ÿWPC­ …4Vj 0(y 0J¡ 0Të 0^? 0h 0r 0|w 0†ó 0y 1u U,~ 0dª UB %P U,V U6‚ B)¸ DCá AM$ U*q H› v~ãvÓa B4 D3Q 0@„ AOÄÆ 0DÙ 0D D/a Bc`…ÔøÔô3|x¡($¡¡2 ÿÿ0Indent1Ô2ÔÔ3  Ô2" ÿÿ0Indent2à0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2, ÿÿ0Indent3à0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô26 ÿÿ0Indent4à0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2@ ÿÿ0Indent5à0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2J ÿÿ0Indent6à0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2T ÿÿ0Indent7à0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2^ ÿÿ0Indent8à0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô  ÿÿ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)< Œ 9p`(ModernP ÿÿ8Mac DefaultMac DefaultÓ ` °šXÓ<þ6X9`(*Courier 12pt10cpiX< Œ 9p`(Monaco< Œ 9p`(Courier New% Line 7 d7Border 1dd€-Cþÿ << Gÿÿ< Œ 9p`(Arial >Ý ƒ!ÝÑ  ÑÑ#€d#ÑÔ€ÔÔ€ÔÝ  ÝÝ ƒ"ÝÝ  ÝÔ€ ÔÔ€ ÔÓ  ÓÔ YYY ÔFILEDÔ€ XÔÌÌò òJanuary€3,€1996ÌÌCecil€Crowson,€Jr.ÌÔ€ ôÔAppellate€Court€Clerkó óPtPtHHÚ(ÿáÿâùFG(üHHÚ(d'@Styl{WP}01•ÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃà Ãà Ãà Ãà Ãà ÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÐ ÐÐHHÐÐ  ÐÐ2ÐÐÿÿ¸æ$ÿÐÐHHÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ  ÐÐ ÐÐ ÐÑÑÑGenevaÑÑ ÑÑ € ÑÑ<Px–ÈÑÒÒÒ443!#4ÒÒ$ *$ÒÒ$*$ÒÒ ÿKK ÒÒ  Geneva ÒÒ  Geneva ÒÓ.,ÓÓÓÓ6ÓÓ ÓßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÑMonacoÑÑ ÑÒ  BA: T Monaco ÒÒ  BA: T Monaco Ò d%%%%'ÿÿdxd("ÿÿ$££Ò  ÒÒ  Ò€-‚ƒCþÿ<< CÿÿƒLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(3¯$¢¢Ý ƒ!ÝÝ  Ý($$””ò òÚ  Ú1Ú  Úó ó„„'÷ÿ dxdüÿP PdÝ ƒ!ÝÔ . ÔÔ€ÔÓ&€X„d&ÓÑ#€Xd#ÑÔ€ÔÝ  ÝÒ Ü ÒÒ ° ÒÑ ý ÑÑ  ÑÑ\R AØ'\ÑÑ7€­XXdÈdÈ7ÑÙ€€ÙßL€!;+'h|h` Å `€€L߀€€€à@ àò òIN€THE€COURT€OF€APPEALS€OFÏTENNESSEEÌÌà@ àEASTERN€SECTIONÌó óÌÌÌEXPLOSIVE€SPECIALISTS,€INC.,à à)€€C/A€NO.€03A01„9509„CH„00305Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìà àPlaintiff„Appellee,à àà à)€€KNOX€CHANCERYÌà àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìv.à àà àà àà àà àà à)€€HON.€H.€DAVID€CATE,€Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)€€CHANCELLORÌWHALEY€CONSTRUCTION€CO.,€INC.,)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)€€AFFIRMED€ANDÌà àDefendant„Appellant.à à)€€REMANDEDÌÌÌÌÌÌHOWARD€G.€HOGAN,€GRESHAM€&€HOGAN,€Knoxville,€for€Plaintiff„Appellee.ÌÌRON€CUNNINGHAM,€FINKELSTEIN,€KERN,€STEINBERG€&€CUNNINGHAM,ÏKnoxville,€for€Defendant„Appellant.ÌÌÌÌÌÌà@ àò òòòO€P€I€N€I€O€Nóóó óÌÌÌà@ àòòÌÓÓóóÌà àà àà àà àà àà àà àà àFranks.€J.ÌÌÌà àà àIn€this€action,€plaintiff€was€awarded€judgment€forÏwork€performed€under€a€contract,€and€defendant€has€appealed,Ïinsisting€that€plaintiff€did€not€perform€in€accordance€with€theÏagreement€between€the€parties.Ìà àà àThe€defendant€hired€plaintiff€to€blast€the€rock€on€theÏGoody's€Family€Clothing€Project,€near€Interstate€40„75€inÏKnoxville,€for€$3.50€per€cubic€yard,€with€plaintiff€supplyingÏthe€powder€and€insurance€and€the€defendant€supplying€the€fuelÏfor€the€drills.