Moore v. R. Z. Sims Chevrolet-Subaru, Inc.

738 P.2d 852, 241 Kan. 542, 1987 Kan. LEXIS 379
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJune 12, 1987
Docket59,184
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 738 P.2d 852 (Moore v. R. Z. Sims Chevrolet-Subaru, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Moore v. R. Z. Sims Chevrolet-Subaru, Inc., 738 P.2d 852, 241 Kan. 542, 1987 Kan. LEXIS 379 (kan 1987).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

McFarland, J.:

Janice Moore purchased a 1981 Chevrolet *543 Silverado pickup truck from defendant R. Z. Sims Chevrolet-Subaru, Inc. (dealership). She brings this action against, inter alia, the dealership and two of its employees, Charles L. Kent (a/k/a Clark Kent) and James E. Davies, seeking damages for alleged intrusion upon seclusion (invasion of privacy) in connection with the dealership’s attempted repossession of the vehicle. The defendant dealership counterclaimed against plaintiff seeking a judgment for the unpaid balance due on the vehicle and related relief. The dealership’s counterclaim was determined in a bench trial with the dealership prevailing therein. Plaintiff appeals from said judgment. Plaintiff s tort action was determined in a jury trial with plaintiff being awarded $12,000. The dealership and one of the employees appeal therefrom.

The issues raised in the appeals are as follows:

I. Whether, as a matter of law, the action of Charles L. Kent, in entering the kitchen-office area of the Salebarn Cafe to discuss with Janice Moore the repossession of the truck, provides a cause of action for intrusion upon seclusion,
II. whether Janice Moore’s damages were proved with reasonable certainty, and
III. whether the district court erred in holding that the sale of the truck was not a door-to-door sale within the purview of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.

The facts must be set forth in considerable detail.

On Wednesday, May 25, 1983, Larry Moore entered the used car lot at R. Z. Sims Chevrolet in Hutchinson. Charles L. Kent, a salesman at the dealership, approached Larry, who indicated an interest in purchasing a certain 1981 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on the lot. Kent and Larry took a test drive in the truck, returned to the dealership, and filled out the necessary papers. Larry provided credit information on himself and his wife, Janice Moore. Kent informed Larry he saw no problem with financing and allowed Larry to take the truck home. Larry drove the truck to the home of his wife’s friend Wilda Reed where Janice was waiting.

Janice Moore was convinced that Larry’s loan would not be approved. Larry was to return to the dealership the next day at noon to sign the loan papers. Janice called the dealership to *544 inform Kent that Larry would be late in returning with the truck, but she was unable to reach Kent and left a message. When Larry arrived at the dealership, Kent informed him that the loan had not been approved, and Larry left in his 1965 Ford F250 pickup truck. During the next two days Janice expressed an interest in the Silverado pickup truck. Kent testified that he returned Janice’s call of May 26 later that same day and she expressed an interest in purchasing the truck, providing him with additional credit references at that time. Janice testified that she received calls from Kent and R. Z. Sims’ business manager, Jim Davies, on Saturday morning, May 28, 1983, in which she was asked if she was interested in purchasing the truck. An agreement was reached and on Saturday, May 28, 1983, Kent delivered the 1981 Chevrolet Silverado to the Salebarn Cafe in McPherson, which Janice owned and operated. Kent was instructed by Jim Davies to have Janice sign the necessary papers, collect a check for the $1,500 down payment, and obtain possession of, and title to, the Moores’ 1965 Ford F250 pickup truck to serve as a trade-in. Janice informed Kent that she had made arrangements to secure the down payment the following Tuesday, May 31, 1983, and that this arrangement had been approved by Davies. Kent left in Moore’s traded-in 1965 Ford pickup truck.

Janice was ill the following Tuesday but on the next day, Wednesday, June 1, 1983, made two unsuccessful attempts to secure a loan for the down payment. On June 2,1983, Janice and Larry took the 1981 Chevrolet to the dealership and Janice indicated that because she could not secure the down payment, the deal was off. Davies erroneously indicated that the Moores’ trade-in had already been sold and would not accept the return of the 1981 truck. On June 3, 1983, Jack Bowker, the Moores’ attorney, sent a letter to the dealership requesting that the dealer either return the old truck or allow Janice to make the down payment in installments. Bowker also requested that any further dealings between the dealership and Janice Moore be handled through him.

On June 9 or 10, 1983, Kent drove to the Salebarn Cafe and attempted to repossess the 1981 Chevrolet truck. He entered the cafe and asked to see Janice. After waiting for a time, Kent entered the kitchen-office area of the cafe through doors marked *545 “Employees Only” and talked to Janice. During the course of Kent’s discussion with Janice, Larry was called and came to the cafe. Janice was unsuccessful in contacting her attorney. Both Janice and Larry were upset, and Kent left the cafe without taking the 1981 Chevrolet truck.

On June 13, 1983, Janice filed suit in McPherson County District Court, seeking either cancellation of the contract or a finding that the dealership had waived its rights to the $1,500 down payment. The petition also alleged harassment by telephone, defamation, and violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (KCPA). The dealership answered and counterclaimed for payment of $1,500, for execution of the certificate of title to the 1965 Ford F250 trade-in vehicle, and for the balance due on the sales agreement. The counterclaim also sought authorization to repossess and sell the 1981 Chevrolet and apply the net proceeds of the sale against the judgment.

An amended petition filed May 10, 1984, alleged multiple violations of the KCPA. The amended petition also alleged that Kent and Davies engaged in outrageous conduct toward Janice, defamed Janice, and invaded her privacy from May 31, 1983, through June 10, 1983. The proceedings were bifurcated with a bench trial on the alleged KCPA violations and a jury trial on the tort claims.

The bench trial was held February 19-20, 1985, the district court finding that no violation of the KCPA had been established. Judgment was rendered for the dealership on its counterclaim in the amount of $8,442.82. The dealership was authorized to foreclose on the 1981 Chevrolet, sell it, and apply the net proceeds of the sale to the judgment. Janice Moore was also ordered to sign and deliver the certificate of title to the 1965 Ford pickup to the dealership.

Prior to the jury trial on the tort claim, a pretrial order was filed July 29, 1985, in which Janice Moore framed four issues, two based on harassment by telephone and two based on invasion of privacy (intrusion upon seclusion) in the June 9 or 10, 1983, attempted repossession of the truck.

The district court granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment with regard to the harassment by telephone allegations but overruled the motion for summary judgment with regard to *546 the invasion of privacy allegations arising from Kent’s entry into the kitchen-office area of the cafe. The jury trial was held September 10-11, 1985, and the jury found for Janice Moore in the amount of $12,000.

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Bluebook (online)
738 P.2d 852, 241 Kan. 542, 1987 Kan. LEXIS 379, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moore-v-r-z-sims-chevrolet-subaru-inc-kan-1987.