Court Opinion

ID: 9682622
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 08:14:56.069293+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:40.456877
License: Public Domain

DOWD, Chief Judge,
dissenting.
I concur with the majority in all respects with the exception of Point II from which I respectfully dissent. I believe the record reflects insufficient evidence for us to find that the trial court’s judgment was supported by substantial evidence.
Our standard of review is clear and generally we will not set aside the decree or judgment of the trial court unless there is no substantial evidence to support it, or unless it is against the weight of the evidence. Murphy v. Carron, 536 S.W.2d 30, 32 (Mo. banc 1976).
The majority opinion relies heavily on John Stephenson’s and Bill Tomschin’s testimony that they saw only blue labels on the shingle packages, that Tomschin had installed shingles and not shakes, and that the shingles he noticed were smooth and unblemished. Stephenson, however, also acknowledged there was a difference in the final order of shingles from those installed earlier. Furthermore, the evidence revealed' Tomschin had no prior experience with Certigrade # 1 Blue Label Shingles, that he had never before installed a shingle roof, and that he did not know the shingles contracted for were to be 100% heartwood, 100% clear, and 100% edge grain. Tomschin also testified he never measured the butt end thickness of the shingles, thickness be-iiig a major difference between # 1 Blue Labels and lesser grade shingles. While Tomschin testified he saw Blue Labels on the shingles, he had no idea how many were in fact Blue Labels and also admitted he simply applied the roof that was on the truck.
The court’s reliance on the testimony of a witness who was totally unfamiliar with # 1 Blue grade shingles is misplaced where both the architect and the owner who had specifically ordered this type of shingle testified that the improper shingles were in fact applied. The architect, Mr. Winkler, testified that in his opinion 90% of the shingles on the main house were not Blue Labels because the butt ends of the shingles on the house were too thick to be certigrade number one. He also noticed there was some warping or bowing and splitting of some of the shingles, which is also an indication of lesser grade shingles. While the majority opinion is correct that Mr. Winkler stated that his 90% figure was purely a guess, a closer reading of the transcript reveals this to be an educated judgment based on the shingles he could observe and the number of squares in the roof. Winkler testified he observed the shingles from the windows of the second floor and from the ground. The fact that Winkler stated his estimate was a guess should not discredit his testimony when he was more familiar with Certigrade # 1 Blue Labels than the *503roofers themselves. Winkler was asked to simply give an estimate based on what he had observed, and what is an estimate but an approximation or a “guess”. I do not believe that semantics should play a role in the decisions of this court.
I would also note that Clifford Rufkahr himself admitted that the roof installed was not the roof the specifications called for. The majority contends “this statement is not a clear admission that the shingles were not Blue Labels because the specifications also called for the shingles to be stained black, a specification later eliminated.” I disagree and believe this is in fact a clear admission that the improper shingles were applied. The discussion prior to Rufkahr’s admission concerned only the size, texture, and grade of the shingles. The specifications calling for the shingles to be stained black was eliminated and the Weber’s given a credit. When Rufkahr was asked if the roof was according to specifications, he could only have been referring to the grade of shingles and not the color. He stated that the roof was intact and served its purpose and then went on to state it was not according to specifications. I cannot believe that Rufkahr at trial, would refer to a specification that no longer existed.
I also believe the trial court’s finding was against the weight of the evidence. Exhibit W, a report from the Red Cedar Shingle and Hand Split Shake Bureau provides the most concrete evidence that the improper shingles were applied. The letter reads in pertinent part:
“Our field representative, Mr. Hugh Loth, reports to us that in his judgment the material on the roof of the Fred Weber, Jr. residence Lot 3, Indian Creek Lane, St. Louis, Missouri is No. 2 Taper-sawn shakes.
Mr. Loth further states that the tool house and gazebo are roofed with No. 1 Royal shingles.
We trust that this report proves helpful.”
The majority opinion affords this evidence very little, if any weight, because if objected to it would have been inadmissible as double hearsay. Nevertheless, the letter was received without objection and clearly states that the incorrect shingles were applied. I do not believe we can simply ignore this letter and the evidence heretofore set forth, and say the trial court’s finding was supported by substantial evidence and was not against the weight of the evidence.
Accordingly, I would find against Ruf-kahr and would reverse the trial court’s finding that Rufkahr substantially complied with the contract.