Sallaz v. Rice

Dennis Sallaz owned a 1954 Cadillac Eldorado that he had purchased in 1964. In 1991, Sallaz granted Eugene “Roy” Rice a lien on the Cadillac, and a new certificate of title was issued in 1991, showing that Roy Rice had a lien on the car. Sallaz had a duplicate of that certificate of title issued to himself. Sallaz was counsel for Rice, and they were close friends and business associates for many years. Their relationship soured, in early 2011, Rice had his son Michael Rice repossess the Cadillac. Michael Rice, on behalf of his father, presented an Affidavit of Repossession to the Idaho Transportation Department, and the Department issued a new certificate of title showing that the owner of the Cadillac was Eugene LeRoy Rice or Rose Jeanette Rice, who was his wife. Rice later sold the Cadillac for $25,000. Sallaz filed this action against Rice, his wife, and his son seeking to recover possession of the Cadillac or, if he could not do so, damages for conversion in the sum of $75,000. Sallaz sought a writ of possession to gain possession of the Cadillac, but the district court denied the writ because “Mr. Rice has shown with sufficient probability that he is the official owner of record of the 1954 Cadillac Eldorado and that he is entitled to possession of the vehicle.” There were other claims filed between the parties, and all of the various claims were tried to a jury from June 30 through July 21, 2014 (the other claims are not relevant to this appeal). After Defendants rested, Sallaz moved for a directed verdict. The district court denied the motion, and the jury returned a special verdict finding that Sallaz had failed to prove his claim against Defendants for conversion of the Cadillac. Plaintiffs appealed. Finding no reversible error, the Supreme Court affirmed the denial of a directed verdict. View "Sallaz v. Rice" on Justia Law