AMONETT'S EAGLE AUCTION & REALTY, LLC v. NORRIS BROS. PROPERTIES, LLC

CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedDecember 17, 2025
StatusPublished

This text of AMONETT'S EAGLE AUCTION & REALTY, LLC v. NORRIS BROS. PROPERTIES, LLC (AMONETT'S EAGLE AUCTION & REALTY, LLC v. NORRIS BROS. PROPERTIES, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
AMONETT'S EAGLE AUCTION & REALTY, LLC v. NORRIS BROS. PROPERTIES, LLC, (Tenn. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

12/17/2025 IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF TENNESSEE AT KNOXVILLE September 16, 2025 Session

AMONETT’S EAGLE AUCTION & REALTY, LLC v. NORRIS BROS. PROPERTIES, LLC, ET AL.

Appeal from the Chancery Court for Cumberland County No. 2024-CH-2534 Ronald Thurman, Chancellor

No. E2024-01931-COA-R3-CV

In this action between parties to an auction contract, the trial court determined that the defendant property company and its individual members had committed intentional fraud, intentional misrepresentation, fraudulent inducement, and civil conspiracy. The court found that during an auction of the defendants’ property, they had bid to increase the price, caused a “shill bidder” to cast bids, and then refused to purchase the property after the defendants’ company cast the highest bid. The court additionally found the defendants liable for damages incurred by the plaintiff auction company and awarded to the plaintiff a total judgment in the amount of $91,825.00. The defendants have appealed. Discerning no reversible error, we affirm.

Tenn. R. App. P. 3 Appeal as of Right; Judgment of the Chancery Court Affirmed; Case Remanded

THOMAS R. FRIERSON, II, J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which D. MICHAEL SWINEY, C.J., and KRISTI M. DAVIS, J., joined.

Matthew J. McClanahan, Crossville, Tennessee, for the appellants, Norris Bros. Properties, LLC; Jacob Norris, Individually; and Justin Norris, Individually.

William D. Birdwell and Lacey A. Piland, Cookeville, Tennessee, for the appellee, Amonett’s Eagle Auction & Realty, LLC.

OPINION

I. Factual and Procedural Background

The plaintiff, Amonett’s Eagle Auction & Realty, LLC (“Eagle Auction”), filed a complaint in the Cumberland County Chancery Court (“trial court”) on June 26, 2024, naming as defendants Norris Bros. Properties, LLC (“Norris Bros.”), and, as individuals, Jacob Norris and Justin Norris. On February 26, 2024, the parties had entered into an “Auction Listing Contract” (“the Contract”), providing that Eagle Auction would auction three parcels of real property (“the Property”), totaling approximately 33.5 acres, owned by Norris Bros. and located in Crossville.1

The Contract, which was attached to the complaint and entered as an exhibit at trial, provides that the Property will be sold in an online “absolute” auction (“without reserve”) to the “highest bidder subject to the confirmation of seller/courts.” The Contract further provides in relevant part:

The AGENT/AUCTIONEER will receive as commission, payment on the highest and best bid on the REAL ESTATE divided as follows: 0 % paid by SELLER(S), 10% paid by BUYER . . . . In the event the auction is not consummated for any reason or the SELLER(S) rejects the final bid, the SELLER(S) shall owe to the AGENT/AUCTIONEER a minimum fee of $25,000 plus costs incurred under Section II [expenses].

