Roach v. Kamath

837 So. 2d 118, 2002 WL 31927773
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 30, 2002
DocketNo. 2002-CA-1309
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 837 So. 2d 118 (Roach v. Kamath) 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
Roach v. Kamath, 837 So. 2d 118, 2002 WL 31927773 (La. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

| ¶DENNIS R. BAGNERIS, SR., Judge.

Plaintiffs, John and Jane Roach (hereinafter “Plaintiffs”), appeal the trial court’s judgment, which granted a summary judgment in favor of defendant, Riverside Court Condominium Association, Inc. For the following reasons, we affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On September 19, 2000, Plaintiffs brought the present suit for property dam[119]*119ages against Burde L. Kamath, and the Riverside Court Condominium Association Inc., (hereinafter “the Riverside Association”). Specifically, the Plaintiffs’ petition alleges, in pertinent part:

3.
John and Jane Roach are the owners of the condominium bearing the address 6220 Ackel Street, Unit 488, Metairie, Louisiana 70008. The Roach’s condominium is located on the first floor of the complex.1
4.
On information and belief, Mr. Burde L. Kamath is the owner of a condominium unit located on the second floor of the complex, immediately above the Roach’s unit and bearing the address 6220 Ackel Street, # 588, Metairie, Louisiana 70003.
The Riverside Court Condominium Association, Inc. is the condominium association whose rules and regulations govern the management of the Victorian Condominiums where the Roachs and Mr. Kamath own their condominiums.
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8.
In approximately 1997, John and Jane Roach began to notice damage at unit # 488 caused by water coming from Defendant Kamath’s condominium unit located immediately above their unit.
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10.
On numerous occasions thereafter, the Roachs approached Mr. Kamath regarding the water leaking from his unit into theirs and causing problems. On each of those occasions, Mr. Kamath advised that he would tend to the problem and remediate it.
11.
On numerous occasions, the Roachs approached the defendant Condominium Association through its agent, Garnet Gravert, the manager of the complex, and asked her about the water leaking. The defendant Condominium Association, through its agent Ms. Gravert, advised the Roachs that this was an issue between the owners, and that the Condominium Association would not get involved.
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16.
On information and belief, the damage to the Roach’s condominium unit is being caused by the poor maintenance of the common plumbing serving the condominium complex by the defendant Condominium Association and poor maintenance by Defendant Kamath of his individual unit.
17.
As a result of the leaking from above, the Roach’s condominium # 488 has suffered extensive damages requiring repair and/or replacement of flooring carpet, sheetrock, ceilings, plumbing, and other appurtenances.

In response to these allegations, the Riverside Association filed an answer, which denied the Plaintiffs’ claims. The Riverside Association’s answer further averred that “the sole, or alternatively, a contributing proximate cause of the accident made the subject of this lawsuit was [120]*120the negligence of plaintiffs for their | ^actions and/or inactions; failure of plaintiffs to mitigate their own damages; and the negligence of a third party.”

On September 26, 2001, the Riverside Association moved for summary judgment, alleging that: (1) Plaintiffs cannot factually support an essential element of their claim, namely that Riverside owned the property which allegedly caused their damages; (2) there is no genuine issue of material fact that Riverside relinquished all responsibility for interior repairs caused by common elements to the owners of the individual condominium units; and (3) there is no genuine issue of material fact regarding the fact that any claims for damages which occurred prior to September 22, 1999 or as a result of leaks which occurred prior to September 22, 1999, are prescribed. In support of this motion, the Riverside Association submitted, as exhibits, the following: (1) Plaintiffs’ petition for damages; (2) notice of limited liability dated June 6, 1995; (3) deposition excerpts of Jane Roach; (4) deposition excerpts of Daniel Roach; and (5) excerpts from the Riverside Association’s declaration.

Plaintiffs objected to the motion for summary judgment by filing a memorandum to the Riverside Association’s motion arguing that summary judgment is inappropriate because the Riverside Association has not submitted any evidence that would support a contention that it is not responsible for the repairs to the common plumbing elements. The attached exhibit included another copy of Plaintiffs’ petition for damages.

Following oral argument on the motion, the trial court rendered the judgment at issue on April 10, 2002, dismissing Plaintiffs’ suit with prejudice. Specifically, the judgment stated, in pertinent part, that the Riverside Association |4“is not responsible for the damages alleged by Plaintiffs].” No reasons for judgment were given. Plaintiffs now appeal this final judgment.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Appellate courts review the grant or denial of a motion for summary judgment de novo, using the same criteria applied by trial courts to determine whether summary judgment is appropriate. Independent Fire Ins. Co. v. Sunbeam Corp., 99-2181, p. 7 (La.2/29/00), 755 So.2d 226, 230. A summary judgment shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to material fact, and that the mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. La. C.C.P. art. 966(B). A fact is material when its existence or nonexistence may be essential to the plaintiffs cause of action under the applicable theory of recovery; a fact is material if it potentially insures or precludes recovery, affects a litigant’s ultimate success, or determines the outcome of the legal dispute. Smith v. Our Lady of the Lake Hosp., Inc., 93-2512, p. 27 (La.7/5/94), 639 So.2d 730, 751. A genuine issue is one as to which reasonable persons could disagree; if reasonable persons could reach only one conclusion, there is no need for trial on that issue and summary judgment is appropriate. Id.

The summary judgment procedure is designed to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action. La. C.C.P. art. 966(A)(2). Summary judgments are favored, and the summary judgment procedure shall be construed to accomplish those ends. Id. La. C.C.P. art. 966(C)(2) provides that where, as in the instant case, the party moving for summary judgment will not bear the burden of proof at trial, his burden does not require him to negate all essential elements of the [121]*121adverse party’s claim, but rather to point out to the court that there is an absence of | ¿factual support for one or more elements essential to the adverse party’s claim.

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Bluebook (online)
837 So. 2d 118, 2002 WL 31927773, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roach-v-kamath-lactapp-2002.