SCOTLYNN TRANSPORT, LLC, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. PLAINS TOWING AND RECOVERY, LLC, Defendant and Appellee.
#30395-aff in pt & rev in pt-MES
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA
2024 S.D. 24, OPINION FILED 04/24/24
THE HONORABLE JOHN H. FITZGERALD Judge
CONSIDERED ON BRIEFS FEBRUARY 13, 2024
DAVID J. JENCKS of Jencks Law, P.C. Madison, South Dakota, Attorneys for plaintiff and appellant.
JOHN W. BURKE LORA A. WAECKERLE of Thomas Braun Bernard & Burke, LLP Rapid City, South Dakota, Attorneys for defendant and appellee.
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SALTER, Justice
[¶1.] Scotlynn Transport, LLC, commenced this action against Plains Towing and Recovery, LLC, alleging several claims related to the disputed ownership of a semi-tractor. Plains Towing removed the tractor from an accident site and later acquired title to it using the statutory procedure outlined in
Factual and Procedural Background
[¶2.] On June 6, 2020, a law enforcement officer directed Plains Towing to remove a semi-tractor and trailer owned by Scotlynn from a crash site in Meade County. The tractor had sustained significant damage, and Plains Towing towed both the tractor and the trailer to its impound lot in Sturgis.
[¶3.] On June 8, Fredi Bilbili, fleet manager for Scotlynn, called Plains Towing‘s office administrator, Deb Leverington, to discuss taking possession of the trailer, storage of the tractor, and payment of fees for both. The record does not contain any specific accounts of their conversation, but it does include a subsequent email exchange in which Bilbili first wrote:
Hello,
Please email us the invoice for both units. As per our conversation we will have the driver pick up the trailer tomorrow morning and tractor will be at your yard till the insurance adjuster comes.
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If you have any questions please let us know
Thank you Fredi Bilbili – Fleet Manager
(Emphasis added.)
[¶4.] Leverington‘s response reads:
Fredi,
Attached you will find billing invoices for both the tractor & trailer. BOTH invoices will need to be paid before we can release the trailer tomorrow. We don‘t take credit cards over the phone. Your driver can pay in person with a credit card, or you can also pay via EFS Check or Wire transfer. Storage will continue to accumulate for the tractor after tomorrow‘s payment. Our storage fees are $100 per day.
If you have any questions regarding these invoices, please call John at [redacted], or [redacted] and press Option 2 for Accounts Receivable.
Thank you,
Deb
(Emphasis added.)
[¶5.] On June 9, a representative from Scotlynn arrived in Sturgis, paid the Plains Towing invoices which included all current fees to date for the tractor and the trailer, and took custody of the trailer. Scotlynn left the damaged tractor at the Plains Towing impound lot.
[¶6.] Plains Towing is considered a “removal agency” under South Dakota law, meaning it is “authorized to remove and salvage abandoned and junk motor vehicles and . . . may be authorized by chapter 32-30 to remove vehicles . . . or may be in the business of removing or salvaging vehicles[.]”
[¶7.] On June 16, Plains Towing completed a pre-printed notice form (the Notice) developed by the DOR and sent it to Scotlynn by certified mail.1 The DOR form lists four reasons for the notice:
- Abandoned – Vehicle was towed (notice must be sent within 45 days)
- Unpaid Repair Bill – Vehicle has a repair bill
- Storage Facility Lien – Vehicle has a storage bill
- Auction Agency – Vehicle obtained through an insurance company request tow
Plains Towing selected the “abandoned vehicle” reason for its Notice, which Scotlynn claims it never received.
[¶8.] Agents of Scotlynn and Plains Towing did not communicate directly with each other further after the June 9 meeting when a Scotlynn representative paid Plains Towing‘s invoices and collected its trailer. It is undisputed that #30395 Scotlynn did not pay any additional storage fees for the tractor after the initial payment on June 9, and Plains Towing did not seek payment by sending an invoice or bill. It is also undisputed that the insurance adjuster referenced in the June 8 email by Scotlynn‘s fleet manager did not come to the Plains Towing impound lot to inspect the tractor and did not contact Plains Towing until October 29.
