Bill Parrot v. Daimlerchrysler Corporation

CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 15, 2006
StatusPublished

This text of Bill Parrot v. Daimlerchrysler Corporation (Bill Parrot v. Daimlerchrysler Corporation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bill Parrot v. Daimlerchrysler Corporation, (Ark. 2006).

Opinion

SUPREME COURT OF ARIZONA En Banc

BILL PARROT, ) Arizona Supreme Court ) No. CV-05-0104-PR Plaintiff-Appellant, ) ) Court of Appeals v. ) Division One ) No. 1 CA-CV 04-0121 DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION, ) ) Maricopa County Defendant-Appellee. ) Superior Court ) No. CV02-008392 ) __________________________________) O P I N I O N

Appeal from the Superior Court in Maricopa County The Honorable Jonathan H. Schwartz, Judge

AFFIRMED

Opinion of the Court of Appeals, Division One 210 Ariz. 143, 108 P.3d 922 (App. 2005)

VACATED ________________________________________________________________

KROHN & MOSS, LTD. Phoenix By Marshall Meyers Ian Pryor Attorneys for Bill Parrot

BOWMAN AND BROOKE LLP Phoenix By Negatu Molla Jennifer L. Haman Attorneys for DaimlerChrysler Corporation ________________________________________________________________

R Y A N, Justice

¶1 In this case, we must determine whether an automobile lessee can maintain an action under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty

Act (“Warranty Act” or “Act”), 15 U.S.C. §§ 2301-2312 (2000),

and whether the lessee has a right to pursue remedies under the

Arizona Motor Vehicle Warranties Act (“Lemon Law”), Ariz. Rev.

Stat. (“A.R.S.”) §§ 44-1261 to -1267 (2003 & Supp. 2005). We

hold that, under the circumstances of this case, a lessee

neither can sue under the Warranty Act nor have remedies under

the Lemon Law.

I

¶2 Bill Parrot leased a 2000 Jeep Cherokee from Pitre

Chrysler Plymouth Jeep Eagle (“Pitre”) in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Jeep came with “Chrysler’s standard limited warranty.”

Simultaneously with executing its lease with Parrot, Pitre

assigned the lease to the lender, Chrysler Financial Company,

L.L.C. Pitre apparently retained title to the vehicle.1

¶3 Parrot alleges that while he possessed the vehicle, he

had to bring it to various dealerships at least thirteen times

for repairs including: at least eleven times for suspension/axle

defects; four times for alignment defects; three times for a

windshield leak; three times for brake defects; and once for an

exhaust system defect.

¶4 Dissatisfied with the repair work done on the Jeep,

1 At oral argument, Parrot claimed for the first time that Pitre sold the Jeep to Chrysler Financial. However, nothing in the record establishes that any such sale occurred.

- 2 - Parrot filed suit in superior court alleging that

DaimlerChrysler had breached its written warranty and seeking

remedies under the Warranty Act and the Lemon Law. The parties

filed cross motions for summary judgment. The trial court

granted DaimlerChrysler’s motion for summary judgment.

¶5 Parrot appealed. The court of appeals reversed,

concluding that Parrot was a consumer subject to protection

under both the Warranty Act and the Lemon Law. Parrot v.

DaimlerChrysler Corp., 210 Ariz. 143, 150-51, ¶¶ 30, 33, 39, 108

P.3d 922, 929-30 (App. 2005).

¶6 We granted DaimlerChrysler’s petition for review

because the applicability of the Warranty Act and the Lemon Law

to lessees is an issue of first impression for this Court. We

have jurisdiction under Article 6, Section 5(3), of the Arizona

Constitution and A.R.S. § 12-120.24 (2003).

II

¶7 This matter concerns the interpretation of the

Warranty Act and the Lemon Law. Statutory interpretation is an

issue of law and is decided de novo. Canon Sch. Dist. No. 50 v.

W.E.S. Constr. Co., 177 Ariz. 526, 529, 869 P.2d 500, 503

(1994). “We interpret statutes to give effect to the

legislature’s intent. When a statute is clear and unambiguous,

we apply its plain language” to find the legislature’s intent

and do “not engage in other means of statutory interpretation.”

- 3 - Kent K. v. Bobby M., 210 Ariz. 279, 283, ¶ 14, 110 P.3d 1013,

1017 (2005) (citing Aros v. Beneficial Ariz., Inc., 194 Ariz.

62, 66, 977 P.2d 784, 788 (1999)). A statute is clear and

unambiguous when it admits of only one meaning. Millett v.

Frohmiller, 66 Ariz. 339, 345, 188 P.2d 457, 461 (1948).

¶8 We first examine the Warranty Act and then turn to

Arizona’s Lemon Law. Under neither is Parrot entitled to

relief.

III

A

¶9 In response to complaints “from irate owners of motor

vehicles complaining that automobile manufacturers and dealers

were not performing in accordance with the warranties on their

automobiles,” Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Ass’n of U.S. v. Abrams, 899

F.2d 1315, 1317 (2d Cir. 1990) (quoting H.R. Rep. No. 93-1107

(1974), as reprinted in 1974 U.S.C.C.A.N. 7702, 7708), Congress

enacted the Warranty Act in 1975. The purpose of the Warranty

Act is “to prevent warranty deception.” Milton R. Schroeder,

Private Actions under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, 66 Cal. L.

Rev. 1, 9 (1978) (“Schroeder”). To further that purpose, the

Act requires conspicuous disclosure of the “terms and

conditions” of warranties “in simple and readily understood

language.” 15 U.S.C. § 2302(a). And, “[t]o enforce its

- 4 - requirements, the Act permits ‘a consumer who is damaged by the

failure of a supplier, warrantor, or service contractor to

comply with any obligation under this chapter, or under a

written warranty, implied warranty, or service contract’ to sue

warrantors for damages and other relief in any court of

competent jurisdiction.” DiCintio v. DaimlerChrysler Corp., 768

N.E.2d 1121, 1123 (N.Y. 2002) (quoting 15 U.S.C. § 2310(d)(1)).

To bring a cause of action under the Warranty Act, a person must

be a consumer of a consumer product and have a written warranty,

implied warranty, or service contract, as those terms are

defined by the Warranty Act.2

¶10 The Warranty Act defines “consumer product” as “any

tangible personal property which is distributed in commerce and

which is normally used for personal, family or household

purposes.” 15 U.S.C. § 2301(1). The parties agree that the

Jeep is a consumer product. Therefore, the dispositive issue is

whether Parrot is a consumer as defined by the Act.

¶11 The Act creates three categories of consumers. Id. §

2301(3). The first category includes “a buyer . . . of any

consumer product,” other than for purposes of resale. Id. The

second encompasses “any person to whom [a consumer product] is

2 Although the Warranty Act also refers to implied warranties and service contracts, because the issue before this Court is whether Parrot has the right to enforce a written warranty, we limit our analysis to written warranties.

- 5 - transferred during the duration of . . .

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