If any sale or portion of sale should be rejected by the SELLER(S) or not be consummated for any reason, the SELLER(S) agrees to pay said AGENT/AUCTIONEER the minimum auction fee less any commissions collected within fifteen (15) days of auction date. The parties further acknowledge that if said property is thereafter sold within 120 days thereof, the SELLER(S) will pay said AGENT/AUCTIONEER 6 % of the sale price. - SELLER(S) promises to pay to the order of Amonett’s Eagle Auction & Realty, LLC the sum equivalent as previously stated on or before 15 days with interest accruing at a rate of 12% per annum until principal and interest has been paid in full. In the event any portion of any required payment of principal and/or interest becomes due[] and remains unpaid for as long as thirty (30) days, the AGENT/AUCTIONEER may, in that event, at his option, declare all of the indebtedness outstanding at that time due and payable at once upon demand and proceed to enforce the collection of same. If there is a breach of any terms of this contract, the holder of this contract may employ an attorney or attorneys to protect his rights hereunder and in event of such employment following any breach by the undersigned and to the extent allowed by law, the undersigned shall pay the holder of this note reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses incurred by them, whether or not an action is actually by law commenced against the undersigned by reason of the breach. The undersigned also agrees to indemnify the holder of this note, 1 It appears from the property descriptions and the online flyer advertising the auction that the Property is unimproved. -2- from all loss, damage, and expense including attorney’s fees incurred in connection with any suit or proceeding in or to which the holder of this note may be made or become a party for the purpose of protecting or asserting his rights under this contract.

The AGENT/AUCTIONEER shall secure advertising, promotional materials, & services as indicated below with the cost of such to be paid by: _____SELLER(S), __X_AGENT/AUCTIONEER with the cost of advertising not to exceed $TBD. Advertising includes but is not limited or specific to Newspapers, Signs, Handbills, Websites, Emails, Radio, TV and any Administrative, Production and Promotion Fees. Labor costs for prep of real and personal property for auction to be paid by the _X_SELLER(S), by the _____AGENT/AUCTIONEER not to exceed $______ or at the _X__SELLER’S discretion. The AGENT/AUCTIONEER shall furnish the services of auctioneer, clerk and all other personnel necessary to conduct a public auction. SURVEY expenses if done shall be paid by SELLER(S) including tract layouts, minor or major plats, zoning, recording and any engineering expense. The AGENT/AUCTIONEER is hereby granted the authority to make necessary arrangements and contract for said services on behalf of the SELLER(S).

***

The AGENT/AUCTIONEER, subsequent to the conclusion of the sale after all check have been cleared by the bank and credited to AGENT/AUCTIONEER company’s escrow account, shall account for and pay over to the SELLER(S) and ATTORNEY(S) the proceeds of the sale less the agent’s retainer, commission, and other items of expense to be borne by the SELLER(S) and shall [] furnish to the SELLER(S) the closing statements as required by law. The AGENT/AUCTIONEER does not guarantee sale price or a sale and is not responsible in the event the BUYER(S) and SELLER(S) fail to live up to their agreements.

SELLER(S) agrees to pay all reasonable attorneys’ fees resulting from any breach of the terms and conditions hereof pursuant to contract law of the state in which auction is conducted. The sellers agree that any lawsuits filed with or against the AGENT/AUCTIONEER are to be filed in city of the nearest local office.

-3- The Contract also included a handwritten “Other Condition,” providing: “Auctioneer shall only retain 7% of the 10% Buyer’s Premium & Seller shall w/hold 3%. In the event a Partner purchases any property, they shall only pay 5% of the Buyer’s Prem.”

In its complaint, Eagle Auction alleged that Jacob Norris and Justin Norris had conspired to bid on the Property themselves in an effort to raise the bidding price and with no intent to purchase the Property. Eagle Auction also alleged that “[a]fter the Auction, the Defendants told [Eagle Auction] that one of the bidders was a woman who agreed to cast bids with no intention to purchase the real property in order to increase the sale price.” Eagle Auction asserted claims of (1) breach of contract, (2) tortious interference with a business relationship, (3) tortious interference with a contract, (4) constructive fraud, (5) intentional misrepresentation and intentional fraud, (5) negligent misrepresentation, (6) fraudulent inducement, and (7) civil conspiracy.

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AMONETT'S EAGLE AUCTION & REALTY, LLC v. NORRIS BROS. PROPERTIES, LLC, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/amonetts-eagle-auction-realty-llc-v-norris-bros-properties-llc-tennctapp-2025.