Superior Wall and Paver, LLC v. Pamela E. Gacek and Mark R. Gacek.

73 So. 3d 714, 2011 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 135, 2011 WL 2279215
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Alabama
DecidedJune 10, 2011
Docket2090967
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 73 So. 3d 714 (Superior Wall and Paver, LLC v. Pamela E. Gacek and Mark R. Gacek.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Superior Wall and Paver, LLC v. Pamela E. Gacek and Mark R. Gacek., 73 So. 3d 714, 2011 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 135, 2011 WL 2279215 (Ala. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

BRYAN, Judge.

Superior Wall and Paver, LLC (“Superi- or”), the plaintiff/counterdefendant below, appeals from a judgment in favor of Pamela E. Gacek and Mark R. Gacek, the defendants/counterplaintiffs below. We affirm.

Procedural History

On March 16, 2007, Superior sued the Gaceks. Superior alleged that it and the Gaceks had entered into a contract (“the contract”) for Superior to prepare and install concrete pavers at the Gaceks’ residence, that Superior had performed its obligations under the contract, that the *716 Gaceks had not paid Superior $14,350 1 of the money it was due under the contract, and that Superior had recorded a verified statement of lien against the Gaceks’ property. Based on those allegations, Superior claimed that the Gaceks had breached the contract by failing to pay Superior $14,350 of the money it was due under the contract, that the Gaceks owed Superior $14,350 for work and labor Superior had performed, and that Superior was entitled to the perfection of its lien against the Gaceks’ property.

Filing an answer and counterclaim, the Gaceks denied that they were liable to Superior and asserted that Superior was liable to them because, the Gaceks said, they had paid Superior more than the contract price, Superior had improperly attempted to increase the price after beginning the job because it had made an error in calculating the amount of material needed to complete the job, Superior had not properly installed the pavers, Superior had not complied with the design agreed upon, Superior had not used the quality of materials agreed upon, Superior had not completed the work agreed upon, and Superior had not performed its work in a good and workmanlike manner. In their counterclaim, the Gaceks stated claims of breach of contract, negligence, wantonness, fraudulent misrepresentation, and slander of title. Answering the Gaceks’ counterclaim, Superior denied that it was liable to the Gaceks. The Gaceks subsequently amended their answer to assert an additional affirmative defense and amended their counterclaim to seek damages for mental anguish allegedly caused by Superior’s breaching the contract and its negligence. Answering the Gaceks’ amended counterclaim, Superior denied that it was liable to the Gaceks.

On February 23, 2010, Superior moved for a partial summary judgment “as to [the Gaceks’] Counterclaims for Wantonness, Fraudulent Misrepresentation, and Slander of Title and [the Gaceks’] claims for emotional and/or mental damages.”

On February 26, 2010, the parties participated in mediation. As a result of the mediation, the parties entered into a written agreement (“the mediation agreement”), which provided, in pertinent part:

“The parties mediated the ... action on February 26, 2010 ... and reached the following settlement agreement:
“1. [Superior] will execute a Release and Indemnity Agreement in favor of the [Gaceks] in exchange for payment of the sum of $20,000 to [Superior] from [the Gaceks]. One-half of this amount ($10,000) will be paid by the [Gaceks] to [Superior] after the scope of work is agreed upon by the parties as described in Paragraph 4 herein. After the work is complete, [Superior] will provide [the Gaceks’] counsel a Certificate of Completion. Upon providing this Certificate of Completion, [the Gaceks] will pay [Superior] the remaining one-half ($10,000) within seven (7) days.
“2. [Superior] agrees to take all necessary action and file all papers necessary to remove all liens that have been filed against the [Gaceks’] home within ten (10) days of the scope of work being agreed upon by the parties as contemplated in Paragraph 4.
“3. In exchange for payment of $6,000 to [the Gaceks] by American Resources Insurance Company, the [Ga-ceks] agree to dismiss with prejudice all counterclaims they have filed against [Superior], including all claims for personal injury, mental anguish and emotional distress. This payment must be *717 made on the same date as the initial $10,000 payment is made by the [Ga-ceks] to [Superior].
“4. [Superior] agrees to repair all sunken or depressed areas in the subject driveway in accordance with the Sims Stone Interlocking Concrete Paver Product Information Typical Installation Standards provided to [the Gaceks] with the 2/8/06 Proposal. All material is guaranteed to be as specified. All work to be completed in a professional manner according to industry standard practices. The square footage of the areas to be repaired must be agreed upon by all parties within 14 days from the date of this Agreement. Otherwise, the Settlement Agreement is void. Any repairs agreed upon herein will be performed by [Superior] within 80 days after the date of the agreed upon areas for repair are determined.
“5. [Superior] agrees to install a French drain from the carport to the street within 30 days after the date that the agreed upon areas for repair of the driveway in Paragraph No. 4 are determined.”

On March 9, 2010, Superior moved to enforce the mediation agreement. Following a hearing, the trial court denied that motion on March 10, 2010.

On March 15, 2010, the trial court held a bench trial at which it received evidence ore tenus. On March 19, 2010, the trial court entered two judgments. One of those judgments granted Superior’s partial-summary-judgment motion “as to the [Gaceks’] claims for Wantonness, Fraud, and Slander of Title” but did not grant it as to the Gaceks’ “claims for emotional and/or mental damages.” The other judgment (“the second March 19, 2010, judgment”) found in favor of the Gaceks with respect to their counterclaims of breach of contract and negligence and awarded the Gaceks damages in the amount of $60,500. Neither of the judgments entered by the trial court expressly adjudicated Superior’s claims against the Gaceks.

On April 16, 2010, Superior filed a post-judgment motion, which the trial court denied on April 20, 2010. Superior then timely appealed to the supreme court, which transferred the appeal to this court pursuant to § 12-2-7(6), Ala.Code 1975.

Because neither of the two written judgments entered by the trial court on March 19, 2010, expressly adjudicated Superior’s claims against the Gaceks, we remanded the action for the trial court to enter a judgment adjudicating those claims, and the trial court entered a judgment amending the second March 19, 2010, judgment to add a provision finding in favor of the Gaceks with respect to Superior’s claims against the Gaceks.

Factual Background

In January 2006, the Gaceks, who then had a driveway (“the existing driveway”) at their residence that was surfaced, in part, with concrete and, in part, with asphalt, wanted to install interlocking concrete pavers (“pavers”) where the existing driveway was located. Ted Buell, who was then a co-owner of Superior along with Michael Darby, 2 testified that he measured the area where the existing driveway was located in order to provide the Gaceks with a proposal for installing pavers where the existing driveway was located. Buell further testified that he measured the area where Mark R.

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73 So. 3d 714, 2011 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 135, 2011 WL 2279215, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/superior-wall-and-paver-llc-v-pamela-e-gacek-and-mark-r-gacek-alacivapp-2011.