American Electronic Laboratories, Inc. v. Dopp

352 F. Supp. 835, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10584
District Court, D. Delaware·Decided December 21, 1972·No. Civ. A. 4078·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

OPINION

LATCHUM, District Judge.

American Electronic Laboratories, Inc. (“AEL”), a Pennsylvania corporation, sues to recover a judgment in the amount of $1,510,950 from Paul S. Dopp (“Dopp”), a New Jersey citizen, for breach of contract. The complaint charges that Dopp failed to perform a contract, dated February 20, 1970 (the “AEL-Dopp contract”), in which he agreed to purchase from AEL 143,900 shares of Series B Voting Participating Convertible Stock (“Preferred Stock”) of Butler Aviation International, Inc. (“Butler”). The action, originally brought in the Superior Court of the State of Delaware in and for New Castle County, was removed to this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1441(a).

Two motions are now before the Court for determination: (1) AEL's motion for partial summary judgment and (2) Dopp’s motion to amend his answer. These motions will be treated separately.

I. AEL’s Motion For Partial Summary Judgment.

From the presently developed record, it is undisputed that Dopp entered into the AEL-Dopp contract and that he did not appear at the closing and tender the purchase price for the preferred stock as called for by the contract. Dopp, however, asserts three affirmative defenses in his answer, contending that any one of them relieves him from his obligation to perform the AEL-Dopp contract. In substance, his affirmative defenses allege that on November 20, 1969, AEL and Butler entered into an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “AEL-Butler Contract”), whereby AEL transferred to Butler all the outstanding capital stock of Mooney Aircraft Corporation (“Mooney”) in exchange for Butler issuing and transferring to AEL 150,000 shares of Butler’s preferred stock. Dopp charges that the warranties and representations contained in the AEL-Butler contract and the accompanying financial statements with respect to Mooney’s business and financial affairs were materially false, misleading and inaccurate. Dopp further claims that the provision of Paragraph 1 of the later AEL-Dopp contract, which, in part, reads:

“The shares are sold by AEL and purchased by Dopp under and subject to all restrictions and agreements as are imposed by . . . [the AEL-Butler contract] executed by AEL and Butler, said . . . [AEL-Butler contract] being hereby incorporated by reference and made a part hereof.”

incorporated by reference all the agreements, including AEL’s warranties and representations, contained in the AEL-Butler contract. Thus he contends that the false and inaccurate warranties and representations made in connection with the AEL-Butler contract and carried over and incorporated in the AEL-Dopp *837 contract afford him complete relief from his obligations under the latter agreement.

AEL has moved for partial summary-judgment on the ground that none of Dopp’s affirmative defenses are valid as a matter of law because under a proper construction of the AEL-Dopp contract it is quite apparent that it did not incorporate the representations and warranties of the AEL-Butler contract.

The AEL-Dopp contract provides in Paragraph 8 “[t]his Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” In this diversity case, this Court, in deciding questions of conflict of law, must follow the rules prevailing in Delaware. Klaxon Co. v. Stentor Co., 313 U.S. 487, 496, 61 S.Ct. 1020, 85 L.Ed. 1477 (1941). By virtue of the provisions of Paragraph 8 quoted above, Delaware courts would apply Pennsylvania law which the parties have agreed would govern. Wilmington Trust Co. v. Wilmington Trust Co., 26 Del.Ch. 397, 24 A.2d 309 (Supr.1942). It has long been the established law of Pennsylvania that the interpretation or construction of a contract is the court’s responsibility. Onofrey v. Wolliver, 351 Pa. 18, 40 A.2d 35, 37 (Supr.1944); Siegert v. Servel, 352 Pa. 316, 42 A.2d 589, 591 (Supr.1945); Kolman v. Kolman, 335 Pa. 113, 6 A.2d 532, 533 (Supr.1939), and in construing the language of a contract, the Court may, in order to determine the intention of the parties, not only consider the language as a whole but also consider the circumstances surrounding the making of the agreement, the subject matter of the contract, and the situation of the parties. Pittsburgh Steel Co. v. Patterson-Emerson-Comstock, Inc., 404 Pa. 53, 171 A.2d 185, 189 (Supr.1961).

The present record, having been greatly amplified by the parties since the earlier proceedings of this case, affords a sufficient basis for the Court’s construction of the contract. 1 Based upon the contract as a whole and the surrounding circumstances, the Court concludes that the representations and warranties regarding Mooney’s financial and business affairs made by AEL to Butler in the AEL-Butler contract were not incorporated in the AEL-Dopp contract.

First, the present record makes it clear that during the negotiations in which the terms of the AEL-Dopp contract were agreed upon there was absolutely no discussion of any requirement that AEL make to Dopp, in connection with his purchase of the Butler preferred stock, the same representations and warranties regarding Mooney’s affairs that AEL made to Butler when the latter purchased the Mooney stock. No one ever advanced such a construction of Paragraph 1 of the AEL-Dopp contract until after this present suit was brought.

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

American Electronic Laboratories, Inc. v. Dopp, 352 F. Supp. 835, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10584 (D. Del. 1972).

352 F. Supp. 835 (American Electronic Laboratories, Inc. v. Dopp) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related