IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO
TENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
Albertine Mangum,
:
Plaintiff-Appellant,
:
v.
:
No. 99AP-682
SunStar Acceptance Corp., Inc. et al.,
:
(REGULAR C ALENDAR)
Defendants-Appellees.
:
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NUNC PRO TUNC
D E C I S I O N
Rendered on April 11, 2000
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Otto Beatty, Jr., for appellant.
Zeiger & Carpenter, David A. Wallace
and Craig A.
Calcaterra, for appellee SunStar Acceptance Corp., Inc.
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APPEAL from the Franklin County Court of Common Ple as.
BRYANT, J.
Plaintiff-appellant, Albertine Mangum, appeals fro m a judgment of the
Franklin County Court of Common Pleas granting the
summary judgment motion of
defendant-appellee, SunStar Acceptance Corporation,
Inc. ("SunStar"). Because
plaintiff's appeal does not present a final appeala ble order, we dismiss for lack of
jurisdiction.
No. 99AP-682
2
On June 2, 1998, plaintiff filed a complaint again st SunStar, LTD Financial
Services ("LTD"), John Doe, Inc., and John Doe Coll ection Agency. Plaintiff's complaint
sought damages for defendants' conduct resulting in invasion of privacy and intentional
and/or negligent infliction of emotional distress. Both SunStar and LTD were served with
summons and complaint on June 8, 1998.
After filing an answer, SunStar filed a summary ju dgment motion. Following
full briefing, the trial court granted SunStar's su mmary judgment motion with respect to
plaintiff's claims for negligent and intentional in fliction of emotional distress. The trial
court, however, denied the motion as to plaintiff's
claim for invasion of privacy. On
June 14, 1999, plaintiff filed a notice of appeal f rom the trial court's decision, and on
June 14, 1999, plaintiff dismissed without prejudic e her "remaining claim for invasion of
privacy." On appeal, plaintiff assigns the followin g errors:
I. THE TRIAL JUDGE APPLIED THE WRONG STANDARD
FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT WHEN HE GRANTED THE
APPELLEE'S
MOTION
FOR
SUMMARY
JUDGMENT
DESPITE
APPELLANT'S
MOTION
CONTRA
WHICH
RELIED
UPON
APPELLANT'S
AFFIDAVIT
WHICH
SPECIFICALLY POINTED OUT HOW SHE SUSTAINED
SERIOUS EMOTIONAL DISTRESS AS A RESULT OF
APPELLEE'S
UNWARRANTED
DEBT
COLLECTION
ACTIVITIES.
II. THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR
WHEN HE GRANTED THE APPELLEE'S MOTION FOR
SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON ALL CLAIMS WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF PLAINTIFF'S CLAIM FOR INVASION OF
PRIVACY.
III. THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR
WHEN HE RELIED ON HOUSH V. PETH (1956), 165 OHIO
No. 99AP-682
3
ST. 35, AS THE STANDARD FOR ALLOWING CREDITORS
TO MAKE COLLECTION EFFORTS ON AN "AMOUNT NOT
OWED", as HOUSH DEALT WITH COLLECTION EFFORTS
TO PERSUADE PAYMENT OF A " DEBT OR AMOUNT
OWED."
IV. THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR
WHEN
HE
RULED
THAT
THE
RESTRICTIONS
REGARDING
EMOTIONAL
DISTRESS
DAMAGES
IN
NEGLIGENT AND/OR INTENTIONAL INFLICTION CLAIMS
ARE APPLICABLE WHERE A DEBT HAS BEEN PAID AND
A CREDITOR CONTINUES TO CONTACT A "DEBTOR",
SINCE THIS TYPE OF CASE IS DISTINGUISHED FROM
CASES
INVOLVING
A
TORTFEASOR'S
ACTIONS
DIRECTED
TOWARD
A
THIRD
PARTY
WHICH
INDIRECTLY CAUSES EMOTIONAL HARM TO A PARTY
NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED.
V. THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR
WHEN HE RULED THAT THE APPELLANT'S DAMAGES
(I.E. DEGREE OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS) SHOULD NOT
BE CONSIDERED BY A JURY SINCE THEY WERE
INSUFFICIENT TO SUSTAIN A CLAIM FOR NEGLIGENT
AND/OR INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL
DISTRESS.
VI. THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR
WHEN HE GRANTED THE APPELLEE'S MOTION FOR
SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON APPELLANT'S CLAIM FOR
INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS.
VII. THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR
WHEN HE RULED THAT THERE WAS A LACK OF
EVIDENCE.
APPELLANT
SUFFERED
SEVERE
EMOTIONAL DISTRESS.
