Corry v. Jahn

972 N.E.2d 907, 2012 WL 3192061, 2012 Ind. App. LEXIS 372
Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided August 7, 2012·No. No. 02A03-1107-PL-323·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

OPINION

BAILEY, Judge.

Case Summary

James and Gayle Corry (“the Corrys”), whose residence was built by Woodland Homes of Ft. Wayne, LLC (“Woodland”) brought suit for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of warranty, negligence, and fraud against Woodland, builder/realtor Steve Jahn (“Jahn”), realtor Scott Malcolm (“Malcolm”), Oak-mont Development Co., LLC (“Oakmont”) and Mike Thomas Associates/F.C. Tucker, Inc. (“MTA”). The trial court granted summary judgment to Oakmont and MTA, denied the Corrys’ motion to correct error, and directed the entry of judgment upon the partial summary judgment order. The Corrys present a single, consolidated issue: whether partial summary judgment was erroneously granted.1 We affirm.

Facts and Procedural History

The facts most favorable to the Corrys, the non-movants for summary judgment, are as follows. In 2001, Malcolm, an MTA realtor and a friend of James Corry, introduced the Corrys to his colleague, Jahn. In addition to being an MTA realtor, Jahn was the president of Woodland, a residen[911] tial construction company. Jahn was an “approved builder”2 on a list maintained by MTA and Jeff Thomas of MTA believed that Jahn may have built some model or “spec” homes for Oakmont. (Appellee’s App. 355.)

The Corrys agreed to purchase from Woodland a lot in Perry Lake Estates that Woodland had obtained from Oakmont, the developer of that subdivision.3 On June 20, 2001, Michael Thomas, as General Partner of Oakmont issued a letter after reviewing a “progress drawing” or “completed drawing” of the proposed residence showing the proposed elevation. (Appel-lee’s App. 408.) The letter was addressed To Whom It May Concern:

This is to verify that the house being built at 1207 Dakota Drive (lot 117 Perry Lake Estates III) meets all architectural requirements set forth by the developer.

(Appellee’s App. 452.)

On November 16, 2001, the Corrys entered into a contract with Woodland for the construction of a residence on Lot 117, next to Malcolm’s lot. Oakmont had procured a joint soil test report regarding Lot 117 and Malcolm’s lot and had been advised either that Lot 117 required pilings or pilings would be the most economical way to deal with unstable soil. In light of that information, Oakmont had agreed to sell the lot to Woodland at a reduced cost, to offset the cost of pilings. However, the construction contract between the Corrys and Woodland did not require pilings.

Jahn and the Corrys had several pre-construction meetings, often at MTA offices, with Malcolm present at some of the meetings. One or both of the Corrys repeatedly raised the issue of soil suitability. According to Jahn, the area was known to have “muck streams” and was considered “vulnerable.” (Appellee App. 425.) Jahn first advised the Corrys “that [the] house would require pilings”4 because of soil conditions but later informed them that they “didn’t need pilings.” (Appellee App. 107-8.) Jahn’s recommended alternative was to remove muck, compact dirt fill and “beef up” the concrete slab. (App. 408.) The concrete slab was poured one inch thicker than a typical slab, and steel rods were used instead of wire. The rods were in both the footers and the slab.

“Almost from the beginning” of moving into their new residence in 2002, the Cor-rys began to observe structural problems. (Appellee’s App. 58.) Floor tiles cracked, there were cracks in the ceilings and walls, and a wall dropped away from the ceiling. The Corrys contacted Jahn, who advised them that cracks were routine and performed some cosmetic repairs.

The problems persisted and it eventually became apparent that the Corrys’ house was sinking. In 2007, after learning that Woodland had gone bankrupt, the Corrys asked Malcolm to arrange a meeting with Mike Thomas of MTA. The meeting did not produce any solutions and the Corrys, [912] at their own significant expense, had helical piers installed to stabilize the house.

On October 31, 2007, the Corrys filed a complaint for damages. As amended, the complaint asserted breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of warranty, negligence, and fraud claims against Jahn, Woodland, Malcolm, Oakmont and MTA. Oakmont and MTA jointly moved for summary judgment on each of the claims. On March 28, 2011, the trial court (concluding “it is most obvious to this Court that the Plaintiffs are suing Oak-mont and MTA because Woodland Homes has gone out of business and filed bankruptcy”) granted partial summary judgment. (App. A-198.) On February 14, 2012, the trial court directed the entry of judgment pursuant to Indiana Trial Rule 54(B). This appeal ensued.

Discussion and Decision

I. Standard of Review

A party seeking summary judgment bears the burden of making a prima facie showing that there are no genuine issues of material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Smith v. City of Hammond, 848 N.E.2d 333, 337 (Ind.Ct.App.2006), trans. denied. Once the movant satisfies this burden through evidence designated to the trial court pursuant to Indiana Trial Rule 56, the non-movant may not rest upon its pleadings, but must designate specific facts demonstrating the existence of a genuine issue for trial. Id.

A genuine issue of material fact exists where facts concerning an issue that would dispose of the litigation are in dispute or where the undisputed material facts are capable of supporting conflicting inferences on such an issue. Huntington v. Riggs, 862 N.E.2d 1263, 1266 (Ind.Ct.App.2007), trans. denied.

On review, we apply the same standard as the trial court: we must decide whether there is a genuine issue of material fact that precludes summary judgment and whether the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Carie v. PSI Energy, Inc., 715 N.E.2d 853, 855 (Ind.1999). In so doing, we consider only those portions of the pleadings, depositions, and other matters specifically designated to the trial court by the parties for purposes of the motion. Ind. Trial Rule 56(C), (H). We accept as true those facts alleged by the non-moving party, which are supported by affidavit or other evidence. McDonald v. Lattire, 844 N.E.2d 206, 212 (Ind.Ct.App.2006).

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Corry v. Jahn, 972 N.E.2d 907, 2012 WL 3192061, 2012 Ind. App. LEXIS 372 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012).

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