Shoop v. Daimlerchrysler Corp.

• Decision Date: 28 February 2007
• Docket Number: No. 1-05-3213.,1-05-3213.
• Citation: Shoop v. Daimlerchrysler Corp., 864 N.E.2d 785, 309 Ill.Dec. 544, 371 Ill. App. 3d 1058 (Ill. App. 2007)
• Parties: Darrell E. SHOOP, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION, Defendant-Appellee (Dempsey Dodge, Defendant.).
• Court: Appellate Court of Illinois

864 N.E.2d 785

Darrell E. SHOOP, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION, Defendant-Appellee (Dempsey Dodge, Defendant.).

No. 1-05-3213.

Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, Fourth Division.

February 28, 2007.

Rehearing Denied March 29, 2007.

Scott M. Cohen, Lee Cassie Yates, Krohn & Moss, Ltd., Chicago for Appellant.

Timothy V. Hoffman, Michelle A. Franz, Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman LLP, Chicago, for Appellee.

Justice MURPHY delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff, Darrell E. Shoop, filed suit against defendant DaimlerChrysler Corporation for breach of express and implied warranties under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty—Federal Trade Commission Act (Magnuson-Moss Act) (15 U.S.C. §§ 2308, 2310(d) (2000)) when his vehicle required numerous repairs. When plaintiff received more than the fair market value for his car on trade-in, defendant filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that plaintiff did not suffer a present injury. The trial court granted defendant's motion. Because we find that a genuine issue of material fact existed as to plaintiff's damages at the time of acceptance, we reverse the decision of the trial court.

I. BACKGROUND

On April 4, 2002, plaintiff purchased a 2002 Dodge Dakota truck for $28,000, excluding bank and finance charges. As part of the purchase, defendant, which manufactured the Dakota, issued a 3-year or 36,000-mile standard limited warranty. Plaintiff alleged that he also entered into a service contract with the dealer, Dempsey Dodge, at the time of the sale. Dempsey Dodge was dismissed from the case after it settled with plaintiff.

Plaintiff began experiencing problems with the truck soon after he took possession. Defects in the engine, suspension steering, transmission, and other components caused plaintiff to take the truck to a Chrysler dealership 12 times within 18 months for repairs. The Dakota was subject to repair at least five times for the same defect, and that defect remained uncorrected. Plaintiff, contending that defendant was unable to cure the defects after a reasonable number of attempts, allegedly revoked his acceptance of the truck in writing, but defendant refused the revocation. Plaintiff then filed a complaint against defendant alleging breach of written and implied warranties pursuant to the Magnuson-Moss Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 2308, 2310(d) (2000)).

Plaintiff alleged that as a result of the persistent defects, he traded in his Dakota and purchased a new vehicle on May 6, 2005. He had driven the truck for three years and logged more than 39,000 miles. Plaintiff received $16,500 for the trade-in value of the truck. The NADA guidebook provided that a comparable vehicle in "average" condition would have an average trade-in value of $14,425 and an average retail value of $17,225. Defendant filed a motion for summary judgment alleging that plaintiff did not suffer a present injury or damages because he sold the truck for a price in excess of its fair market value at the time of the trade-in.

In response, plaintiff submitted affidavits of two witnesses. Based on a visual inspection, a road test, and reviews of the Dakota's service history and technical service bulletins related to the Dakota, Thomas Walters opined that the truck's value was diminished by 35 % at the time of purchase. Walters used the valuation guide of the Kelly Blue Book and his professional experience in estimating the Dakota's diminished value. Walters believed that the Dakota had manufacturing defects at the time of sale. Based on a review of the repair records, plaintiff's second witness, Joseph Pennacchio, opined that the value of the truck at the time of purchase was $22,300.

The trial court granted defendant's motion for summary judgment. No hearing transcripts are included in the record, and the court did not issue a memorandum opinion. This appeal followed.

II. ANALYSIS

A. Damages

Summary judgment is appropriate when the pleadings, depositions, and other evidence reveal that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. 735 ILCS 5/2-1005 (West 2004). Summary judgment is a drastic means of resolving litigation and should only be allowed when the right of the moving party is clear and free from doubt. Bier v. Leanna Lakeside Property Ass'n, 305 Ill. App.3d 45, 50, 238 Ill.Dec. 386, 711 N.E.2d 773 (1999). Our review of a grant of summary judgment is de novo. Woods v. Pence, 303 Ill.App.3d 573, 576, 236 Ill.Dec. 977, 708 N.E.2d 563 (1999).

