Soules v. Bosse

• Court: Superior Court of Maine
• Decided: March 17, 2015
• Docket: ANDcv-13-142
• Status: Unpublished

Opinion

STATE OF MAINE SUPERIOR COURT ANDROSCOGGIN, ss. CNILACTION Docket No. CV-13-142

JAYNE M. SOULES AND DANIEL BUCK SOULES,

Plaintiffs ORDER v. RECEIVED & FILEL'

LISA BOSSE, ANDROSCOGGIN SUPERIOR COURT Defendant

Before the court is Plaintiffs Jayne and Daniel Soules' Motion for Summary Judgment on Defendant Lisa Bosse's Second Amended Counterclaim ("Counterclaim"). The Counterclaim arose in response to Plaintiffs' Complaint against Defendant and the ensuing court dispute between the parties over a horse named Knotty. The court held a number of hearings with the parties regarding the proper way to proceed in regard to Knotty, imposed a preliminary injunction on December 5, 2013, and ultimately vacated that injunction on January 14, 2014. Knotty has since died•, but the Counterclaim remains. Defendant's Counterclaim asserts four counts: Count I is for slander, libel and/ or defamation; Count II is for intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress; Count III is for unjust enrichment; and Count N is for malice.'

I. Factual and Procedural Background

The following facts are gathered from Plaintiffs' statement of material facts (S.M.F.), Defendant's opposing statement (O.S.M.F.), Defendant's additional statement (A.S.M.F.), and Plaintiffs' reply statement (R.S.M.F.). In 2012, Plaintiffs arranged to board their horse, Knotty, at Defendant's horse farm. (S.M.F. <][1; O.S.M.F. <][1.) Subsequently, on April 15, 2013, Plaintiff Jayne Soules signed an agreement that transferred ownership of Knotty to Defendant. (S.M.F.

'Although not explicitly clear, the court presumes that Knotty was euthanized. 'The court notes that malice is not a cause of action. The court infers that Defendant included a malice count to make it clear that she was seeking punitive damages. As none of Defendant's claims can survive summary judgment, however, the Defendant is not eligible for punitive damages. As such, the court dismisses Defendant's malice count. meaning and intent of the language is disputed by the parties. (S.M.F. 9[ 3; O.S.M.F. 9[ 3.) Plaintiff Jayne Soules believed that the language meant that Knotty would be returned to Plaintiffs if Defendant could no longer keep Knotty, whereas Defendant was under the impression that the language meant that Plaintiffs had a right to re-obtain Knotty prior to the conveyance of Knotty to a third-party. (S.M.F.

• Defendant never stated to Plaintiffs that she had "sunk money into Knotty's care and there was just no other way." (A.S.M.F. 'li 14.) • It is untrue that there was nothing wrong with Knotty. (A.S.M.F.

2 Due to concern that Knotty might be euthanized prior to a court decision on the enforceability of the right of first refusal provision, Plaintiffs asked that the court issue a temporary restraining order ("TRO"). (S.M.F.

II. Standard of Review

"Summary judgment is appropriate when the record reveals no issues of material fact in dispute. A fact is material if it has the potential to affect the outcome of the case." Lepage v. Bath Iron Works Corp., 2006 ME 130,

3 2001 ME 158, <[ 7, 784 A.2d 18; see also Houde v. Millett, 2001 ME 183, <[ 11, 787 A.2d 757. If "a defendant moves for summary judgment, the plaintiff 'must establish a prima facie case for each element of her cause of action' that is properly challenged in the defendant's motion." Curtis, 2001 ME 158, <[ 8, 784 A.2d 18 (quoting Champagne v. Mid-Maine Med. Ctr., 1998 ME 87, <[ 9, 711 A.2d 842); see also Corey v. Norman, Hanson & DeTroy, 1999 ME 196, <[ 9, 742 A.2d 933. When considering a Motion for Summary Judgment, this court must admit uncontroverted facts from the statement of material facts that are properly supported. M.R. Civ. P. 56(h)(4). This court cannot consider parts of the record that were not properly referenced in a statement of material facts. See M.R. Civ. P. 56(h)(4)(emphasis added) ("The court shall have no independent duty to search or consider any part of the record not specifically referenced in the parties' separate statement of facts."); see also HSBC Bank USA, N.A. v. Gabay, 2011 ME 101, <[ 17, 28 A.3d 1158.

