Hershey v. Edelman

932 N.E.2d 386, 187 Ohio App. 3d 400
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 6, 2010
DocketNo. 09AP-400
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 932 N.E.2d 386 (Hershey v. Edelman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hershey v. Edelman, 932 N.E.2d 386, 187 Ohio App. 3d 400 (Ohio Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

Connor, Judge.

{¶ 1} This action involves cross-appeals, whereby both parties have appealed the judgment of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, which granted each party’s motions for summary judgment, thereby defeating the complaint of plaintiff-appellee and cross-appellant, Robert S. Hershey (“plaintiff’), in replevin, as well as the counterclaims of defendant-appellant and cross-appellee, Lynn Edelman (“defendant”), for falsification and abuse of process. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

{¶ 2} Plaintiff filed this replevin action to recover 276 cases of jackets, which he alleges that he owns and which were valued at $75,000. Plaintiff alleges that the property has been wrongfully detained by defendant.

{¶ 3} Plaintiff avers that he had an oral agreement with Bud Eichols, owner of Paisley Enterprises, whereby Paisley Enterprises would hold plaintiffs jackets in its warehouse for the purpose of embroidering them with college logos. After reaching this agreement, plaintiff subsequently delivered the jackets to the [404]*404warehouse used by Paisley Enterprises in 2004, which was located at 1178 Joyce Avenue, Columbus, Ohio. In early 2007, when plaintiff returned to the warehouse, the jackets were no longer there. Plaintiff was eventually able to track down the jackets through other business owners who used the warehouse and who directed him to a printing company called “Galactic.”

{¶ 4} At Galactic, plaintiff was directed to defendant. Plaintiff informed defendant that he (plaintiff) was the owner of the jackets and demanded their return. However, defendant argued that he had purchased the jackets, on behalf of Columbus Lumber, Inc., d.b.a. Columbus Supply, without knowledge of plaintiffs ownership interest. Defendant refused to give the jackets to plaintiff. Plaintiff then filed a police report asserting that the jackets had been stolen.

{¶ 5} Eventually, in February 2008, plaintiff filed this civil action in replevin. In his affidavit in replevin, plaintiff alleged that he had “filed a police report that the items were stolen by the Defendant and that case is currently being investigated as a theft.” Defendant filed an answer and counterclaim, asserting his counterclaims for falsification and abuse of process, based upon the statements contained within the affidavit in replevin and based upon statements regarding the police report filed by plaintiff.

{¶ 6} On May 15, 2008, a hearing was held on plaintiffs motion for an order of possession. During testimony before a magistrate, plaintiff clarified that he did not intend to claim that defendant had personally stolen his jackets. Instead, plaintiff asserted that he believed the jackets were transferred by Galactic, which he believed was owned by defendant Edelman, and thus presumably, defendant should have known that Galactic did not own the jackets because a member of the Galactic team had previously worked at Paisley Enterprises. At that same hearing, Columbus Police Detective Craig Bowen testified that defendant was not specifically named when plaintiff filed the police report alleging the theft of the jackets.

{¶ 7} In November 2008, both parties filed motions for summary judgment. Plaintiff filed a motion for partial summary judgment, moving the trial court to grant summary judgment in his favor as to defendant’s counterclaims for falsification and abuse of process, while defendant filed a motion for summary judgment asking the trial court to grant summary judgment in his favor as to the underlying action in replevin, arguing that plaintiff had failed to sue the proper party and also could not recover against defendant as a bona fide purchaser without notice.

{¶ 8} On May 4, 2009, the tidal court filed a decision and judgment entry granting plaintiffs motion for summary judgment on defendant’s counterclaims and also granting defendant’s request for summary judgment as to the underlying action in replevin.

[405]*405{¶ 9} Defendant timely appealed and asserts the following assignment of error for our review:

The trial court erred in granting summary judgment, under Rule 56 of the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure, for Plaintiff on Defendant’s counterclaims against Plaintiff for falsification under Ohio Revised Code § 2921.13 and for abuse of process.

{¶ 10} Plaintiff then filed a notice of cross-appeal and asserts the following single assignment of error:

The Trial Court erred when it granted summary judgment in favor of Defendant Lynn Edelman as to Plaintiff/Cross-Appellant’s action in replevin.

{¶ 11} Appellate review of summary judgment motions is de novo. Helton v. Scioto Cty. Bd. of Commrs. (1997), 123 Ohio App.3d 158, 162, 703 N.E.2d 841. “When reviewing a trial court’s ruling on summary judgment, the court of appeals conducts an independent review of the record and stands in the shoes of the trial court.” Mergenthal v. Star Banc Corp. (1997), 122 Ohio App.3d 100, 103, 701 N.E.2d 383. We must affirm the trial court’s judgment if any of the grounds raised by the movant at the trial court are found to support it, even if the trial court failed to consider those grounds. Coventry Twp. v. Ecker (1995), 101 Ohio App.3d 38, 41-42, 654 N.E.2d 1327.

{¶ 12} Summary judgment is proper only when the party moving for summary judgment demonstrates that (1) no genuine issue of material fact exists, (2) the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law, and (3) reasonable minds could come to but one conclusion, and that conclusion is adverse to the party against whom the motion for summary judgment is made, that party being entitled to have the evidence most strongly construed in that party’s favor. Civ.R. 56(C); State ex rel. Grady v. State Emp. Relations Bd. (1997), 78 Ohio St.3d 181, 183, 677 N.E.2d 343.

{¶ 13} Additionally, a moving party cannot discharge its burden under Civ.R. 56 by simply making a conclusory allegation that the nonmoving party has no evidence to prove its case. Dresher v. Burt (1996), 75 Ohio St.3d 280, 293, 662 N.E.2d 264. Rather, the moving party must affirmatively demonstrate by affidavit or other evidence allowed by Civ.R. 56(C) that the nonmoving party has no evidence to support its claims. Id.

{¶ 14} We shall first address plaintiffs cross-appeal and his assignment of error challenging the trial court’s granting of summary judgment in favor of defendant regarding plaintiffs complaint in replevin.

{¶ 15} Plaintiff argues that the trial court erred in determining that an action in replevin could not be maintained individually against defendant. Plaintiff argues that the determination of who paid for the jackets is insignificant because [406]*406the real issue is who was in possession and constructive control of the jackets at the time the replevin action was initiated.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
932 N.E.2d 386, 187 Ohio App. 3d 400, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hershey-v-edelman-ohioctapp-2010.