Quintero v. Continental Rent-A-Car System, Inc.

453 P.2d 999, 9 Ariz. App. 488, 1969 Ariz. App. LEXIS 472
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedApril 29, 1969
DocketNo. 1 CA-CIV 651
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 453 P.2d 999 (Quintero v. Continental Rent-A-Car System, 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
Quintero v. Continental Rent-A-Car System, Inc., 453 P.2d 999, 9 Ariz. App. 488, 1969 Ariz. App. LEXIS 472 (Ark. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

STEVENS, Judge.

The basic issue presented on this appeal relates to the propriety of a summary judgment granted by the trial court in favor of defendants and against plaintiff in a wrongful death action arising out of a one-car accident. The action was commenced by plaintiff, as mother, on behalf of three minor children for the death of the children’s father, Walter H. Walk. Defendants were the owners of a business known as Continental Rent-A-Car of Phoenix, which business was the lessor of the automobile driven by Walk at the time of the accident which resulted in his death. A passenger in the automobile at the time of the accident brought a separate action against defendants, the outcome of which is reported as Christy v. Baker, 7 Ariz.App. 354, 439 P.2d 517 (1968). That decision was filed by this Court subsequent to the perfecting of the appeal now before us. [489]*489The Christy opinion is of interest on some aspects of the case before us, but is not controlling as to liability. The theory of recovery was not the same. The doctrine of collateral estoppel, discussed in Di Orio v. City of Scottsdale, 2 Ariz.App. 329, 408 P.2d 849 (1965) and in Spettigue v. Mahoney, 8 Ariz.App. 281, 445 P.2d 557 (1968) does not apply in this instance.

The summary judgment, which is the subject matter of this appeal, was based primarily upon the pleadings. Although both parties submitted answers to written interrogatories and filed affidavits in support of their respective positions in the summary judgment proceedings, the evidence contained in these documents was not dispositive of the issues joined in the pleadings.

Plaintiff commenced her action against defendants on 6 November, 1964, based upon the theory that defendants were negligent in leasing an automobile to the deceased, Walk, because he was not competent to drive at the time the automobile was delivered to him. Paragraph VI of the complaint alleged:

“That the Defendants were negligent and reckless in that they knew, or in the exercise of due care should have known, that at the time Defendants leased and entrusted said automobile to the deceased, Walter H. Walk, he did not possess a valid driver’s license from the State of Arizona, but that his driving privileges had been revoked and/or suspended by the Arizona State Highway Department; and that Defendants knew, or in the exercise of due care should have known, that the deceased, Walter H. Walk, was under the influence of intoxicating beverages and unable to properly or legally drive a motor vehicle on the highways of the State of Arizona.”

Paragraph VII alleged:

“That as the direct and proximate cause (sic) of the Defendants’ negligence and recklessness in leasing and entrusting said automobile to deceased, Walter H. Walk, as aforesaid, the deceased drove said automobile on a public highway known as Arizona Highway No. 87 in a reckless and negligent manner, causing a collision of said automobile and resulting in his death.”

Defendants answer admitted ownership of the leased automobile and lease thereof to Walk but specifically denied all material allegations of plaintiff’s complaint. The answer further alleged as an affirmative defense “that the damages and injury sustained by the plaintiffs, if any, were caused or at least contributed to, by the negligence of the deceased Walter H, Walk.”

On 31 March, 1967, defendants moved for summary judgment on the grounds that plaintiff’s complaint admitted that Walk was contributorily negligent and that such negligence was imputed to plaintiff under the Arizona wrongful death statute, thus barring plaintiff’s cause of action as a matter of law. Plaintiff opposed the motion on the grounds that the complaint stated a good cause of action based upon the doctrine of negligent entrustment and that defendants’ denial of all material allegations created a genuine issue of fact precluding summary judgment. Plaintiff further asserted that contributory negligence was not a defense to an action based upon negligent entrustment; that the contributory negligence of Walk, if any, was not imputed to plaintiff under Arizona’s wrongful death statute; and that in any event contributory negligence is always a ques-. tion for the jury under the Arizona Constitution.

The trial court entered a summary judgment in favor of defendants on 13 April, 1967, and a formal written judgment was filed on 10 May, 1967. Plaintiff filed a timely notice of appeal and this appeal followed.

Although plaintiff advances numerous arguments as grounds for reversal, we find it sufficient to limit our consideration to three main questions. First, assuming, for [490]*490the sake of the motion for summary judgment, that Walk was intoxicated and unfit to drive the vehicle at the time the defendants surrendered and entrusted the vehicle to him, and that by reason of his intoxication he negligently drove the vehicle thus proximately contributing to the cause of the accident and his death, may this fact be the subject of a motion for summary judgment? Second, if the answer to the first question is in the negative, and had Walk sustained injuries, rather than death, would -he have had a claim for relief against the defendant 5 under the circumstances set forth in the first question ? Third, is the defense of contributory negligence available against the minor children who sustained no personal physical damage and whose claim for relief arises out of their father’s death?

Rule 56, Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure, 16 A.R.S. is the rule governing summary judgments. Rule 56(c) establishes the test for determining when the granting of a summary judgment is proper:

* * * The judgment sought shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, 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(c) .and not Rule 56(e) is applicable notwithstanding the fact that the file contains answers to interrogatories and affidavits. Rule 56(e) is not applicable for the reason that the matters stated under oath are not dispositive of the issues framed by the pleadings. In applying this test to the matter before us, we follow the established rule that the record must be viewed in the light most favorable to plaintiff, the, party opposing the motion for summary judgment. Hensley v. A. J. Bayless Stores, Inc., 5 Ariz.App. 550, 429 P.2d 1 (1967); Kiser v. A. J. Bayless Markets, Inc., 9 Ariz.App. 103, 449 P.2d 637 (1969).

CONTRIBUTORY NEGLIGENCE

- The Arizona Constitution (Art. 18, § 5, I A.R.S.) provides:

“(t)he defense of contributory negligence * * * shall, in all cases whatsoever, be a question of fact and shall, at all times, be left to the jury.”

In Inspiration Consolidated Copper Co. v. Conwell, 21 Ariz. 480, 190 P. 88 (1920) our Supreme Court stated that: .

“(t)he language of the provision is plain and unambiguous * *

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Ogden v. J.M. Steel Erecting, Inc.
31 P.3d 806 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2001)
Quintero v. Continental Rent-A-Car-System, Inc.
460 P.2d 189 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1969)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
453 P.2d 999, 9 Ariz. App. 488, 1969 Ariz. App. LEXIS 472, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/quintero-v-continental-rent-a-car-system-inc-arizctapp-1969.