[¶9.] In the meantime, on July 23, Plains Towing applied for the title to the tractor. Plains Towing‘s manager, John Fabris, called Scotlynn on July 27 in an attempt to
[¶10.] On September 2, the DOR issued Plains Towing a title to the tractor, which stated “ABANDONDED” under the heading “TYPE.” Scotlynn later learned of the newly issued title, and after unsuccessful efforts by its insurer in late-October to negotiate the tractor‘s return, Scotlynn commenced this action.
[¶11.] In its complaint, Scotlynn alleged four causes of action: (1) claim and delivery under the theory that Plains Towing had not validly obtained the title to the tractor; (2) conversion under a similar theory that Plains Towing was in wrongful possession of the tractor; (3) a claim that Plains Towing fraudulently misrepresented the legal status of the tractor to the DOR in an attempt to wrongfully take possession of it; and (4) breach of an implied contract for storing the tractor.
[¶12.] Plains Towing filed two separate summary judgment motions. The first motion requested partial summary judgment relating to the sufficiency of the Notice under
[¶13.] Plains Towing subsequently filed a second motion for summary judgment on all of Scotlynn‘s claims, arguing that compliance with
[¶14.] First, Scotlynn argued that there were genuine issues of material fact relating to the possessory interest in the tractor because, in its view, the tractor could not be properly classified as “abandoned” under
[¶15.] The circuit court agreed with Plains Towing and granted its motion for summary judgment. In its memorandum opinion, the court addressed only the issues of the validity of the Notice and Plains Towing‘s claim of ownership. The court reasoned that the plain language of
[¶16.] Scotlynn appeals, claiming that the circuit court erred by granting Plains Towing‘s motion for summary judgment. In Scotlynn‘s view, there are genuine issues of material fact that should have precluded summary judgment relating to whether an implied contract existed between the parties regarding the storage of the tractor and whether Plains Towing acted fraudulently. Scotlynn also argues
Analysis and Decision
Summary judgment and the statutory procedures for a “removal agency”
[¶17.] Summary judgment is authorized under
We must determine whether the moving party demonstrated the absence of any genuine issue of material fact and showed entitlement to judgment on the merits as a matter of law. The evidence must be viewed most favorably to the nonmoving party and reasonable doubts should be resolved against the moving party. The nonmoving party, however, must present specific facts showing that a genuine, material issue for trial exists. Our task on appeal is to determine only whether a genuine issue of material fact exists and whether the law was correctly applied. #30395 If there exists any basis which supports the ruling of the trial court, affirmance of a summary judgment is proper.
Zochert v. Protective Life Ins. Co., 2018 S.D. 84, ¶ 19, 921 N.W.2d 479, 486 (quoting Brandt v. Cnty. of Pennington, 2013 S.D. 22, ¶ 7, 827 N.W.2d 871, 874).
[¶18.] The statutory procedure lying at the heart of this appeal exists in
Any removal agency as defined by
§ 32-36-2 which has removed an abandoned or wrecked vehicle pursuant to this chapter or a vehicle impounded pursuant to§ 32-30-19 shall comply with the provisions of§ 32-36-8 to notify the registered owner, and if encumbered, the lien holder of the vehicle. If no person claims the vehicle within thirty days of that notice, the provisions of§§ 32-36-9 and32-36-11 shall apply to the disposal of the vehicle.
[¶19.] The notice requirements of
Within forty-five days after any abandoned or junk motor vehicle, any wrecked vehicle as provided by
§ 32-30-14 , or any impounded vehicle has been removed, the removal agency shall send written notice by certified mail to the registered owner, if any, of the abandoned or junk motor vehicle, wrecked vehicle . . . at [its] last known address. If the removal agency #30395 does not give notice within ten days from the date of removal, no storage may be charged beyond the ten-day period until the notice is mailed. The notice shall set forth the date and place of the taking, the year, the make, model and serial number of the abandoned or wrecked motor vehicle and the place where the vehicle is being held, and shall inform the owner of [its] right to reclaim the vehicle under§ 32-36-9 . The notice shall be on a form provided by the Department of Revenue.
