Opinion ID: 1676987
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Fraud Count

Text: The Rhodeses alleged that someone at Chrysler Credit told them that they did not have to make any payments under the installment contract until the car was finally repaired by Jones. They further alleged that this was a false representation and that they relied upon it to their detriment. The only evidence in support of this allegation is the statement quoted above from the Rhodeses' affidavits. In support of its motion for summary judgment, Chrysler Credit submitted the testimony of Joe Rovira, its employee in charge of the Rhodeses' account. He testified that he was the only person who would have had a contract with the Rhodeses regarding their delinquency. He further testified that he did not authorize the Rhodeses to withhold payment until their car was repaired. We conclude, therefore, that Chrysler Credit made a prima facie showing that no genuine issue of material fact existed with regard to the Rhodeses' fraud claim. Lee, 592 So.2d 1036. In contrast, the only evidence submitted by the Rhodeses in opposition to the motion for summary judgment on this count is the conclusory statements in their affidavits. In opposing a motion for summary judgment, the nonmovants cannot merely rely on the allegations in their complaint. Nettles v. Henderson, 510 So.2d 212 (Ala. 1987); Rule 56(e), A.R.Civ.P. Moreover, we have held that affidavits offered in opposition to a properly supported motion for summary judgment must be more than a mere verification of the allegations contained in the pleadings, and must present facts that would be admissible in evidence. Black v. Reynolds, 528 So.2d 848, 849 (Ala.1988) (citing Morris v. Morris, 366 So.2d 676 (Ala.1978)). The materials submitted by the Rhodeses contain no particular evidence about the alleged conversation with Chrysler Credit. That is, they do not identify the party with whom they claim to have spoken, the approximate date of the alleged conversation, or the content of the alleged conversation. Based on this paucity of evidence, we conclude that the Rhodeses failed to present substantial evidence, i.e., evidence of such weight and quality that fair-minded persons in the exercise of impartial judgment [could] reasonably infer ( West, 547 So.2d at 871) that a representative of Chrysler Credit actually informed the Rhodeses that they did not have to make payments under the installment contract until the car was repaired. Clearly, one of the essential elements of a fraud claim is that the defendant made a false representation. Hammond v. City of Gadsden, 493 So.2d 1374 (Ala.1986). Because the Rhodeses failed to present substantial evidence of this essential element of their claim, the trial court properly held that there was no genuine issue of material fact and that Chrysler Credit was entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Rule 56(c)(3) and (e), A.R.Civ.P.