Comras v. Hoffman

6 Mass. L. Rptr. 172
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedOctober 15, 1996
DocketNo. 952531E
StatusPublished

This text of 6 Mass. L. Rptr. 172 (Comras v. Hoffman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Comras v. Hoffman, 6 Mass. L. Rptr. 172 (Mass. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

Garsh, J.

Third-party defendant David Woronov (“Woronov”) moves for summary judgment, pursuant to Mass.RCiv.P. 56, on all counts of the third-party complaint asserted against him and to strike the affidavit of Alan J. Hoffman (“Hoffman”) submitted in opposition to Woronov’s summary judgment motion. Third-party plaintiffs Hoffman and Susan' Walker Hoffman (collectively, the “Hoffmans”) allege that Woronov tortiously interfered -with contractual relations between Shawmut Bank, N.A. (“Shawmut”) and Global Asset Management Limited (Count VIII), and that Woronov engaged in unfair business practices in violation of G. L. c. 93A (Count IX). For the reasons stated below, defendant’s motions are ALLOWED.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Mare A. Comras (“Comras”) filed a complaint against the Hoffmans and others on May 9, 1995, alleging, inter alia, breach of contract, misrepresentation, conversion, interference with contractual relations, and violations of G.L.c. 93A. The claims arose out of a business venture called Global Asset Management Limited (“Global”) which entered into a joint venture with Advantage Funding Group (“Advantage”), in order to market automobile leases which were supposed to be converted to asset-backed negotiable instruments. Allan J. Hoffman was (and still is) President of International Products Supply (“IPS”), a Nevada corporation that was the beneficial owner of shares in Global.

Comras incorporated Global. Under Comras’s direction, the funds and automobile titles generated by the joint venture were placed into a trust to be managed jointly by the joint venture partners (the “Global Trust”).

Shawmut Bank, N.A. (“Shawmut”) acted as Master Servicer and Corporate Trustee of the funds in the Global Trust. It retained the law firm of Gadsby & Hannah in connection with various legal issues surrounding its role as trustee. The parties agreed that all legal fees incurred in creating the trust instrument at Shawmut Bank would be paid for by Global Trust. Woronov, who was employed at Gadsby & Hannah at the time, acted as lead counsel for Shawmut. When Woronov left Gadsby and Hannah, he retained Shawmut as his client.

The Third-party Complaint, which is not verified, alleges, with respect to Woronov, that Comras, without approval, hired Woronov as co-counsel to assist him in creating the Trust and paid him for his services from assets of the Trust, that a major portion of these fees were for work unrelated to the trust, that, in retaliation for challenging the legal bills paid by Comras, “upon information and belief,” Woronov caused Shawmut to withhold funds which should have been paid to Global, and that “upon information and belief,” Woronov conspired with others to steal Global away from its rightful owners and proprietary investors. Woronov denied each of these factual allegations in his answer.

In support of his motion for summary judgment, Woronov filed an affidavit in which he states that at no time was he hired as attorney or advisor for the Hoffmans, Comras, the other defendants, or any potential investors and that he did not invest in Global or ever contemplate doing so and did not enter into an oral or written contract related to Global with any party except Shawmut. Woronov attests further that all his duties and responsibilities were limited to his role as attorney for Shawmut from whom he received payment for his professional services at his customary [173]*173rate on a monthly basis. Finally, Woronov states that he did not, individually or in combination with Comras, theHoffmans, or others, attempt to purchase, sell, or transfer any shares, certificates or beneficial interests in Global.

In opposition to Woronov’s motion for summary judgment, the Hoffmans submitted an affidavit executed by Hoffman. The affidavit does not affirmatively state that it is based on personal knowledge.

DISCUSSION

Summary judgment is warranted where there are no genuine issues of material fact and where the summary judgment record entitles the moving parly to judgment as a matter of law. Cassesso v. Commissioner of Correction, 390 Mass. 419, 422 (1983); Community Nat'l Bank v. Dawes, 369 Mass. 550, 553 (1976); Mass.R.Civ.P. 56(c). The moving party bears the burden of affirmatively demonstrating the absence of a triable issue of fact “and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Pederson v. Time, Inc., 404 Mass. 14, 17(1989). “Acomplete failure of proof concerning an essential element of the non-moving party’s case renders all other facts immaterial” and mandates summary judgment in favor of the moving party. Kourouvacilis v. General Motors Corp., 410 Mass. 706, 711 (1991) (citing Celotex v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323 (1986)).

I. Motion to Strike

Rule 56(e) provides, in relevant part, that “affidavits shall be made on personal knowledge, shall set forth such facts as would be admissible in evidence, and shall show affirmatively that the affiant is competent to testify to the matters stated therein.” Mass.R.Civ.P. 56(e). Accordingly, speculation must be stricken as well as hearsay and statements of fact unsupported by evidence of personal knowledge.

Paragraphs seven and nine of Hoffman’s affidavit contain the following explicit statements of opinion and belief:

When the beneficial owners of Global challenged the disbursements for legal fees made from the Global Trust, I believe that Woronov retaliated by advising Shawmut Bank to withhold funds from the Global Trust which were rightfully owed to Global.4
I believe that Woronov also ordered a default of Global as a participant in the joint venture . . .

These paragraphs may not provide the basis for opposing entry of summary judgment because “all affidavits or portions thereof made on information and belief, as opposed to personal knowledge, are to be disregarded in considering a motion for summary judgment.” Shapiro Equipment Corp. v. Morris & Son Construction Corp., 369 Mass. 968 (1976) (rescript).

Most of the statements of fact in the Hoffman affidavit must also be disregarded because the affidavit does not demonstrate personal knowledge of the facts being asserted. In paragraph five of his affidavit, for example, Hoffman states that Woronov was hired to assist in the creation of the Global Trust. That statement, of course, is not inconsistent with Woronov being hired by Shawmut. To the extent the Hoffmans wish this court to draw the inference, however, that Woronov was hired by the Trust, there is no basis for personal knowledge on the part of the affiant. Indeed, the third-party complaint alleges that Comras hired Woronov as co-counsel and, thus, to the extent the first sentence of paragraph 5 is based upon which Comras may have told Hoffman, it is inadmissible hearsay.

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Bluebook (online)
6 Mass. L. Rptr. 172, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/comras-v-hoffman-masssuperct-1996.