Dinkins v. Schinzel

362 F. Supp. 3d 916
District Court, D. Nevada·Decided January 24, 2019·No. Case No.: 2:17-cv-01089-JAD-GWF·Published·Cited by 16 cases

Opinion

Jennifer A. Dorsey, U.S. District Judge

After defendant Geraldine Schinzel purchased land from plaintiff Kenneth Dinkins through an online auction, Schinzel made several posts about Dinkins on the website RipoffReport.com. Dinkins sued Schinzel, claiming that her colorful comments damaged his business reputation and caused him emotional distress. Schinzel counterclaimed on fraud and contract theories, alleging that, after defrauding her in the real-estate transaction, Dinkins defamed her.

Dinkins and Schinzel cross move for summary judgment. Dinkins requests judgment on all his claims and Schinzel's counterclaims, while Schinzel requests judgment only on Dinkins's claims. I grant *921both motions in part and deny them in part, and I order the parties to a mandatory settlement conference before a magistrate judge.

Background

While much remains disputed, the parties generally agree to the following events: In August 2015, Schinzel placed the winning bid of $ 1,030 for a parcel of land in Arizona that Dinkins listed for auction on eBay.com.1 After the auction, Dinkins contacted Schinzel, telling her that she had won the auction, asking what name (or names) she wanted to appear on the deed, and telling her that the total cost for the land and the deed was $ 1,325.2 Schinzel paid Dinkins and soon thereafter received the deed via email.3 Sometime later, Schinzel learned that $ 206 was owed in back taxes on the property.4 She notified Dinkins and he agreed to pay them, but never did.5 This lead Schinzel to begin an online investigation into Dinkins, through which she found postings about him on RipoffReport.com.6 Schinzel then wrote a complaint of her own, stating that Dinkins was "a scam artist" who had been "kicked off eBay for selling properties that did not belong to him."7 Over the next several months, Schinzel wrote at least seven more posts about Dinkins, calling him a thief, a criminal, and a scam artist who "prays [sic] on trusting individuals" like Schinzel and stalks and harasses consumers.8

Finally, in April 2017, Dinkins filed this suit against Schinzel, asserting five causes of action: (1) libel per se, (2) libel by implication, (3) intentional interference with a potential business advantage, (4) intentional infliction of emotional distress, and (5) civil assault.9 I granted Schinzel's motion to dismiss Dinkins's civil-assault claim in July 2017.10 Schinzel answered Dinkins's complaint and pled five counterclaims against him: (1) fraud, (2) breach of contract, (3) breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, (4) public disclosure of private facts, and (5) libel per se.11 Dinkins moves for summary judgment on all his claims and Schinzel's counterclaims.12 Schinzel opposes Dinkins's motion13 and brings her own, requesting summary judgment on only Dinkins's claims.14 Because of the significant overlap in argument and evidence, I address both motions together.

Discussion

A. Summary-judgment standard

Summary judgment is appropriate when the pleadings and admissible evidence "show there is no genuine issue as to any *922material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law."15 When considering summary judgment, the court views all facts and draws all inferences in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party.16 If reasonable minds could differ on material facts, summary judgment is inappropriate because its purpose is to avoid unnecessary trials when the facts are undisputed, and the case must then proceed to the trier of fact.17

If the moving party satisfies Rule 56 by demonstrating the absence of any genuine issue of material fact, the burden shifts to the party resisting summary judgment to "set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial."18 "To defeat summary judgment, the nonmoving party must produce evidence of a genuine dispute of material fact that could satisfy its burden at trial."19

Who bears the burden of proof on the factual issue in question is critical. When the party moving for summary judgment would bear the burden of proof at trial (typically the plaintiff), "it must come forward with evidence [that] would entitle it to a directed verdict if the evidence went uncontroverted at trial."20 When instead the opposing party would have the burden of proof on a dispositive issue at trial, the moving party (typically the defendant) doesn't have to produce evidence to negate the opponent's claim; it merely has to point out the evidence that shows an absence of a genuine material factual issue.21 The movant need only defeat one element of the claim to garner summary judgment because "a complete failure of proof concerning an essential element of the nonmoving party's case necessarily renders all other facts immaterial."22 "When simultaneous cross-motions for summary judgment on the same claim are before the court, the court must consider the appropriate evidentiary material identified and submitted in support of"-and against-"both motions before ruling on each of them."23

B. Evidentiary Objections

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Dinkins v. Schinzel, 362 F. Supp. 3d 916 (D. Nev. 2019).

362 F. Supp. 3d 916 (Dinkins v. Schinzel) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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