Town of Winthrop v. Bailey Bros., Inc.

CourtSuperior Court of Maine
DecidedMarch 18, 2014
DocketKENcv-12-313
StatusUnpublished

This text of Town of Winthrop v. Bailey Bros., Inc. (Town of Winthrop v. Bailey Bros., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Town of Winthrop v. Bailey Bros., Inc., (Me. Super. Ct. 2014).

Opinion

STATE OF MAINE SUPERIOR COURT KENNEBEC, ss CIVIL ACTION DOCKET NO. C\~_-1}313 !Vlfrlt\f KeN- :!f10D 1 ~ TOWN OF WINTHROP, Plaintiff,

v. ORDER ON MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

BAILEY BROTHERS, INC., Defendant.

Before the Court is Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment seeking a judgment in its

favor in the lawsuit filed by the Town of Winthrop (the "Town") alleging that Defendant, Bailey

Brothers, Inc. ("Bailey Brothers"), is liable for the loss of the 2012 Ford 550 truck (the "Truck")

Plaintiff purchased from Bailey Brothers on July 18, 2011 and Plaintiffs Cross-Motion for

Summary Judgment. Plaintiff's complaint alleged breach of contract, breach of warranties, strict

liability under 14 M.R.S.A. § 221, common law negligence, and res ipsa loquitor. Defendant

purports that it is entitled to summary judgment because Plaintiffhas failed to produce any

evidence to support its claim that the destruction of the Truck was caused by a defect that existed

at the time Bailey Brothers sold the Truck to the Town.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

On July 18, 2011, the Town purchased the Truck from Bailey Brothers to be

subsequently converted into a snowplow by H.P. Fairfield. 1 (Def.'s S.M.F. ~ 4.) The Truck

included only a cab and chassis. (Pl.'s S.M.F. ~ 1.) The contract of sale included a factory

1 The original complaint named H.P. Fairfield as a Defendant, however, all claims against it were dismissed on August 16, 2013, as a result of the settlement agreement entered into by Plaintiff and H.P. Fairfield.

1 warranty plan for three years "bumper to bumper" and an Extended Service Plan that extended

the factory warranty to six years and "mimic[ed] the factory warranty so that basically

everything [was] covered on the truck other than maintenance." (Pl.'s S .M.F. 4J 6.)

Prior to November 8, 2011 (when the Truck was delivered to H.P. Fairfield), the Truck

underwent and passed a road test and state inspection, both of which were conducted by Bailey

Brothers. (Def. 's S.M.F. 4J 7-9.) As part of the inspection, Bailey Brothers generated a "Pre-

Delivery Service Record" (the "PDI''), a checklist that a Bailey Brothers' technician filled out

after examining all of the components of the Truck, including, but not limited to fluid levels,

engine oil levels, etc. 2 (Bush Aff. Ex. A at 51-53.)

H.P. Fairfield spent two months and 166 hours rebuilding the Truck into a snowplow and

road maintenance vehicle. (Def.'s S.M.F. 4J 12.) The parts and labor were quoted to cost

$41,980.00. (Def.'s S.M.F. 4J 6.) The work on the Truck included extensive mechanical,

electrical, and hydraulic alterations consisting of the installation of a snowplow, wing, plow

headgear, and sander body. (Def. 's S.M.F. 4J 5, 12.) During the course of work performed at H.P.

Fairfield, several problems arose, including a problem with the installation of the wing: on

January 14, 2012, H.P. Fairfield noticed that the engine of the Truck would not stay running and

the battery light had turned on. (Def.'s S.M.F. 4J 14.) On January 16,2012, H.P. Fairfield brought

the Truck to the local Ford dealer, Hight Ford, for repair. 3 (Def.'s S.M.F. 4J 16.) Hight Ford

determined that the circuit had experienced an electrical draw greater than the rated fusible link

protecting the circuit and replaced the fusible link between the alternator and the battery what

restored the charge of the electrical system during operation of the engine. (Def. 's S.M.F. 4J 17.)

2 Because the POI checklist is generally deposited into the glove box of the vehicle being inspected and prepped, the POI prepared for the Truck was lost in the fire. 3 The original complaint named Hight Ford as a Defendant, however, all claims against it were dismissed on August 16, 2013, as a result of the settlement agreement entered into by Plaintiff and Hight Ford.

