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Coffey v. United States Gypsum Company

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Fourth Department
Apr 14, 1989
149 A.D.2d 960 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989)

Opinion

April 14, 1989

Appeal from the Supreme Court, Erie County, Joslin, J.

Present — Dillon, P.J., Doerr, Boomer, Lawton and Davis, JJ.


Order unanimously affirmed without costs. Memorandum: Special Term properly treated defendants' motion to dismiss (CPLR 3211 [a] [7]) as one for summary judgment after giving "adequate notice to the parties" (CPLR 3211 [c]). Moreover, under the circumstances of this case, defendants' motions to renew or reargue were timely made (see, Matter of Williamson v. Shang, 73 A.D.2d 836; Matter of State Bd. of Equalization Assessment v. Kerwick, 72 A.D.2d 292, 300-301, affd 52 N.Y.2d 557).

Special Term properly granted summary judgment to all defendants dismissing plaintiffs' fifth cause of action predicated upon breach of express and implied warranties. Defendants met their initial burden of showing entitlement to summary judgment. Therefore, it was incumbent upon plaintiffs to "show facts sufficient to require a trial of any issue of fact" (CPLR 3212 [b]) by producing evidentiary proof in admissible form (Zuckerman v. City of New York, 49 N.Y.2d 557, 562; Friends of Animals v. Associated Furs Mfrs., 46 N.Y.2d 1065, 1067-1068). Summary judgment was properly granted dismissing the cause of action seeking damages for economic loss based upon a breach of implied warranty against defendant manufacturers and against some defendant builders because of lack of privity (see, Copeland v Weyerhaeuser Co., 124 A.D.2d 998, lv dismissed 69 N.Y.2d 944; Butler v. Caldwell Cook, 122 A.D.2d 559, 560). Moreover, Special Term properly granted summary judgment to the defendant builders with whom some plaintiffs were in privity because the cause of action was time barred (see, Calamel v. Ridge View Realty Corp., 115 A.D.2d 279, appeal dismissed 67 N.Y.2d 799). Further, we reject plaintiffs' contention that they established privity with defendant manufacturers because an agency relationship existed between those manufacturers and defendant builders. This case is factually distinguishable from Utica Observer Dispatch v. Booth ( 106 A.D.2d 863) and Antel Oldsmobile-Cadillac v. Sirus Leasing Co. ( 101 A.D.2d 688), upon which plaintiffs rely. In addition, the cause of action asserted against all defendants and predicated upon a breach of an express warranty was properly dismissed because plaintiffs failed to come forward with evidentiary proof in admissible form demonstrating that each defendant gave a specific express warranty regarding the shingles, nails or nail-based sheathing that was manufactured or installed.

Finally, Special Term properly denied plaintiffs' motion for class certification (see, CPLR 901 [a] [3]; Estruch v Volkswagenwerk, AG., 97 A.D.2d 978, lv dismissed 61 N.Y.2d 604).


Summaries of

Coffey v. United States Gypsum Company

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Fourth Department
Apr 14, 1989
149 A.D.2d 960 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989)
Case details for

Coffey v. United States Gypsum Company

Case Details

Full title:KEITH H. COFFEY et al., Appellants, v. UNITED STATES GYPSUM COMPANY et…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Fourth Department

Date published: Apr 14, 1989

Citations

149 A.D.2d 960 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989)
540 N.Y.S.2d 92

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