Palmer v. Benson Toyota Co.

641 So. 2d 547, 93 La.App. 5 Cir. 1059, 1994 La. App. LEXIS 1789, 1994 WL 226846
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 31, 1994
DocketNo. 93-CA-1059
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 641 So. 2d 547 (Palmer v. Benson Toyota Co.) 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
Palmer v. Benson Toyota Co., 641 So. 2d 547, 93 La.App. 5 Cir. 1059, 1994 La. App. LEXIS 1789, 1994 WL 226846 (La. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

JiKLIEBERT, Chief Judge.

In this redhibitory action, plaintiff, Julie Palmer, appeals a judgment rescinding the sale of a used automobile.

FACTS

On July 28, 1987, plaintiff purchased a used 1985 Peugeot Model 505 automobile from the defendant, Benson Toyota Company, Inc. (seller) for the sum of $9,676.00. In payment she conveyed to defendant a trade-in vehicle valued at $1,800.00 and a third party lender financed the balance at 15% interest, to be paid in 35 payments of $233.51 each and one final payment of all remaining principal and accrued interest. At the time of the purchase, the automobile’s odometer reading was 14,839 miles and there were two visible scratches or paint defects on the car— one near the junction of the trunk and top portion of the vehicle and the other on the rear right hand door of the vehicle. The defendant agreed to “touch up” the two paint scratches. In addition, a key to lock the trunk of the car was not available.

The vehicle was purchased “as is" and without any ivarranty. Within one week after the purchase, the seller bonded and repainted the two paint-defect areas. The plaintiff used the vehicle for business while residing in Louisiana and did not have any problems with the car until after she moved to the State of Virginia in ^February, 1988. While in Virginia, the paint cracks began to re-appear and plaintiff attempted to trade in the vehicle. An inspection of the vehicle revealed that the car had been wrecked and the frame of the chassis was bent. Not [549]*549being able to trade the car in and being concerned about the safety of driving the car, the plaintiff contacted her father, who lived in Louisiana.

Plaintiffs father went to Virginia in the spring of 1988 and drove the car back to Louisiana. From that point, plaintiff used public transportation until she purchased another vehicle six months later.

Plaintiffs father, an attorney, continued to drive the car. He obtained an estimate from Benson Nissan, Inc. for repairs to the car at a cost of $957.19. At that point, the mileage on the vehicle was recorded as 37,271 miles. The defendant refused to repair the car. On July 27, 1988, plaintiffs father obtained another estimate for repairs from Benson Jeep Eagle at a cost of $1,156.99 and tendered the car to the defendant for repairs. When the defendant refused to repair the vehicle, plaintiff filed suit on July 28, 1988.

On September 13, 1989, plaintiffs father obtained another estimate for the repairs from George Molinary’s, a body shop, at a cost of $2,992.46. On September 27,1989, he sent a letter to defendant’s counsel regarding the repair estimate. Defendant’s counsel instructed plaintiffs father to bring the car to Benson Jeep Eagle’s body shop to be photographed and inspected. The car was photographed on March 29, 1990, at which time the odometer reading was 101,203 miles. Plaintiffs father left the car at the body shop. At some point thereafter, the car disappeared and could not be located. Plaintiff later filed an insurance theft claim for the loss of the car.

After considering the testimony and documentary evidence presented at trial, the district court rescinded the sale and awarded plaintiff the purchase price of the vehicle plus sales and finance charges in the amount of $12,244.06 together with $150.00 for storage insurance and $1,131.17 for repair charges for a total |gof $13,525.23, less a credit of $12,954.60 ($.15 per mile for 86,364 miles) for use of the automobile. The judgment further awarded plaintiff damages in the amount of $1,200.00 for the salvage value of the vehicle at the time of its loss.

Plaintiff appeals the judgment and the defendant has answered the appeal. Plaintiff claims that the trial court erred in (1) finding the defendant to be a good faith seller, (2) denying her claim for non-pecuniary damages and attorney’s fees, (3) failing to award legal interest from date of judicial demand, and (4) granting credit to defendant for use of the vehicle. Plaintiff further asserts that the defendant should be assessed damages for defendant’s alleged frivolous assertion of claims for relief on appeal.

In its answer to the appeal, defendant asserts that the trial court erred in (1) finding that plaintiff did not purchase the automobile without a warranty, (2) finding that the plaintiff met her burden of proving that a redhibitory vice existed that rendered the car useless for its intended purpose, (3) finding that plaintiff proved that the defect in the automobile existed at the time of the sale, (4) finding that plaintiff tendered the vehicle to defendant for repairs, (5) awarding plaintiff damages for storage, salvage, and repair costs, and (6) failing to award defendant legal interest on the credit for plaintiffs use of the automobile.

MOTION TO STRIKE

Plaintiff has filed in this Court a motion to strike the defendant’s answer to plaintiffs appeal. Plaintiff argues that the defendant filed its answer to the plaintiffs appeal with the trial court after the trial court granted plaintiffs appeal and, therefore, the trial court lacked jurisdiction regarding the defendant’s answer to the appeal. Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 2088 provides in pertinent part:

“The jurisdiction of the trial court over all matters in the ease reviewable under the appeal is divested, and that of the appellate court attaches, ... on the granting of an order of appeal, in the ease of a devolutive appeal. Thereafter, the trial court has | Jurisdiction in the ease only over those matters not reviewable under the appeal, including the right to:
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[550]*550(6) Grant an appeal to another party,

Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 2133(A) provides:

“A. An appellee shall not be obliged to answer the appeal unless he desires to have the judgment modified, revised, or reversed in part or unless he demands damages against the appellant. In such cases, he must file an answer to the appeal, stating the relief demanded, not later than fifteen days after the return day or the lodging of the record whichever is later. The answer filed by the appellee shall be equivalent to an appeal on his part from any portion of the judgment rendered against him in favor of the appellant and of which he complains in his answer. Additionally, however, an appellee may by answer to the appeal, demand modification, revision, or reversal of the judgment insofar as it did not allow or consider relief prayed for by an incidental action filed in the trial court. If an appellee files such an answer, all other parties to the incidental demand may file similar answers within fifteen days of the appellee’s action.”

The record shows that plaintiff obtained an order for a devolutive appeal on September 27,1993 and defendant filed its answer in the trial court, with leave, on September 29, 1993.

LSA-C.C.P. Article 2133 mandates that an answer to an appeal must be filed not later than fifteen days after the return date or the lodging of the record. There is no- requirement under Article 2133 that the answer to the appeal be filed in the appellate court. Brouillette v. Consolidated Const. Co., 411 So.2d 598 (La.App. 1st Cir.1982). The answer to the appeal is equivalent to an appeal and the trial court retains jurisdiction under LSA-C.C.P. Article 2088 to grant an appeal to another party after one party obtains an order of appeal.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
641 So. 2d 547, 93 La.App. 5 Cir. 1059, 1994 La. App. LEXIS 1789, 1994 WL 226846, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/palmer-v-benson-toyota-co-lactapp-1994.