Spit Shine A One Detailer, L.L.C. v. Hyundai

100 N.E.3d 1231, 2017 Ohio 8888
CourtCourt of Appeals of Ohio, Eighth District, Cuyahoga County
DecidedDecember 7, 2017
DocketNo. 105553
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 100 N.E.3d 1231 (Spit Shine A One Detailer, L.L.C. v. Hyundai) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Ohio, Eighth District, Cuyahoga County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spit Shine A One Detailer, L.L.C. v. Hyundai, 100 N.E.3d 1231, 2017 Ohio 8888 (Ohio Super. Ct. 2017).

Opinion

FRANK D. CELEBREZZE, JR., J.:

{¶ 1} This cause came to be heard upon the accelerated calendar pursuant to App.R. 11.1 and Loc.R. 11.1.

{¶ 2} Appellant, Spit Shine A One Detailer, L.L.C.1 ("Spit Shine"), appeals the *1233dismissal of its complaint against appellees, Rick Case Honda ("R.C. Honda"), Rick Case Hyundai ("R.C. Hyundai"), and Rick Case Automotive ("R.C.A."). Spit Shine argues that its breach of contract and fraudulent representation actions were improperly dismissed pursuant to Civ.R. 12(B)(6). After a thorough review of the record and law, this court affirms.

I. Factual and Procedural History

{¶ 3} Given the summary nature of the proceedings below, the factual basis for the suit is vague. From the complaints filed in this case, it can be gleaned that Spit Shine alleges that it performed vehicle detailing services for two car dealerships, R.C. Honda and R.C. Hyundai. The complaints assert that Spit Shine entered into exclusive contracts with these two entities for car detailing services, but only attached a contract between R.C. Honda and "A One Detailers" to its first and second amended complaints. The contract does not set forth any terms for exclusivity. The complaints allege that Spit Shine, R.C. Honda, and R.C. Hyundai established a business relationship in 2011 where Spit Shine was the sole cleaning and detailing company used by the dealerships. In 2014, R.C. Honda stopped using Spit Shine for detailing services. In 2015, Spit Shine was no longer used for detailing services at either dealership, but it never received written notice of cancellation of the contracts, which required 30 days written notice.

{¶ 4} Spit Shine filed suit on September 2, 2016. Its initial complaint failed to attach any written agreement to it, and rather than answer, appellees filed a motion to dismiss or, in the alternative, for a more definite statement. Days later, Spit Shine filed its first amended complaint to which it attached the aforementioned 2013 contract. The trial court granted in part appellees' motions by ordering Spit Shine to file a second amended complaint clarifying paragraphs of the complaint that failed to distinguish between defendants, and that generally grouped all defendants together without distinguishing what each defendant allegedly did.

{¶ 5} Spit Shine filed a second amended complaint, and appellees filed another motion to dismiss. The trial court granted the motion to dismiss, finding [t]he complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted under Ohio law. The plaintiff instituting suit is named in the complaint's caption, "Spit Shine A One Detailer, LLC." Plaintiff's complaint alleges a breach of a contract. This contract on its face is between Milton Hall and Rick Case Honda. The complaint does not assert that Milton Hall is the same entity as the complaint's Spit Shine A One Detailer, LLC; and, it does not explain the relationship between those two legal persons such as, e.g., a successor-in-interest or "dba" entity. The plaintiff introduces unnecessary confusion on the issue of plaintiff's identity when it puts Spit Shine A One Detailer, LLC as the name of the plaintiff in the caption and in the introductory paragraph of the complaint which implies plaintiff is a corporate entity but then in paragraph one (1) alleges "Spit Shine A One Detailers is an individual * * *" the court assumes the latter paragraph of the complaint was not intended literally. Still the complaint does not allege the basis for the named plaintiff in the caption to have contract rights as against any party and it does not allege the basis for the named plaintiff to be entitled to bring a fraudulent representation action against the defendants. On this ground alone-as the analysis below further explains, the motion to dismiss under Civ.R. 12(b)(6) must be granted and the complaint dismissed.
The complaint fails to identify and attach a copy of the parties' alleged *1234contract. The contract attached is not identified as the contract alleged to have been breached by any defendant; it is not identified as the contract in force at the time of the breach of contract by any defendant. It is described merely as "a version" of the pertinent contract. The complaint alleges only that the contractual relationship commenced in 2011 and suit is now brought some five years later.
No further allegations in the complaint make the content of the attached contract relevant to the content of the contract alleged to have been breached; no further allegations in the complaint describe the content of the contract at issue, that is, the contract alleged to have existed between the parties which was alleged to have been breached.
There is no allegation in the complaint as to the contents of the subject contract (particularly to obligations of the respective parties and any significant terms thereof) or as to any other parties thereto. There is no way of knowing if the contract sued upon by the plaintiff bears any similarity to the contract annexed to the complaint.
Due to these failures, the motion to dismiss the complaint's count one must be granted under Civ.R. 12(b)(6).
Parties who do not have a copy of the contract sued upon are permitted to explain their failure to attach a copy of the contract sued upon to their complaint pursuant to Civ.R. 10(d). Plaintiff does not provide such explanation. On the latter basis alone, the motion to dismiss the complaint's count one must be granted under Civ.R. 12(b)(6).
Additionally, the complaint does not contain allegations to hold defendant Rick Case Automotive Group liable and contains no allegations that would make defendant Rick Case Automotive Group liable for the conduct of its co-defendants even though the complaint alleges those two co-defendants are subsidiaries of Rick Case Automotive Group. This alone is a basis to dismiss the entire complaint under Civ.R. 12(b)(6) against defendant Rick Case Automotive Group.
The motion to dismiss must likewise be granted as to the complaint's count two on fraudulent misrepresentation. Basically this count only states that defendants' "representatives" made a statement that was disproved by later events. Plaintiff does not allege the relationship facts that would turn lies or misleading statements into actionable misstatements. For example, the complaint does not allege the "representatives" were agents or servants of defendants; it does not allege defendants or their representatives had such a relationship with plaintiff that plaintiff was entitled to rely thereon and the "representatives" were obligated to avoid misleading one in plaintiff's position. These conclusions would not necessarily change even if the complaint squarely alleged a specific contract among the parties.
The foregoing does not analyze the ability of the plaintiff to sue for fraudulent misrepresentation in the presence of a written contract. Legal defenses such as the parole evidence rule may preclude such a claim. The complaint does not specify the terms of the subject contract and therefore such analysis is inappropriate under this motion. On November 21, 2016, the court provided the plaintiff with an opportunity to amend Count Two (2) to satisfy the particularity requirement of Civ.R.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
100 N.E.3d 1231, 2017 Ohio 8888, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spit-shine-a-one-detailer-llc-v-hyundai-ohctapp8cuyahog-2017.