VIII. THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED REVERSIBLE
ERROR WHEN HE GRANTED THE APPELLEE'S MOTION
FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON APPELLANT'S CLAIM OF
NEGLIGENT INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS.
No. 99AP-682
4
IX. THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR
WHEN HE RULED THAT A NEGLIGENT INFLICTION OF
EMOTIONAL DISTRESS CLAIM WITHOUT PHYSICAL
INJURY CAN ONLY BE SUSTAINED WHERE THE
APPELLANT IS COGNIZANT OF A REAL DANGER, SUCH
AS WHERE THE APPELLANT WAS A BYSTANDER OR IS
PUT IN FEAR OF PHYSICAL CONSEQUENCES.
X. THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR
WHEN HE RULED THAT A NEGLIGENT INFLICTION OF
EMOTIONAL DISTRESS CLAIM CANNOT BE SUSTAINED
WHERE APPELLANT SUFFERS EMOTIONAL DISTRESS
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF APPELLEE'S ACTIONS
DIRECTED
TOWARD
APPELLANT,
RATHER
THAN
INDIRECTLY THROUGH A THIRD PARTY.
XI. THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR
WHEN HE RULED THAT THERE WAS A LACK OF
EVIDENCE THAT APPELLANT WAS PLACED IN FEAR OF
A
REAL
OR
IMPENDING
PHYSICAL
PERIL
BY
APPELLEE'S NEGLIGENT FAILURE TO KEEP ACCURATE
ACCOUNT RECORDS.
XII. THE TRIAL JUDGE COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR
WHEN HE FAILED TO ADDRESS APPELLANT'S CLAIM
FOR PUNITIVE DAMAGES.
Because this court's jurisdiction is premised on
plaintiff's appealing a final
appealable order, we first examine the record in th at regard.
Pursuant to R.C. 2505.02 as relevant here, a fina l appealable order is an
order that affects a substantial right in an action
that in effect determines the action or
prevents a judgment, an order that affects a substa ntial right made in a special
proceeding or upon summary application in an action after judgment, or an order that
vacates or sets aside a judgment or grants a new tr ial. For a trial court's order to be final,
No. 99AP-682
5
it must meet the requirements of both R.C. 2505.02
and Civ.R. 54(B). Chef Italiano Corp.
v. Kent State University (1989), 44 Ohio St.3d 86, 88. Civ.R. 54(B) states
that:
When more than one claim for relief is presented in
an action
whether as a claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or t hird-party
claim, and whether arising out of the same or separ ate
transactions, or when multiple parties are involved , the court
may enter final judgment as to one or more but fewe r than all
of the claims or parties only upon an express deter mination
that there is no just reason for delay. In the abse nce of a
determination that there is no just reason for dela y, any order
or other form of decision, however designated, whic h
adjudicates fewer than all the claims or the rights
and
liabilities of fewer than all the parties, shall no t terminate the
action as to any of the claims or parties, and the
order or
other form of decision is subject to revision at an y time before
the entry of judgment adjudicating all the claims a nd the rights
and liabilities of all the parties.
Given those parameters, the matter before us fail s to present a final
appealable order. Initially, the trial court render ed its decision on May 21, 1999. Although
the decision requests that counsel for defendant su bmit, on or before June 5, 1999, an
entry reflecting the decision of the court, the rec ord contains no judgment entry. Indeed,
plaintiff's June 14, 1999 notice of appeal referenc es a decision, not a judgment, rendered
by the trial court. For that reason alone, the reco rd fails to present a final appealable
order.
Moreover, plaintiff's complaint was filed against
two defendants, SunStar
and LTD. Although SunStar filed a motion for summar y judgment, LTD did not. Thus, the
trial court's summary judgment motion determined on ly those claims filed against
SunStar. The trial court granted summary judgment o n two of the three claims, but found
No. 99AP-682
6
issues of fact regarding plaintiff's invasion of pr ivacy claim. In an effort to create a final
appealable order, plaintiff dismissed her invasion
of privacy claim. Even if plaintiff's
dismissal be deemed proper, and further be construe d to dismiss her invasion of privacy
claim against both SunStar and LTD, plaintiff's cla ims for negligent and intentional
infliction of emotional distress against LTD remain . Had the record included a judgment
entry in which the trial court found no just cause
for delay under Civ.R. 54(B), plaintiff's
contentions regarding a final appealable order woul d be more persuasive.
Given the foregoing, the record fails to present
a final appealable order for
this court's consideration. Lacking jurisdiction to consider something less than a final
appealable order, we are compelled to dismiss plain tiff's appeal.
Appeal dismissed.
LAZARUS and KENNEDY, JJ., concur.
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