Harry Cramer, Inc. v. Morris

37 Pa. D. & C.2d 747, 1965 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 314
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County
DecidedSeptember 20, 1965
Docketnos. 85 and 818
StatusPublished

This text of 37 Pa. D. & C.2d 747 (Harry Cramer, Inc. v. Morris) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harry Cramer, Inc. v. Morris, 37 Pa. D. & C.2d 747, 1965 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 314 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1965).

Opinion

Bowman, J.,

Two independent but related matters are before us for disposition. [748]*748The one involves a petition by defendant to open a confessed judgment. The other involves a petition by Keystone Trust Company (Keystone) to obtain possession of a car in the custody of the Sheriff of Dauphin County. They will both be disposed of by this opinion.

On October 27, 1964, judgment was entered in the amount of $500 by virtue of a judgment note given by defendant as security for the payment of a 1956 Oldsmobile sedan purchased from plaintiff (Cramer). On the same day, Cramer had the Sheriff of Dauphin County levy upon a 1957 Oldsmobile sedan owned by defendant. Keystone holds an encumbrance on the said 1957 Oldsmobile which was duly noted on the title in accordance with the provisions of The Vehicle Code. Thereafter, on November 21, 1964, defendant filed a petition for a rule to show cause why the judgment entered by Cramer should not be opened and defendant allowed to make a defense thereto. In response to defendant’s petition, Cramer filed an answer raising certain questions of fact. Depositions were taken, briefs filed and argument heard by the court en banc in both proceedings.

In determining whether to open a judgment, the court has the power to take into consideration both the testimony taken on deposition and the pleadings: Lytle v. Walters, 184 Pa. Superior Ct. 246 (1957).

From an examination thereof, the following facts appear: On November 1, 1963, defendant purchased a 1956 Oldsmobile sedan from Cramer. The sale was secured by a conditional sales agreement, which provided that a security interest would attach to the vehicle financed until all sums due thereunder were. paid. Incident thereto, defendant executed a judgment note for $500, payable at $20 per week. As such, the sale was governed by the Motor Vehicle Sales Finance Act.1

[749]*749On April 10, 1964, because of a default by defendant, Cramer repossessed the said 1956 Oldsmobile. At the time of repossession, defendant had made payments in the total amount of $220. On August 17, 1964, Cramer sent to defendant at 437 Wood Street, Steel-ton, a registered notice that if the automobile was not redeemed within 15 days, it would be sold at a private sale. This letter was returned to Cramer “unclaimed”. Defendant had changed his place of residence and admits he did not give notice thereof to Cramer, but claims that Cramer knew of his new address, since one of his employes lived on the same street.

An officer of Cramer testified that in October 1964, the 1956 Oldsmobile was sold for $100 to Robert Hilbush, an employe of Cramer, who traded it back in a few days on another vehicle. The title was never transferred.

As previously mentioned, judgment was then confessed and a 1957 Oldsmobile was levied upon by the sheriff. Cramer issued execution for $356.32. This amount was made up as follows: $280.00 balance owing on note; $76.32 balance due on $85.47 repair bill; $99.50 storage @ 50^ per day; $15.90 tune-up and parts (repairs on repossessed automobile); less a credit of $100 for value of repossessed car.

A petition to open judgment is governed by equitable principles and addressed to the sound discretion of the court: Duquesne Light Company v. Pittsburgh Railways Company, 400 Pa. 565 (1960); Berger v. Pittsburgh Auto Equipment Company, 387 Pa. 61 (1956); Foster v. Nixon, 194 Pa. Superior Ct. 572 (1961).

■A mere conflict of evidence is not enough. The petition to open and the supporting depositions must set forth a meritorious defense in specific and clear terms (Liberty National Bank of Pittston v. Degillio, 406 Pa. 127 (1962)), and also establish the existence of equitable considerations which impress the court with [750]*750the need for relief: Lened Homes, Inc. v. Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections, 386 Pa. 50 (1956).

