Home Service Oil Co. v. Cecil

513 S.W.3d 416, 2017 WL 1090967, 2017 Mo. App. LEXIS 201
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 23, 2017
DocketNo. SD 34472
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 513 S.W.3d 416 (Home Service Oil Co. v. Cecil) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Home Service Oil Co. v. Cecil, 513 S.W.3d 416, 2017 WL 1090967, 2017 Mo. App. LEXIS 201 (Mo. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

MARY W. SHEFFIELD, C.J.

Norma Cecil (“Defendant”) appeals from the trial court’s summary judgment in favor of Home Service Oil Co. (“Plaintiff’) on the basis that Defendant was judicially estopped from denying Plaintiffs claims because Defendant did not dispute Plaintiffs claim in a previous bankruptcy proceeding. Applying a de novo standard of review, see ITT Commercial Finance Corp. v. Mid-America Marine Supply Corp., 854 S.W.2d 371, 376 (Mo. banc 1993), we reverse the trial court’s judgment because Plaintiff did not meet its burden under Rule 74.04.1 Specifically, Plaintiffs statement of uncontroverted material facts did not demonstrate that there was no dispute about each of the facts supporting each element of the claims upon which Plaintiff would have had the burden of proof at trial.

Procedural Background

The following information is drawn from Plaintiffs statement of uncontrovert-ed material facts as supplemented by the docket sheets and pleadings in this case, viewed in the light most favorable to Defendant.2 See ITT, 854 S.W.2d at 376. At [419]*419some time prior to the litigation in this case, Defendant executed a credit agreement with Plaintiff under which Plaintiff agreed to provide fuel products to Defendant for resale at Defendant’s convenience store. In August 2014, Plaintiff sued Defendant, alleging claims of action, on account and unjust enrichment in order to recover $32,359.31 due under the agreement, plus interest and attorneys’ fees.

In October 2014, Defendant filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition requesting discharge of multiple debts including the one Plaintiff alleged was owed. Defendant’s bankruptcy discharge was denied.

In February 2016, Plaintiff filed a motion for summary judgment in the present action, arguing Defendant was “judicially estopped from denying the claim which she admitted was undisputed and valid in other judicial proceedings.” The trial court granted that motion. This appeal followed.

Discussion

Defendant raises three points on appeal. Each of these points discusses one of the three factors courts use to evaluate claims of judicial estoppel. However, judicial es-toppel does not control the outcome of this appeal. Rather, the trial court’s judgment must be reversed because Plaintiff did not meet its burden under Rule 74.04 for summary judgment.

Appellate review of a summary judgment “is essentially de novo.” ITT, 854 S.W.2d at 376. That is, “[t]he criteria on appeal for testing the propriety of summary judgment are no different from those which should be employed by the trial court to determine the propriety of sustaining the motion initially.” Id. “As the trial court’s judgment is founded on the record submitted and the law, an appellate court need not defer to the trial court’s order granting summary judgment.” Id.

“The language of Rule 74.04 establishes the boundaries of Missouri’s summary judgment practice.” Id. at 380. “The key to summary judgment is the undisputed right to judgment as a matter of law; not simply the absence of a fact question.” Id. Moreover, under the rule, “[a] ‘claimant’ must establish that there is no genuine dispute as to those material facts upon which the ‘claimant’ would have had the burden of persuasion at trial.” Id. at 381. Importantly, “[w]hen considering appeals from summary judgments, the Court will review the record in the light most favorable to the party against whom judgment was entered.” Id. at 376. And, “[w]e accord the non-movant the benefit of all reasonable inferences from the record.” Id.

We must also look to the elements of the claims pleaded in the petition and determine whether the facts in the statement of uncontroverted material facts meet those elements to ascertain whether Plaintiff is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Here, Plaintiff sought relief under two theories: action on account and unjust enrichment. The elements of a successful claim for action on account are “that 1) defendant requested plaintiff to furnish merchandise or services, 2) plaintiff accepted defendant’s offer by furnish[420]*420ing such merchandise or services, and 3) the charges were reasonable.” Helmtec Indus., Inc. v. Motorcycle Stuff, Inc., 857 S.W.2d 334, 335 (Mo. App. E.D. 1993). “To establish the elements of an unjust enrichment claim, the plaintiff must prove that (1) he conferred a benefit on the defendant; (2) the defendant appreciated the benefit; and (3) the defendant accepted and retained the benefit under inequitable and/or unjust circumstances.” Howard v. Turnbull, 316 S.W.3d 431, 436 (Mo. App. W.D. 2010). Plaintiffs statement of uncon-troverted material facts did not show the elements of either of these claims without the need for inferences in its favor.

Here, Plaintiffs statement of uncontro-verted material facts included the following “facts”:

1. On August 8, 2014, Plaintiff, Home Service Oil Company (hereinafter, “HSO”) filed suit against the Defendant, Norma Cecil (hereinafter, “Cecil”).
2. The crux of HSO’s suit was contained in paragraph five and incorporated by paragraph 11 of the Petition as follows: “5. Plaintiff extended credit unto Defendant, agreeing to provide fuel products and various other goods in exchange for Defendant’s promise to remit payment for the same”, [sic]
3. On September 11, 2014, Cecil filed her Answer to the Petition denying all allegations made by HSO.
4. On or about October 22, 2014, Cecil filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition requesting discharge of multiple debts including that of HSO.
5. Included with Cecil’s Petition for Bankruptcy where [sic] certain schedules detailing the debts of Ms. Cecil.
6. On both the original Schedule P and the Amended Schedule F, Cecil listed HSO as an unsecured creditor.
7. On both original Schedule F and the Amended Schedule F, Cecil did not dispute the debt owed to HSO.
8. Both schedules listed the debt owed by Ms. Cecil to HSO in the amount of thirty two thousand three hundred and fifty-nine dollars and thirty-one cents ($ 32,359.31).
9. The amount listed by Ms. Cecil in her Bankruptcy Petition is the precise amount requested as relief in HSO’s petition.
10. Cecil declared, under penalty of perjury to the Federal Bankruptcy Court, that this indebtedness, the dollar figure and the indication that such debt was not disputed, was true and correct[.]
11. HSO filed an adversarial complaint in response to her Petition for Bankruptcy.
12. On May 4, 2015[,] Cecil was deposed.
13. Cecil confirmed by testimony that she did prepare the Schedule F and Amended Schedule F, knowingly, with diligence and that she signed the Declaration stating that the Schedule was true and correct.
14.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
513 S.W.3d 416, 2017 WL 1090967, 2017 Mo. App. LEXIS 201, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/home-service-oil-co-v-cecil-moctapp-2017.