Scott v. Forest Lake Chrysler-Plymouth Dodge

637 N.W.2d 587, 2002 Minn. App. LEXIS 15, 2002 WL 4543
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedJanuary 2, 2002
DocketC3-01-1013
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 637 N.W.2d 587 (Scott v. Forest Lake Chrysler-Plymouth Dodge) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Scott v. Forest Lake Chrysler-Plymouth Dodge, 637 N.W.2d 587, 2002 Minn. App. LEXIS 15, 2002 WL 4543 (Mich. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

OPINION

ROBERT H. SCHUMACHER, Judge.

Appellant Raymond Scott challenges the district court’s order granting summary judgment in favor of respondent Forest Lake Chrysler Plymouth Dodge (FLC). Scott contends that (1) the six-year statute of limitations applies to his claims; (2) FLC cannot claim a “statutory-cure defense” to the requirements of Minn.Stat. § 168.71(a)(1) (1996); (3) a de minimis exception to the requirements of Minn.Stat. § 168.71(a)(1) does not exist; and (4) the district court’s finding that FLC unintentionally violated Minn.Stat. § 168.71(a)(1) was clearly erroneous. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand.

FACTS

On August 11, 1994, Scott visited FLC to purchase a 1991 Dodge Caravan. Scott requested that FLC arrange financing and executed a retail installment contract (contract I) that identified all of the financing terms and Comerica Bank as the intended lending institution. FLC delivered the vehicle to Scott subject to approval of the financing terms set forth in contract I. In addition to contract I, Scott executed a “conditional delivery agreement” wherein he acknowledged that, if financing was not approved, contract I would be null and void.

Comerica Bank did not approve the financing. Consequently, Scott executed a second retail installment contract (contract II) on August 23, 1994, and financing was arranged with Chrysler Credit. Contract II contained all of the credit disclosures required by the Minnesota Motor Vehicle Retail Installment Sales Act (MMVRISA).

On November 24, 1995, Scott returned to FLC to purchase a new 1995 Dodge Caravan and traded the 1991 Caravan as part of the transaction. He again executed a retail installment contract (contract III) containing all of the credit disclosures required by MMVRISA. The installment contract was paid off in September of 1998. There is nothing due or owing under either contract II or contract III.

During the time of Scott’s purchases, FLC sold in excess of 1,500 new and used vehicles per year. A large number of the sales were financed by the customer by having FLC arrange for financing with a lending institution that purchases the retail installment contract. The lending institutions would furnish FLC with formal installment contracts to be used by FLC when arranging financing.

At the time of Scott’s purchases, only certain persons employed by FLC had authority to sign retail installment contracts and to assign the contract to the lending institutions. Because those persons were not always available to sign the contracts, FLC’s general practice was to furnish the customer with a carbon copy of the contract that had been signed by the customer at the time the vehicle was delivered. The original contract was then forwarded to the office of an authorized dealership signer for execution upon financing approval by the lender. The fully executed original *590 was then forwarded to the lender, and the dealership maintained a carbon copy in its file.

In the winter of 1995-96, lawsuits were threatened and commenced against local automobile dealerships by customers who had defaulted on their loans. These customers alleged that because their carbon copy of the retail installment contract did not bear the signature of the relevant dealership, the lender was not legally entitled to repossess the vehicle and the customer was consequently entitled to keep the vehicle and collect statutory penalties and attorney fees under MMVRISA.

In 1996, the Minnesota legislature amended Minn.Stat. § 168.71(a)(1) by enacting a provision allowing dealerships to cure whatever statutory liability they may have had under the pre-amended statute for not providing customers with signed copies of retail installment contracts. The amended statute provided a 120-day grace period during which dealerships could provide buyers a copy of the contract signed by the dealership.

Prior to the commencement of this case and in accordance with a district court ruling in a similar case, FLC sent Scott’s attorney a certified letter inquiring whether any of his clients, including Scott, would like to receive a copy of the retail installment contract that had been signed by the dealership. The letter stated in part:

If any of your clients purchased a motor vehicle for personal, household or family use from one of my clients prior to August 1, 1996 and financed the purchase under a retail installment sales contract which has not yet been paid off and would like to obtain a copy signed by the dealership, please fill out the enclosed request form with respect to each customer within the next thirty (30) days. After all of the forms are completed, please contact me and I will send a messenger over to pick them up.

Scott’s attorney did not respond to the letter. Instead, in July of 1997, Scott sued FLC in federal district court. The federal court declined to exercise jurisdiction over Scott’s state-law claims. Consequently, Scott refiled the suit in state court. In his complaint, Scott alleged that FLC violated MMVRISA by using a conditional-delivery agreement (conditional-delivery issue) and by failing to provide him with copies of retail installment contracts signed by FLC (non-signature issue). In addition, Scott alleged that FLC violated the Minnesota Prevention of Consumer Fraud Act. The district court granted summary judgment on all claims in favor of FLC. Scott appealed.

This court reversed and remanded the district court’s decision with respect to the conditional-delivery issue as well as the non-signature issue. Scott v. Forest Lake Chrysler-Plymouth Dodge, 598 N.W.2d 713, 720 (Minn.App.1999) (Scott I). Regarding the non-signature issue, we specifically remanded the question of whether FLC’s violation of section 168.71(a)(1) was intentional or unintentional. We also affirmed the district court’s decision regarding the consumer fraud claim. Id.

The Minnesota Supreme Court specifically denied review of the non-signature issue and granted review of the conditional-delivery issue. Scott v. Forest Lake Chrysler-Plymouth Dodge, No. C4-99-161 (Minn. Nov. 17, 1999) (unpublished order granting review in part and denying review in part). The supreme court reversed this court on the conditional-delivery issue. Scott v. Forest Lake Chrysler-Plymouth Dodge, 611 N.W.2d 346, 352 (Minn.2000) (Scott II).

After the supreme court decision, the issue of intentionality, in accordance with this court’s remand, remained before the *591 district court. FLC, however, moved for summary judgment on other previously unconsidered issues. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of FLC, finding that (1) Scott’s non-signature claim was barred by the two-year statute of limitations; (2) Scott’s non-signature claim was barred by the statutory-cure provision because FLC took reasonable steps to comply with the provision; (3) any statutory violation was unintentional and precipitated by Scott’s actions; and (4) any violation was de minimis.

Scott appealed and the matter is again before this court.

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Related

Scott v. Forest Lake Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge
668 N.W.2d 45 (Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 2003)

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Bluebook (online)
637 N.W.2d 587, 2002 Minn. App. LEXIS 15, 2002 WL 4543, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/scott-v-forest-lake-chrysler-plymouth-dodge-minnctapp-2002.