Alsa Corp. v. PPG Industries, Inc.

19 F. Supp. 3d 335, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65619, 2014 WL 1921152
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedMay 13, 2014
DocketCivil Action No. 13-11403-JGD
StatusPublished

This text of 19 F. Supp. 3d 335 (Alsa Corp. v. PPG Industries, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alsa Corp. v. PPG Industries, Inc., 19 F. Supp. 3d 335, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65619, 2014 WL 1921152 (D. Mass. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS

DEIN, United States Magistrate Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

This action arises out of the negotiation, execution, and subsequent termination of a 1997 agreement (“Agreement”) between the plaintiff, Alsa Corporation d/b/a Alsa Refinish (“Alsa”), and the defendant, PPG Industries, Inc. (“PPG”), regarding the manufacture, marketing and distribution of a soft feeling paint product for which Alsa had obtained the exclusive distribution rights. Alsa claims that PPG induced it to enter into the Agreement and relinquish its exclusive rights with promises that it would work with the plaintiff to develop markets for the soft feeling paint and to accomplish the goals memorialized in the Agreement. However, in 2000, PPG informed Alsa that it was terminating the Agreement. Alsa contends that the reasons PPG gave for ending the parties’ contractual relationship were false, and that its true purpose was to avoid its obligations to the plaintiff, including its obligation to pay Alsa commissions and royalties on sales of the product. By its Verified Complaint, Alsa has asserted claims against PPG for fraudulent inducement (Count I), breach of contract (Count II), fraud (Count III), unfair trade practices (Count IV), breach of fiduciary duties (Count V), and injunctive relief (Count VI).

The matter is before the court on “Defendant PPG Industries, Inc.’s Motion to Dismiss the Complaint in its Entirety” (Docket No. 9). By its motion, PPG contends that each of Alsa’s claims must be dismissed with prejudice for failure to comply with the pleading requirements of Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a) and 9(b), and for failure to state a claim pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). As described below, this court finds that each of Alsa’s tort claims is barred by the “gist of the action” doctrine, which prevents plaintiffs from re-casting breach of contract claims into tort claims, and that Alsa has otherwise failed to state a plausible claim for relief against PPG since its termination complied with the [339]*339terms of the Agreement. Therefore, and for all the reasons detailed herein, PPG’s motion to dismiss is ALLOWED. However, the dismissal shall be WITHOUT PREJUDICE.

II. STATEMENT OF FACTS

When ruling on a motion to dismiss brought under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6), the court must accept as true all well-pleaded facts, and give the plaintiff the benefit of all reasonable inferences. See Cooperman v. Individual, Inc., 171 F.3d 43, 46 (1st Cir.1999). “Ordinarily, a court may not consider any documents that are outside of the complaint, or not expressly incorporated therein, unless the motion is converted into one for summary judgment.” Alt Energy, Inc. v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 267 F.3d 30, 33 (1st Cir.2001). “There is, however, a narrow exception ‘for documents the authenticity of which are not disputed by the parties; for official public records; for documents central to plaintiff’s] claim; or for documents sufficiently referred to in the complaint.’ ” Id. (quoting Watterson v. Page, 987 F.2d 1, 3 (1st Cir.1993)). “When a complaint’s factual allegations are expressly linked to— and admittedly dependent upon — a document (the authenticity of which is not challenged), that document effectively merges into the pleadings and the trial court can review it in deciding a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6).” Trans-Spec Truck Serv., Inc. v. Caterpillar Inc., 524 F.3d 315, 321 (1st. Cir.2008) (quoting Beddall v. State St. Bank & Trust Co., 137 F.3d 12, 16-17 (1st Cir.1998)) (punctuation omitted). Applying this standard to the instant case, the facts relevant to the defendant’s motion to dismiss are as follows.1

The Parties’ Negotiations

As described above, this case arises out of an Agreement involving the manufacture, marketing and distribution of a paint product known as “soft feeling” or “soft touch” coating (the “Product”). (See Compl. ¶ 7). Originally, the Product was manufactured in Europe by Tego Becker S.r.l. (“Tego Becker”), and was used in the automotive components sector to paint interior plastic parts. (Id. ¶ 8). Alsa claims that in 1994, its predecessor, Jewelpak Corporation (“Jewelpack”), entered into a Distribution Agreement with Tego Becker under which Jewelpack acquired the exclusive right to sell the Product in North America, South America, and Asia. (Id. ¶¶ 7, 9-10). Thus, by the time the parties began to discuss the possibility of a business deal, Alsa held the sole license to use Tego Becker’s technical data and to distribute the Product in those markets. (See id. ¶¶ 11-13).

The parties initially met at a trade show in Chicago in 1995. (Id. ¶ 11). According to Alsa, PPG represented that it was interested in the Product for its own lines, but recognized the need to work with Alsa if it [340]*340wished to obtain any rights in the Product. (Id. ¶ 12). Accordingly, over the course of the next two years, the parties proceeded to negotiate the terms of a deal. (Id. ¶ 18). Alsa claims that throughout the period of their negotiations, PPG recognized that Alsa was devoting all of its resources toward the development of the Product. (Id. ¶ 14). It further claims that PPG encouraged it to continue such efforts “on the promise that, if successful, an agreement would be reached under which PPG would manufacture the Product in a joint venture with Alsa.” (Id.).

The plaintiff alleges that during the parties’ negotiations, PPG made various representations that induced Alsa to work with PPG and ultimately relinquish the exclusive rights that it had acquired from Tego Becker. (Id. ¶¶ 17, 19-20). In particular, PPG allegedly represented that the parties “would jointly and severally develop markets for soft feeling paint.” (Id. ¶ 17). According to Alsa, PPG also represented that it “would abide by the terms that were later memorialized in the Agreement[,]” including terms calling for the payment to Alsa of profits and commissions from sales of the Product. (See id. ¶¶ 19, 22-25). Moreover, PPG allegedly stated that after the Agreement was executed, “the parties would work together in good faith to pursue the goals of the Agreement.” (Id. ¶ 19). As described below, Alsa claims that PPG’s representations were false, and that it did not intend to carry out its contractual obligations to the plaintiff.

The Parties’ Agreement

Alsa and PPG ultimately entered into an Agreement, which became effective as of March 6, 1997. (Def. Ex. 1 at 1).

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Bluebook (online)
19 F. Supp. 3d 335, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65619, 2014 WL 1921152, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alsa-corp-v-ppg-industries-inc-mad-2014.