Houk v. Mitchell

40 Pa. D. & C.5th 250
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lawrence County
DecidedJuly 29, 2014
DocketNo. 10023 of 2013
StatusPublished

This text of 40 Pa. D. & C.5th 250 (Houk v. Mitchell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lawrence County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Houk v. Mitchell, 40 Pa. D. & C.5th 250 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2014).

Opinion

COX, J.,

— Before the court for disposition is the motion for summary judgment filed on behalf of the defendant Marc Mitchell t/d/b/a Keystone Arms For America, which argues the plaintiff failed to prove damages in relation to the alleged defamatory statement made by the defendant and there is a lack of consideration concerning the breach of warranty claims [252]*252as the plaintiff failed to render payment for the remaining balance owed on the firearm in question. The defendant further contends that the plaintiff is precluded from filing a claim for replevin if there was a valid contract reached between the parties as the title for the 6-inch Colt python pistol was properly transferred to the defendant and he is legally entitled to possession of the same.

On November 21,2012, the defendant listed for auction a Colt Python 4-inch Nickel 357 Magnum revolver and it was advertised as a “wonderful collector piece that is just in pristine condition”. The plaintiff won the bid on that firearm by offering $2,695.00 and as payment, the parties negotiated that the plaintiff would trade a 6-inch Colt Python 357 Magnum revolver and pay $1,372.70 in cash. On November 29, 2012, the parties met at Lone Wolf Gun Store and the defendant transferred the 4-inch Colt Python revolver to the plaintiff, who also transferred his 6-inch Colt pistol to the defendant. The cylinder on the 4-inch Colt Python revolver purchased by the plaintiff was functioning properly at that time. The defendant instructed the plaintiff on how to properly open and close the cylinder, which the plaintiff did two or three times. Several hours later, the plaintiff applied oil to the cylinder of the 4-inch Colt Python revolver and the cylinder would not close. The plaintiff contacted the defendant to discuss the problem and attempted to arrange a meeting between the parties on November 30, 2012; however, the defendant did not attend that meeting. The plaintiff decided he wanted to rescind the transaction and placed a stop payment on the check to pay the remaining balance owed to the defendant.

In response, the defendant contacted Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms And Explosives (hereinafter “ATF”) [253]*253Agent Haggerty and informed him that the plaintiff issued the defendant a check and subsequently placed a stop payment on it. Agent Haggerty then contacted the plaintiff on December 5, 2012, and stated that the defendant reported the firearm as stolen. The plaintiff explained the situation to Agent Haggerty, who decided that the matter was not the proper subject of an ATF investigation. The plaintiff also stated that the defendant intended to call the Pennsylvania State Police concerning the firearm, but he was never contacted by any other law enforcement agency after speaking with Agent Haggerty.

The plaintiff filed suit on January 9, 2013, averring claims for breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty of merchantability, breach of implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, replevin and slander. On March 25, 2013, the defendant filed an answer and new matter averring failure of consideration concerning the claims for breach of warranty. On April 1, 2014, the defendant filed the current motion for summary judgment contending that the plaintiff failed to prove damages in relation to the alleged defamatory statement made by the defendant and there is a lack of consideration concerning the breach of warranty claims as the plaintiff failed to render payment for the remaining balance owed on the firearm in question. The defendant contends that the plaintiff is precluded from filing a claim for replevin if there was a valid contract reached between the parties as the title for the 6-inch Colt python pistol was properly transferred to the defendant and he is legally entitled to possession of the same.

The purpose of the summary judgment rule is to eliminate cases prior to trial where a party cannot make out a claim or defense after the relevant discovery has been [254]*254completed. Miller v. Sacred Heart Hospital, 753 A.2d 829 (Pa. Super. 2000). The mission of the summary judgment procedure is to pierce the pleadings and to assess the proof in order to see whether there is a genuine need for a trial. The summary judgment rule exists to dispense with a trial of a case or, in some matters, issues in a case, where a party lacks the beginnings of evidence to establish or contest a material issue. Ertel v. Patriot-News Company, 544 Pa. 93, 674 A.2d 1038 (1996), reargument denied, (1996), certiorari denied, 519 U.S. 1008 (1996).

Any party may move for summary judgment in whole or in part as a matter of law whenever there is no genuine issue of material fact as to a necessary element of the cause of action or defense which could be established by additional discovery or expert report or if, after the completion of discovery relevant to the motion, including the production of expert reports, an adverse party who will bear the burden of proof at trial has failed to produce evidence of facts essential to the cause of action or defense which in a jury trial would require the issues to be submitted to a jury. Pa.R.C.P. No. 1035.2. However, summary judgment is only appropriate when discovery relevant to the motion has been completed, id. Summary judgment may be granted only in cases where it is clear and free from doubt that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a summary judgment as a matter of law. Kafando v. Erie Ceramic Arts Co., 764 A.2d 59, 61 (Pa. Super. 2000) (citing Rush v. Philadelphia Newspaper, Inc., 732 A.2d 648, 650-651 (Pa. Super. 1999)).

The moving party bears the burden of proving the nonexistence of any genuine issue of material fact. Kafando, supra. A material fact, for summary judgment purposes, is [255]*255one that directly affects the outcome of the case. Gerrow v. Shincor Silicones, Inc., 756 A.2d 697 (Pa. Super. 2000); Kuney v. Benjamin Franklin Clinic, 751 A.2d 662 (Pa. Super. 2000). The non-moving party must adduce sufficient evidence on issues essential to his case on which he bears the burden of proof such that a jury could return a verdict in his favor. Failure to adduce this evidence establishes that there is no' genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Ertel, supra. The non-moving party must demonstrate that there is a genuine issue for trial and may not rest on averments in its pleadings. DeSantis v. Frick Company, 745 A.2d 624 (Pa. Super. 1999); Merriweather v. Philadelphia Newspaper, Inc., 453 Pa. Super. 464, 469-472, 684 A.2d 137, 140 (1996).

When determining whether to grant a motion for summary judgment, the court must view the record in the light most favorable to the non-moving party, and all doubts as to the existence of a genuine issue of material fact must be resolved against the moving party. Hughes v.

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Bluebook (online)
40 Pa. D. & C.5th 250, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/houk-v-mitchell-pactcompllawren-2014.