Cato v. Thompson

403 N.E.2d 1239, 83 Ill. App. 3d 321, 38 Ill. Dec. 635, 1980 Ill. App. LEXIS 2711
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedApril 22, 1980
Docket79-288
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 403 N.E.2d 1239 (Cato v. Thompson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cato v. Thompson, 403 N.E.2d 1239, 83 Ill. App. 3d 321, 38 Ill. Dec. 635, 1980 Ill. App. LEXIS 2711 (Ill. Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE NASH

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff, Sid Cato, individually and as legal representative of the estates of Sheila Cato, Cyd Cato and Stuart Cato, deceased, appeals from the entry of a summary judgment in favor of defendant, Jerrell Thompson, d/b/a Harvard House, in a dramshop action arising out of an automobile accident brought against this defendant and others.

The complaint alleged that defendant sold, served or gave diverse quantities of alcoholic liquor to Donald Powell, Jerry Powell, Charles Donner and Ralph Henning, which they consumed and thereafter became intoxicated; that these individuals, while in an intoxicated condition, wilfully removed the stop sign at the intersection of Streit Road and Route 23 in McHenry County; that on August 17, 1975, plaintiff was driving his automobile in an easterly direction on Streit Road and that due to the removal of the stop sign by the four intoxicated persons plaintiff drove his vehicle through the intersection whereupon he collided with a semi-trailer truck being driven in a northerly direction on Route 23, causing plaintiffs’ injuries. Defendant’s answer essentially denied all of the allegations in plaintiff’s complaint including that defendant had sold, served or given alcoholic beverages to the named persons or that plaintiff was entitled to. damages.

Thereafter, defendant filed a motion for summary judgment and attached to it were unsworn, unsigned, typewritten statements purporting to have been made by Jerry Powell, Donald Powell and a Donna Rygh, stating that they and others were in Harvard Lounge, not Harvard House, prior to the occurrence and, further, that they did not purchase liquor at Harvard House. Over plaintiff’s objections, the trial court granted the motion for summary judgment and in its order also found that there was no just reason to delay enforcement or appeal.

Plaintiff contends that defendant’s motion for summary judgment does not satisfy the requirements of section 57 of the Civil Practice Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 110, par. 57) or Supreme Court Rule 191 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 110A, par. 191), so as to entitle defendant to summary judgment noting that he submitted nothing more than unsworn and unsigned statements in support of the motion which the trial court should not have considered as determinative of the disputed issue. Plaintiff also contends that the summary judgment procedure followed herein preempted his right to a trial by jury and to present a factual basis for the existing material disputes. We agree and reverse.

The statements submitted in support of the summary judgment motion were relied upon by defendant to rebut the allegation of the complaint that the intoxicated persons causing plaintiff’s injuries purchased or were served liquor at Harvard House. These typewritten documents each bore the title of the case, were described in it as oral interrogatories and captioned “Investigation”; they purport to reflect the questions directed to the witnesses and their answers. The questioner was identified in the statements as Raymond Turner, representing Harvard House, and the statements note they were reported in shorthand and transcribed by James Littleton, C.S.R., 2517 West 99th St., Chicago, Illinois, Book No. 385-188. These documents do not show that the witnesses had been placed under oath nor are their contents in any manner certified by the reporter as being taken under oath or as being true and correct transcriptions of the questions to and answers of the witnesses. The statements are not signed by either the witnesses or the reporter and, although this case was pending at the time, were taken without notice to or the presence of plaintiff’s counsel.

