Montes v. Naismith and Trevino Construction Co.

459 S.W.2d 691, 1970 Tex. App. LEXIS 1942
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 24, 1970
Docket542
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 459 S.W.2d 691 (Montes v. Naismith and Trevino Construction Co.) 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
Montes v. Naismith and Trevino Construction Co., 459 S.W.2d 691, 1970 Tex. App. LEXIS 1942 (Tex. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

OPINION

SHARPE, Justice.

This suit was brought by appellee, Naismith and Trevino, a corporation, to re *692 cover $3835.36 for labor performed and materials furnished on the homestead of appellant Abraham Montes (sometimes referred to as Abe Montez), for attorney’s fees and foreclosure of lien. After non-jury trial, judgment was rendered for ap-pellee in the amount of $1760.00 expressly based upon quantum meruit plus attorney’s fees of $550.00. Appellee waived its claim for foreclosure of lien because it was undisputed that no written contract had been entered into prior to furnishing of the labor and materials in question. The trial court filed findings of fact and conclusions of law.

Appellant asserts six points of error. Points one through five contend that the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support findings of fact numbers 6, 15, 16, 17 and 18. The remaining findings are not challenged. Point six asserts that the court erred in its conclusions of law because as a matter of law appellant was entitled to judgment under the undisputed facts.

We have concluded that reversible error is not presented by appellant’s points and that the judgment should be affirmed.

The evidence introduced on the trial of the case consisted of the testimony of four witnesses and a number of exhibits, including records of the labor and material furnished by appellee. The testimony of two witnesses related only to the question of attorney’s fees. The remaining two witnesses were appellant Montes and Eben H. Trevino, president of appellee corporation.

The background facts may be briefly stated as follows. Appellant, Montes, and one Abdon Perez, during or about the month of August, 1968, conducted oral negotiations for Perez to furnish labor and material and make certain improvements on the home of Montes for the amount of $3560.00. A written agreement was never executed by the parties, and in such connection Montes testified as follows:

“Q So then Mr. Perez entered upon this job based upon some oral agreement that you and he had but not based upon any written agreement that you and he had?
A No, there was never an agreement on account that when he did bring it down in writing he had left several of the agreed construction things that was supposed to have been performed off and he always took the contract back to complete this in the contract and he never did.”

Perez arranged for appellee Naismith and Trevino to do the work on the job. After being paid $1800.00 by Montes, Perez withdrew from the transaction. Appellee furnished labor and materials to Montes of the reasonable value of $3835.36, for which amount demand was made and suit thereafter brought against him. The judgment of the trial court in favor of appellee for $1760.00 represents the difference between $3560.00, the price orally agreed upon by Montes and Perez for the work to be done, and the amount of $1800.00 paid by Montes to Perez.

The twenty-one findings of fact and two conclusions of law made by the trial court read as follows:

"I. FINDINGS OF FACT
1. At all relevant times, Naismith and Trevino Construction Company, is a Texas Corporation engaged in general contracting business in and around Corpus Christi, Texas.
2. Abdon Perez was an individual doing business as Perez Construction and Re-modeling Company who orally agreed to perform certain home improvements for the Defendant, Abe Montez.
3. That Perez and Montez agreed upon a price for the work of $3,560.00.
4. Montez paid Perez the sum of $1,-800.00 only during the course of the work.
*693 5. Perez contacted the Plaintiff, Naismith and Trevino, and arranged for it to furnish all of the labor and materials in the prosecution of the job which Naismith and Trevino did.
6. That prior to Naismith and Trevino’s completion of the job Perez withdrew from any further contact with the job.
7. That Perez did not pay Plaintiff, Naismith and Trevino, any money for their labor and materials.
8. That Plaintiff, Naismith and Trevino, furnished labor and materials to Defendant, Montez at and on his residence of the reasonable value in Nueces County, Texas, of $3,835.36.
9. That Plaintiff, Naismith and Trevino, substantially completed the work assigned them.
10. That Plaintiff, Naismith and Trevino, satisfactorily completed the work assigned them.
11. That materials and labor furnished by Naismith and Trevino to and on the residence of Defendant Montez were used and enjoyed and are presently used and enjoyed by Montez.
12. That the improvements and labor furnished by Naismith and Trevino enhanced the Defendants residence in at least the sum of $3,835.36.
13. That labor and materials furnished by Naismith and Trevino to and on Defendants residence were accepted by the Defendant.
14. That of the price of $3,560.00 Mon-tez owed a balance of $1,760.00 which he was aware of.
15. That Montez accepted the labor and materials of Naismith and Trevino knowing that their value exceeded what he had paid Perez by at least the sum of $1,760.00.
16. That Montez knew Naismith and Trevino had not been paid any money by Perez.
17. That Montez knew, or reasonably should have known that Naismith and Trevino expected to be paid for their services by Montez in light of the abandonment by Perez.
18. That Naismith and Trevino continued working with the full knowledge and consent of Montez after Perez had left the job.
19. That Naismith and Trevino looked to Montez for payment, if not of their total bill, for at least the sum of $1,760.00.
20. That Naismith and Trevino were reasonable in their expectations of payment by Montez.
21. Naismith and Trevino invoiced Montez on the termination of their work, 11-29-68.
11. CONCLUSIONS OF LAW
1. Plaintiff, Naismith and Trevino, should recover from the Defendant Montez the sum of $1,760.00 which constitutes a difference between the agreed price of $3,560.00 and $1,800.00 actually paid by Defendant thereof.
2. Plaintiffs Naismith and Trevino should recover reasonable attorney’s fees in the amount of $560.00.”

Appellant’s six points are briefed together. There is no separate statement or argument under any one of them. References are made to the Statement of Facts in but two paragraphs of appellant’s brief and such references are not specifically related to any particular point of error.

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Bluebook (online)
459 S.W.2d 691, 1970 Tex. App. LEXIS 1942, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/montes-v-naismith-and-trevino-construction-co-texapp-1970.