Aviation Sales, Inc. v. Select Mobile Homes

548 N.E.2d 307, 48 Ohio App. 3d 90, 1988 Ohio App. LEXIS 2963
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 20, 1988
Docket10744
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 548 N.E.2d 307 (Aviation Sales, Inc. v. Select Mobile Homes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Aviation Sales, Inc. v. Select Mobile Homes, 548 N.E.2d 307, 48 Ohio App. 3d 90, 1988 Ohio App. LEXIS 2963 (Ohio Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

Fain, J.

Plaintiff-appellant Aviation Sales, Inc. appeals from a directed verdict in favor of defendants-appel-lees. Aviation Sales claims that the evidence it presented established genuine issues of material fact from which reasonable minds could reach different conclusions, and that the trial court erred, as a matter of law, in concluding that Aviation Sales’ mistake in calculating the sales price of an airplane was not sufficient to give rise to the equitable remedy of rescission, or to a recovery under the theory of unjust enrichment.

We conclude that the evidence in the record in this case, when viewed in a light most favorable to Aviation Sales, establishes that Aviation Sales made a mistake in computing the sales price of its airplane, and supports an inference that defendant-appellee Select Mobile Homes (“SMH”) was well aware of this miscalculation when the purchase and sale were closed. We conclude that these facts may entitle Aviation Sales to the equitable remedy of restitution.

I

Aviation Sales had acquired a Cessna 421 airplane that it advertised for sale at a price of $159,000. A representative of SMH expressed interest in the airplane. Richard Pen-well, a sales manager for Aviation Sales, told SMH’s representative that the airplane could be sold for $155,000. In subsequent negotiations, the price was further reduced to $150,000.

A few days later, David L. Schuehrer, the president of SMH, telephoned Penwell to discuss the airplane. Schuehrer said that he had a Cessna 210 that he would like to trade for the Cessna 421. Penwell said that the Cessna 210 would probably have a trade-in value of about $30,000, but that he would have to evaluate it before he could quote a final figure.

The next day, Penwell flew the Cessna 421 to Flint Michigan, the home of SMH, and Schuehrer and other representatives of SMH inspected the 421, while Penwell examined the proposed trade-in. Penwell said that he could credit the Cessna 210 for only $27,000 because the log books for the first two hundred hours of its flight were missing. At this time, Schuehrer, on behalf of SMH, gave Penwell, on behalf of Aviation Sales, a check for $10,000 as a deposit on the Cessna 421. Also at this time, it was disclosed that there was money owing on the Cessna 210 that would have to be paid off as part of the transaction. However, the amount of the payoff figure was not known at this time.

Later, Penwell called the Cessna Finance Company and determined that the payoff figure on the Cessna 210 was $34,057. Penwell then calculated the cash price that SMH would need to pay. Unfortunately, his calculation was flawed.

*92 Penwell had already calculated that the selling price of the Cessna 421, less the trade-in value of the Cessna 210, was $123,000 ($150,000 minus $27,000). He then calculated the difference between the payoff figure on the Cessna 210 and its trade-in allowance as being $7,057 ($34,057 minus $27,000). He then added the amount by which the payoff figure exceeded the trade-in allowance, $7,057, to the previously calculated difference between the selling price of the Cessna 421 and the trade-in value of the Cessna 210. The total was $130,057 ($7,057 plus $123,000). Unfortunately, this calculation was fundamentally flawed in that Penwell credited SMH with the value of the Cessna 210 twice, once as a subtraction from the selling price of the Cessna 421, and once as a subtraction from the payoff figure on the Cessna 210. Thus, Penwell under-calculated the cash component of the price of the Cessna 421 by $27,000.

After he had miscalculated the cash component of the selling price, Penwell contacted Schuehrer and told him that the cash price would be $130,057.

Three days later, Penwell flew the Cessna 421 to Flint, Michigan, to complete the transaction. Penwell gave Schuehrer back the $10,000 deposit check and accepted a check in the amount of $130,057, the amount of the cash component of the sales price that had previously been quoted to SMH. Penwell left the Cessna 421 in Michigan, and returned to Dayton with the trade-in Cessna 210.

At the closing of the transaction in Flint, Michigan, Penwell, on behalf of Aviation Sales, and Schuehrer, on behalf of SMH, executed the following document:

“June 21, 1986.

“For the sum of $130,057.00 cash in hand and the trade in of a Cessna 761DH serial #21062170 Model #T210M as is, with all faults of which Aviation Sales will assume and pay off on a timely basis the owed amount of $34,057.00 to Cessna Finance Corporation, PO Box 308, Wichita, KA 67201. Select Mobile Homes of Flint, Inc. will receive a clear and unencumbered title to a 1976 C-421 serial #421C0120 model #421C aircraft. N-811YQ”

A few days later, after he had deposited the check and advised the bank to pay off the encumbrances on both airplanes, Penwell was contacted by the bank and informed that there was a $27,000 shortfall. At this point, Penwell realized his mistake, and attempted to contact SMH.

Eventually, the president of Aviation Sales was able to contact Schuehrer and explain the mistake. Schuehrer said that he would check his records. A few days later, Penwell flew back to Flint. During this visit, Pen-well obtained the log books of the Cessna 421, and met with a representative of SMH, who advised him that SMH did not intend to pay any more money for the airplane. The position of SMH was that Aviation Sales had simply made a mistake, and would have to live with it.

Penwell admitted at trial that he had a dual purpose in. obtaining the log books of the Cessna 421. It was necessary and appropriate to update the log books to reflect the fact that the airplane had just been re-inspected, and this was done. It was also evidently Penwell’s thought that Aviation Sales might retain possession of the log books until the matter had been resolved to its satisfaction. However, after Aviation Sales consulted with its attorney concerning the matter, the log books, updated, were returned to SMH.

Aviation Sales brought this action against SMH and its president seeking either to recover an additional $27,000 *93 as part of the purchase price, or to rescind the transaction. The matter was tried to a jury, but, at the conclusion of the plaintiff’s case, the defendants’ motion for a directed verdict was granted. From the judgment in favor of the defendants, Aviation Sales appeals.

II

Aviation Sales has set forth three assignments of error, as follows:

“First Assignment of Error

“The lower court erred as a matter of fact in granting the defendants’ motion for directed verdict on plaintiff Aviation Sales’ entire complaint since the plaintiff’s evidence established essential facts and issues from which reasonable minds could, and may reach different conclusions.

“Second Assignment of Error

“The lower court erred in its application of Ohio law in finding that plaintiff Aviation Sales was precluded from recovery due to its mistake where the evidence established the existence of a mutual and/or unilateral mistake of the type entitled to rescission and consequently restitution.

“Third Assignment of Error

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
548 N.E.2d 307, 48 Ohio App. 3d 90, 1988 Ohio App. LEXIS 2963, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/aviation-sales-inc-v-select-mobile-homes-ohioctapp-1988.