Opinion ID: 2174874
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Appeal of Lisa and Paul Fitch

Text: In passing on Fiore's motion, the Superior Court justice examined the pleadings to determine the issues in accordance with the procedure set forth in Rule 56(c) of the Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure. Slefkin v. Tarkomian, 103 R.I. 495, 238 A.2d 742. Noting inferentially that plaintiffs based their claims against Fiore on the grounds that it was the registered owner of the motor vehicle being operated by Muscatelli, and that, by virtue of § 31-33-7, Muscatelli was driving with the implied consent of Fiore, which allegation of registered ownership Fiore denied in its answer, the Superior Court justice recognized that there was a genuine issue of a material fact on the question of registration. He then examined Fiore's supporting affidavit and the counter-affidavit supplied by plaintiffs' attorney. Emphasizing the assertions of fact in paragraph 6 of Fiore's affidavit that the car owned by the latter and driven by Muscatelli was not registered to Fiore at the time of the accident, but rather was registered to Peter Rivelli d/b/a Auto-Brite Company in that the car was bearing the latter's bailee plates #7285, the Superior Court justice then turned to plaintiffs' counter-affidavit to determine whether it raised a genuine issue on the question of registration. Having done this, he states in his rescript that plaintiffs' counter-affidavit was more in the nature of a summary of arguments, and the only assertion approaching a statement of fact was that plaintiffs have reason to believe there was consent to operate. This, he held, in effect, was not such a statement of fact as would be admitted in evidence. [1] whereas, Fiore's categorical assertion that the car was registered as Revelli, having been made by one competent to testify, would be admissible and, uncontradicted, controlling. Having made this determination, he further held that, there being no genuine issue of fact with regard to Fiore's sworn assertion that the car was registered to rivelli d/b/a Auto-Brite Company, plaintiffs could not prevail on the authority of the implied consent mandated by § 31-33-7. (See Appendix.) In support of their appeal, plaintiffs argue that the Superior Court justice's determination, based on Fiore's affidavit, that at the time of the accident the Fiore car was legally registered to Rivelli d/b/a Auto-Brite Company, can be sustained by this court only if we were to hold, as a matter of law, that the affixing, for temporary use, by a bailee of plates issued to him to a car registered to another constitutes a revocation of a validly subsisting motror vehicle registration. Such a holding, plaintiffs vigorously argue, is wholly untenable for the reason that there is no legislative authority for such a proposition. In support of such contention, they refer our attention to those sections of the General Laws whereby the General Assembly has provided for the termination, revocation or suspension of a validly existing registration. From a careful reading of the sections they cite, plaintiffs insist, the Superior Court justice's determination is contrary to the language and the purpose of relevant legislation. Whatever merit this argument might have in an appropriate case, it is without significance on the state of the instant record. The allegation in plaintiffs' complaint that the car was registered to Fiore was denied by the latter in its answer. This allegation and denial framed an issue of a material fact which, by its supporting affidavit, Fiore destroyed in affirmatively swearing that the car was, in fact, registered to Rivelli; a sworn statement which the affidavit filed by plaintiffs' counsel did not contradict. Consequently, we hold that the Superior Court justice did not err in granting Fiore's motion as the same relates to plaintiffs' claims that Fiore was liable by reason of the implied consent mandated by § 31-33-7. (See Appendix.) Even so, plaintiffs further argue they are prejudiced in that the granting of Fiore's motion for summary judgment deprives them of the right to litigate the question of Fiore's liability as the non-registered owner of the car being operated by Muscatelli, a claim predicated on the provisions of § 31-33-6. (See Appendix.) Since it was on this latter-cited provision that plaintiffs in the second civil action sought to hold Fiore responsible for Muscatelli's conduct in the operation of its motor vehicle, we turn to a consideration of the decision rendered by the Superior Court justice in passing on Fiore's motion in said second case.