Acheff v. Meijer, Inc. , 2019 Ohio 2314 ( 2019 )

[Cite as Acheff v. Meijer, Inc., 2019-Ohio-2314.]
COURT OF APPEALS
RICHLAND COUNTY, OHIO
FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
PETER ACHEFF : JUDGES:
: Hon. William B. Hoffman, P.J.
Plaintiff-Appellant : Hon. Craig R. Baldwin, J.
: Hon. Earle E. Wise, Jr., J.
-vs- :
:
MEIJER, INC. : Case No. 18CA86
:
Defendant-Appellee : OPINION
CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Appeal from the Court of Common
Pleas, Case No. 2017CV0908
JUDGMENT: Affirmed
DATE OF JUDGMENT: June 10, 2019
APPEARANCES:
For Plaintiff-Appellant For Defendant-Appellee
BYRON CORLEY W. CHARLES CURLEY
28 Park Avenue West 10 West Broad Street
Suite 1002 Suite 2400
Mansfield, OH 44902 Columbus, OH 43215
Richland County, Case No. 18CA86 2
Wise, Earle, J.
{¶ 1} Plaintiff-Appellant, Pete Acheff, appeals the August 23, 2018 judgment
entry of the Court of Common Pleas of Richland County, Ohio, granting summary
judgment to Defendant-Appellee, Meijer Inc.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
{¶ 2} On December 22, 2017, appellant filed a complaint against appellee
claiming false accusations and unlawful detention. Appellant alleged on December 28,
2016, upon attempting to exit appellee's store, he was stopped and accused of stealing.
Appellee's employee "forcibly and unlawfully seized" appellant's shopping bag, and
appellant was detained for approximately thirty minutes. As a result, appellant suffered
"great and lasting mental anguish" requiring "continuous expert counseling into the
future."
{¶ 3} On July 24, 2018, appellee filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing
statute of limitations and no genuine issues of material fact. By judgment entry filed
August 23, 2018, the trial court agreed and granted appellee's motion.
{¶ 4} Appellant filed an appeal and this matter is now before this court for
consideration. Assignment of error is as follows:
I
{¶ 5} "REVIEWING THE MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT DE NOVO THE
RECORD IS CLEAR AND CONVINCING THAT THE TRIAL COURT ERRED TO THE
PREJUDICE OF ACHEFF BY BRANTING MEIJER'S, INC. MOTION FOR SUMMARY
JUDGMENT."
Richland County, Case No. 18CA86 3
I
{¶ 6} In his sole assignment of error, appellant claims the trial court erred in
granting summary judgment to appellee. We disagree.
{¶ 7} Summary Judgment motions are to be resolved in light of the dictates of
Civ.R. 56. Said rule was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in State ex rel.
Zimmerman v. Tompkins, 75 Ohio St.3d 447, 448, 663 N.E.2d 639 (1996):
Civ.R. 56(C) provides that before summary judgment may be
granted, it must be determined that (1) no genuine issue as to any material
fact remains to be litigated, (2) the moving party is entitled to judgment as
a matter of law, and (3) it appears from the evidence that reasonable minds
can come to but one conclusion, and viewing such evidence most strongly
in favor of the nonmoving party, that conclusion is adverse to the party
against whom the motion for summary judgment is made. State ex. rel.
Parsons v. Fleming (1994), 68 Ohio St.3d 509, 511, 628 N.E.2d 1377, 1379,
citing Temple v. Wean United, Inc. (1977), 50 Ohio St.2d 317, 327, 4 O.O3d
466, 472, 364 N.E.2d 267, 274.
{¶ 8} As an appellate court reviewing summary judgment motions, we must stand
in the shoes of the trial court and review summary judgments on the same standard and
evidence as the trial court. Smiddy v. The Wedding Party, Inc., 30 Ohio St.3d 35, 506
N.E.2d 212 (1987).
Richland County, Case No. 18CA86 4
{¶ 9} As explained by this court in Leech v. Schumaker, 5th Dist. Richland No.
15CA56, 2015-Ohio-4444, ¶ 13:
It is well established the party seeking summary judgment bears the
burden of demonstrating that no issues of material fact exist for trial.
