King Painting & Wallpapering, Inc. v. Aswin Ganapathy Hospitality Assocs., L.L.C.

2014 Ohio 1372
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 31, 2014
Docket2013-T-0076
StatusPublished

This text of 2014 Ohio 1372 (King Painting & Wallpapering, Inc. v. Aswin Ganapathy Hospitality Assocs., L.L.C.) 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
King Painting & Wallpapering, Inc. v. Aswin Ganapathy Hospitality Assocs., L.L.C., 2014 Ohio 1372 (Ohio Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

[Cite as King Painting & Wallpapering, Inc. v. Aswin Ganapathy Hospitality Assocs., L.L.C., 2014-Ohio-1372.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS

ELEVENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

TRUMBULL COUNTY, OHIO

KING PAINTING & WALLPAPERING, : OPINION INC., : Plaintiff-Appellee, : CASE NO. 2013-T-0076 - vs - : ASWIN GANAPATHY HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATES, LLC, et al., :

Defendant-Appellant. :

Civil Appeal from the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 2012 CV 355.

Judgment: Affirmed.

Frederick S. Coombs, III, Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell, Ltd., 26 Market Street, #1200, P.O. Box 6077, Youngstown, OH 44501 (For Plaintiff-Appellee).

Thomas M. Lyden, 860 Boardman-Canfield Road, Suite 204, Youngstown, OH 44512 (For Defendant-Appellant).

CYNTHIA WESTCOTT RICE, J.

{¶1} Appellant, Aswin Ganapathy Hospitality Associates, LLC (“Aswan”),

appeals the summary judgment entered by the Trumbull County Court of Common

Pleas in favor of appellee, King Painting & Wallpapering Inc. (“King”), on King’s claims

for breach of contract and foreclosure of a mechanic’s lien. We are asked to consider

whether genuine issues of material fact exist on King’s claims, precluding summary

judgment. For the reasons that follow, we affirm. {¶2} On February 15, 2012, King filed a complaint for breach of contract and to

foreclose a mechanic’s lien. King alleged that in March 2010, it entered into an oral

contract with Aswin, pursuant to which King performed certain painting, drywall repair,

and wallpaper installation services between March 31, 2010 and May 6, 2010 at the

Metroplex Motel, which is owned by Aswin and located in Liberty Township.

{¶3} King alleged that on April 12, 2010, it issued an invoice to Aswan for its

work in the amount of $21,510, and that Aswin failed to pay the invoice in breach of the

parties’ contract.

{¶4} Further, King alleged that on July 13, 2010, it filed an affidavit for

mechanic’s lien with the Trumbull County Recorder, and served a copy of same on

Aswin. Further, King alleged that Aswin has failed to discharge said lien.

{¶5} Aswin filed an answer denying the material allegations of the complaint.

{¶6} On April 16, 2012, King issued interrogatories, requests for admission,

and a request for production of documents to Aswin. Aswin failed to timely respond to

King’s discovery requests. Consequently, on May 30, 2012, King filed a notice with the

court stating that, due to Aswin’s failure to timely respond to King’s requests for

admission, pursuant to Civ.R. 36, they were deemed admitted.

{¶7} Thereafter, on May 31, 2012, Aswin filed a motion for leave to answer

King’s discovery requests, without distinguishing King’s requests for admission. On

June 6, 2012, the trial court granted Aswin’s request for leave.

{¶8} On June 11, 2012, Aswin sent its responses to King’s interrogatories and

requests for admission to King’s counsel.

{¶9} In response, on July 5, 2012, King filed a motion to compel Aswin to

respond to its request for production of documents and to provide more complete

2 answers to its interrogatories. In its motion King also objected to Aswin’s purported

answers to King’s requests for admission because they were not timely and also

because King had already filed a notice that the requests for admission were deemed

admitted.

{¶10} Aswin did not respond to King’s motion to compel. Instead, on July 16,

2012, Aswin simply filed a second motion for leave to answer King’s discovery requests,

again without distinguishing King’s requests for admission.

{¶11} On July 18, 2012, the trial court ruled on the parties’ discovery motions,

granting King’s motion to compel Aswin to respond to King’s interrogatories and request

for production and also granting Aswin’s motion for leave. The court specifically gave

Aswin leave to respond to King’s interrogatories and request for production of

documents by August 20, 2012, but did not give Aswin leave to respond to King’s

requests for admission.

{¶12} Thereafter, King filed a motion for summary judgment. In support, King

filed the affidavit of its vice-president, Reuben King. Mr. King stated that King is a

Pennsylvania corporation registered to do business in Ohio. He said that, during the

week of March 21, 2010, King was contacted about performing wallpaper hanging and

ceiling painting at the Metroplex Motel by the owner’s representative, who goes by the

name of “Dr. Sammy.”

{¶13} Mr. King stated that on March 31, 2010, he and two other workers from

King traveled from Pennsylvania to the motel to begin the work Dr. Sammy requested.

Upon their arrival, King’s employees were admitted into the motel and began work.

{¶14} Mr. King said that while the work was being performed, in April 2010,

Aswin’s representatives asked King to expand their work to include drywall repair and

3 painting the motel’s dividing walls. Due to this increase in the scope of the work, on

April 5, 2010, two additional workers from King joined the original work force.

{¶15} Mr. King stated that the dates and hours of work performed by King’s

employees are set forth in the work ledger attached to his affidavit. He said that on April

12, 2010, King issued an itemized invoice to the motel for the work performed in the

amount of $21,510.

{¶16} Mr. King said that on May 6, 2010, he returned to the motel to complete

work on the motel, spending seven hours to complete the painting and wallpaper work

pursuant to the parties’ contract. These additional hours are reflected in King’s ledger.

{¶17} Mr. King stated that Aswin has never complained or indicated in any way

that any part of the work was unsatisfactory. However, Aswin did not make any

payment for the work or materials provided by King at Aswin’s request.

{¶18} Further, King presented the affidavit of its counsel, Frederick Coombs, in

which Mr. Coombs stated that on July 13, 2010, he filed an affidavit for mechanic’s lien

in favor of King and against Aswin in the amount of $21,510 with the Trumbull County

Recorder. On the same date, he served a copy of the affidavit on Aswin by U.S. mail.

He also personally served a copy of the affidavit at the reception desk of the motel. He

asked for the motel manager, and the desk clerk told him the manager, who is a female

named Dr. Sammy, was not available.

{¶19} King also relied on the requests for admission it submitted to Aswin, which

were deemed admitted, as follows:

{¶20} No. 1: That [Aswin] did request that [King] perform certain services

between March 2010 and May 2010 in conjunction with painting,

drywall repair, and installing wallpaper coverings at [Aswin’s] place

4 of business, commonly known as the Metroplex Motel, located in

Liberty Township, Trumbull County, Ohio.

{¶21} No. 2: That [King] did perform the services as outlined in the invoice

attached to the Complaint as Exhibit A.

{¶22} No. 3: That [Aswin has] not paid [King] for the services rendered as

outlined in the invoice * * *.

{¶23} No. 4: That [Aswin has] not provided any notice to [King], prior to

the institution of this lawsuit that the materials or workmanship

provided by [King] to the Metroplex Motel were unsatisfactory.

{¶24} No. 5: That [Aswin] understood that [King] was not providing its

services and materials as outlined in the invoice * * * without

expectation of proper compensation therefor.

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