Agnitsch v. Process Specialists, Inc.

318 F. Supp. 2d 812, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9320, 2004 WL 1146940
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Iowa
DecidedMay 24, 2004
Docket4:03-cv-90256
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 318 F. Supp. 2d 812 (Agnitsch v. Process Specialists, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Agnitsch v. Process Specialists, Inc., 318 F. Supp. 2d 812, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9320, 2004 WL 1146940 (S.D. Iowa 2004).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

PRATT, District Judge.

Plaintiff Stephen Gerard Agnitsch filed this action on May 9, 2003 in order to enforce a judgment entered on June 23, 1998 against Defendant Process Specialists, Inc. (“PSI”) by the High Court of Malaysia at Kuala Lumpur (Commercial Division) in favor of Plaintiff. Plaintiff seeks to enforce this judgment under the Iowa Uniform Foreign Money-Judgments Recognition Act, Iowa Code Chapter 626B. On August 12, 2003, Defendant PSI filed a Motion to Dismiss for failure to state a claim and for lack of personal jurisdiction. 1 This Court gave notice to the parties on December 9, 2003 that, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b), Defendant’s motion would be treated as one for summary judgment since matters outside the pleadings had been submitted for consideration of the Court by both parties. In the December 9th Order, the Court *814 gave the parties time to file additional supporting materials.

Subsequent to the December 9th Order, Plaintiff filed an additional resistance to Defendant’s motion, and also filed his own Motion for Summary Judgment. Defendant resisted Plaintiffs motion, and filed an affidavit supplementing its August 12th motion.

Currently before the Court are Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment and Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment. For the reasons detailed below, both motions are denied.

1. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

A. Malaysian Judgment

On or about December 31,1996, Plaintiff filed a Statement of Claim with the High Court of Malaysia at Kuala Lumpur (Commercial Division). On or about that same date, the Malaysian court issued a “Writ of Summons Notice of Which is to be Served Out of Jurisdiction.” Defendant PSI was served with the Summons and Statement of Claim on April 21, 1997 at its office in Texas. Plaintiffs claim in the Malaysian court alleged that Defendant breached the terms of two business agreements it had entered into with Plaintiff related to Plaintiffs business activities on behalf of Defendant in Malaysia. PSI contested the Malaysian court’s authority to issue a Writ of Summons in Texas, and both parties submitted affidavits in support of their respective arguments regarding personal jurisdiction over PSI in Malaysia. On April 15, 1998, the Malaysian court entered an Order directing PSI to file a defense to Plaintiffs claim within fourteen days. Although PSI appealed the April 15, 1998 Order, the Malaysian court denied the appeal. PSI failed to file a defense after the issuance of the April 15, 1998 Order. On June 23, 1998, judgment was entered by the Malaysian court against PSI in the amount of 2,802,133-00 Ringgits, or approximately $737,306.40.

It is almost impossible to cull a body of undisputed facts from the summary judgment record in this case because the parties appear to disagree about almost every material fact underlying their relationship and potential or actual business dealings in Malaysia. The parties do agree that Plaintiff was employed by PSI in Malaysia from at least August 1992 to February 1995. 2 The parties agree as well that Defendant sent Plaintiff business cards and letterhead that identified Plaintiff as PSI’s “Southeast Asia Technical Services Representative,” although they disagree about the purpose for which those materials were sent. Finally, Plaintiff and Defendant agree that Plaintiff contacted Defendant in September, 1994 to propose opening a PSI office in Malaysia and that there were preliminary negotiations between the parties about the possibility of Plaintiff opening up a Malaysian office of PSI, though they disagree about the outcome of those negotiations. A May 14, 1995 letter from Plaintiff to Edward Robinson and Terry Wills indicates that effective that date Plaintiff will “discontinue my efforts in representing P.S.I. in Asia” for the following reasons: 1) no start-up funding was provided to Plaintiff; 2) there had been no response from Defendant to the Business Plan sent by Plaintiff in January, 1995; and 3) the agreement between Defendant and Plaintiff had “not been finalized.”

With respect to the remainder of Plaintiff and Defendant’s relationship and Defendant’s contacts with Malaysia, the parties have essentially submitted dueling affidavits. The Court will summarize the parties’ respective factual contentions.

*815 1. Plaintiffs Factual Assertions

Plaintiffs affidavit states that his “business relationship” with PSI began in August, 1992 when PSI appointed Plaintiff as its “Associate” in the Southeast Asian region under an agreement entitled “Associate Plan.” Plaintiff states that, pursuant to the Associate Plan, he assisted, procured, and obtained directly or indirectly new businesses for PSI in Malaysia. Plaintiffs job duties, according to his affidavit, included recruiting further employment of PSI personnel in Malaysia for several gas plant projects, locating other projects for PSI in and around Malaysia, and compiling contact names and arranging meetings with the contacts in Malaysia. In October, 1992 Plaintiff states that he was appointed as PSI’s Project Liaison in Malaysia, which involved compiling time sheets of PSI personnel in Malaysia and submitting the time sheets to PSI at its United States locations. Plaintiff states that Defendant breached the Associate Plan by failing to pay Plaintiff the commissions due and owing under that Plan, forming part of the basis of Plaintiffs action in Malaysia.

Plaintiffs affidavit states that in late January, 1994, Defendant’s then president, Terry Wills, and then vice-president, Edward Robinson, traveled to Malaysia and met with Plaintiff to discuss an additional employment agreement, through which Plaintiff was to help PSI establish a Malaysian office in the Southeast Asia region. Plaintiff states that during this visit, Mr. Wills and Mr. Robinson offered to employ Plaintiff in Malaysia on a permanent basis as the Southeast Asia Technical Services Representative for PSI. At some point, Plaintiff received a letter from Terry Wills indicating that “we have taken a first stab for laying the groundwork necessary to establish you as the PSI sales and marketing representative for Malaysia.” 3 The letter included a “proposal ... submitted for [Plaintiffs] comments.” Plaintiffs affidavit states that on August 11, 1994, Plaintiff agreed in principle to all 14 terms of the Business Plan offered by PSI and sent back two copies of the finalized Business Plan to Edward Robinson, who acknowledged receipt of the Business Plan and accepted the final Business Plan through telephone calls with Plaintiff in Malaysia.

Plaintiff states that on March 1, 1995, he sent a fax to PSI seeking to confirm PSI’s commitment to the Business Plan before expending additional efforts in establishing the Malaysia-based PSI office. On March 2, 1995, Edward Robinson telephoned Plaintiff in Malaysia after receiving Plaintiffs March 1st facsimile and instructed Plaintiff to continue to proceed with setting up the PSI Malaysia office and to conduct business. Specifically, Plaintiffs affidavit states that Mr. Robinson told him, “Get rooted in and go for it!”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
318 F. Supp. 2d 812, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9320, 2004 WL 1146940, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/agnitsch-v-process-specialists-inc-iasd-2004.