Patton v. Paradise Hills Shopping Center, Inc.

417 P.2d 382, 4 Ariz. App. 11
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedSeptember 2, 1966
Docket1 CA-CIV 185
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 417 P.2d 382 (Patton v. Paradise Hills Shopping Center, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Patton v. Paradise Hills Shopping Center, Inc., 417 P.2d 382, 4 Ariz. App. 11 (Ark. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinion

STEVENS, Chief Judge.

The appellants were the plaintiffs in the Superior Court. The trial court denied the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment and granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment. Judgment was entered in conformity with these rulings and the matter was brought before us on appeal. The main issue before us is the sufficiency of the record to establish an enforceable contract in relation to the claimed right to compel the transfer of a long-term lease of land improved by a building. There are other issues incident to and contingent upon the main issue.

Plaintiff Patton is a graduate of Northwestern University, he having been awarded a science degree in engineering. His occupation is that of a professional corporate director employed by corporations because of his particular skill in cost re *13 duction organization, labor relations and overall cost production. Patton also invests his personal funds. In relation to his investment interests he “looked for depreciation for income purposes, income tax”, due to his “high income tax bracket” he was “desirous of making a sound investment to give me the opportunity to take advantage of this double declining depreciation”.

Riley was a college friend of Patton who came to Arizona, was duly licensed as a real estate broker in Arizona and was a partner with Bohn, another duly licensed broker. Patton informed Riley of Patton’s investment desires and in early 1961, Riley informed Patton that the then contemplated Maryvale Medical Center might meet Patton’s requirements since Patton “could be the original owner and get this high depreciation that I needed”. The record does not disclose that Riley or Bohn ever received a listing of the property in question from either of the appellees.

The defendant Malouf is a Phoenix business man with diversified interests. The defendant Paradise Hills Shopping Center, Inc., is a corporation and Malouf is the owner of all the stock of the corporation as well as being the president thereof. Malouf Enterprises is another corporate business interest of the defendant Malouf and is engaged in the contracting business. The defendant Malouf is licensed by the State of Arizona as a real estate broker and does business under the name and style of National Realty and Investment Company. In that aspect of his business life, the defendant Malouf has a full time employee, a duly licensed real estate salesman by the name of Mack. Burton B. Malouf and W. B. Malouf are brothers who reside in Los Angeles and they are uncles of the defendant Malouf. In this opinion, the defendant Malouf will be so identified or will be simply referred to as Malouf. Gaines is an Illinois lawyer who is also a CPA and he represented Patton in connection with the problems involved in this litigation. These are the main persons who are involved in the solution to our problem.

Before further examining the record, we believe that it is appropriate to examine some of the legal principles which will guide us in our considering of this case. We do not look beyond the record on appeal in our review of the matter presented to us. Lawless v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ariz., 415 P.2d 97 (1966). Swansea Properties, Inc. v. Hendrick, 3 Ariz.App. 594, 416 P.2d 1015, 1966.

Rule 56 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, 16 A.R.S. is the rule governing motions for summary judgment. Rule 56 (a) makes this procedural step available to claimants and Rule 56(b) makes motions for summary judgment available to defending parties. It is pursuant to these sections of the rule that the respective parties presented their motions to the trial court. Rule 56(c), as amended in 1963, provides in part:

“Motion and proceedings thereon. * * The judgment sought shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, deposition, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.”

Rule 56(e), as amended in 1963, provides in part :

“Form of affidavits; further testimony; defense required. Supporting and opposing affidavits shall be made on personal knowledge, shall set forth such facts as would be admissible in evidence, and shall show affirmatively that the affiant is competent to testify to the matters stated therein. * * * When a motion for summary judgment is made and supported as provided in this rule, an adverse party may not rest upon the mere allegations or denials of his pleading, but his response, by affidavits or as otherwise provided in this rule, must set forth specific facts showing that there is a *14 genuine issue for trial. • If he does not so respond, summary judgment, if appropriate, shall be entered against him.”

Under these rules, allegations and denials contained in non-verified pleadings, alone will not be determinative of the merits of a motion for summary judgment. However, in those instances wherein an allegation contained in a non-verified complaint is admitted in the responsive pleading, that admitted fact can be considered by the court in evaluating a motion for summary judgment. In Wakeham v. Omega Construction Company, 96 Ariz. 336, 395 P.2d 613 (1964), the court had under consideration a plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment. The court stated:

“In effect, what defendants are contending is that they have made negative or contradictory allegations creating a genuine issue and they might have evidence to support it.' This they cannot do. Stevens v. Anderson, 75 Ariz. 331, 256 P.2d 712. When the motion for summary-judgment was filed by plaintiff, together with proof of specific facts, the ..time had arrived for them to come forward with a showing of facts equally as . specific to controvert them. Mere denials will not suffice at this point. (Quoting cases)” 96 Ariz. 340, 395 P.2d 616.

The same legal principles apply when considering a defendant’s.motion for summary judgment. Where the motion for summary judgment filed by a defendant points out an absence of fácts sufficient to establish a claim for relief, the plaintiff may not rest upon the allegations of the complaint but must come forward with facts which meet the test of the rules sufficient to support that claim for relief.

-In our examination of this-record, we have viewed the same in the light most favorable to sustaining the position of the plaintiffs, subject to the requirements of the rule, the plaintiffs being the parties against whom the court ruled in the granting of the motion for summary judgment. Nationwide Health Clubs, Inc. v. State Board of Barber Examiners, 3 Ariz.App. 364, 414 P.2d 752 (1966).

Article 1 of Title 44 of the Arizona Revised Statutes relates to the subject of the Statute of Frauds. Section 44—101 A.R.S.

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Bluebook (online)
417 P.2d 382, 4 Ariz. App. 11, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/patton-v-paradise-hills-shopping-center-inc-arizctapp-1966.