Mayphous Collins and Akilah Collins v. Lesha Strausz and Plano Collision Center, Inc. D/B/A AutoNation Collision Center Plano

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided September 9, 2021·No. 02-20-00317-CV·Published

Opinion

In the

Court of Appeals

Second Appellate District of Texas at Fort Worth

No. 02-20-00317-CV

MAYPHOUS COLLINS AND AKILAH COLLINS, Appellants V.

LESHA STRAUSZ AND PLANO COLLISION CENTER, INC. D/B/A AUTONATION COLLISION CENTER PLANO, Appellees

On Appeal from the 352nd District Court Tarrant County, Texas

Trial Court No. 352-305020-18

Before Sudderth, C.J.; Kerr and Womack, JJ.

Memorandum Opinion by Justice Womack

MEMORANDUM OPINION

I. INTRODUCTION

Appellants Mayphous Collins and Akilah Collins sued Appellees Lesha Strausz and Plano Collision Center, Inc. d/b/a AutoNation Collision Center Plano for alleged damages to Appellants’ custom 2016 Tesla Model X P90D. Both Strausz and AutoNation filed for no-evidence and traditional summary judgment on each of Appellants’ claims, and the trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Strausz and AutoNation. In two issues, Appellants challenge the trial court’s grants of summary judgment. We will affirm.

II. BACKGROUND

In 2016, Appellants purchased the Tesla for $160,266.97. Two years after that purchase, Strausz rear-ended the Tesla while it was stopped at a red light.1 Mr. Collins spent weeks researching Tesla-certified and Tesla-approved repair shops, and he eventually chose AutoNation, bringing the vehicle in for repairs six weeks after the wreck. The Tesla remained at AutoNation for over five months, and when Mr. Collins arrived to pick up the vehicle, he noticed that it had allegedly sustained damages that had not been present when he had brought it to AutoNation. According to Mr. Collins, he noticed certain cosmetic damages to the vehicle, and more importantly, he contended that the vehicle had sustained water damage. Four

1 Mr. Collins was the Tesla’s driver at the time of the wreck.

months later, Mr. Collins had the Tesla towed to his home, and he has not driven it since that time. Around the time that the vehicle was towed to Mr. Collins’s home, AutoNation presented him with a final bill for the repairs totaling $7,777.88. The parties do not dispute that Strausz’s insurance carrier paid for that final bill.

Appellants later filed suit against Strausz and AutoNation alleging the following claims: (1) breach of a bailment agreement; (2) negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation; (3) violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act (the DTPA); and (4) negligence and negligence per se.2 As to damages, Appellants alleged that the Tesla was “a total loss.” They stated that they were entitled to “the cost to replace the Vehicle with a vehicle of like[] kind[] and quality—which would be best determined by replacement with another 2016 Tesla Model X P90D, in the same condition as the Vehicle immediately prior to the [car wreck with Strausz].” They alleged that in total-loss situations, the depreciation of a vehicle would typically be deducted from the replacement cost, but they argued that a custom car, like their Tesla, “may actually appreciate in value.” They also stated that because the Telsa was a unique custom good, its value also included “service

For simplicity, we will refer to Appellants’ negligence and negligence per se 2

claims collectively as Appellants’ “negligence claim.” See Johnson v. Enriquez, 460 S.W.3d 669, 673 (Tex. App.—El Paso 2015, no pet.) (“Negligence per se is not a separate cause of action independent of a common-law negligence cause of action.”); Thomas v. Uzoka, 290 S.W.3d 437, 445 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2009, pet. denied) (“Negligence per se is not a separate cause of action that exists independently of a common-law negligence cause of action.”).

value[,] . . . sentimental value[,] . . . and intrinsic value.” Appellants maintained that their total-loss damages should be valued “at a minimum” of $160,266.97—the amount that they paid when they had purchased the vehicle in 2016. Appellants also sought damages relating to their purported payment for a rental vehicle that was utilized while their Tesla was being repaired.

Strausz filed a no-evidence and traditional motion for summary judgment on each of Appellants’ claims. The trial court granted summary judgment in Strausz’s favor on Appellants’ bailment, negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation, and DTPA claims, but the trial court denied summary judgment on Appellants’ negligence claim. AutoNation also filed a no-evidence and traditional motion for summary judgment on each of Appellants’ claims. The trial court granted summary judgment in AutoNation’s favor on each of Appellants’ claims. Appellants moved for the trial court to reconsider that ruling, arguing that new testimony from their expert, Kevin Newsom, warranted setting aside the summary-judgment ruling. The trial court denied Appellants’ motion to reconsider.3 Strausz later filed a no-evidence and traditional motion for summary judgment on Appellants’ remaining negligence claim. The trial court granted Strausz summary judgment on that claim, and the trial court signed a final judgment. Appellants asked

3 In its order denying Appellants’ motion to reconsider, the trial court corrected a statement made in its prior order granting AutoNation summary judgment. The prior order had stated that it was final and that it disposed of all parties. In the new order, the trial court made clear that the negligence claim against Strausz remained.

the trial court to reconsider that ruling, citing testimony from Newsom that was not included in their response to Strausz’s motion for summary judgment on the negligence claim. The trial court denied Appellants’ motion to reconsider, and this appeal followed.

III. DISCUSSION

In their first issue, Appellants argue that the trial court erred by granting summary judgment in Strausz’s favor. In their second issue, Appellants argue that the trial court erred by granting summary judgment in AutoNation’s favor. A. Standard of Review When a party moves for both no-evidence and traditional summary judgment, we first review the trial court’s summary judgment under the no-evidence standard. Ford Motor Co. v. Ridgway, 135 S.W.3d 598, 600 (Tex. 2004). Under that standard, after an adequate time for discovery, the party without the burden of proof may, without presenting evidence, move for summary judgment on the ground that no evidence supports an essential element of the nonmovant’s claim or defense. Tex. R. Civ. P. 166a(i). The motion must specifically state the elements for which no evidence exists. Id.; Timpte Indus., Inc. v. Gish, 286 S.W.3d 306, 310 (Tex. 2009). The trial court must grant the motion unless the nonmovant produces summary-judgment evidence that raises a genuine, material fact issue. See Tex. R. Civ. P. 166a(i) & 1997 cmt.; Hamilton v. Wilson, 249 S.W.3d 425, 426 (Tex. 2008).

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Mayphous Collins and Akilah Collins v. Lesha Strausz and Plano Collision Center, Inc. D/B/A AutoNation Collision Center Plano, (Tex. Ct. App. 2021).

Mayphous Collins and Akilah Collins v. Lesha Strausz and Plano Collision Center, Inc. D/B/A AutoNation Collision Center Plano (Mayphous Collins and Akilah Collins v. Lesha Strausz and Plano Collision Center, Inc. D/B/A AutoNation Collision Center Plano) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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