Scott Thompson sued George Floyd for breach of contract, promissory estoppel, and fraud, contending that Floyd owed him money for services rendered in connection with the sale of Floyd’s business. Floyd denied owing Thompson any money, and after the parties conducted discovery, Floyd moved for summary judgment on all grounds. Following a hearing, the trial court granted the motion, and Thompson appeals. Because genuine issues of material fact exist for a jury to determine in this case, we reverse. Summary judgment is proper “if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” OCGA § 9-11-56 c; Kaplan v. City of Sandy Springs , 286 Ga. 559, 560 1 690 SE2d 395 2010. A defendant may establish entitlement to summary judgment either by “presenting evidence negating an essential element of the plaintiff’s claims or establishing from the record an absence of evidence to support those claims.” Oglethorpe Dev. Group v. Coleman , 271 Ga. 173, 173 1 516 SE2d 531 1999. If a defendant establishes those requirements, the plaintiff must point to specific evidence giving rise to a triable issue. Lau’s Corp. v. Hawkins , 261 Ga. 491, 491 405 SE2d 474 1991. When reviewing the grant or denial of a motion for summary judgment, this court conducts a de novo review, viewing “the evidence, and all reasonable inferences drawn therefrom, in the light most favorable to the nonmovant.” Citation and punctuation omitted. Coward v. Widener , 287 Ga. 622, 624 1 a 697 SE2d 779 2010.
Viewed in the light most favorable to Thompson, and drawing all reasonable inferences from the evidence in his favor, the record shows that Floyd started Healthlogic Systems Corporation in 1990, and it grew to a peak of 250 employees. The company offered numerous services to health care providers, including the ability to allocate payments to particular accounts receivable. Floyd owned all of the company’s stock and had the final say in all company matters. In 2004, a Bank of America consultant discovered that the bank had lost a bid to another entity that was using one of Healthlogic’s services, and approached Floyd about establishing a relationship between the bank and Healthlogic. Healthlogic became a vendor for the bank, providing it with some components of the services the bank offered to its health care provider customers. The bank obtained financial information about Healthlogic during its vendor due diligence process, and in 2005 the bank consultant began discussing with Floyd the possibility of the bank buying Healthlogic.