[¶20.] This statute provides an economic incentive for removal agencies to provide notice to a registered owner sooner rather than later. Though the removal agency has 45 days within which to “send written notice by certified mail[,]” the removal agency cannot recover storage fees beyond ten days after a vehicle‘s removal “until the notice is mailed.” Id. By sending the notice within the initial ten-day period, however, the removal agency can avoid any such disruption in the accrual of its storage fees. Id.
[¶21.] Sending the notice required by
Notwithstanding any statutes to the contrary, title to any abandoned or junk motor vehicle, any impounded vehicle . . .2 #30395 shall vest in the removal agency after a period of thirty days from the date on which notice was sent under
§ 32-36-8 . The record holder of title or the lien holder may reclaim the motor vehicle . . . . The lien holder and record holder of title shall notify the department in writing within thirty days of their intent to reclaim the motor vehicle. However, if the record holder of title fails to claim and remove the motor vehicle or other scrap metal within thirty days after mailing of notice, title to the vehicle is irrevocably vested in the removal agency.
[¶22.] Scotlynn challenges Plains Towing‘s assertion that it owns the tractor by virtue of the title that the DOR issued by advancing two principal arguments. First, Scotlynn asserts the existence and breach of an implied contract under which Plains Towing was obligated to store the tractor for an indefinite period of time. Second, Scotlynn argues that Plains Towing did not strictly comply with statutory notice provisions and that issuance of the title was not authorized. Although Scotlynn‘s complaint also asserts claims for conversion and fraud, these are in many ways derived from Scotlynn‘s principal arguments, as noted below. We review these issues de novo because they arise in the context of a summary judgment proceeding and, additionally, because Scotlynn‘s statutory interpretation arguments present legal questions. Ries v. JM Custom Homes, LLC, 2022 S.D. 52, ¶ 14, 980 N.W.2d 217, 222.
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Implied contract3
[¶23.] “An implied contract is a fiction of the law adopted to achieve justice
An implied-in-fact contract is created when the intention as to the contract is not manifested by direct or explicit words by the parties, but is to be gathered by implication or proper deduction from the conduct of the parties, language used, or acts done by them, or other pertinent circumstances attending the transaction. Because an implied contract must contain all the elements of an express contract, both express and implied-in-fact contracts require mutual assent. For implied contracts, however, assent occurs when, after reviewing the facts objectively, a party voluntarily indulges in conduct reasonably indicating assent.
J. Clancy, Inc. v. Khan Comfort, LLC, 2021 S.D. 9, ¶ 20, 955 N.W.2d 382, 389–90 (cleaned up).4
[¶24.] Here, we conclude that genuine issues of material fact remain concerning the existence of an implied contract. Viewing the summary judgment record in the light most favorable to Scotlynn, we conclude that it has produced #30395 sufficient information to resist summary judgment. Specifically, Scotlynn asserts that its fleet manager, Bilbili, and Plains Towing‘s office administrator, Leverington, reached a de facto agreement for storing the tractor at Plains Towing‘s standard rate until an insurance adjuster was able to inspect the damaged tractor.
[¶25.] This agreement, Scotlynn alleges, was part and parcel of the arrangement by which Scotlynn would, and did, pay all costs associated with both the tractor and the trailer on June 9 before Scotlynn took possession of the trailer. Bilbili‘s email stated that the “tractor will be at your yard till the insurance adjuster comes[,]” and Leverington‘s response acknowledged the plan to leave the tractor at the Plains Towing impound yard by stating, “Storage will continue to accumulate for the tractor after tomorrow‘s payment.” In our view, the parties’ writings and conduct support the inference of an implied contract to store the tractor.
