Benton v. Boyd & Boyd, PLLC

387 S.W.3d 341, 2012 WL 2620545, 2012 Ky. App. LEXIS 105
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedJuly 6, 2012
DocketNo. 2010-CA-002058-MR
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 387 S.W.3d 341 (Benton v. Boyd & Boyd, PLLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Benton v. Boyd & Boyd, PLLC, 387 S.W.3d 341, 2012 WL 2620545, 2012 Ky. App. LEXIS 105 (Ky. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION

COMBS, Judge:

This is a ease involving a lawsuit for legal malpractice filed by Dr. Nardos Benton against the attorney and the law firm representing her in her divorce action. The Fayette Circuit Court granted summary judgment to attorney Traci Boyd and to the law firm of Boyd & Boyd, PLLC, and dismissed the legal malpractice action. Dr. Benton has appealed that dismissal.

Boyd was one of several attorneys who successively represented Dr. Benton in her contentious divorce from Scott Benton. Before Boyd undertook her representation, Dr. Benton signed an agreement on June 26, 2008, in which she was to receive all of the real estate that the parties owned in exchange for her equalization payment of $195,000 to Scott. Her payment was due in several sizeable installments. The agreement also required Dr. Benton to transfer the entire value of her 401 (k) retirement account acquired through the St. Claire Medical Center to Scott within fifteen days of the entry of the divorce decree.

On September 3, 2008, Dr. Benton filed a motion seeking to declare that the settlement agreement was unconscionable. Following a hearing, the motion was overruled. Accordingly, on October 28, 2008, the court entered the decree of dissolution, which incorporated the settlement agreement.

Dr. Benton retained Boyd as appellate counsel on December 1, 2008. The time to file an appeal from the decree of dissolution had expired. No longer having the leverage of an appeal, Boyd undertook negotiations with Scott and his counsel. Dr. Benton claimed that she did not have the resources to pay her agreed obligation. During the negotiations, Dr. Benton informed her counsel and Scott’s counsel that she had liquidated the St. Claire retirement fund and had spent the money.

On January 30, 2009, Scott filed a motion asking the court to hold Dr. Benton in contempt for her failure to honor the terms of the settlement agreement. On February 13 and 18, Dr. Benton signed affidavits swearing that she had already liquidated her St. Claire 401 (k) retirement account. On February 20, 2009, the court held a hearing to determine whether Dr. Benton was in contempt for failing to pay Scott according to the terms of the agreement. On February 27, 2009, the court entered an order finding Dr. Benton in contempt of court and imposed a penalty of 180 days of incarceration. The court suspended the sentence for 30 days in order to give her an opportunity to purge the contempt order by payment. Approximately one week after the entry of this order, Dr. Benton fired Boyd as her counsel.

Subsequently, in a hearing on March 27, 2009, the court learned that Dr. Benton’s sworn statements regarding her retirement account were false. Dr. Benton had not liquidated it nor had she spent the [343]*343funds. In fact, she provided copies of the checks to Scott’s counsel which showed that she obtained the funds on February 10, 2009. The court chastised Dr. Benton for misrepresenting the disposition of the account; it did not alter its finding of contempt. However, it acknowledged that questions remained concerning the amount of money that Dr. Benton actually had the ability to pay to Scott. Therefore, it ordered a due process hearing to be held on May 19, 2009.

Following the due process hearing, the court found that Dr. Benton had the ability to pay Scott $75,000 and gave her 80 days in which to comply. The court also imposed a sentence of 120 days in jail. At first, Dr. Benton did not pay Scott and was incarcerated in the Fayette County jail. After 80 days, she paid him approximately $67,000 and was released.

On February 16, 2010, Dr. Benton filed a lawsuit against Boyd and the law firm of Boyd & Boyd, PLLC, alleging legal malpractice. She sought damages resulting from the time that she spent in jail. On November 4, 2010, the Fayette Circuit Court granted Boyd’s motion for summary judgment and dismissed the lawsuit. This appeal follows.

Summary judgment is a device utilized by the courts to expedite litigation. Ross v. Powell, 206 S.W.3d 327, 330 (Ky.2006). It is a “delicate matter” because it “takes the case away from the trier of fact before the evidence is actually heard.” Steelvest, Inc. v. Scansteel Service Center, Inc., 807 S.W.2d 476, 482 (Ky.1991). In Kentucky, the movant must prove that no genuine issue of material fact exists. Additionally, the movant “should not succeed unless his right to judgment is shown with such clarity that there is no room left for controversy.” Id.

The trial court must assess the evidence in favor of the nonmoving party. City of Florence, Kentucky v. Chipman, 38 S.W.3d 387, 390 (Ky.2001). In order to withstand entry of summary judgment, the nonmoving party must present “at least some affirmative evidence showing the existence of a genuine issue of material fact.” Id. On appeal, the standard of review that we utilize is “whether the trial court correctly found that there were no genuine issues as to any material fact and that the moving party was entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Scifres v. Kraft, 916 S.W.2d 779, 781 (Ky.App.1996). Because summary judgments do not involve fact-finding, we review them de novo. Pinkston v. Audubon Area Community Services, Inc., 210 S.W.3d 188, 189 (Ky.App.2006).

Dr. Benton contends that the court was premature in granting the motion for summary judgment before adequate discovery was taken. We agree that summary judgment should not be granted unless “a party has been given ample opportunity to complete discovery.” Pendleton Bros. Vending, Inc. v. Commonwealth of Kentucky Fin. & Admin. Cabinet, 758 S.W.2d 24, 29 (Ky.1988). (Citing Hartford Ins. Group v. Citizens Fid. Bank & Trust Co., 579 S.W.2d 628 (Ky.App.1979)). This holding has recently been reiterated by our Supreme Court, cautioning trial courts “not to take up these motions prematurely.” Blankenship v. Collier, 302 S.W.3d 665, 668 (Ky.2010).

However, we do not believe that the court was premature in this case. It had a very complete record. The family court judge was thorough and precise in all of her rulings, explaining in detail why she found Dr. Benton in contempt. Additionally, Boyd testified under oath at the due process hearing, rendering the need for a [344]*344deposition redundant—if not moot. Dr. Benton has not provided specific examples of what discovery could have been undertaken that would have affected the outcome had it been conducted. Thus, we do not conclude that the trial court prematurely considered the summary judgment motion.

The Supreme Court has provided guidance as to the requisite elements of a legal malpractice claim:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
387 S.W.3d 341, 2012 WL 2620545, 2012 Ky. App. LEXIS 105, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/benton-v-boyd-boyd-pllc-kyctapp-2012.