WPC k@ 5/+ DEЉkYv[ɃƀwX6z7}?]E'h;R%aɄwHbQxWE66=@|^J>֎7\; )(/ h) èlpm =[PO_;y˛R m_ai.%̈́?xSa Ad%3dՋ՝% E\Ca ?fyW*j^3DTQq'Vy5=*TQOb&8k/cőQ= =n='o*wu51 skPWQ09X A^0K;R8 Bel|80@}A\2pB-L(k+(,Elu7$Rapv97dnŢ^^Vs_SurQ PH9XĂX# F UHQ % 0 ^ w@ 4] q 0 0DU: U:!! [[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ D3hhh 0D B AOKK 0D D/U BHP LaserJet 4HPPCL5MS,,,,,,0nLd<09Z 0Courier (W1) RegularX(;d$X|XXX      TRY(3' LetterY(3' Letter3' Letter3' LetterT  $XxZXXX        1    Byagreedorder,JohnTaborwasdismissedasaparty. -D./D0D12345D6Ӏ6S/%urier 3|xA((3$ ;d!XxZXXX      TRY3' Letter3' 3' Letter3'T      0  (#$  0  <6X9`("Courier 10cpi ,cAZ"Arial Regular XXXXeXX   Ad FILEDXXe   November2,1998  CecilCrowson,Jr. XXAppellateCourtClerk ....'dxd(3$ !   d-C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ;d!XxZXXX      TRY3' Letter3' 3' Letter3'T  664 TR[A' LegalY3' LetterA' Legal 3' LetterT  7xZXXdd7  6r*<,(j 8 ` `@E ` ttx$ rߛ6񀀀@INTHECOURTOFAPPEALS   @$ATKNOXVILLEKEVINR.WAGNERand)  KNOXCIRCUIT \x PEGGYA.WAGNER,)C.A.NO.03A019805CV00159̀)̀PlaintiffsAppellees)̀)̀)̀)̀)̀)vs.)  HON.WHEELERROSENBALM d  Ѐ)  JUDGE ,H  Ѐ)̀)̀)̀)̀)TABORCONSTRUCTION,INC.,)  AFFIRMEDANDREMANDED  Ѐ)   ` DefendantAppellant)and)̀)JOHNTABOR,D/B/ATABORCON)CONSTRUCTIONCOMPANY,)̀)   ` Defendant)THOMASR.HENLEY,Knoxville,forAppellant,TaborConstructionCompany.BRENTR.WATSON,Knoxville,forAppellee,KevinR.Wagner. D/`", @$OPINION   ?(#McMurray,J.  Thefactsofthiscasearerelativesimple.Theplaintiffscontractedtopurchaseahousefromthedefendant.  #  1      ׀Whenthehouse   wascomplete,exceptingsome"punchlistitems"thepartiesenteredintoasecondcontract.Bythetermsofthesecondcontract,thedefendantwastoplace$5,000.00inescrowwiththemoniestobeusedtowardthecompletionofthe"punchlist"items.Partoftheworkwascompletedonthe"punchlist"items.  Plaintiffsfiledthisactionallegingbreachofthesalescontractandfailuretocompletethe"punchlist"andbreachoftheescrowagreement.Thedefendantansweredandfiledacounterclaim(designatedasacrosscomplaint).Inthecounterclaim,thedefendantallegedthatallworkhadbeencompletedandsoughtjudgmentforthebalanceheldintheescrowaccountandforotherworkandmaterialsforwhich,allegedly,thedefendanthadnotbeenpaid.Ananswertothecounterclaimwasfiledandthecasewasheardbythecourtatabenchtrial.  Thecourtresolvedtheissuesinfavoroftheoriginalplaintiffsandawardedjudgmentintheirfavorandagainsttheappellantfor$7,686.09anddismissedthecounterclaim.Thisappealresulted. 3'2 Ї  Theappellantpresentsasingleissueforourreview:WhetherthetrialcourterredinawardingdamagesabovethebalanceinϜescrow.Uponconsideration,wethinknotandaffirmthejudgmentofthetrialcourt.  Theappellantarguesthattheescrowagreementdischargesandreplacestherealestatesalescontract.It#is#furtherargue$d$%s%thattheescrowagreementplacedamonetarylimitondefendantappellantbuilder'sliability.Whileitmaybepersuasivelyarguedthattheescrowagreementdid,infact,replacetherealestatesalescontract,itis+of+񛀜no*t*񛀜significan'&t&c'(t()e)relativetotheissuebeforeus.Theescrowagreementprovidesinpertinentpartasfollows:8  Theseller/builderherewithdepositswiththeEscrowAgent,andtheEscrowAgentherebyacknowledgesreceiptofthesumoffivethousandand00/100($5,000.00).Saidsumisthetotaltocompleteimprovementsandtheanticipatedinspectionfee.Said[illegible]shallbeheldbyEscrowAgentanddisbursedwhentheseller/buildercompletesallthesaidimprovementsandthepropertyhasbeeninspectedbythebuyer.Atwhichtimehe/sheistonotifyEscrowAgentinwritingtoreleasetheescrowtotheseller/builder....    @xx!