The Magnuson-Moss Act provides a consumer with a private cause of action against a manufacturer or retailer that fails to comply with the Act or the terms of a written warranty or any implied warranty arising therefrom. 15 U.S.C. § 2310(d)(1) (2000). When the Act does not conflict with state law governing the sale of consumer products, state law applies. Bartow v. Ford Motor Co., 342 Ill. App.3d 480, 484, 276 Ill.Dec. 777, 794 N.E.2d 1027 (2003), citing Sorce v. Naperville Jeep Eagle, Inc., 309 Ill.App.3d 313, 323, 242 Ill.Dec. 738, 722 N.E.2d 227 (1999). Section 2-714(2) of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) provides that the measure of damages for breach of warranty when the buyer has accepted goods and given notice is the difference at the time and place of acceptance between the value of the goods accepted and the value they would have if they had been as warranted, unless special circumstances show proximate damages of a different amount. 810 ILCS 5/2-714(2) (West 2004); Razor v. Hyundai Motor America, 222 Ill.2d 75, 106, 305 Ill.Dec. 15, 854 N.E.2d 607 (2006).

In addition, damages are an essential element of a breach of warranty claim. Kim v. Mercedes-Benz U.S.A., Inc., 353 Ill.App.3d 444, 460, 288 Ill.Dec. 778, 818 N.E.2d 713 (2004). The diminished value of a product is a compensable injury in a breach of warranty claim. Dewan v. Ford Motor Co., 363 Ill.App.3d 365, 369, 299 Ill.Dec. 719, 842 N.E.2d 756 (2005). While it is not necessary that damages for breach of warranty be calculated with mathematical precision, basic contract theory requires that damages be proved with reasonable certainty. Burrus v. Itek Corp., 46 Ill.App.3d 350, 357, 4 Ill.Dec. 793, 360 N.E.2d 1168 (1977). Damages based on conjecture or speculation are precluded. Bockman Printing & Services, Inc. v. Baldwin-Gregg, Inc., 213 Ill.App.3d 516, 527, 157 Ill.Dec. 630, 572 N.E.2d 1094 (1991). Plaintiff claims that the difference between the value of the automobile as warranted and its value in its defective condition on the date of the sale must be determined in hindsight. See Durant v. Palmetto Chevrolet, Inc., 241 S.C. 508, 129 S.E.2d 323 (1963). Furthermore, according to plaintiff, uncertainty as to the amount of damages when there is no doubt as to the fact of damage will not preclude recovery. Story Parchment Co. v. Paterson Parchment Paper Co., 282 U.S. 555, 51 S.Ct. 248, 75 L.Ed. 544 (1931).

Plaintiff argues that he established damages under section 2-714(2) because two witnesses attested that the value of his car was diminished at the time it was purchased. Defendant responds that plaintiff failed to establish "present damages" because he traded in the Dakota for the fair market value.

This issue appears simple because in response to defendant's motion for summary judgment, plaintiff provided evidence of his damages at the time of acceptance, the point in time when damages are measured for breach of warranty under the UCC. 810 ILCS 5/2-714(2) (West 2004); Razor, 222 Ill.2d at 106, 305 Ill.Dec. 15, 854 N.E.2d 607. However, we will discuss the issue more extensively because the general requirement that a plaintiff have actual, present damages and the rule in section 2-714(2) that damages are measured on the date of acceptance converge in this case.

Defendant relies on Valenti v. Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, Inc., 332 Ill. App.3d 969, 266 Ill.Dec. 129, 773 N.E.2d 1199 (2002), for its contention that plaintiff could not establish "present damages" when he received fair market value when he traded in the Dakota. In Valenti, the plaintiff revoked acceptance after she experienced numerous problems with a new car that she purchased. The defendant denied her revocation, and she filed a complaint alleging breach of express warranty and the implied warranty of merchantability under the Magnuson-Moss Act. More than two years after she revoked acceptance, the plaintiff sold the allegedly defective car for its fair market value, as a sales manager at the dealership where the plaintiff received the trade-in credit attested. To establish damages, the Valenti plaintiff relied solely on the allegations of her complaint. The court held that the plaintiff "cannot meet this burden where the undisputed facts show that plaintiff sold the car at its fair market value, despite the alleged defect of which she now complains." Valenti, 332 Ill.App.3d at 973, 266 Ill.Dec. 129, 773 N.E.2d 1199.

Valenti is distinguishable from the facts in the instant case. To establish damages, the Valenti plaintiff only relied on the allegations of her complaint, which, combined with the rest of the record, established that the "plaintiff purchased a new car for an agreed-upon price, drove it 17,290 miles and traded it in more than 2 1/2 years later for fair market value." Valenti, 332 Ill.App.3d at 973, 266 Ill.Dec. 129, 773 N.E.2d 1199. Here, plaintiff countered defendant's motion for summary judgment with the affidavits of two witnesses, who averred as to the reduced value of the Dakota at the time of acceptance. In addition, the Valenti plaintiff did not argue that the vehicle was defective at the time of acceptance, while plaintiff's witnesses here attested that the Dakota was not substantially free of defects at the time plaintiff took possession.

Defendant also cites a number of cases interpreting the damages required under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act (Consumer Fraud Act) (...