€€There€was€no€written€contract,€and€plaintiffÏbegan€blasting€in€mid„November€1988€and€blasted€until€the€end€ofÏDecember€when€plaintiff€was€terminated€by€defendant.€€Ìà àà àEssentially,€the€determinative€issue€on€appeal€wasÏframed€by€the€Trial€Judge€in€his€findings€of€fact:ÌÓÓà0 àà0 àThe€dispute€pertains€to€whether€or€not€the€plaintiffÏwas€required€to€furnish€an€end€product,€afterÏblasting,€of€the€rock€the€size€of€two€feet€in€diameterÏor€less.€€The€plaintiff€emphatically€denies€that€thisÏwas€the€agreement,€and€says€the€rock,€after€blasting,Ïwas€to€be€the€size€so€it€could€be€moved,€and€theÏdefendant€emphatically€asserts€that€it€was€theÏagreement.ÌÌÓÓThe€Trial€Court,€after€hearing€the€evidence,€concluded:ÌÓÓà0 àà0 àTo€determine€what€the€contract€was€in€this€case€theÏcredibility€of€the€witness€becomes€crucial.ÌÌà0 àà0 àWhen€the€plaintiff's€testimony€evidence€is€consideredÏin€the€light€of€the€log€book€and€other€writtenÏevidence€of€the€defendant,€and€the€fact€that€theÏcounter„claim€appears€to€have€arisen€after€the€fact,Ïthe€Court€concludes€that€the€plaintiff's€version€ofÏthe€contract€appears€to€be€the€correct€version.ÌÌÓÓà àà àThe€plaintiff's€evidence€was€to€the€effect€that€theÏcontract€did€not€require€that€the€blasted€rock€had€to€be€twoÏfeet€or€less€and€panable,€while€defendant's€proof€was€that€suchÏwas€the€agreement.€€The€Trial€Judge,€in€making€his€factualÏdetermination,€relied€heavily€on€the€testimony€of€plaintiff'sÍwitnesses€to€that€effect,€and€that€defendant€did€not€complain€orÏprotest€the€way€and€manner€in€which€plaintiff€was€blasting€theÏrock,€which€the€Trial€Court€found€was€€corroborated€by€the€logÏbook€and€other€written€evidence€of€the€defendant,€i.e.,€noÏnotation€of€any€complaint€about€plaintiff's€performance.€€Ìà àà àThe€familiar€rule€requiring€no€citation€is€thatÏappellate€courts€generally€defer€to€the€Trial€Court'sÏdetermination€of€the€credibility€of€the€witnesses.€€We€findÏnothing€in€this€record€that€would€require€any€deviation€from€theÏrule€in€this€case.€€The€Trial€Court€observed€the€demeanor€of€theÏwitnesses€and€heard€the€testimony,€and€was€in€a€better€positionÏthan€this€Court€to€evaluate€the€respective€witnesses'Ïcredibility.Ìà àà àDefendant's€principal€argument€on€appeal,€as€stated€inÏits€brief€is:ÌÓÓà0 àà0 àIt€is€the€position€of€defendant€that€reasonablyÏprudent€businessmen€in€the€blasting€and€siteÏpreparation€and€construction€industry€would€neverÏenter€into€an€agreement€to€drill,€shoot,€and€transportÏrock€to€a€controlled€fill€area€without€requiring€thatÏthe€rock€fragments€comply€with€the€custom€of€theÏindustry€for€a€controlled€fill€area,€i.e.,€to€be€twoÏfeet€or€less€in€diameter.€€ÌÌÓÓThe€defendant€did€offer€evidence€that€this€was€the€custom€in€theÏindustry,€and€insists€that€the€contract€should€be€determined,Ïtaking€into€account€the€custom€and€usage€of€the€trade,€citingÏòòBeaty€Chevrolet,€Inc.€v.€Complete€Auto€Transit,€Inc.óó,€586€S.W.2dÏ122€(Tenn.€App.€1979);€€òòJ.