Lane v. Ken Thomas of Georgia, Inc.

503 S.E.2d 94, 233 Ga. App. 15, 98 Fulton County D. Rep. 2459, 1998 Ga. App. LEXIS 871
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedJune 17, 1998
DocketA98A0756; A98A0757
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 503 S.E.2d 94 (Lane v. Ken Thomas of Georgia, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lane v. Ken Thomas of Georgia, Inc., 503 S.E.2d 94, 233 Ga. App. 15, 98 Fulton County D. Rep. 2459, 1998 Ga. App. LEXIS 871 (Ga. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

Smith, Judge.

Reese and Geraldine Lane brought suit against Ken Thomas of Georgia, Inc. d/b/a Ken Thomas BMW (Thomas BMW), Charles Evans BMW, Inc. (Evans BMW), and BMW of North America, Inc. (BMW NA), seeking damages for injuries allegedly suffered by Geraldine Lane and loss of consortium when the doors and windows of a BMW car driven by Geraldine Lane “locked up,” causing her to become trapped and unable to exit the car.

After discovery, all three defendants filed motions for summary judgment. The trial court granted the motions of Thomas BMW and BMW NA, finding that no genuine issues of material fact remained as to these defendants. The court granted partial summary judgment to Evans BMW, finding that no genuine issues of material fact remained as to any issue except Evans BMW’s negligence.

In Case No. A98A0756, the Lanes appeal from the grant of summary judgment to Thomas BMW and BMW NA and the grant of partial summary judgment to Evans BMW. In Case No. A98A0757, Evans BMW cross-appeals from the denial of its motion for summary judgmént on the issue of negligence. Our review persuades us that no genuine issue of material fact remains for jury resolution as to any of the Lanes’ claims against any of the defendants. We conclude that the trial court was correct in granting summary judgment to Thomas BMW and BMW NA on all issues but incorrect in denying summary judgment on all issues to Evans BMW. We therefore affirm the judgment below in the main appeal and reverse the judgment below in the cross-appeal.

In September 1994, Reese Lane purchased a 1995 BMW 525 car [16]*16for his wife. Although the Lanes resided in Columbus, the car was purchased in Gwinnett County from Evans BMW. Several months later, in February 1995, the Lanes received notice of a recall campaign concerning the car. The notice stated that a defect existed in the central locking system, making it susceptible of being unintentionally engaged, thereby trapping someone in the car. The notice instructed the Lanes to contact their authorized BMW dealer for a free repair. The Lanes returned to Evans BMW on April 8, 1995 for this recall campaign repair. They waited while the recall campaign repair and some other scheduled maintenance work was done and drove the car home to Columbus.

On February 21, 1996, Geraldine Lane drove the BMW home from work. According to her, the car “locked up” in her driveway, trapping her in the car. Unable to open the locked doors or break the glass even after beating on it with her umbrella and her shoe, she eventually escaped by opening the sunroof. While climbing out she bruised her right thigh. The car was towed to Thomas BMW in Columbus.

Ronnie Carroll, the Parts and Service Director for Thomas BMW, testified by affidavit that the general control module in the Lanes’ car when it was towed in was removed, tested, and found to be operating properly. Carroll testified on his deposition that the car’s history was first checked on the dealership’s computer, which showed that the recall campaign repair in issue had been performed at Evans BMW. Carroll tested the general control module in the car to see if it was performing properly. He also instructed his technicians to remove the module governing the locking mechanism and replace it with another module, so the car could be tested with a replacement module. The car performed properly with both modules. In addition, the computer showed no fault codes in the system that would indicate any fault in the last 100 starts. After he learned from a BMW NA representative that the general control module removed from the Lanes’ car was the correct module, it was reinstalled in their car, and Carroll informed both Reese Lane and the Lanes’ attorney. Since that time, however, Geraldine Lane has refused to drive the car.

The Lanes filed this action alleging breach of contract, breach of warranty, fraud, conspiracy to defraud, negligence, strict liability, and loss of consortium, alleging they suffered serious physical and mental injuries. On appeal, their enumeration of errors consists simply of two very general statements that the trial court erred in granting both summary judgment and partial summary judgment.

1. We note initially that the Lanes have not presented argument as to their theory of strict liability. It is therefore deemed abandoned. Court of Appeals Rule 27 (c) (2).

2. The Lanes argue that several contracts were breached. On [17]*17appeal, they identify for the first time these contracts allegedly breached. They claim that the recall campaign notice constituted an offer and that taking their BMW to Evans BMW constituted an acceptance of the offer, forming a valid contract. They also claim they were third party beneficiaries of a contract between BMW NA and each of the dealerships to perform the recall campaign repairs. But, the Lanes’ complaint did not specify the contract the defendants are alleged to have breached. And in the trial court, the Lanes produced nothing but generalized conclusory statements that a contract existed and was breached. It is well established that they cannot now remedy their failure to establish this theory below. Malaga Mgmt. Co. v. John Deere Co., 208 Ga. App. 764, 766 (4) (431 SE2d 746) (1993). But even if their attempt on appeal to remedy this omission in various ways is considered, their contentions lack merit.

The Lanes have not established the existence of any contracts, and the defendants argue persuasively that none existed among these parties. But we need not address the existence of the contracts because, even if we assume they existed, the Lanes have not demonstrated a breach on the part of any of the defendants. “[I]n response to a summary judgment motion, the non-movant may not rest on generalized allegations, but must come forward with specific facts to show that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Richard Haney Ford v. Ford Dealer Computer Svcs., 218 Ga. App. 315, 319 (2) (a) (461 SE2d 282) (1995). The Lanes did not do so.

Their brief reveals that they base their speculation of wrongdoing supporting their theories of recovery, both in contract and tort, upon conversations with unidentified persons in which they were told that the wrong replacement general control module was placed into their car. This constituted incompetent hearsay.

This hearsay is in turn “supported” by their showing that the service information bulletin sent to dealers specified a part number for the general control module that ended in the numerals “574,” while the part placed in their car bore a number ending in the numerals “571.” But this “support” fails because the discrepancy between the two numbers was explained adequately and completely in the testimony and affidavits relied upon by the defendants in support of their motion for summary judgment.

Ronnie Carroll testified that several persons at BMW NA, whom he called for assistance, explained to him why the module in the Lanes’ car had a number stamped on it that was different from the number specified in the service information bulletin associated with the recall campaign repair. In an affidavit, the parts manager at Evans BMW also explained the discrepancy. BMW does not manufacture the components; it purchases various components from different manufacturers. The number ending in “571” on the replacement [18]*18module was the “casting number” or “manufacturing number” given the part by its manufacturer, to aid in identifying where or when it was manufactured, and is not a valid BMW part number.

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Bluebook (online)
503 S.E.2d 94, 233 Ga. App. 15, 98 Fulton County D. Rep. 2459, 1998 Ga. App. LEXIS 871, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lane-v-ken-thomas-of-georgia-inc-gactapp-1998.