The principles for review of a trial court’s order for summary judgment are well settled. The purpose of a summary judgment proceeding is not to try an issue of fact but rather to determine whether there is an issue of fact to be tried. (Graham v. Evischi (1977), 50 Ill. App. 3d 268, 365 N.E.2d 162; Fishel v. Givens (1977), 47 Ill. App. 3d 512, 362 N.E.2d 97.) Summary judgment is proper only where there is no genuine issue as to a material fact (Carruthers v. B. C. Christopher & Co. (1974), 57 Ill. 2d 376, 313 N.E.2d 457), and this is to be determined from the pleadings, depositions, affidavits and admissions on file in each case. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 110, par. 57(3).) Summary judgment provides a means of disposing of cases with dispatch, but is a drastic method and should be allowed only when the right of the moving party is free from doubt. (Marshall v. City of Chicago Heights (1978), 59 Ill. App. 3d 986, 989, 376 N.E.2d 657, 659; Interlake, Inc. v. Harris Trust & Savings Bank (1978), 57 Ill. App. 3d 524, 526, 373 N.E.2d 413, 415; Lesser v. Village of Mundelein (1976), 36 Ill. App. 3d 433, 344 N.E.2d 29.) A reviewing court will reverse an order granting summary judgment if it is determined that a material question of fact does exist. Econo Lease, Inc. v. Noffsinger (1976), 63 Ill. 2d 390, 349 N.E.2d 1.

Summary judgment may of course be granted with or without supporting affidavits (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 110, pars. 57(1) and 57(2)) if there remain no genuine issues as to material facts in a case. (Smith v. Ashley (1975), 29 Ill. App. 3d 932, 332 N.E.2d 32.) In the absence of a motion for summary judgment by defendant supported by facts in affidavit form which, if not contradicted, would entitle him to judgment as a matter of law, plaintiff may rely upon his complaint to raise genuine issues of fact and, thus, establish a triable cause of action. Schaefer v. Sippel (1978), 58 Ill. App. 3d 816, 820, 374 N.E.2d 1092,1096; Murphy v. Ambassador East (1977), 54 Ill. App. 3d 980, 370 N.E.2d 124.

A stand-off exists between the pleadings of the parties in this case; plaintiff has alleged the intoxicated persons acquired liquor from defendant but defendant denies they did so. Under the statute the court may also look to the depositions, affidavits and admissions on file in a case to determine whether a disputed and material issue of fact remains to be tried and in the present case none of these sources is supplied in the record. Defendant notes that in Carruthers v. B. C. Christopher & Co. (1974), 57 Ill. 2d 376, 380, 313 N.E.2d 457,459, the court added exhibits to the list of sources of evidentiary facts to which the court may refer and he concludes that as the statements in question were attached by him as exhibits in support of his motion for summary judgment they were thus properly considered by the trial court. We do not agree.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In re Estate of Stinnette
2024 IL App (2d) 230174 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2024)
Craig v. Alaeddin
2020 IL App (3d) 190148-U (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2020)
Trtanj v. City of Granite City
Appellate Court of Illinois, 2008
Trtanj ex rel. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. City of Granite City
379 Ill. App. 3d 795 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2008)
Davis v. Loftus
778 N.E.2d 1144 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2002)
DeMase v. Tieri
641 N.E.2d 1250 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1994)
Smith v. Tri-R Vending
619 N.E.2d 172 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1993)
Laurence v. Flashner Medical Partnership
565 N.E.2d 146 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1990)
Kaplan v. Disera
557 N.E.2d 924 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1990)
People v. Summerville
547 N.E.2d 513 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1989)
Estate of Henderson v. WR Grace & Co.
541 N.E.2d 805 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1989)
Streams Club, Ltd. v. Thompson
536 N.E.2d 459 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1989)
Zielinski v. A. Epstein & Sons International, Inc.
534 N.E.2d 644 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1989)
Commonwealth Eastern Mortgage Co. v. Vaughn
534 N.E.2d 453 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1989)
Mulholland v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance
527 N.E.2d 29 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1988)
Kenner v. Northern Illinois Medical Center
517 N.E.2d 1137 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1987)
People Ex Rel. First National Bank v. City of North Chicago
510 N.E.2d 577 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1987)
Nameoki Township v. Cruse
508 N.E.2d 1080 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1987)
Komater v. Kenton Court Associates
502 N.E.2d 1295 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1986)
Amin v. Knape & Vogt Co.
500 N.E.2d 454 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
403 N.E.2d 1239, 83 Ill. App. 3d 321, 38 Ill. Dec. 635, 1980 Ill. App. LEXIS 2711, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cato-v-thompson-illappct-1980.