Sullins v. Thrift Plan, Inc.

501 S.W.2d 781, 255 Ark. 655, 1973 Ark. LEXIS 1422
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedDecember 10, 1973
Docket73-160
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 501 S.W.2d 781 (Sullins v. Thrift Plan, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sullins v. Thrift Plan, Inc., 501 S.W.2d 781, 255 Ark. 655, 1973 Ark. LEXIS 1422 (Ark. 1973).

Opinion

Carleton Harris, Chief Justice.

Ernest R. Sullins (appellant herein), prior to October 9, 1969, lived in the small community of LaHarpe, Illinois, being employed by Fred Gibb Chevrolet, Inc. On the aforementioned date, pursuant to a written purchase money security agreement, Sullins purchased a new 1970 Chevrolet Impala from his employer, appellant having knowledge that the contract was assigned without recourse on the same day to Thrift Plan, Inc., appellee herein. Sullins made no down payment, the contract providing that the entire purchase price, including interest and amounting to $4,188.22, would be due and payable one year later, October 9, 1970. The agreement provided inter alia that the buyer would not sell, transfer, abandon, or encumber the vehicle, and that should the holder of the paper deem itself or said vehicle insecure, the full balance should become immediately due and payable without notice or demand and Thrift Plan, Inc. would be entitled to take possession of the automobile wherever found. Sullins operated the car from that date until the middle of March, 1970, at which time he terminated his employment and came to Arkansas, leaving the automobile with another Gibb Chevrolet salesman, Herb Fox, with certain instructions, hereinafter discussed. Subsequently, appellee learned that the automobile had been left with Fox, and it was repossessed by it, notice being given to appellant by certified mail on September 11, 1970 of the repossession and advising that the car would be sold pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code unless Sullins paid for the automobile within ten days. No payment being made, appellee advertised the public sale in a Burlington, Iowa newspaper, but being unable to sell the automobile at said sale, the car was subsequently sold by private sale to the aforementioned Herb Fox for $2,500, resulting in a deficiency to the company of $1,686.62. Thrift Plan, Inc. instituted suit in the Jackson County, Arkansas Circuit Court for the deficiency, and Sullins counterclaimed for damages, totaling $9,988.22. Appellee moved for a summary judgment on this counter-claim in its favor, which was granted, and Thrift Plan, Inc. then dismissed its cause of action against Sullins, who has appealed the granting of the summary judgment on his counter-claim. Though three points are asserted by appellant, all relate to whether the granting of the summary judgment was proper under the facts, hereinafter related.

After the joining of the issues, interrogatories were submitted by Sullins to the company seeking the names of those to testify and a narrative summary of the testimony to be given by these witnesses at the trial of the cause. The names were listed in the response, together with their purported testimony, reflecting that Robert W. Berry, manager of the company store at West Burlington, Iowa, would testify that in Mid-March of 1970, Fox had advised Berry that the automobile purchased by Sul-lins had been left at the Gibb Chevrolet Company with instructions that it be sold, and Sullins had further told Fox that he would be willing to take a loss in order to get rid of the automobile; since the contract prohibited the sale of the car by Sullins, Berry took the automobile into possession so that it could be sold by appellee; no suitable buyer was found, i.e., one that would make a bid approaching the amount of the indebtedness. On September 11, the company notified Sullins that it was going to sell the car and not hearing from him, it did make the sale to Fox on September 24, 1970 after taking three bids, and determining that $2,500 was the highest, leaving a balance due on the automobile of $1,686.62.

Further answering, appellee stated that Bruce Ecker-man, a resident of Des Moines, Iowa, would testify that sometime during the summer of 1970, Sullins went to the Thrift Plan, Inc. office in Burlington, demanding possession of the car, but refused to pay for it, and possession was accordingly denied. Answers to further interrogatories revealed that the car had been repossessed at LaHarpe on approximately May 1, 1970. The answer to the final interrogatory set out that while payment for the car was not due until October 9, 1970, the agreement calling for it to be paid for in a one lump sum payment, the company upon learning that Sullins had left his employment at Gibb Chevrolet, had left the state after leaving the car for sale, deemed itself and the car to be insecure, and it thus considered the balance to be immediately due and payable.

It is not clear whether the answers were considered by the court in granting its summary judgment, several of the replies, of course, being improper and inadmissible, viz., those that deal with what other people would testify to. In Organized Security Life v. Munyon, 247 Ark. 449, 446 S.W. 2d 233, this court said:

"It must be affirmatively shown, or appear from statements contained in any affidavit supporting or opposing a summary judgment, that it is based upon personal knowledge of the affiant, that the facts stated therein would be admissible in evidence and that the affiant is a witness competent to state these facts in evidence.”

Thereafter, appellee submitted Requests for Admissions to Sullins, some of which were admitted, and others denied. Denials which appear particularly pertinent as to whether summary judgment should be granted are as follows:

“Request (22) Admit that you instructed Fred Gibb to sell said automobile for you.
RESPONSE: Denied in the form of the request since I left the automobile with Fred Gibbs1 under the instruction to obtain an offer in a sufficient amount to pay off the contract to Thrift Plan, Inc., but not to violate any of the terms of the contract.
Request (23) Admit that you instructed Fred Gibbs to sell said automobile, if necessary, for a loss.
RESPONSE: Denied.
Request (24) Admit that you gave no notice to plaintiff of your intention to leave LaHarpe, Illinois.
RESPONSE: Denied in the form of the request. ***
Request (40) Admit that the plaintiff used commer-ciable reasonableness in the aforesaid sale of said automobile.
RESPONSE: Denied.”

Thereafter, appellee moved for summary judgment, chiefly relying upon the answers given to the Requests for Admissions. In his response to the motion, Sullins asserted that nowhere in his response did he admit a violation of the terms of the contract; that he never sold, abandoned, transferred or encumbered the vehicle, and he specifically denied that he left the vehicle with Herb Fox with instructions to sell and dispose of same as reflected by his answer to Request (22). This response was supported by his own affidavit wherein he stated that he had left the Chevrolet with Herb Fox with instructions to obtain an offer or purchase in a sufficient amount to pay off the contract at Thrift Plan, Inc., “not to sell and dispose of vehicle.” He stated that he contacted Fox Frequently and inquired regarding offers concerning the vehicle; further, that he returned to LaHarpe with intentions to obtain the automobile and keep it, and discovered that it had been taken by the manager of Thrift Plan, Inc. The affidavit closed with the following paragraph:

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

Related

Affiliated Foods Southwest, Inc. v. Moran
912 S.W.2d 8 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1995)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
501 S.W.2d 781, 255 Ark. 655, 1973 Ark. LEXIS 1422, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sullins-v-thrift-plan-inc-ark-1973.