III. Discussion

As an initial matter, statements in affidavits asserted as "facts", which were actually legal argument or conclusions, have been disregarded. See Diversified Foods, Inc. v. First Nat. Bank of Boston, 605 A.2d 609, 612 (Me. 1992). A number of the assertions made by Defendant are not supported by factual evidence, but instead rely upon conclusory statements from Defendant that fail to prove her assertions. For example, Defendant stated that Plaintiffs' statements and communications were harmful to her reputation, business, and profession, implying she mistreated Knotty and intended to kill Knotty either without cause or for horsemeat, but Defendant provided no adequate factual basis for her assertions. (A.S.M.F. <[ 21; Bosse A££. <[ 11.) Defendant has not presented sufficient evidence to support her claim that the statements were harmful, much less "devastating" to her business. (A.S.M.F. <[ 21.) Defendant's statement that she suffered severe emotional distress as a result of Plaintiffs' actions is also inadequately supported.• (A.S.M.F. <[ 22.) Furthermore, the majority of paragraph 23 of the additional statement of material facts consists of legal arguments and conclusions. Statements regarding whose obligation it was to pay for Knotty's upkeep, or who benefitted from the payments that were made, are conclusory. Defendant's affidavit, which makes the same legal arguments and conclusions, does not support the statement as "Conclusions of fact and law do not properly belong in an affidavit filed in support of a motion for summary judgment." Town of Orient v. Dwyer, 490 A.2d 660, 662 (Me. 1985).

·See discussion below.

4 a. Defamation Defendant's Counterclaim alleges a claim for slander, libel or defamation. From Defendant's Opposition, it appears that Defendant is pursuing a claim for defamation. Plaintiffs argue that the statements Defendant has excerpted in her Counterclaim do not constitute defamation. In Lester v. Powers, the Law Court stated, Common law defamation consists of:

(a) a false and defamatory statement concerning another; (b) an unprivileged publication to a third party; (c) fault amounting at least to negligence on the part of the publisher; and (d) either actionability of the statement irrespective of special harm or the existence of special harm caused by the publication.

596 A.2d 65, 69 (Me. 1991) (quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts § 558 (1977)). A statement is 11

defamatory 'if it tends so to harm the reputation of another as to lower him in the estimation of the community or to deter third persons from associating or dealing with him."' Rippett v. Bemis, 672 A.2d 82 (Me. 1996) (quoting Bakal v. Weare, 583 A.2d 1028, 1029 (Me. 1990)). The Law Court explained A defamation claim requires a statement-i.e. an assertion of fact, either explicit II

or implied, and not merely an opinion, provided the opinion does not imply the existence of undisclosed defamatory facts." Lester, 596 A.2d at 69. The majority of Defendant's defamation claim cannot survive summary judgment, because Defendant failed to include the portions of the articles that she contends were defamatory in her additional statement of material facts. While Defendant's additional statement of material facts contains a list of statements framed in the negative to oppose claims from the articles, nowhere in her additional statement of material facts does Defendant include the original content that she is refuting. Stating that "Ms. Bosse never told the Counterclaim-Defendants that 'she'd sunk money into Knotty's care and there was just no other way"' is meaningless and does not advance her defamation claim, unless there is an actual statement of material fact referring to the original material to explain that the quoted statement was attributed to Defendant. (A.S.M.F. 9I 15.) Similarly, without a citation to the original statement, stating that "Ms. Bosse never wanted to kill 'Knotty"', does not show that Plaintiffs asserted as much. The necessary bases for a defamation claim, the allegedly defamatory statements themselves, are completely missing from the statement of material facts. The statements also were not introduced through Plaintiffs' statement of material facts. Furthermore, Defendant never even cited to the articles to support what she contends the articles implied. (A.S.M.F. 9I 21.) The closest Defendant gets to actually referencing the statements is when she states "The within statements and