€Avery€Bryan,€Inc.€v.€Hubbard,óó€225ÍS.W.2d€282€(Tenn.€App.€1949).€€The€legal€position€advanced€isÏsound,€however,€this€evidence€was€disputed€by€plaintiff's€expertÏwitness.Ìà àà àPlaintiff€offered€the€testimony€of€an€expertÏexperienced€in€blasting,€who€testified€in€pertinent€part:ÌÓÓà0 àà0 àQ.à0 àAssuming€that€you€have€a€contract€to€blast€theÏrock€that€we€found€out€here,€and€we're€talkingÏabout€at€the€Goody's€site€to€two„foot€or€less,Ïwould€you€have€used€the€pattern,€and€the€amountÏof€dynamite,€and€the€stemming€that€ExplosiveÏSpecialists€used?ÌÌà0 àà0 àA.à0 àWell,€if€I€knew€that€my€requirement€was€two„footÏor€less,€then€I€probably€would€of€had€to€adjustÏmy€„„€maybe€I'd€had€to€„„€I€would€of€probablyÏstarted€with€that€pattern.€€And€I€may€of€had€toÏadjust€the€stemming,€and€adjust€it€in€terms€of:€ÏCan€I€get€by€with€a€little€less€stemming,€and€aÏlittle€more€powder,€and€not€throw€rock.€€AndÏit's€going€to€be€a€balance.€€Just€like€„„€justÏlike€Mr.€Clark€said.€€It's€a€critical€area€outÏthere.ÌÌà0 àà0 àQ.à0 àBut€would€you€have€been€capable€of€doing€it,Ïblasting€that€rock?ÌÌà0 àà0 àA.à0 àSure.€€Absolutely.€€One€of€the€requirements€onÏone€of€our€recent€jobs,€like€I€was€telling€you,Ïat€the€airport.€€They€had€a€requirement€not€two„foot,€but€down€to€twelve„inches€for€fill€rock.ÌÌà0 àà0 àQ.à0 àFor€fill€rock?ÌÌà0 àà0 àA.à0 àI€don't€think€this€two„foot€is€necessarily€aÏuniversal€standard€thing€anybody€can€shoot.€€ItÏjust€depends€on€the€job.€€And€some€jobs€I'veÏseen€were€acceptable€for€a€four„footer,€or€evenÏlarger€rock,€is€acceptable.ÌÌÓÓà àà àWe€conclude€the€Trial€Judge€properly€evaluated€theÏevidence€before€him.€€He€passed€on€the€credibility€of€theÍwitnesses€and€found€from€defendant's€written€documentation€thatÏdefendant,€during€plaintiff's€performance,€did€not€object€toÏplaintiff's€performance.€€Interpretation€of€a€contract€by€theÏparties€as€shown€by€their€acts€may€be€adopted€by€the€Court€inÏestablishing€the€terms€of€the€contract.€€òòHamblen€County€v.€CityÏof€Morristownóó,€656€S.W.2d€331€(Tenn.€1983).€€The€Court'sÏdetermination€of€the€contract€between€the€parties€comes€to€usÏwith€a€presumption€of€correctness,€unless€the€evidenceÏpreponderates€otherwise.€€T.R.A.P.€Rule€13(d).€€We€affirm€theÏjudgment.€€Ìà àà àDefendant's€counter„claim€for€additional€expensesÏincurred€was€contingent€upon€a€finding€that€plaintiff€hadÏbreached€the€contract,€and€we€find€defendant's€appeal€on€thisÏissue€to€be€without€merit.Ìà àà àPlaintiff€seeks€to€recover€costs,€interest€andÏexpenses€on€the€authority€of€Tennessee€Code€Annotated€ðð27„1„122Ïon€the€ground€that€the€appeal€was€frivolous.€€We€cannot€agree.Ìà àà àThe€judgment€of€the€Trial€Court€is€affirmed,€withÏcosts€assessed€to€appellant,€and€the€cause€remanded.Ìà àÌÌÓÓÌÌÌà àà àà àà àà àà à________________________Ìà àà àà àà àà àà àHerschel€P.€Franks,€J.ÌÌÌCONCUR:ÌÌÌÌÌÌ___________________________ÌDon€T.€McMurray,€J.ÌÌÌÌÌÌÌ___________________________ÌClifford€E.€Sanders,€Sr.J.ÌÌÌ