Court Opinion

ID: 9605457
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 02:37:08.31558+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:28.065839
License: Public Domain

KELLER, Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I respectfully concur in part and dissent in part. The majority affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of Brown’s claims of racial discrimination. Because Brown has not appealed the trial court’s dismissal of those claims, I concur.
The majority reversed the trial court’s summary judgment as to Brown’s claims of promissory estoppel/detrimental reliance. Again, I concur. Having reviewed the record, it is unclear to me whether Brown’s employer, be it Metro Government or LRA, promised Brown continued employment in the position he held in 2003 or just continued employment in some capacity. In his complaint, Brown states that he was offered employment in the same position at the same pay rate. However, in his deposition he testified only to a promise of continued employment. If the promise was of continued employment in the same position with the same pay, then Brown has an argument on the issue of promissory estoppel/detrimental reliance. However, if the promise was simply of employment, the employer fulfilled its promise by offering Brown the Economic Development Officer position. In either case, what the terms of any offer of continued employment were is an issue of fact yet to be determined.
The majority also reverses the trial court’s summary judgment as to Brown’s claim of fraud. I must respectfully dissent. A party claiming fraud must establish six elements by clear and convincing evidence: (1) material representation; (2) which is false; (3) known to be false or made recklessly; (4) made with inducement to be acted upon; (5) acted in reliance thereon and, (6) causing injury. United Parcel Service Co. v. Rickert, 996 S.W.2d 464, 468 (Ky.1999).
As noted by the majority, the pilot in Rickert recovered for his claims of fraud and detrimental reliance. However, in Rickert, representatives from United Parcel Service knowingly promised future employment to a number of pilots when they knew that there would not be enough jobs for all of the pilots. Brown has produced no evidence that anyone at Metro Government or LRA knowingly made a false promise of continued employment. The only evidence he has produced is his testimony that he was promised continued employment and that promise was not kept. That testimony, alone, is not sufficient to support a claim of fraud.
Finally, I can find no evidence that Metro Government or LRA asserted the affirmative defense of statute of frauds. See Kentucky Rule of Civil Procedure 8.03. Therefore, I agree with the majority that whether the statute of frauds bars Brown’s claims is better left to the trial court.