****8  2. ` Theseller/builderagreestopayforalllaborand \+x' materialnecessarytocompletetheworkandimprovements.    8  3. ` Theseller/builderagreesthathe/sheispersonally - * liableforthesatisfactorycompletionoftheworkfreeandclearofallliens.    @xx!****  Wefirstnotethatnostatementofortranscriptoftheevidencewasfiled. L6h)5 8   ` Wheretheissuesraisedgototheevidence,theremustbeatranscript.Intheabsenceofatranscriptoftheevidence,thereisaconclusivepresumptionthattherewassufficientevidencebeforethetrialcourttosupportitsjudgment,andthisCourtmustthereforeaffirmthejudgment.    8  Coakleyv.Daniels,840S.W.2d367,370(Tenn.App. \x 1992).SeealsoWordv.Word,937S.W.2d931,932(Tenn. $@ App.1996);Sherrodv.Wix,849S.W.2d780,783(Tenn.   App.1992);Irvinv.CityofClarksville,767S.W.2d649,   653(Tenn.App.1988).      Wemustthereforeindulgeinaconclusivepresumptionthattheevidencepreponderatesinfavorofthetrialcourt'sfindingsoffact.Itisonlynecessaryforustodeterminewhethertheescrowagreementlimitedtheappellant'sliability.8   ` Contractinterpretationisaquestionoflaw,andourreviewisthereforedenovoupontherecordwithno l  presumptionofcorrectnessattachedtothetrialcourt'sinterpretation.Tenn.,,R-.-...//App.00P.13(d);Gredigv.Tennessee ! FarmersMut.Ins.Co.,891S.W.2d909,912(Tenn.App. " 1994).If,however,thecontractcontainsambiguitywhichnecessitateslookingtoextrinsicevidencetodeterminetheintentionoftheparties,thenthecourt'sfactualfindingsarepresumedcorrectunlesstheevidencepreponderatesotherwise.SeeTenn.R.App.P.13(d);APAC-Tennessee,Inc.v.J.M.HumphriesConstr.Co.,732 t'" S.W.2d601,604(Tenn.App.1986);SouthernRy.Employees <(X# CreditUnionv.Thornburg,680S.W.2d791,792(Tenn. ) $ App.1984).    Crewsv.DexterRd.Ptnrs.,1998Tenn.App.LEXIS66. \+x'   Thecardinalruleforinterpretationofcontractsistoascertaintheintentionofthepartiesfromthecontractasawholeandtogiveeffecttothatintentionconsistentwithlegalprinciples.Winfreev.EducatorsCreditUnion,900S.W.2d285,289 ,3H&1 (Tenn.App.1995);Raineyv.Stansell,836S.W.2d1171,1181(Tenn. 4'3 App.1992). L6h)5 Ї  Inourviewthe2abovequoted2provisionsoftheescrowagreement3thatwehavequoted3createalatentambiguitywhichcanonlyberesolvedbyϜresort4ing4toextrinsicevidencetoascertaintheintentionoftheparties.Therefore,withoutatranscriptoftheevidence,wemustconclusivelypresumethattheevidencesupportsthejudgmentofthetrialcourt.  Weaffirmthejudgmentofthetrialcourtinallrespects.Costsareassessedtotheappellant.Thiscaseisremandedtothetrialcourtforsuchotherandfurtheractionasmaybenecessaryforenforcementofthejudgment.88)(#__________________________________̀DonT.McMurray,JudgeCONCUR:___________________________________HoustonM.Goddard,PresidingJudge___________________________________WilliamH.Inman,SeniorJudge  ) $  +р@INTHECOURTOFAPPEALS   @$ATKNOXVILLEKEVINR.WAGNERand)  KNOXCIRCUIT \x PEGGYA.WAGNER,)C.55A.NO.03A019805CV00159̀)̀PlaintiffsAppellees)̀)̀)̀)̀)̀)vs.)  HON.WHEELERROSENBALM d  Ѐ)  JUDGE ,H  Ѐ)̀)̀)̀)̀)TABORCONSTRUCTION,INC.,)  AFFIRMEDANDREMANDED  Ѐ)   ` DefendantAppellant)and)̀)JOHNTABOR,D/B/ATABORCON)CONSTRUCTIONCOMPANY,)̀)   ` Defendant) XTXXXT@  & JUDGMENT  <(X#   ThisappealcameontobeheardupontherecordfromtheCircuitCourtofKnoxCounty,briefsandargumentofcounsel.Uponconsiderationthereof,thisCourtisoftheopinionthattherewasnoreversibleerrorinthetrialcourt.4 +  ќ4#XTXX XT)#  Weaffirmthejudgmentofthetrialcourtinallrespects. 0#. Costsareassessedtotheappellant.Thiscaseisremandedtothetrialcourtforsuchotherandfurtheractionasmaybenecessaryforenforcementofthejudgment. 70*6  +  рPERCURIAM #X<"XX X<"+#