resident complained that her shower stall was clogged. The following month, unit E107 allegedly experienced more sewerage back-up problems.

In May 2003, Christopher Homes, Inc., notified the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the owner of Metairie Manor, outlining in a letter numerous attempts to resolve the plumbing and sewerage back-up problems. By June 2003, it had become necessary for the Archdiocese to obtain a quote from a different plumbing service to examine and excavate drain services and check drainage connections to city sewerage drains. By August 13, 2003, a quote from Gootee Services on the proposed drainage work had been provided.

On March 21, 2006, Metairie III filed suit against Poche Construction, Inc., alleging that as the general contractor, Poche failed to properly construct a housing complex. Specifically, Metairie III alleged that the under-slab sewer system of the housing complex was not constructed properly nor in accordance with their construction contract. Metairie III seeks damages under the contract and damages for corrective and remedial work done. On September 28, 2007, Poche filed a third party demand petition against Labiche Plumbing, Inc. On March 12, 2008, La-biche filed a third party demand claim against Perrin & Carter for their alleged role in the specifications and design of the plumbing system. Poche Construction | Shas only filed a third party demand against Labiche, and has not filed any claims against defendant Perrin & Carter in this matter.

On May 23, 2008, Perrin & Carter filed an exception of peremption to dismiss the claims of Labiche Plumbing against it. On August 1, 2008, the district court granted Perrin & Carter’s exception of peremption. Labiche Plumbing appealed the decision, and .this Court reversed on the grounds [449]*449that neither party had properly and officially introduced any evidence at the hearing on the exception of peremption. Metairie III v. Poche Construction, Inc., et al., 2009-0015 (La.App. 4 Cir. 7/1/09), 11 So.3d 1248.

On August 25, 2009, Perrin & Carter again filed an exception of peremption in the district court, alleging the applicability of a five-year peremptive period pertaining to suits against engineers and architects under La.Rev.Stat. § 9:5607. Labiche Plumbing did not oppose, and on September 18, 2009, Labiche Plumbing filed its own exception of peremption, on the grounds that Poche Construction’s claims should be dismissed under the five-year peremptive period provided for in La.Rev. Stat. § 9:2772. At the November 13, 2009 hearing on the exceptions of peremption, the district court granted both exceptions. A written judgment granting Perrin & Carter’s exception of peremption and dismissing all. claims against it was signed on November 24, 2009. A written judgment granting Labiche Plumbing’s exception of peremption was signed on December 9, 2009. Poche Construction, Inc. now timely appeals these two judgments to this Court. Standard of Review

A judgment granting a peremptory exception is reviewed de novo, because the exception raises a legal question, and an appellate court is to determine, whether in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, and with every doubt resolved |4in the plaintiffs behalf, the petition states any valid cause of action for relief. In re Tutorship of Washington, 2004-0465, p. 4 (La.App. 4 Cir. 7/20/05), 913 So.2d 165, 168.

When an exception of prescription is filed, ordinarily, the burden of proof is on the party pleading prescription or per-emption. However, when prescription or peremption is evident on the face of the pleadings, the burden shifts to the plaintiff to show the action has not been perempt-ed. Rando v. Anco Insulations, Inc., 2008-1163, p. 20 (La.5/22/09), 16 So.3d 1065, 1082.

Appellate courts review peremptory exceptions by reviewing the entire record to “determine whether the trial court was manifestly erroneous with its factual conclusions.” Patriot American Hospitality Partnership, LP v. Mississippi Land Holdings, Inc., 2006-0601, p. 3 (La.App. 4 Cir. 12/13/06), 948 So.2d 249, 251, citing Roadhouse Bar-B-Que, Inc. v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyds, 2004-1697, p. 5 (La.App. 3 Cir. 5/4/05), 909 So.2d 619, 623.

Peremption

Peremption is a period of time fixed by law for the existence of a right. Unless timely exercised, the right is extinguished upon the expiration of the per-emptive period. La. Civ.Code art. 3458. The function of the peremptory exception is to have the plaintiffs action declared legally nonexistent, or barred by effect of law, and hence this exception tends to dismiss or defeat the action. La.Code Civ. Proc. art. 923. When the peremptive period has run, the cause of action itself is extinguished unless timely exercised. An exception of peremption is rightfully included in the nonexclusive list of peremptory exceptions provided in La.Code Civ. Proc. art. 927. Wong v. Hoffman, 2005-1483, p. 8 (La.App. 4 Cir. 11/7/07), 973 So.2d 4, 15-16; Rando, supra, p. 20, 16 So.3d at 1082. A ^peremptory exception may be raised at any stage of the proceeding in the trial court prior to the submission of the case for a decision. La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 928(B).

La. Civ.Code art. 3500 provides that “[a]n action against a contractor or an architect on account of defects of construe

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49 So. 3d 446, 2010 La.App. 4 Cir. 0353, 2010 La. App. LEXIS 1307, 2010 WL 3819033, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/metairie-iii-v-poche-construction-inc-lactapp-2010.