Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. v. Keystone Distributors, Inc.

873 F. Supp. 808, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16841, 1994 WL 742638
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedNovember 22, 1994
Docket93 Civ. 6112 (PKL)
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 873 F. Supp. 808 (Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. v. Keystone Distributors, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. v. Keystone Distributors, Inc., 873 F. Supp. 808, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16841, 1994 WL 742638 (S.D.N.Y. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

LEISURE, District Judge.

This is an action brought by Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A., (“Chase”) against Keystone Distributors, Inc., (“KDI”). The parties entered into a contract (the “Contract”), Ex. A to Motion to Dismiss and for Summary Judgment, and Chase asserts that KDI owes it money according to the terms of the Contract. Chase also alleges a fraud claim and several tort claims. Defendant now moves this Court to dismiss the complaint as a matter of law, pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6), and alternatively for summary judgment, pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 56. Plaintiff opposes defendant’s motion. For the reasons stated below, defendant’s motion is granted in part and denied in part.

BACKGROUND

The parties to this lawsuit, Chase, a New York City-based national bank, and KDI, a Boston-based mutual fund distribution company, are both sophisticated entities. On or *810 about December 21, 1988, they entered into the Contract. 1 The transaction which is the subject matter of the Contract is fairly straight forward.

Between June 1, 1983 and November 30, 1988, KDI advanced certain of its own monies to nine separate mutual funds (together the “Funds” or, individually, a “Fund”). Memorandum in Support of Motion to Dismiss and for Summary Judgment (“Defendant Mem.”) at 2. The monies were advanced by KDI from its own resources for sales commissions to brokers and dealers on the sale of Fund shares and to itself for costs incurred in selling Fund shares. Id. at 3. The Contract was an arrangement whereby Chase bought and KDI sold all of KDI’s right, title, and interest in and to a portion of the reimbursements of these monies, if any, by the Funds. 2 Id. at 2. Chase paid $58.8 million to KDI to receive the income stream generated by these reimbursement payments, Plaintiffs Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss and for Summary Judgment (“Plaintiff Mem”) at 1, and had received approximately $62 million at the time of the filing of the instant motion, Defendant Mem. at 3.

The instant action was brought by Chase. Chase alleges that KDI repeatedly breached the express provisions of the Contract and thereby wrongfully deprived Chase of at least $16 million that KDI received from the Funds. Chase further contends that KDI has breached its duty of good faith and fair dealing, has breached its fiduciary duties to Chase, and has committed fraud. In response to Chase’s allegations, KDI has brought the instant motions to dismiss and for summary judgment. KDI argues that the express provisions of the Contract render Chase’s allegations meritless. This Court, for the most part, agrees.

DISCUSSION

A. Standard for Summary Judgment

Rule 56(e) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that summary judgment “shall be rendered forthwith 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.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); see also Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2509-10, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986); Lang v. Retirement Living Pub. Co., 949 F.2d 576, 580 (2d Cir.1991). Summary judgment “is appropriate only ‘after adequate time for discovery and upon motion, against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.’ ” Thornton v. Syracuse Sav. Bank, 961 F.2d 1042, 1046 (2d Cir.1992) (quoting Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322, 106 S.Ct. at 2552); accord Irvin Indus., Inc. v. Goodyear Aerospace Corp., 974 F.2d 241, 245 (2d Cir.1992).

“In deciding whether to grant summary judgment all inferences drawn from the materials submitted to the trial court are viewed in a light most favorable to the party opposing the motion. The nonmovant’s allegations are taken as true and it receives the benefit of the doubt when its assertions conflict with those of the movant.” Cruden v. Bank of New York, 957 F.2d 961, 975 (2d Cir.1992). “Only when no reasonable trier of fact could find in favor of the nonmoving party should summary judgment be granted.” Id.; accord Taggart v. Time, Inc., 924 F.2d 43, 46 (2d Cir.1991).

In the instant action, the parties dispute the interpretation of a seventy page contract. In the context of determining the proper construction of a contract, summary judgment may be granted where the contractual language conveys a “definite and precise meaning absent any ambiguity.” Seiden Assoc., Inc. v. ANC Holdings, Inc., 959 F.2d 425, 428 (2d Cir.1992); see also Heyman v. *811 Commerce and Indus. Ins. Co., 524 F.2d 1317, 1320 (2d Cir.1975). However, when ambiguity exists and “the resolution of the ambiguity hinges on such extrinsic matters as the credibility of witnesses or documents or upon choosing one among several reasonable inferences that may be drawn from such extrinsic evidence, a jury, and not a court, should decide what meaning is to be ascribed to the contract.” Brass v. American Film Technologies, Inc., 987 F.2d 142 (2d Cir. 1993); see also Seiden Assoc., 959 F.2d at 428; Record Club of America, Inc. v. United Artists Records, Inc., 890 F.2d 1264, 1271 (2d Cir.1989).

It is well settled that whether ambiguity exists in a contract is a threshold question of law to be resolved by the court. Contract language is unambiguous when it has ‘“a definite and precise meaning, unattended by danger of misconception in the purport of the [contract] itself, and concerning which there is no reasonable basis for a difference in opinion.’ ”

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Bluebook (online)
873 F. Supp. 808, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16841, 1994 WL 742638, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chase-manhattan-bank-na-v-keystone-distributors-inc-nysd-1994.