Livchak v. Logsdon Sons, Unpublished Decision (10-30-2002)
Livchak v. Logsdon Sons, Unpublished Decision (10-30-2002)
Opinion of the Court
This cause was heard upon the record in the trial court. Each error assigned has been reviewed and the following disposition is made: {¶ 1} Defendant-Appellant Logsdon Sons, Inc. has appealed from an order of the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas that found it liable to Plaintiff-Appellee Elizabeth Livchak, and awarded damages in the amount of $5,800. This Court affirms.
{¶ 3} Shortly after Logsdon Sons completed the repairs, water again leaked into and accumulated in Ms. Livchak's basement. Ms. Livchak contacted Logsdon Sons, but Logsdon Sons did not correct the leaking. Ms. Livchak thereafter engaged the services of Henceroth Construction Company, at a cost of $10,725, to repair the leaking basement. After Henceroth Construction completed its work, Ms. Livchak's basement remained dry.
{¶ 4} In July 2000, Ms. Livchak filed a complaint against Logsdon Sons for breach of the warranty in the contract and violations of the Consumer Sales Protection Act ("CSPA"). A bench trial was conducted on Ms. Livchak's claims, and the trial court ordered the parties to submit post-trial briefs on the statute of limitations defense raised by Logsdon Sons. Following the submission of the briefs, the trial court found that Logsdon Sons did not perform its obligations under the contract, entered judgment in favor of Ms. Livchak, and awarded damages in the amount of $5,800. The court also overruled Logsdon Sons' motion to dismiss Ms. Livchak's claims on the ground that they were barred by applicable statutes of limitations. Logsdon Sons has timely appealed from the entry of judgment in favor of Ms. Livchak, asserting three assignments of error.
{¶ 5} "WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW IN AWARDING [MS. LIVCHAK] DAMAGES FOR NEGLIGENCE AND/OR BREACH OF WARRANTY BASED UPON THE EXPIRATION OF THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS."
{¶ 6} In its first assignment of error, Logsdon Sons has argued that the trial court erred in awarding damages to Ms. Livchak where Ms. Livchak's claims were barred by the applicable statutes of limitations. Specifically, Logsdon Sons has contended that Ms. Livchak's claim for breach of the warranty in the contract was barred by the four-year statute of limitations set forth at R.C.
{¶ 7} This Court reviews de novo the trial court's denial of Logsdon Sons motion to dismiss on statutes of limitations grounds.IBEW, Local Union No. 8 v. Gromnicki (2000),
{¶ 8} With respect to Logsdon Sons' argument that Ms. Livchak's CSPA claim is barred by a two-year limitations provision, we note that the trial court did not make any finding that Logsdon
Sons was in violation of the CSPA. Nor did the court award Ms. Livchak treble damages or attorney's fees, which Ms. Livchak prayed for in her complaint and to which she may have been entitled if the court had found Logsdon Sons in violation of the CSPA. See R.C.
{¶ 9} Logsdon Sons has also argued that Ms. Livchak's breach of warranty claim is barred by R.C.
{¶ 10} R.C.
{¶ 11} Logsdon Sons' obligation under the contract was to repair Ms. Livchak's basement, and Logsdon Sons further warranted that the areas waterproofed would not leak for fifteen years. As such, the agreement between Logsdon Sons and Ms. Livchak was not a contract for the sale of goods within the definitions of R.C. Chapter 1302. Rather, the agreement was predominantly one for services, and any goods sold in connection with the agreement were incidental to the repair and waterproofing services. See Allied Indus. Serv. Corp. v. Kasle Iron Metals, Inc. (1977),
{¶ 12} Rather, Ms. Livchak's claim against Logsdon Sons for breach of its written warranty is governed by R.C.
{¶ 13} "WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW IN AWARDING [MS. LIVCHAK] DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT."
{¶ 14} In its second assignment of error, Logsdon Sons has argued that the trial court erred in awarding Ms. Livchak damages for breach of contract. According to Logsdon Sons, trial testimony established that it performed its obligations under its contract with Ms. Livchak, and the court therefore erred in awarding damages based on breach of contract. This Court construes Logsdon Sons' argument under this assignment of error as a manifest weight of the evidence challenge.
{¶ 15} When an appellant challenges a judgment in a civil case as against the manifest weight of the evidence, an appellate court's standard of review is the same as that in a criminal context. Frederickv. Born (Aug. 21, 1996), 9th Dist. No. 95CA006286, at 14. In determining whether a conviction is against the manifest weight of the evidence, this Court must:
{¶ 16} "[R]eview the entire record, weigh the evidence and all reasonable inferences, consider the credibility of witnesses and determine whether, in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the trier of fact clearly lost its way and created such a manifest miscarriage of justice that the conviction must be reversed and a new trial ordered." State v. Otten (1986),
33 Ohio App.3d 339 ,340 .
{¶ 17} An appellate court that overturns a trial court's judgment as against the manifest weight of the evidence acts in effect as a "thirteenth juror," setting aside the resolution of testimony and evidence as found by the trier of fact. State v. Thompkins (1997),
{¶ 18} Logsdon Sons has argued that both Ms. Livchak and Kevin Henceroth, the owner of the construction company that Ms. Livchak hired to finally repair the leaking basement, testified that Logsdon Sons performed its obligations under the contract. However, it was undisputed that the contract contained a written warranty that the areas waterproofed were guaranteed not to leak for fifteen years. Ms. Livchak testified that approximately six months after Logsdon Sons completed its work in her basement, rainwater leaked in at the base of the floor. Ms. Livchak testified that on another occasion, rainwater came in on the east side of the house and collected in a puddle on the basement floor. Throughout her testimony, Ms. Livchak referred to notes she made after Logsdon Sons' repairs that documented the leaks. She stated that she contacted Logsdon Sons at least four times to report the leaks, but no one from Logsdon Sons returned to her home to address the problem.
{¶ 19} In addition, Mr. Henceroth testified that when Ms. Livchak called him in July 1998, there was standing water in her basement. Mr. Henceroth also identified photographs of Ms. Livchak's basement that were admitted into evidence showing between four and five inches of standing water in certain areas of the basement floor.
{¶ 20} Accordingly, the trial court did not create a manifest miscarriage of justice in concluding that Logsdon Sons breached the written warranty in its contract with Ms. Livchak, and awarding damages based on that breach. Logsdon Sons' second assignment of error is without merit.
{¶ 21} "WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW IN AWARDING [MS. LIVCHAK] DAMAGES IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY EXPERT TESTIMONY."
{¶ 22} In its third assignment of error, Logsdon Sons has argued that the trial court erred in awarding damages to Ms. Livchak on a negligence theory in the absence of any expert testimony. Specifically, Logsdon Sons has contended that no expert testimony was offered regarding the "standard of care" with which it was required to perform the repair work described in the agreement.
{¶ 23} Logsdon Sons' third assignment of error is predicated on the assumption that the trial court entered judgment in favor of Ms. Livchak on a cause of action based on negligence. As our analysis of the first two assignments of error make clear, however, the trial court concluded that Logsdon Sons breached the warranty in its agreement with Ms. Livchak. Ms. Livchak's recovery was therefore based on Logsdon Sons' failure to perform according to the terms of its written contract, and not on any negligent performance of the repair work. Accordingly, Ms. Livchak was not required to establish a duty separate and apart from the warranty that was breached by Logsdon Sons, and was certainly not required to present expert testimony regarding a standard of care. Logsdon Sons' third assignment of error is without merit.
SLABY, P.J., BATCHELDER, J. CONCUR.
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