[¶26.] It may well be, as Plains Towing asserts, that it did not agree to store the tractor indefinitely after Scotlynn‘s insurance adjuster did not arrive promptly, but this only illustrates the factual nature of the dispute between the parties. If there was an implied contract to store the tractor, additional material facts may relate to the term of any such storage or may perhaps implicate questions of breach. See Van De Walle & Assocs., L.L.C. v. Buseman, 2003 S.D. 70, ¶ 10, 665 N.W.2d 84, 87 (discussing summary judgment for implied contract claims).5
Statutory compliance
[¶28.] Scotlynn claims Plains Towing did not properly invoke the statutory procedure set out above for obtaining a title from the DOR. Specifically, Scotlynn argues that Plains Towing‘s Notice under
[¶29.] The technical notice portion of
The notice shall set forth the date and place of the taking, the year, the make, model and serial number of the abandoned or wrecked motor vehicle and the place where the vehicle is being held, and shall inform the owner and any lien holders of their right to reclaim the vehicle under
§ 32-36-9 . The notice shall be on a form provided by the Department of Revenue.
[¶30.] Scotlynn identifies what it describes as three “key drafting errors” in the Notice: (1) the Notice erroneously stated that the tractor had been abandoned; #30395 (2) the Notice inaccurately stated the fees Scotlynn owed; and (3) the DOR form prescribed for notice stated that Scotlynn had a right to reclaim the tractor within 30 days of receipt, though the statute contains no such receipt requirement.
[¶31.] Initially, we note that the DOR form does not provide removal agencies with a choice of vehicle descriptions; it lists only abandoned vehicles. Beyond this, we fail to understand the significance of the Notice‘s reference to the tractor as abandoned. Notice is required for either abandoned, impounded, or wrecked vehicles, all of which are defined by statute. An abandoned vehicle is one which is “left on a public street or highway or left on private property without the permission of the landowner or tenant[.]”
[¶32.] Even if the undisputed facts do not establish that the tractor was an abandoned vehicle, they do establish that it was an impounded vehicle and a wrecked vehicle, both of which are listed among the class of vehicles for which notice is required under
[¶33.] Next, the Notice listed an amount owed by Scotlynn of $852, which Scotlynn claims failed to account for money it paid for removing and storing the tractor when it picked up the trailer. However, Scotlynn fails to support this claim factually. Plains Towing, by contrast, lists the exact calculation justifying the amount listed in the Notice as the fees owed as of the date of the notice—storage for eight days (June 9-16) at the rate of $100 per day, or $800, plus sales tax of 6.5%, for a total of $852. Scotlynn does not respond to this calculation in its reply brief, and we think its claim in this regard lacks merit.
[¶34.] Scotlynn‘s third claim regarding the Notice is actually not a claim of statutory noncompliance, but rather, a claim that the notice form provided by the DOR created a receipt requirement for the notice not present in
[¶35.] Finally, Scotlynn makes an additional claim that the tractor was not among the list of vehicles for which the DOR can issue a title under
[¶36.] Scotlynn admits that the tractor was an impounded vehicle after it was initially removed on June 6. However, it contends that the tractor “stopped being an ‘impounded vehicle’ when Scotlynn paid for towing services in the entirety on June 9, 2020, and the vehicle was kept at Plains Towing yard with permission from Plains Towing pursuant to a contract for storage of the Tractor.”
[¶37.] Scotlynn‘s changed-status argument is largely premised upon ultimately prevailing on its implied contract theory at trial. If it does, then Plains Towing should not have sought a title from the DOR. However, if Scotlynn does not #30395 win on its implied contract claims, the tractor would seemingly fit the definition of an impounded vehicle in
Conclusion
[¶38.] The circuit court erred when it granted summary judgment because there
[¶39.] JENSEN, Chief Justice, and KERN, DEVANEY, and MYREN, Justices, concur.
