Pattans Ventures, Inc. v. Williams

959 So. 2d 115, 2006 WL 3457612
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Alabama
DecidedDecember 1, 2006
Docket2040648
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 959 So. 2d 115 (Pattans Ventures, Inc. v. Williams) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pattans Ventures, Inc. v. Williams, 959 So. 2d 115, 2006 WL 3457612 (Ala. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

959 So.2d 115 (2006)

PATTANS VENTURES, INC., d/b/a Pattan Title & Pawn
v.
Darryl WILLIAMS.

2040648.

Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama.

December 1, 2006.

Jeffrey L. Ingram of Galese & Ingram, P.C., Birmingham, for appellant.

*117 Bill Thomason and Clay J. Thomason of Thomason, Maples & Allsup, LLC, Bessemer, for appellee.

On Application for Rehearing

CRAWLEY, Presiding Judge.

This court's opinion issued on June 2, 2006, is withdrawn, and the following is substituted therefor.

Darryl Williams ("the pledgor") sued Pattans Ventures, Inc., doing business as Pattan Title & Pawn ("the pawnshop"), Nathaniel Ellis, Alabama Auto Adjusters, and several fictitiously named parties, alleging that his vehicle was wrongfully repossessed and sold and claiming as grounds for relief breach of contract, conversion, and unjust enrichment. The trial court entered a judgment; however, based upon a postjudgment motion filed by the pawnshop, the trial court amended its judgment. The trial court's amended judgment determined that the pledgor's claims of conversion of his vehicle and breach of contract against the pawnshop were meritorious, entered a judgment against the pawnshop on the conversion and breach-of-contract claims, and assessed damages in the amount of $39,000.[1] The trial court ruled in favor of Nathaniel Ellis on the pledgor's claims against him. The pledgor's claims against Alabama Auto Adjusters were dismissed without prejudice. The pledgor never substituted additional defendants for the fictitiously named parties in the complaint. Thus, the trial court's judgment is a final judgment. The pawnshop has timely appealed.

I. Factual Background

The trial court's judgment determined that the pledgor had purchased the vehicle in question, a 2001 BMW sport-utility vehicle, in April 2001, for the amount of $47,981.98. The Alabama Department of Revenue ("the department") issued the pledgor the certificate of title to the vehicle in May 2001.

On December 13, 2001, the pledgor pawned the title to the vehicle to the pawnshop for the amount of $700. At that time, the pledgor also executed a pawn ticket for that amount; however, as is customary for this type of transaction, the pledgor kept physical possession of the vehicle. In order to redeem the title to the vehicle, the pledgor was required to pay $875 within 30 days of the date of the issuance of the pawn ticket. The pawn ticket, signed by a representative of the pawnshop and by the pledgor, provides the following relevant contract terms:

"This pawn is for one month. The pawnshop charge is deemed earned, due and owing as of the date of the pawn transaction and a like sum shall be deemed earned due and owing on the same day of the succeeding month. `Any personal property pledged to a pawnbroker within this state is subject to sale or disposal when there has been no payment made on the account for a period of 30 days post maturity date of the original contract, and no further notice is necessary.' Pledgor shall present this ticket when redeeming the pledged goods. Pawnbroker agrees to return the pledged goods to the pledgor upon payment of the amount loaned plus pawnshop charge and any other lawful charges.
"Any person identified as pledgor or as authorized representative of the pledgor and presenting a pawn ticket to the *118 pawnbroker shall be entitled to redeem or repurchase goods described on the ticket. In the event pledged goods are lost or damaged while in the possession of the pawnbroker, it shall be the responsibility of the pawnbroker to replace the lost or damaged goods with like kinds of merchandise and proof of replacement shall be a defense to any prosecution. For the purpose of the provision, `lost' includes pledged goods that have been destroyed or have disappeared due to willful neglect that results in the pledged goods being unavailable for return to the pledgor."

(Emphasis added.)

Also on December 13, 2001, the pledgor executed a document styled "Bill of Sale of Motor Vehicle Pawned," which purported to evidence the sale of the vehicle to the pawnshop, with the sale to become effective if the pledgor failed to pay the $875 within 30 days.

Additionally, the pledgor executed a power of attorney, appointing Gabe Ellis, a representative of the pawnshop, as his attorney in fact for the purpose of applying for a new certificate of title and, among other things, placing a lien on the vehicle. The signature on the power-of-attorney document was not that of Gabe Ellis, however, but of James Bearden, an agent of the pawnshop. Other documents obtained from the department indicate that another power-of-attorney document was completed, apparently by the pawnshop, wherein Bearden was purportedly appointed to be the pledgor's attorney in fact. However, the trial court determined that the pledgor's purported signature on that document was an obvious forgery.

A January 25, 2002, application for a certificate of title to the vehicle filed with the department, which identified the pawnshop as a lienholder on the vehicle, was signed by Bearden, pursuant to the forged power-of-attorney document. In February 2002, the department issued a new certificate of title to the vehicle, indicating that the pawnshop was the first lienholder. That lien was released by Nathaniel Ellis, a representative of the pawnshop, on November 15, 2002, when the pawnshop took possession of the vehicle. The title document indicates that the vehicle was sold by the pawnshop on November 15, 2002, and that the title was subsequently reassigned in turn to three separate automobile dealers.

Nathaniel Ellis testified that the keys to the vehicle are with the vehicle and that he did not know the whereabouts of the vehicle. Nathaniel Ellis also testified that, at the time the pledgor pawned the title to the vehicle, he explained to the pledgor that the pawn ticket had to be redeemed within 30 days and that, if it was not redeemed within 30 days, the pledgor would have an additional 30 days to redeem it, but that, on the 61st day, title would pass to the pawnshop. Nathaniel Ellis claimed that the pledgor did not make or attempt to make any payments to the pawnshop.

The pledgor testified that he attempted to pay his pawn ticket 4 days before the 30-day pawn-transaction period expired. The pledgor stated that, despite the fact that he had enough cash to redeem his certificate of title, Nathaniel Ellis told him that he could not locate the certificate of title. According to the pledgor, Nathaniel Ellis added that, if the pledgor would pay the interest on the pawn ticket, the pawnshop would extend the time to pay the principal amount by another 30 days. The pledgor testified that he declined to pay only the interest and indicated that he was ready, willing, and able to pay the full amount of the pawn ticket upon Nathaniel Ellis's returning the certificate of title to him.

*119 Two weeks later, the pledgor testified, he again attempted to tender full payment of the pawn ticket. The pledgor stated that Nathaniel Ellis told him again that he could not locate the certificate of title but that the pledgor could pay the interest on the pawn ticket to extend the transaction for 30 days. The pledgor stated that he again refused the alternative of paying only the interest and demanded return of the certificate of title in return for his full payment.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
959 So. 2d 115, 2006 WL 3457612, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pattans-ventures-inc-v-williams-alacivapp-2006.