Celotex Corp. v. Catrett (1986), 477 U.S. 317, 330, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91
L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The standard for granting summary judgment is
delineated in Dresher v. Burt (1996), 75 Ohio St.3d 280 at 293: " * * * a party
seeking summary judgment, on the ground that the nonmoving party cannot
prove its case, bears the initial burden of informing the trial court of the basis
for the motion, and identifying those portions of the record that demonstrate
the absence of a genuine issue of material fact on the essential element(s)
of the nonmoving party's claims. The moving party cannot discharge its
initial burden under Civ.R. 56 simply by making a conclusory assertion the
nonmoving party has no evidence to prove its case. Rather, the moving
party must be able to specifically point to some evidence of the type listed
in Civ.R. 56(C) which affirmatively demonstrates the nonmoving party has
no evidence to support the nonmoving party's claims. If the moving party
fails to satisfy its initial burden, the motion for summary judgment must be
denied. However, if the moving party has satisfied its initial burden, the
nonmoving party then has a reciprocal burden outlined in Civ.R. 56(E) to
set forth specific facts showing there is a genuine issue for trial and, if the
nonmovant does not so respond, summary judgment, if appropriate, shall
Richland County, Case No. 18CA86 5
be entered against the nonmoving party." The record on summary
judgment must be viewed in the light most favorable to the opposing party.
Williams v. First United Church of Christ (1974), 37 Ohio St.2d 150.
{¶ 10} In his complaint filed December 22, 2017, appellant alleged the following in
pertinent part:
3. On or about December 28, 2016, plaintiff was an invitee on
defendant's premises.
4. On said date, plaintiff purchased and paid for merchandise in
defendant's store.
5. As plaintiff proceeded past the point of sale terminal an employee
of defendant walked hurriedly toward plaintiff, grabbed his shopping bag
and falsely and maliciously accused plaintiff in a loud and startling voice: "I
want to see what's in that bag you have stolen!!"
6. Defendant's employee forcibly and unlawfully seized the bag held
by the plaintiff.
7. Defendant then and there compelled plaintiff to remain there for
approximately thirty minutes.
8. As a direct and proximate result of the false accusations, and
plaintiff's unlawful detention, plaintiff was humiliated, embarrassed, suffered
great and lasting mental anguish that required continuous expert counseling
into the future.
Richland County, Case No. 18CA86 6
{¶ 11} In its motion for summary judgment filed July 24, 2018, appellee argued
appellant's claims were beyond the statute of limitations and further, genuine issues of
material fact did not exist.
{¶ 12} In its judgment entry filed August 23, 2018, the trial court made numerous
citations to appellant's deposition testimony wherein appellant explained the incident in
detail. Thereafter, the trial court granted the motion for summary judgment, finding the
following on the statute of limitations issue:
Plaintiff's complaint raises claims of defamation and false
imprisonment, both subject to the one-year statute of limitations found in
O.R.C. § 2305.11(A). This case was filed on December 22, 2017;
consequently, in order to be filed within the statute of limitations, the cause
of action must have accrued on or after December 22, 2016.
Defendant argues that from the deposition testimony, the court can
infer the date of the incident occurring prior to December 21, 2016, the last
day of fall, based on Mr. Acheff's deposition testimony that "it happened in
the fall," it happened in 2016, and he didn't think it was December.
There is no sworn factual allegation cognizable under Civ. R. 56(C)
that these events happened on or after December 21, 2016. Consequently,
there is no dispute of material fact to be resolved. The case is barred by
the one-year statute of limitations, and the defendant is entitled to summary
judgment on that basis.
Richland County, Case No. 18CA86 7
{¶ 13} Based upon our review of the record and appellant's deposition testimony,
we concur with the trial court's analysis. Acheff depo. at 28-29, 80.
{¶ 14} The trial court further found on the genuine issues of material fact issue:1
In this case, the defendant has pointed out the undisputed testimony
of Mr. Acheff at deposition, which establishes that the only delay in the
plaintiff leaving the Meijer store was not caused by the store employee who
allegedly accosted Mr. Acheff, but by the automatic operation of the door
opening and closing mechanism.
Mr. Acheff voluntarily appeared at the Meijer store premises and he
was free to leave during the entire encounter with the Meijer employee. In
fact, the Meijer employee explained to him how to trigger the door to re-
open so that he could leave. The court finds as a matter of law that there
was no confinement of the plaintiff to support a claim for false imprisonment.
{¶ 15} Based upon our review of the record and appellant's deposition testimony,
we concur with the trial court's analysis. Acheff depo. at 10, 45-53. Appellant was not
detained at all, let alone thirty minutes as alleged in his complaint.
1We note the trial court analyzed the motion for both a false imprisonment claim and a
defamation claim stemming from appellant's complaint allegation of "false accusations."
However, in his appellate brief at 1, appellant acknowledges he filed "a false
imprisonment action against appellee" and does not mention any defamation claim.
Therefore, we will review the trial court's findings on the false imprisonment claim only.
Richland County, Case No. 18CA86 8
{¶ 16} Upon review, we find the trial court did not err in granting summary judgment
to appellee.
{¶ 17} The sole assignment of error is denied.
{¶ 18} The judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Richland County, Ohio is
hereby affirmed.
By Wise, Earle, J.
Hoffman, P.J. and
Baldwin, J. concur.
EEW/db 531