Shirley v. Smith

758 So. 2d 241, 99 La.App. 3 Cir. 1281, 2000 La. App. LEXIS 147, 2000 WL 136094
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 2, 2000
DocketNo. 99-1281
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 758 So. 2d 241 (Shirley v. Smith) 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
Shirley v. Smith, 758 So. 2d 241, 99 La.App. 3 Cir. 1281, 2000 La. App. LEXIS 147, 2000 WL 136094 (La. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

laGREMILLION, Judge.

The defendant, Bobby Smith d/b/a “The Spot” (Smith), appeals a judgment terminating a lease between him and the plaintiffs, Robert and Jacqueline Shirley, and [242]*242evicting him from the leased premises. For the following reasons, we reverse the judgment.

FACTS

Smith operated “The Spot” lounge in premises he leased from Ross Investments, Inc.- The Shirleys own and operate “Frozen Spirits,” a lounge which is located adjacent to and north of “The Spot.” In July 1996, after obtaining approval from the State Fire Marshall, Smith began the construction ■ of additional bathrooms for “The Spot.” However, after pouring the concrete for the addition, Robert complained to Richard Ross, the president of Ross Investments, and the State Fire Marshall that the plumbing was not being performed by a licensed plumber nor was it up to code, and that the construction was being performed on his property and was |3causing his building to flood during rainy weather. On October 16, 1996, Smith obtained a survey showing the property line between the Shirleys’ property and his leased property. The survey depicts the concrete slab extending out seven foot six inches from the north side -of “The Spot” and within the property line. Smith stopped construction of the addition upon request of Ross, who was negotiating the sale of the property to the Shirleys.

Prior to purchasing the property, the Shirleys sent a demand letter to Smith requesting proof of a valid state/city liquor license, liability/contents insurance policies, and a tax clearance certificate. The letter, dated April 7, 1997, further demanded that Smith remove the concrete slab and all work materials pertaining to construction of the addition and that the work be performed by a license contractor to prevent Frozen Spirits from flooding during rainy weather. Robert ended the letter by stating that Smith would be in direct violation of his lease if these demands were not met within the time frame stated in the lease. The sale of the property .from Ross Investments to the Shirleys was not perfected until April 24,1997.

The Shirleys again made demand upon Smith on May 9,1997, and further ordered him to remove the partially completed construction and to divert water from “Frozen Spirits.” The Shirleys gave Smith thirty days to comply with them demands or he would be in direct violation of the lease, resulting in its termination. On May 18, 1997, Smith responded to the Shirleys, requesting proof that they were his landlords and stating that he would have his insurance agent send them proof of his insurance policy.

On May 26, 1997, the Shirleys notified Smith that if he did not comply with their earlier demand letter by June 16, 1997, he would be in direct violation of [ 4his lease and the lease would be terminated. Thereafter, Robert notified the Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) and the Office of Public Health that water was flooding his building as a result of Smith’s construction and that “The Spot” did not have adequate restroom facilities. Following an inspection on July 17, 1997, DHH notified Smith that “The Spot” violated the Louisiana State Sanitary Code because it only had a urinal, instead of a commode, in the men’s restroom. In a September 8, 1997 letter, the Shirleys’ attorney ordered Smith to remove the concrete slab and restore the ditch between the two properties within five days of receipt of the letter. It further stated that the Shirleys had discussed with Smith “several violation of codes with regard to your structure. Pursuant to your lease, it is incumbent on you to bring the structure up to code, and your failure to bring such structure up to code has resulted in the cancellation of your lease for breach of contract.” The letter gave Smith ten days to vacate the premises or a lawsuit would be filed.

Following a second inspection of “The Spot” on October 9, 1997, a semi-formal meeting was held between Smith and the representatives of the Office of Public Health concerning the continuing violation of “The Spot.” Smith agreed to construct new restrooms in order to bring “The [243]*243Spot” up to code and this agreement was reduced to writing and signed by Smith and Larry Amburg, the Sanitarian Regional Director Region VI for the Office of Public Health. The agreement stated that Smith would perform the construction if authorization was obtained from Robert.

On November 10, 1997, the Shirleys filed a Rule to Terminate and to Evict, seeking to terminate Smith’s lease for the following violations of his lease:

a. Failing to provide proof of content and liability insurance.
b. Failing to provide proof that all property taxes have been |spaid to date.
c. Failing to provide copies of current state and local liquor licenses.
d. Failing to remove all trash around the business known as The Spot.
e. Installing concrete and pipes on the North side of the building to install a restroom that fails to meet existing health and building codes.
f. Failing to remove said concrete and pipe, thereby causing draining problems to contiguous properties.

The Shirleys also sought reasonable attorney’s fees as provided in the lease agreement. Denying that he violated the terms of the lease, Smith reconvened alleging that the Shirleys had interfered with his peaceable possession of the leased premises, that they had harassed him and placed impossible conditions on him, and he sought damages for harassment, inconvenience, and mental anguish, and attorney’s fees.

Following a trial on the merits, the trial court issued written reasons for judgment finding in favor of the Shirleys. The trial court found that the lease required Smith to meet all state and local building codes when performing renovations or construction on “The Spot.” The trial court further held that the Southern Building Code was applicable to “The Spot” and that it required a ten foot space between buildings. The trial court found that the addition encroached by seven feet into the ten foot space between “The Spot” and “Frozen Spirits,” resulting in a violation of the code. The trial court further held that “The Spot” was in violation of the state code requiring adequate restroom facilities and plumbing. Since Smith failed to comply with the term of the lease requiring all renovations or construction meet state and local building codes, the trial court held that the Shirleys were entitled to terminate the | filease.

Smith appealed suspensively from this judgment, however, in an unpublished opinion, this court converted the appeal to a devolutive appeal upon a finding that Smith failed to raise an affirmative defense in his answer. Shirley v. Smith d/b/a “The Spot,” 98-691 (La.App. 3 Cir. 6/29/98); 716 So.2d 194. Additionally, in an unpublished opinion, this matter was remanded for the limited purpose of retaking the testimony of witnesses since the courtroom microphones had malfunctioned, rendering their testimony inaudible. Shirley v. Smith d/b/a “The Spot,” 98-691 (La.App. 3 Cir. 2/3/99); 735 So.2d 135. The court also held that Smith did not breach the lease provision requiring he provide the Shirleys with proof of liability insurance since the evidence showed that he had complied with that provision. In further discussing the record, we stated:

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Bluebook (online)
758 So. 2d 241, 99 La.App. 3 Cir. 1281, 2000 La. App. LEXIS 147, 2000 WL 136094, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shirley-v-smith-lactapp-2000.