Papasodero v. Thayer & Associates, Inc.

14 Mass. L. Rptr. 684
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedApril 29, 2002
DocketNo. 000570B
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 14 Mass. L. Rptr. 684 (Papasodero v. Thayer & Associates, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Papasodero v. Thayer & Associates, Inc., 14 Mass. L. Rptr. 684 (Mass. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

Fecteau, J.

INTRODUCTION

Pursuant to Mass.R.Civ.P. Rule 56, defendants, Thayer & Associates, Inc. (“Thayer”), Shadowbrook Condominium Trust (“Shadowbrook”), Janet Dale, Alan Glassman, Ann Brickley, Andrew Goodwin, Walter Skubisz, Jeanne McBrine, Richard Person, Ellen Cunniff, Mathew Hall, and Dwight Johnson, move this court to issue summary judgment in their favor. This action arises out of an Agenda notice dated March 20, 1997, concerning a regularly scheduled meeting of the Shadowbrook Board of Trustees. The plaintiffs, Paul Papasodero (“Papasodero”), Valentino Papasodero, a minor, Alexander Papasodero, a minor, and Leonardo Sommerfield, a minor, have brought suit to recover actual and statutory damages against the defendants.

The plaintiffs’ claims against defendant Thayer are: (Count I) violation of G.L.c. 93, §49, Fair Debt Collection Act; (Count VI) violation of G.L.c. 93, §9 and 940 CMR 7.00-7.11, Mass. Atty. Gen’l Regs., Debt Collection Practices Regulations; (Count XI) violation of 15 U.S.C. §1692, et seq., the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act; and (CountXVI) intentional and/or negligent infliction of emotional distress

The plaintiffs’ claims against the defendants Ellen Cunniff, Mathew Hall and Dwight Johnson, all as employees of Thayer are: (Count II) violation of G.L.c. 93, §49, Fair Debt Collection Act; (Count VII) violation of G.L.c. 93, §9 and 940 CMR 7.00-7.11, Mass. Atty. Gen’l Regs., Debt Collection Practices Regulations; (Count XII) violation of 15 U.S.C. §1692, et seq., the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act; and (Count XVII) intentional and/or negligent infliction of emotional distress.

The plaintiffs’ claims against the defendant Shadowbrook are: (Count III) violation of G.L.c. 93, §49, Fair Debt Collection Act; (Count VIII) violation of G.L.c. 93, §9 and 940 CMR 7.00-7.11, Mass. Atty. Gen’l Regs., Debt Collection Practices Regulations; (Count XIII) violation of 15 U.S.C. §1692, et seq., Fair Debt Collection Practices Act; and (Count XVIII) intentional and/or negligent infliction of emotional distress. [685]*685The plaintiffs’ claims against the defendants Janet Dale, Jeanne McBrine, Richard Person, and Andrew Goodwin, all as Trustees of the Shadowbrook, are: (Count IV) violation of G.L.c. 93, §49 Fair Debt Collection Act; (Count IX) violation of G.L.c. 93, §9 and 940 CMR 7.00-7.11, Mass. Atty. Gen’l Regs., Debt Collection Practices Regulations; (Count XIV) violation of 15 U.S.C. §1692, et seq., Fair Debt Collection Practices Act; (Count XIX) intentional and/or negligent infliction of emotional distress.

The plaintiffs’ claims against the defendants Alan Glassman, Ann Brickley and Walter Skubisz, all as Trustees of Shadowbrook, are: (Count V) violation of G.L.c. 93, §49 Fair Debt Collection Act; (Count X) Violation of G.L.c. 93, §9 and 940 CMR 7.00-7.11 Mass. Atty. Gen’l Regs., Debt Collection Practices Regulations; and (Count XV) violation of 15 U.S.C. §1692, et seq., Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

The plaintiffs’ claims against defendants Shadowbrook and Thayer include: (Count XXII) Negligence; (Count XXIII) Breach of Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing; and (CountXXTV) Breach of Fiduciary Duty. Finally, Papasodero’s claims against all defendants are: (Count XX) defamation; (Count XXI) invasion of privacy; and (Count XXV) loss of consortium by Valentino Papasodero, Alexander Papasodero and Leonardo Summerfield.

For the following reasons, defendants’ motion for summary judgment is ALLOWED in part and DENIED in part.

BACKGROUND

Papasodero is a resident of Shadowbrook in the unit known as 2-2 Shadowbrook Lane, Milford, Massachusetts. The Shadowbrook complex consists of 364 units. Mr. Papasodero was an owner of one of the units until he lost the same to a foreclosure sale for failure to pay condominium fees.3 The case at bar arose as a result of the publication of an alleged defamatory Agenda notice dated March 20, 1997 (“Agenda”), which stated that the “Bad Debt” of “Papasodero” would be discussed at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Shadowbrook Board of Trustees. Specifically, the Agenda, as it relates to this case, stated as follows:

2. Executive Sessions Atty/Collection and Other Problems - 7:00-60 minutes
* Transition issues (Audit) (Management Contract) * (Staffing update) * Budgetary matters
* Status of reserve accounts (min. bal.) * Easement representation (research) * McGray letters
* Lawsuits (Unit Owner & Fire) * [Bad Debt] * Papasodero * Others * Young unit rehire
* Establishing Moving in/out charge (move/in billing letter) * Rules for mail distribution.

Plaintiffs filed their original complaint on March 20, 2000, which stated nineteen counts against the defendants. On May 9, 2000, Defendants filed an answer, with affirmative defenses. On the same date, plaintiffs filed a motion for leave to amend their complaint, alleging six additional causes of action, including defamation, invasion of privacy, negligence, breach of an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, breach of a fiduciary duty, and loss of consortium. On December 26, 2000, the Court allowed plaintiffs’ motion for leave to amend their complaint, on the condition that “if the amendments hereby allowed prove to be unrelated to the causes of action asserted in the original complaint, the court may consider the viability of the amendments upon motion by the defendants.”

On January 24, 2001, defendants timely filed their answer with affirmative defenses. On February 23, 2001, a hearing on defendants’ motion for summary judgment was held. Both parties were represented, but arguments were not presented on the six additional counts made by plaintiffs in their amended complaint. On March 30, 2001, this court granted defendants an additional 30 days in which to supplement their present papers to address these six new claims.4

DISCUSSION

A. Standard of Review

Summary judgment will be granted where there are no material facts in dispute and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Cassesso v. Comm’r of Correction, 390 Mass. 419, 422 (1983); Community National Bank v. Dawes, 369 Mass. 550, 553 (1976); Mass.R.Civ.P. 56(c). In assessing a Rule 56 motion, “(t]he evidence of the non-movant is to be believed and all justifiable inferences are to be drawn in his favor.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc. 477 U.S. 242, 255 (1986) (quoted with approval in G.S. Enterprises, Inc. v. Falmouth Marine, Inc., 410 Mass. 262, 263 (1991)).

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Bluebook (online)
14 Mass. L. Rptr. 684, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/papasodero-v-thayer-associates-inc-masssuperct-2002.