In support of the petition to open the judgment, defendant sets forth several arguments. First, it is asserted that Cramer did not comply with section 262 of the Motor Vehicle Sales Finance Act, as amended, supra, which provides:

“. . . the seller or holder shall not have the right to bring an action or proceeding against the buyer for a deficiency, as provided in section twenty-seven hereof, unless there shall have been a public or private sale of the repossessed motor vehicle and collateral security.”

In the depositions of Harry Cramer, president of plaintiff, the following testimony was given:

“Q. Could you tell me why, if you sold this car to Robert Hilbush, there was no transfer of title?
“A. We didn’t have the title, Robert Hilbush was dissatisfied with the car and he traded it back in a few days and we sold him something else.
“Q. Up to this date there has been no full sale of the car?
“A. That is correct.”

Stanford Cramer, general manager of plaintiff, when questioned as to why the title was not transferred to Mr. Hilbush, stated: “We didn’t have the title to the automobile”. However, during the second deposition, defendant’s counsel, in questioning Stanford Cramer, elicited the following:

“Q. When you note an encumbrance on the title, who gets the title?
“A. The encumbrance holder would get the title.
“Q. Would it be safe to say that at all times while Mr. Morris had possession of the car, you had possession of the title certificate?
[751]*751“A. Yes, that is correct.”

The testimony of Cramer’s officers as to the sale of the repossessed automobile is not of a clear and convincing nature. Since this judgment, in any event, must be opened for other reasons to be discussed, it is our opinion that the factual question of whether a sale ever took place as required by the Motor Vehicle Sales Finance Act should be framed as an issue to be determined on proceedings upon the opened judgment.

Defendant next contends that the value of the repossessed car was $500, instead of the $100 for which he was given credit. While normally an oath against an oath is not sufficient to open a judgment (Messick v. Mumma, 192 Pa. Superior Ct. 639 (1960)), in the present case, defendant has a statutory right to a determination of the car’s value.

Under section 27 3 of the Motor Vehicle Sales Finance Act, as amended, “. . . the buyer may have the reasonable value of the motor vehicle at the time of resale, determined in any action ... to recover the deficiency”. In interpreting this section with regard to a petition to open judgment, the Superior Court, in Alliance Discount Corp. v. Shaw, 195 Pa. Superior Ct. 601 (1961), stated, at page 605:

“The plaintiff contends that the defendants have no right to have the reasonable value of the automobile, on resale, determined until an action or proceeding is brought to recover the deficiency. When the plaintiff entered judgment on the note it had several avenues to pursue. It could have used the judgment as a means of recovering the entire debt, or it could, as it did, repossess and sell the automobile and utilize the judgment to recover any deficiency. This intent is indicated as the judgment was not satisfied after the sale.

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Related

Alliance Discount Corp. v. Shaw
171 A.2d 548 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1961)
Berger v. Pittsburgh Auto Equipment Co.
127 A.2d 334 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1956)
Foster v. Nixon
168 A.2d 630 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1961)
General Motors Acceptance Corp. v. Hartman
174 A. 795 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1934)
Atlantic Finance Corp. v. Kester
39 A.2d 740 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1944)
Horten v. Colonial Finance Corp.
90 Pa. Super. 460 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1927)
Bank of Secured Savings v. Rudolph
83 Pa. Super. 439 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1924)
Newman v. Globe Indemnity Co.
119 A. 488 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1923)
Root v. Republic Acceptance Corp.
123 A. 650 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1924)
Lened Homes, Inc. v. Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections
123 A.2d 406 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1956)
Duquesne Light Co. v. Pittsburgh Railways Co.
400 Pa. 565 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1960)
Liberty National Bank v. Degillio
176 A.2d 446 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1962)
Commercial Banking Corp. v. Meade
104 Pa. Super. 447 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1932)
Lytle v. Walters
132 A.2d 373 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1957)
Messick v. Mumma
161 A.2d 642 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1960)
Evans v. Allied Discount Co.
184 A.2d 345 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1962)
Commercial Inv. Trust Co. v. Minon
104 F.2d 765 (Third Circuit, 1939)
In re Guertler
17 F. Supp. 569 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1935)

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Bluebook (online)
37 Pa. D. & C.2d 747, 1965 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 314, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harry-cramer-inc-v-morris-pactcompldauphi-1965.