2 On January 19,2012, an employee of the Town of Winthrop picked up the Truck from

Hight Ford and drove it approximately 47 miles back to Winthrop. (Def. 's S.M.F. ~ 18.) During

the drive back to Winthrop, the employee noticed that the check engine light was illuminated,

thus, he called Bailey Brothers to inquire about the issue. (Def. 's S.M.F., 19-20.) Brenda

Brochu, the owner of Bailey Brothers, advised him that the "general guide is that if a check

engine light is solid where it's monitoring your emission systems, you're fine. If it is flashing,

you're to have the Truck towed in or checked immediately." (Pl.'s S.M.F., 10.) Ms. Brochu

asked the employee if he wanted to stop by and have the light checked, but he said no because a

storm was coming. (Def. 's S.M.F., 21.)

The next morning the Truck was used for plowing. (Def.'s S.M.F., 23.) After fifteen

minutes of plowing, the cab ofthe Truck began to fill with smoke. (Def.'s S.M.F., 24.) The

employee shut off the engine, but the truck engulfed in flames. (Def.'s S.M.F. ~ 25.) The driver

of the Truck was uninjured, but the truck and plowing accessories were burned so that they were

determined to be a total loss. (Def.'s S.M.F., 25.) The Plaintiff's expert, Thomas A. Bush, was

unable to conclude what caused the fire to any degree of scientific certainty and whether a failure

existed due to: 1) installation of components by H.P. Fairfield; 2) installation of components by

Hight Ford; or 3) original equipment manufacturer components. (Def.'s S.M.F., 26.)

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Summary judgment is appropriate when the Court's review of the parties' statements of

material fact and cited record evidence indicates that there are no genuine issues of disputed

material fact, and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Dyer v.

Dep 't ofTransp., 2008 ME 106, , 14, 951 A.2d 821 (citation omitted). Courts consider such

evidence in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. See Be a! v. Allstate Ins. Co., 2010

3 ME 20, ~ 11, 989 A.2d 733. But "[t]o survive a defendant's motion for a summary judgment, the

plaintiff must establish a prima facie case for each element of her cause of action." Bonin v.

Crepeau, 2005 ME 59, 873 A.2d 346, 348 (quoting Doyle v. Dep 't of Human Servs., 2003 ME

61, ~ 9, 824 A.2d 48).

A fact is material if it has the potential to impact the outcome of the case. See Parrish v.

Wright, 2003 ME 90, ~ 8, 828 A.2d 778 (citation omitted). An issue of fact is genuine when

"sufficient evidence requires a fact-finder to choose between competing versions of the truth at

trial." I d.

DISCUSSION

Torts Claims

Bailey Brothers argues that Plaintif:f s torts claims-negligence, strict liability, and res

ipsa loquitor-are barred by the economic loss doctrine. Courts in Maine, generally, follow the

economic loss doctrine, which does not permit recovery for a defective product's damage to

itself if the complaint is based on torts theories of liability. Oceanside at Pine Point Condo.

Owners Ass 'n v. Peachtree Doors, Inc., 659 A.2d 267, 270 (Me. 1995) (citations omitted);

McLaughlin v. Denharco, Inc., 129 F. Supp. 2d 32, 36 (D. Me. 2001) ("The economic loss rule

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

Related

Scott v. Harris
550 U.S. 372 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Sullivan v. Vernay Products, Inc
91 F.3d 242 (First Circuit, 1996)
Dyer v. Department of Transportation
2008 ME 106 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2008)
Easling v. Glen-Gery Corp.
804 F. Supp. 585 (D. New Jersey, 1992)
Sullivan v. Young Bros. and Co. Inc.
893 F. Supp. 1148 (D. Maine, 1995)
Casa Clara Condo. Ass'n v. Charley Toppino and Sons, Inc.
620 So. 2d 1244 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1993)
Doyle v. Department of Human Services
2003 ME 61 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2003)
Maine Energy Recovery Co. v. United Steel Structures, Inc.
1999 ME 31 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1999)
Parrish v. Wright
2003 ME 90 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2003)
Beal v. Allstate Insurance Co.
2010 ME 20 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2010)
Oceanside at Pine Point Condominium Owners Ass'n v. Peachtree Doors, Inc.
659 A.2d 267 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1995)
J. & Jay, Inc. v. E. Perry Iron & Metal Co.
210 A.2d 462 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1965)
McLaughlin v. Denharco, Inc.
129 F. Supp. 2d 32 (D. Maine, 2001)
Driggin v. American Security Alarm Co.
141 F. Supp. 2d 113 (D. Maine, 2000)
Estate of Patrick P. Smith v. Cumberland County
2013 ME 13 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2013)
Bonin v. Crepeau
2005 ME 59 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Town of Winthrop v. Bailey Bros., Inc., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/town-of-winthrop-v-bailey-bros-inc-mesuperct-2014.