Myrick v. Clark

77 So. 2d 64, 1955 La. App. LEXIS 577
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 4, 1955
DocketNo. 8271
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 77 So. 2d 64 (Myrick v. Clark) 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
Myrick v. Clark, 77 So. 2d 64, 1955 La. App. LEXIS 577 (La. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

GLADNEY, Judge.

Earnest Owen Myrick instituted this suit on November 7, 1952, to recover the amount of a check given him by the defendant, dated November 29, 1947, drawn on the Union Bank of Marksville, Louisiana, for the sum of $145.49.

[66]*66Plaintiff alleges the check was given in payment for services to be rendered under an oral contract obligating him to move fencing, a chimney, two brick columns, some shrubbery and a butane system from a levee right-of-way granted upon part of plaintiff’s land. The defendant, Cap C. Clark, was under contract with Barber Brothers to clear the right-of-way in advance of the building of a levee. Plaintiff’s contract with the defendant contemplated defendant would first remove the building which had been occupied by plaintiff as a residence and filling station from the right-of-way and plaintiff would then for the sum of $145.49 remove the things above mentioned. Myrick alleges that shortly after the check was given to him he lost it and was unable to locate it for more than two years, and that when he presented it to the Union Bank the latter declined to pay it because of its date. The defendant thereafter refused payment and this suit was brought.

By way of defense Clark avers that although he had such an agreement with plaintiff and delivered to him the check, plaintiff failed to timely remove the improvements specified in the agreement and because of his failure to so perform, he, the defendant, was compelled to complete plaintiff’s contract. Defendant also alleges by reconventional demand that he was forced to make two trips to Bienville Parish due to plaintiff’s failure to perform his agreement and thereby he incurred expenses of $200' which he should recover, and further that he was damaged in the sum of $2,000 due to constant complaints by plaintiff to Barber Brothers who refused to give defendant any further contracts.

After the filing of defendant’s reconven-tional demand plaintiff filed first an exception of no cause or right of action leveled at the allegations constituting the recon-ventional demand, and then a plea of prescription of one year predicated on the fact that the reconventional demand was based on a tort action alleged to have arisen more than one year before suit thereon was brought. The exception and.plea of prescription were by the court referred to the merits and after trial judgment was rendered in favor of plaintiff on the principal demand and defendant’s claims under the re-conventional demand were rejected. Thus the judge a quo did not directly pass upon the exception and plea of prescription. An exception of no cause or right of action attacking plaintiff’s petition has been abandoned.

The transcript does not contain a note of evidence but only a stipulation between counsel as to the testimony given upon the trial of the case. This is permissible under Code of Practice Article 602. The stipulation is not too long and we reproduce it as it contains the evidence upon which our judgment must be based:

“1. To change a highway location, the improvements on plaintiff’s property had to be moved.
“2. Defendant had the sub-contract to move the buildings and improvements for the highway contractor, Barber Brothers, from the highway location.
“3. Defendant gave to plaintiff and signed the check which forms the basis of this suit.
“4. Plaintiff testified that he had lost this check for over two years, and when he presented same, the drawee bank turned down payment as ‘stale’; that he did not during that time contact defendant about it or ask for a duplicate; defendant never did stop payment on said check.
“5. Defendant testified that he gave the check to plaintiff to pay him to move fencing, brick columns and shrubbery from the road right-of-way and that plaintiff did not live up to his agreement; that plaintiff has made many complaints to the road contractor, Barber Brothers, in connection with the removal of his improvements; that to satisfy him, the road contractor had to pay about eight hundred dollars in cash, after which he signed a release of claims covering the road contractor and defendant in connection therewith; that this had damaged defendant’s credit and dependability as a contractor and thereafter and because [67]*67of this, Barber Brothers had refused to give him any other contracts to move buildings and improvements; that this had damaged him to the extent of $2,000.00.
“6. Plaintiff admitted signing the release above referred to but testified that defendant gave him the check in payment for services rendered and after rendition of these services; that he had performed all he was supposed to do for said check and the release signed by him was executed on the supposition that the check would be paid when presented.
“7. Plaintiff and his daughter testified that defendant had given the check to plaintiff to move shrubs, fencing and brick columns and that this had been done; the daughter had helped; that defendant’s check was given after defendant completed his work.
“8. Mr. Bogan and Mr. G. T. Gandy testified for plaintiff that they had installed a Cities Service gasoline tank and pumps at the new location to where plaintiff’s improvements had been moved; that this was done by Cities Service Oil Company at no cost to plaintiff; that these had not been moved by defendant, although improvements on land.
“9. A Mr. Kinard and Mr. Dennis Ferguson testified that they drilled a water well for plaintiff at the new location and that had been paid for by plaintiff.
“10. Three negroes, employees of defendant, Sullivan, Barron and Jacob, testified that they had had to move fencing, shrubs and brick pillars in order to move buildings; that plaintiff might have moved some of these but they had to move the biggest part.
“11. That defendant and his employees testified this job had been done by them in November; that it took about four days to one week to complete their work.
“12. None of defendant’s witnesses substantiated his allegation that he had to return to the location after he left, in order to complete any unfinished work which was supposed to be done by plaintiff; none would testify that they had returned to the location after leaving same in the’first instance.”

The first question we shall consider is whether or not there has been a failure of consideration given for the check sued upon. Plaintiff and his daughter testified that plaintiff did move the shrubs, fencing and brick columns. Other witnesses, Bogan and Gandy, testified as to relocation of the gasoline tank and pumps. Defendant does not fully deny the testimony of these witnesses but relies principally upon the statements of three of his Negro employees, Sullivan, Barron and Jacob, who said that in order to move the buildings they had to remove some of the fence and shrubs and the brick pillars and that they moved the biggest part of these items. The defendant in removing the buildings took only about four days to complete this work, which preceded the services to be rendered by plaintiff. None of defendant’s witnesses corroborated defendant’s statement he had to return and complete plaintiff’s contract after finishing the initial stage of his work.

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77 So. 2d 64, 1955 La. App. LEXIS 577, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/myrick-v-clark-lactapp-1955.