Collins v. Kentucky Lottery Corp.

399 S.W.3d 449, 78 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 860, 2012 WL 4839535, 2012 Ky. App. LEXIS 212
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedOctober 12, 2012
DocketNo. 2011-CA-001073-MR
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 399 S.W.3d 449 (Collins v. Kentucky Lottery Corp.) 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
Collins v. Kentucky Lottery Corp., 399 S.W.3d 449, 78 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 860, 2012 WL 4839535, 2012 Ky. App. LEXIS 212 (Ky. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION

COMBS, Judge:

Regina Collins and Christopher Land appeal from the order of the Jefferson Circuit Court granting summary judgment to the Kentucky Lottery Corporation (KLC). They also argue that the trial court should have granted their motion for class certification. After our review, we affirm.

Collins and Land sued KLC after playing the Kentucky Millionaire game. Kentucky Millionaire was a scratch-off game that ran from February 2005 until February 2006. It offered a range of prizes. The advertising for Kentucky Millionaire included a “call-out,”1 which declared, “Over $10 Million in cash prizes from $25 to $1000!” Collins and Land each purchased winning tickets that paid $20 in winnings. They both attempted to claim a $25 prize, contending that the call-out promised that the minimum prize was $25.

Appellants filed suit against KLC on September 8, 2005, alleging fraud, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and violation of the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act (KCPA). On July 30, 2008, they filed a motion for class certification. KLC filed a motion for summary judgment. On March 4, 2009, Collins and Land filed a cross-motion for partial summary judgment. On May 23, 2011, the trial court granted KLC’s motion for summary judgment and denied Appellants’ motion. The trial court did not rule on the motion for class certification. This appeal followed.

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 deemed to be 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 [452]*452prove that no genuine issue of material fact exists, and he “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 view the evidence in favor of the non-moving party. City of Florence v. Chipman, 38 S.W.3d 387, 390 (Ky.2001). The non-moving party must present “at least some affirmative evidence showing the existence of a genuine issue of material fact[.]” Id. On appeal, our standard of review 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). Furthermore, because summary judgments do not involve fact-finding, our review is de novo. Pinkston v. Audubon Area Community Services, Inc., 210 S.W.3d 188, 189 (Ky.App.2006).

Claims Under the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act

Kentucky Revised Statute[s] (KRS) 367.170(1) provides that “[ujnfair, false, misleading, or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce” are unlawful. A person may bring an action under this statute if he:

purchases or leases goods or services primarily for personal, family or household purposes and thereby suffers any ascertainable loss of money or property, real or personal, as a result of the use or employment by another person of a method, act or practice declared unlawful by KRS 367.170[.]

KRS 367.220(1).

Collins and Land argue that the lottery is engaged in trade and commerce as contemplated and referenced by KRS 367.170(1). However, the trial court held that the threshold requirement of the purchase of goods and services contained in KRS 367.220(1) has not been met and that, therefore, Collins and Land are not entitled to bring a claim under the KCPA.

KRS Chapter 367 does not provide a definition of goods. The trial court relied on a portion of the definition of KRS 355.2-105, which provides that goods are “all things which are movable.” Appellants urge us to apply a portion of the definition of goods from Black’s Law Dictionary (9th ed.2009): “[tjhings that have value, whether tangible or not[.]” We believe that it is helpful to examine the Black’s Law definition in its entirety,

goods. 1. Tangible or movable personal property other than money; esp., articles of trade or items of merchandise <goods and services >. • The sale of goods is governed by Article 2 of the UCC. 2. Things that have value, whether tangible or not <the importance of social goods varies from society to society >.

Black’s Law Dictionary 701 (7th ed.1999).

Lottery tickets are sold. If indeed they are “goods,” their sale is controlled by the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). The Kentucky version of the UCC defines goods in the statute upon which the trial court relied — KRS 355.2-105, which provides as follows:

(1) “Goods” means all things (including specially manufactured goods) which are movable at the time of identification to the contract for sale other than the money in which the price is to be paid, investment securities (Article 8) and things in action. “Goods” also includes the unborn young of animals and growing crops and other identified things attached to realty as described in the section on goods to be severed from realty (KRS 355.2-107).

KRS 355.2-105.

As the trial court pointed out, a lottery ticket represents a chance to win an un[453]*453known amount of money. See Commonwealth v. Allen, 404 S.W.2d 464 (Ky.1966). A chance to win money is intangible and cannot be physically moved at the time that it is purchased. The definition of goods does not include intangible property. We also find it persuasive that the Michigan Court of Appeals has held that lottery tickets do not come within the purview of the UCC. Ramirez v. Bureau of State Lottery, 186 Mich.App. 275, 468 N.W.2d 245 (1990).

Alternatively, Collins and Land contend that the trial court erred in not holding that the lottery is a service. In support of this argument, Appellants analogize the lottery to insurance.

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399 S.W.3d 449, 78 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 860, 2012 WL 4839535, 2012 Ky. App. LEXIS 212, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/collins-v-kentucky-lottery-corp-kyctapp-2012.