Opinion ID: 2385352
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Emmens Transaction

Text: In April of 1982, Calvin Emmens was having serious problems with a drain in his home. Every time a toilet was flushed, the water would back up into the kitchen sink. Emmens unsuccessfully tried home remedies for the problem, then engaged an emergency drain cleaning service. The drain cleaners were able to clear the line temporarily, but a few days later sewage was backing up again. After cleaning the line a second time, the cleaners suggested to Emmens that the stack pipe in his basement might be broken. Emmens then called Vic Snyder, Inc., in on the problem. A representative of the corporation came to the house, made an inspection, and informed Emmens that the stack pipe was rotted or broken. The pipe was encased in concrete to a height of about five feet, and the concrete had to be chipped away for the pipe to be replaced. Emmens agreed to pay $500 to have the work done. Before replacing the pipe, the corporation dispatched Daniel Hitchner to the Emmens residence to see if he could clean the line. When Hitchner arrived, the basement floor of the Emmens house was covered with raw sewage. With a plumber's snake, Hitchner effectuated a clear passage through the drain. He telephoned Vic Snyder, Inc., and told Vic Snyder personally that the line was clear and the stack pipe operational. Nevertheless, Snyder sent plumbers to the Emmens residence to remove and replace the stack pipe. The Commonwealth theorizes that since the stack pipe was embedded in concrete and hence inaccessible to physical examination, the representation to Emmens that it was defective must have been unfounded. Snyder's decision to go ahead with replacement of the pipe after Hitchner had told him it was functional establishes, the Commonwealth argues, a prima facie case of theft by deception and deceptive business practices against Snyder and the corporation. The Commonwealth relies heavily on the opinion of Daniel Hitchner to establish that the pipe did not in fact need to be replaced. Hitchner, who was not a plumber, arrived at his opinion based on the fact that he had been able to clear the whole line and had found no defects in it. However, the line had been cleaned before by another drain cleaner and the solution had proved only temporarily effective. The first drain cleaner was of the opinion that the stack pipe was broken, and told Mr. Emmens it would probably have to be replaced. The Commonwealth points out that the first drain cleaner did not have a plumber's snake long enough to plumb the entire line as Hitchner did, and contends that Hitchner's assessment of the pipe's condition is therefore entitled to greater weight. However, we find it more significant that once the corporation replaced the stack pipe, the problems Mr. Emmens had had with sewage backing up into his sink ceased. Essentially the evidence discloses a difference of opinion as to the source of Mr. Emmen's difficulties with his plumbing. We are unable to conclude with any certainty from this evidence that Emmens was the victim of false or deceptive representations. Therefore, a prima facie case that the crimes were committed was not made out, and we must uphold the decision of the trial court dismissing the charges against Snyder and the corporation. The orders appealed from the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County, granting habeas corpus relief to the appellees, are affirmed in part and reversed in part in accordance with the mandates of this opinion.