Wolfe v. Welton

558 S.E.2d 363, 210 W. Va. 563
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 14, 2002
Docket29696
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 558 S.E.2d 363 (Wolfe v. Welton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wolfe v. Welton, 558 S.E.2d 363, 210 W. Va. 563 (W. Va. 2002).

Opinions

ALBRIGHT, Justice.

John C. Welton, Jr., (hereinafter “Appellant”) appeals a final order of the Circuit Court of Grant County reversing a jury verdict returned in favor of Appellant in magistrate court in an action involving the purchase of a used motor vehicle by Appellant from Keith Wolfe, dba Petersburg Motor Company (hereinafter “Appellee”).

This action was commenced when Appellee filed suit against Appellant in the Magistrate Court of Grant County to recover sums allegedly owed Appellee on an open account, including amounts for repairs to the used motor vehicle Appellant had purchased from Appellee and repairs to one or more other motor vehicles owned by Appellant. Appellant counterclaimed for damages on the theory that Appellee had failed to honor implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for purpose applicable to the used motor vehicle. The matter was tried to a jury. The jury rejected the claim of Appellee and returned a verdict in favor of Appellant. A judgment was awarded by the magistrate court for the sum of the verdict,1 attorney fees in favor of Appellant, costs and interest.

Appellee appealed the magistrate court judgment to the circuit court. After considering briefs by both parties, the circuit court, by an order entered February 28, 2000, reversed the magistrate court judgment and remanded the case for further proceedings. It is from that February 28, 2000, circuit court order that Appellant now appeals, assigning numerous errors.

Appellant contends that the circuit court erred by failing to dismiss the appeal below when Appellee did not file a “petition of appeal” and that the circuit court lost jurisdiction by failing to conclude the appeal within specified time limits. Appellant further contends that the lower court erred in finding that an implied warranty did not apply to a vehicle sold under an express warranty and refusing to apply certain provisions of the Consumer Credit and Protection Act (W.Va. Code § 46A-6-101, et seq. (1974)) to the case. [567]*567Appellant additionally contends that the lower court erred in finding that the verdict of the jury was contrary to the law and evidence, in reversing the verdict, and in remanding to the magistrate court for further proceedings.

We find that Appellee perfected his appeal below and that the circuit court had and retained jurisdiction to hear the appeal. We further find, contrary to an assertion by Ap-pellee, that this Court has jurisdiction to consider this appeal. However, we further find that the circuit court committed error in its reversal of the judgment of the magistrate court. Accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the circuit court and remand for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

I. FACTS

On February 6, 1999, after performing a test-drive, Appellant pur-chased a used GMC “Jimmy” truck from Appellee, the owner of Petersburg Motor Company. The Odometer Statement furnished Appellant at the time of purchase disclosed that the vehicle had been driven 85,904 miles to that time. Many of the remaining facts regarding the vehicle are in dispute. According to Appellant, when he first noticed a problem with the vehicle’s transmission, he took the vehicle to Appel-lee’s place of business for repairs on February 8, 1999.2 Appellant further asserts that on February 13,1999, and again on February

26, 1999, he returned the vehicle to Appellee for repairs to the transmission.3 In contrast to Appellant’s assertions, Appellee expressly denied in his answer to Appellant’s counterclaim that there were any problems with the transmission when the vehicle was sold.4 Appellee also stated in his answer that the records of Petersburg Motor Company did not show that the vehicle was taken back to Petersburg Motor Company on either February 26 or February 27.5 Notwithstanding this denial by Appellee, both parties agree that on or about February 27, 1999, Appellee wrote on a business card: “2/27/99 Warrant to John Welton 6 mo or 10,000 mi 30/70 warranty.” He then signed the card and gave it to Appellant.6

Both parties agree that in the period between March 20 and March 23, 1999, Appellant brought the GMC Jimmy to Appellee for service. Appellant claims that this constituted another attempt to repair the transmission; Appellee claims that the service visit related to the installation of a part unrelated to the transmission, purchased and furnished by Appellant. The parties also agree that on May 19, 1999, the vehicle was brought in to Appellee’s business for repairs, including cheeking the transmission, addressing' an electrical problem, and replacing one or two solenoids. The mileage odometer at that time read 95,037.

[568]*568On May 25, 1999, Appellant alleged that the transmission failed outright and the GMC Jimmy had to be towed to Grant County from Uniontown, Pennsylvania, at a cost of $140.00. Appellant asserts that he then took the truck to another car dealership and that they were also unable to repair the transmission.7 Appellant again took the vehicle to Appellee’s business for repair of the transmission on June 18,1999.8 Apparently at the request of Appellant’s father, a Mr. Jack Welton, the transmission was ultimately replaced by Appellee on June 25, 1999. The work receipt for that work reflected a total bill of $1,439.11 and contains the notations, “Bill Jack Welton”, and “Jack Welton Will [be] Responsible for Bill.” The mileage recorded on the vehicle’s odometer at that time was stated on the bill to be 96,349 miles. Appellant took the vehicle to Appellee for repair one last time, on July 8, 1999. According to the work receipt, a wire was found not to be making contact. A further notation suggested that the problem apparently occurred “when Don installed transmission or when Ed spliced wire.” There was no charge for this last repair.

Appellant made payments toward his balance on his open account with Appellee at least through August of 1999. The open account included, as mentioned, some charges incurred for another vehicle or vehicles before the purchase of the GMC Jimmy.9 On October 18, 1999, Appellee filed his complaint in the Magistrate Court of Grant County, seeking judgment for an alleged balance on that open account of $2,128.81 plus costs. In due course, Appellant filed an answer and counterclaim, and the matter was then heard before a jury, resulting in a judgment in favor of Appellant for the sum of $1,000.00, plus costs, including attorney fees, and interest.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

As this Court stated in Phillips v. Fox, 193 W.Va. 657 at 661, 458 S.E.2d 327 at 331(1995), “[i]n reviewing challenges to the findings and conclusions of the circuit court, we apply a two-prong deferential standard of review. We review the final order and the ultimate disposition under an abuse of discretion standard, and we review the circuit court’s underlying factual findings under a clearly erroneous standard. Questions of law are subject to a de novo review.”

Furthermore, regarding jury verdicts, in syllabus point two of French v. Sinkford, 132 W.Va. 66, 54 S.E.2d 38

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
558 S.E.2d 363, 210 W. Va. 563, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wolfe-v-welton-wva-2002.