5 communications were harmful to Ms. Bosse's reputation," but she never cites to the statements or provides what the "within statements" are. (A.S.M.F. 91 21.) In her Counterclaim, Defendant set forth the following statements from a September 28, 2013 Lewiston Sun-Journal article as defamatory: • "'Bosse told the Soules that she'd sunk money into Knotty's care and there was just no other way"'; • '"There's nothing wrong with that horse. They just won't let us take it back. They want to kill [Knotty]'" (alteration made in the Counterclaim); • '"I'd like at least to get the horse somewhere safe, while this gets sorted out"'; • The Counterclaim also includes the statement that "Bosse won't honor the contract." This statement is not directly quoted from the article. • "'The farm owner told him that he had fallen behind in his boarding payments, which may have nullified the contract."'

(Def's Countercl. 915.) The Counterclaim also includes the following allegation from an October 11, 2013 article, which was not presented as a quote from the article: • "That Ms. Bosse intended to sell/kill 'Knotty' for horse meat, by implication that she intended to maliciously and/ or for profit harm or not adequately care for 'Knotty'."

(Id.) Only Plaintiff Jayne Soules' statement regarding horsemeat is actually discussed in the statement of material facts. (S.M.F. 91 10.) Plaintiffs mention the horsemeat statement made in Plaintiff Jayne Soules' affidavit attached to the Complaint. (Id.) The October 11, 2013 article is not cited to by either party. (Id.; O.S.M.F. 91 10.) Mrs. Soules' statement in her affidavit to the court was privileged. See Dineen v. Daughan, 381 A.2d 663, 664 (Me. 1978). Defendant cannot sustain a defamation claim against Plaintiff Jayne Soules on the basis of that statement. The remainder of the allegedly defamatory statements were not included in the statement of material facts. The Law Court has stated that when considering a motion for summary judgment: we consider only the material facts set forth, and the portions of the record referred to, in the statements of material facts. In summary judgment practice, the court is neither required nor permitted to independently search a record to find support for facts offered by a party. A party's motion for summary judgment may not be granted if that party fails to properly put the material facts before the court, regardless of the adequacy, or inadequacy, of the nonmoving party's response.

Gabay, 2011 ME 101, 91 8, 28 A.3d 1158. (citations and quotation marks omitted).

In order to properly analyze Defendant's defamation claim, the court would have to independently examine the articles for the phrases that were not introduced as facts by either party. The court is not permitted to do so. See Id. The court shall not analyze the allegedly defamatory statements contained in the Counterclaim and memoranda, since they were not

6 presented as a part of the statement of material facts. See M.R. Civ. P. 56(h)(4). Accordingly, Defendant cannot survive summary judgment on her defamation claim.

b. Intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress Defendant has also advanced claims for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress ("liED" and "NIED"), both of which she has failed to properly support in her opposition to Plaintiffs' Motion. In order to demonstrate liED, a party must show: (1) the defendant intentionally or recklessly inflicted severe emotional distress or was certain or substantially certain that such distress would result from his conduct; (2) the conduct was so extreme and outrageous as to exceed all possible bounds of decency and must be regarded as atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community; (3) the actions of the defendant caused the plaintiff's emotional distress; and (4) the emotional distress suffered by the plaintiff was severe so that no reasonable man could be expected to endure it.

