Metro Health Professionals, Inc. v. Chrysler, LLC

905 N.E.2d 1026, 2009 WL 1227868
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 5, 2009
Docket06A04-0809-CV-547
StatusPublished

This text of 905 N.E.2d 1026 (Metro Health Professionals, Inc. v. Chrysler, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Metro Health Professionals, Inc. v. Chrysler, LLC, 905 N.E.2d 1026, 2009 WL 1227868 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

905 N.E.2d 1026 (2009)

METRO HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, INC., Appellant-Plaintiff,
v.
CHRYSLER, LLC, Appellee-Defendant.

No. 06A04-0809-CV-547.

Court of Appeals of Indiana.

May 5, 2009.

*1028 Robert E. Duff, Lebanon, IN, Attorney for Appellant.

Jeffrey P. Smith, Hawk Haynie Kammeyer & Chickedantz, Fort Wayne, IN, Attorney for Appellee.

OPINION

BROWN, Judge.

Metro Health Professionals, Inc. ("MHP"), appeals the trial court's grant of summary judgment to Chrysler, LLC. MHP raises one issue, which we revise and restate as whether the trial court erred by granting Chrysler's motion for summary judgment and denying MHP's motion for summary judgment. We reverse.

The relevant facts as designated by the parties follow. On October 10, 2006, Brent A. Losier, the president of MHP, purchased a Jeep from an authorized Chrysler dealership. On November 30, 2006, Losier took the Jeep to a repair facility authorized by Chrysler complaining that, while he had been operating the Jeep one night, "all the warning lights in the dash came on, the vehicle's gauges ceased to function and the headlights spontaneously shut off." Appellant's Appendix at 24. Without making any repairs, Chrysler returned the vehicle to Losier on December 4, 2006.

On April 4, 2007, Losier took the Jeep to a repair facility authorized by Chrysler complaining that, while he had been operating the vehicle, "all the warning lights in the dash came on, the vehicle's gauges ceased to function and the transmission spontaneously shifted into low gear." Id. Without making any repairs, Chrysler returned the vehicle to Losier on April 5, 2007.

On June 6, 2007, Losier took the Jeep to a repair facility authorized by Chrysler complaining that, while he had been operating the vehicle, "all the warning lights in the dash came on, the vehicle's gauges (except for the fuel gauge) ceased to function, the gear indicator indicated the vehicle was in drive while it was in park, the headlights spontaneously shut off (and then spontaneously came back on), and the transmission spontaneously shifted into low gear." Id. at 25. Without making any repairs, Chrysler returned the vehicle to Losier on June 13, 2008.

*1029 On July 12, 2007, Losier took the Jeep to a repair facility authorized by Chrysler complaining that, while he had been operating the vehicle, "all the warning lights in the dash came on, the vehicle's gauges ceased to function, and the driver's seat spontaneously moved forward." Id. A technician "inspected all of the wiring and checked the connectors ... and couldn't find anything wrong." Id. at 229. Chrysler did not make any repairs to the vehicle. On July 18, 2007, MHP wrote a letter to Chrysler "advising [Chrysler] of a claim under the Indiana Motor Vehicle Protection Act." Id. at 25. MHP thus asserted its rights under Indiana's Lemon Law following the fourth unsuccessful repair attempt and prior to taking the vehicle in for yet another repair attempt.

On September 7, 2007, Losier was again driving the Jeep when "all the warning lights in the dash came on and the vehicle's gauges ceased to function." Id. at 229. Losier took the Jeep to a repair facility authorized by Chrysler while the vehicle was still malfunctioning, and the technicians made repairs to it. Specifically, the technicians "replaced the front control module." Id.

On October 29, 2007, MHP filed a complaint against Chrysler seeking relief under the Indiana Motor Vehicle Protection Act and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Chrysler filed its answer and affirmative defenses on January 9, 2008. On March 26, 2008, Chrysler's technical advisor inspected the Jeep and found no defect or nonconformity in the vehicle. As of April 28, 2008, the nonconformity had not recurred. In June 2008, the parties filed cross motions for summary judgment. At a hearing on the motions, MHP agreed to dismiss its claims under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. After the hearing, the trial court denied MHP's motion for summary judgment with respect to MHP's remaining claim under the Indiana Motor Vehicle Protection Act and granted summary judgment to Chrysler, finding that the "designated facts reveal that the nonconformity has not recurred since September 7, 2007," and that MHP was therefore without remedy under the Act. Id. at 10. MHP filed a motion to correct errors, which the trial court denied.

The issue is whether the trial court erred by granting Chrysler's motion for summary judgment and denying MHP's motion for summary judgment. Summary judgment is appropriate only where there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Ind. Trial Rule 56(c); Mangold ex rel. Mangold v. Ind. Dep't of Natural Res., 756 N.E.2d 970, 973 (Ind. 2001). All facts and reasonable inferences drawn from those facts are construed in favor of the nonmovant. Mangold, 756 N.E.2d at 973. Our review of a summary judgment motion is limited to those materials designated to the trial court. Id. We must carefully review a decision on summary judgment to ensure that a party was not improperly denied its day in court. Id. at 974.

The fact that the parties made cross motions for summary judgment does not alter our standard of review. Hartford Acc. & Indem. Co. v. Dana Corp., 690 N.E.2d 285, 291 (Ind.Ct.App.1997), trans. denied. Instead, we must consider each motion separately to determine whether the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Id. Where a trial court enters findings of fact and conclusions thereon in granting a motion for summary judgment, as the trial court did in this case, the entry of specific findings and conclusions does not alter the nature of our review. Rice v. Strunk, 670 N.E.2d 1280, 1283 (Ind.1996). In the summary judgment context, we are not bound by the *1030 trial court's specific findings of fact and conclusions thereon. Id. They merely aid our review by providing us with a statement of reasons for the trial court's actions. Id.

This case requires that we interpret the Indiana Motor Vehicle Protection Act. When interpreting a statute, we independently review a statute's meaning and apply it to the facts of the case under review. Bolin v. Wingert, 764 N.E.2d 201, 204 (Ind.2002). Thus, we need not defer to a trial court's interpretation of the statute's meaning. Elmer Buchta Trucking. Inc. v. Stanley, 744 N.E.2d 939, 942 (Ind. 2001). "The first step in interpreting any Indiana statute is to determine whether the legislature has spoken clearly and unambiguously on the point in question." St. Vincent Hosp. & Health Care Ctr., Inc. v. Steele, 766 N.E.2d 699, 703-704 (Ind.2002). If a statute is unambiguous, we must give the statute its clear and plain meaning. Bolin, 764 N.E.2d at 204. A statute is unambiguous if it is not susceptible to more than one interpretation. Elmer Buchta Trucking, 744 N.E.2d at 942.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
905 N.E.2d 1026, 2009 WL 1227868, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/metro-health-professionals-inc-v-chrysler-llc-indctapp-2009.