Robinson v. Wayne & Beverly Papania & Pyrenees Investments, LLC

207 So. 3d 566
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 31, 2016
Docket2015 CA 1354
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 207 So. 3d 566 (Robinson v. Wayne & Beverly Papania & Pyrenees Investments, LLC) 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
Robinson v. Wayne & Beverly Papania & Pyrenees Investments, LLC, 207 So. 3d 566 (La. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

CHUTZ, J.

1 ¡.Appellants, Wayne and Beverly Papa-nia, appeal the dismissal of their third-party demand for breach of contract, fraud, various theories of negligence, and under the New Home Warranty Act (NHWA),1 against appellees, Pyrenees Investments, LLC (Pyrenees) and Samuel C. LeBlanc, Jr., when the trial court sustained peremptory exceptions raising the objections of no cause of action and per-emption and granted a motion for summary judgment filed by Pyrenees and Le-Blanc. We reverse in part, affirm in part, and remand.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

This multi-party litigation arises out of the Papanias’ construction of a new home in the Maple Ridge Subdivision in Coving-ton, Louisiana. On March 22, 2005, a subcontractor filed suit on an open account against the Papanias and Pyrenees, the general contractor on the project, averring entitlement to remuneration for work performed in conjunction with the construction. On August 16, 2006, along with their answer and a reconventional demand against the subcontractor, the Papanias asserted a third-party demand against Pyrenees, averring that as the general contractor, Pyrenees was liable to them for any amounts they were ordered to pay the subcontractor. Pyrenees answered the third-party demand, generally denying the Papanias’ claims.

On March 30, 2009, the Papanias amended their third-party demand against Pyrenees to claim damages, alleging that various itemized works Pyrenees had undertaken were faulty, problematic, and defective. The Papanias also averred Pyrenees was responsible for the damages they suffered as a result of remedial actions they had undertaken as well as for collateral damages. Pyrenees answered the amended third-party demand on June 5, 2009, generally denying the Papanias’ allegations.

|sOn November 4, 2009, the Papanias again amended their third-party demand. This time, they asserted claims against LeBlanc, alleging that he was the owner and sole member of Pyrenees; a unity of interest and ownership existed between LeBlanc and Pyrenees insofar as the Pa-panias construction contract; Pyrenees was the alter ego of LeBlanc; and that, as such, Pyrenees was an instrumentality for Le-Blanc’s actions. The Papanias claimed that LeBlanc had misrepresented to them that Pyrenees held a valid contractor’s license and that it carried insurance which “would cover the sorts of claims” filed in the third-party demand, thereby inducing them to enter into the construction contract. According to the amended third-party pleading, both Pyrenees and LeBlanc were liable to the Papanias for all the damages they had incurred. An answer generally denying the Papanias’ allegations was filed by Pyrenees and LeBlanc on January 21, 2010.

With less than three weeks before the scheduled trial on the merits, on November 12, 2014, Pyrenees and LeBlanc filed a peremptory exception raising the objection of no cause of action, contending that the NHWA was the exclusive remedy available to the Papanias for the claims alleged in their third-party pleadings. Pyrenees and LeBlanc filed a second peremptory exception, objecting on the basis of peremption as to the claims levied against LeBlanc in his individual capacity, urging that by November 4, 2009, when the Papanias filed their third-party demand against LeBlanc, [571]*571the time limitation for their claims, which were limited to relief under the NHWA, had elapsed. Lastly, Pyrenees and Le-Blanc sought dismissal from the lawsuit by summary judgment, maintaining that the Papanias failed to establish the requisite notice necessary to support a claim under the NHWA, which was the only viable relief available to them.

After a hearing, the trial court sustained the exception of no cause of action and dismissed “all claims not cognizable under the [NHWA] ”; sustained the exception of peremption and dismissed all claims against LeBlane; and granted | ¿summary judgment, dismissing all the remaining NHWA claims against Pyrenees and Le-Blanc. This appeal followed.2

II. NHWA

The NHWA was originally enacted in 1986 for the purpose stated in La. R.S. 9:3141:

The legislature finds a need to promote commerce in Louisiana by providing clear, concise, and mandatory warranties for the purchasers and occupants of new homes in Louisiana and by providing for the use of homeowners’ insurance as additional protection for the public against defects in the construction of new homes. This need can be met by providing a warranty for a new home purchaser defining the responsibility of the builder to that purchaser and subsequent purchasers during the warranty periods provided herein. The warranty, which is mandatory in most cases, shall apply whether or not building code regulations are in effect in the location of the structure, thereby promoting uniformity of defined building standards. Additionally, all provisions of this Chapter shall apply to any defect although there is no building standard directly regulating the defective workmanship or materials.

The NHWA’s “minimum required warranties” are set forth in La. R.S. 9:3144A, which states:

A. Subject to the exclusions provided in Subsection B of this Section, every builder warrants the following to the owner:
(1) One year following the warranty commencement date, the home will be free from any defect due to noncompliance with the building standards or due to other defects in materials or workmanship not regulated by building standards.
(2) Two years following the warranty commencement date, the plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling, and ventilating systems exclusive of any appliance, fixture, and equipment will be free from any defect due to noncompliance with the building standards or due to other defects in materials or workmanship not regulated by building standards.
(3) Five years following the warranty commencement date, the home will be free from major structural defects due to noncompliance with the building standards or due to other defects in materials or workmanship not regulated by building standards.

| flUnder the NHWA and the facts of this case, the “warranty commencement date” is the date that the home was first occupied. See La. R.S. 9:3143(7). A “builder” subject to the NHWA includes any person or limited liability company which con[572]*572structs a home. La. R.S. 9:3143(1). And an “owner” under the NHWA is defined as the initial purchaser of a home. In this appeal, it is undisputed that Pyrenees and LeBlane were “builders” and the Papanias were “owners” under the provisions of the NHWA.

III. NO CAUSE OF ACTION

On appeal, the Papanias contend the trial court erred when it dismissed all of their claims “not cognizable under the [NHWA].” They maintain they have asserted claims against Pyrenees and Le-Blanc for breach of contract, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and negligence for a statutory violation in addition to those under the NHWA.

The function of an exception of no cause of action is to test the legal sufficiency of the petition by determining whether the law affords a remedy on the facts alleged in the pleading. Everything on Wheels Subaru, Inc. v. Subaru South, Inc., 91-2708 (La. 4/12/93), 616 So.2d 1234, 1236. No evidence may be introduced to support or controvert an exception of no cause of action. La. C.C.P. art, 931.

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207 So. 3d 566, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robinson-v-wayne-beverly-papania-pyrenees-investments-llc-lactapp-2016.