Vicnire v. Ford Motor Credit Co., 401 A.2d 148, 154 (Me. 1979) (quotations and citations omitted). In liED cases, the court must determine whether the conduct "'may reasonably be regarded as so extreme and outrageous to permit recovery .... "' Champagne v. Mid-Maine Med. Ctr., 1998 ME 87,

7 Id.

c. Unjust enrichment Defendant has also alleged unjust enrichment. To prevail on a claim for unjust enrichment, a party must show that "that it conferred a benefit on the other party ... that the other party had appreciation or knowledge of the benefit ... and ... that the acceptance or retention of the benefit was under such circumstances as to make it inequitable for it to retain the benefit without payment of its value." Forrest Associates v. Passamaquoddy Tribe, 2000 ME 195,

8 In light of the court's Order requiring Plaintiffs to be responsible for actual veterinary costs, Defendant's responsibility extended only to the normal costs of Knotty's upkeep for a relatively brief period of time. Any benefit that Plaintiffs derived was emotional at best, and not the type that would be "inequitable for [them] to retain ... without payment of its value." Forrest Associates, 2000 ME 195, !)[ 14, 760 A.2d 1041. Had Defendant's financial obligation become burdensome, she could have transferred ownership of Knotty back to Plaintiffs who would have then assumed Knotty's general expenses as well as veterinary costs. Accordingly, summary judgment is also granted to Plaintiffs on Defendant's claim for unjust enrichment.

d. Rule 11 sanctions Lastly, the court notes that Plaintiffs' counsel, Attorney Webber, has requested Rule 11 sanctions. Defendant's counsel, Attorney Van Dyke, has opposed the request for sanctions and has suggested that if any party deserves to be sanctioned, it is Attorney Webber. The court recognizes that the parties were emotionally invested in Knotty and were driven to do what was in Knotty's best interest for the remainder of his life, that the parties had different opinions about what was in Knotty's best interest, and that their disagreements became public and contentious. Nothing counsel has done in this case, however, merits Rule 11 sanctions. Therefore, the court finds that Rule 11 sanctions are not appropriate.

Accordingly, the court ORDERS that summary judgment is GRANTED in favor of Plaintiffs on Defendant's Counterclaim. Defendant's Counterclaim is dismissed.

The Clerk is directed to incorporate this Order into the docket by reference pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 79(a).

Dated: •¥PJ

9 JAYNE SOULES - PLAINTIFF SUPERIOR COURT ANDROSCOGGIN, ss. Attorney for: JAYNE SOULES Docket No AUBSC-CV-2013-00142 CURTIS WEBBER - RETAINED LINNELL CHOATE & WEBBER LLP 83 PLEASANT STREET DOCKET RECORD PO BOX 190 AUBURN ME 04212-0190

DANIEL SOULES - PLAINTIFF

Attorney for: DANIEL SOULES CURTIS WEBBER - RETAINED LINNELL CHOATE & WEBBER LLP 83 PLEASANT STREET PO BOX 190 AUBURN ME 04212-0190

vs LISA BOSSE - DEFENDANT

Attorney for: LISA BOSSE DAVID J VAN DYKE - RETAINED 10/10/2013 LYNCH & VAN DYKE PA 261 ASH ST PO BOX 116 LEWISTON ME 04243-0116

Filing Document: COMPLAINT Minor Case Type: CONTRACT Filing Date: 10/09/2013

Docket Events: 10/09/2013 FILING DOCUMENT - COMPLAINT FILED ON 10/09/2013

10/09/2013 Party(s): JAYNE SOULES ATTORNEY - RETAINED ENTERED ON 10/09/2013 Plaintiff's Attorney: CURTIS WEBBER

Party(s): DANIEL SOULES ATTORNEY - RETAINED ENTERED ON 10/09/2013 Plaintiff's Attorney: CURTIS WEBBER

10/09/2013 Party(s): JAYNE SOULES,DANIEL SOULES MOTION - TEMP RESTRAINING ORDER FILED ON 10/09/2013 WITH MEMORANDUM OF LAW, DRAFT ORDER, NOTICE OF HEARING

10/10/2013 Party(s): JAYNE SOULES,DANIEL SOULES MOTION - TEMP RESTRAINING ORDER GRANTED ON 10/10/2013 MARYGAY KENNEDY , JUDGE COPIES TO PARTIES/COUNSEL

10/10/2013 HEARING - MOTION PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION SCHEDULED FOR 10/16/2013 at 01:30 p.m.

10/10/2013 Party(s): LISA BOSSE Page 1 of 5 Printed on: 03/23/2015