Columbus Services, Inc. v. Preferred Building Maintenance, Inc.

270 F. Supp. 875, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8993
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Michigan
DecidedJune 30, 1967
DocketCiv. A. No. 5388
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 270 F. Supp. 875 (Columbus Services, Inc. v. Preferred Building Maintenance, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Columbus Services, Inc. v. Preferred Building Maintenance, Inc., 270 F. Supp. 875, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8993 (W.D. Mich. 1967).

Opinion

FOX, District Judge.

OPINION

In an action for breach of one contract and interference with another, defendants have moved, pursuant to Rules 12(b) (6), 12(c) and 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, to dismiss plaintiff’s complaint, on the grounds that the contracts are void, illegal, and unenforceable.

Plaintiff is a Pennsylvania corporation. Defendant Preferred Building Maintenance, Inc. is a Michigan corporation, which before June 7, 1965, had been known as Columbus Services of Michigan, Inc. All of the individual defendants are officers and/or stockholders of the defendant corporation.

Plaintiff is engaged in the ownership and operation of a custodial services business which includes, among other things, providing consultant services to individuals or firms desiring to establish janitorial contract service companies. Prior to its first contract with defendants, plaintiff had been engaged in a janitorial service business in Western Pennsylvania.

On May 15, 1963, plaintiff entered into a contract with corporate defendant, at that time known as Columbus Services of Michigan, Inc., whereby plaintiff in addition to providing the name “Columbus,” undertook to supply corporate defendant with complete information on the operation of a custodial service business, and to hire and train a district manager who would reside in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and who would be qualified to manage on a full-time basis corporate defendant’s business. Corporate defendant agreed to reimburse plaintiff for the salary of the district manager and expenses of other personnel sent by plaintiff to Michigan. The original term of the contract was five years, although defendant was given an option of cancelling the contract on six months’ notice. The contract provided that plaintiff would receive seven percent of the gross receipts as compensation.

In the spring of 1964, plaintiff and Lear Siegler, Inc. of Grand Rapids, Michigan, reached an agreement providing that plaintiff would furnish consulting services for janitorial work at the Lear Siegler plant. Shortly thereafter plaintiff agreed to negotiate a new contract [877]*877which would allow corporate defendant to participate in the proceeds of consulting contracts such as the Lear Siegler contract. Both plaintiff and defendant agreed that the term of the contractual arrangement between them should be extended in the new contract.

On June 1, 1964, the contract (Exhibit A attached to plaintiff’s complaint and hereinafter referred to as “Contract A”) was executed. Contract A restated generally the terms and conditions of the 1963 contract. Relevant changes Contract A included an increase of the life of the contract to fifty years by automatic renewals at the end of each five year period, an addition of certain covenants restricting competition in the event of termination, aná a clause providing that corporate defendant would receive forty percent of the net profits from consulting contracts and sixty percent of the net profits of janitorial supplies sold by plaintiff to parties under consulting contracts. Plaintiff was also authorized to name two members to corporate defendant’s Board of Directors.

To fulfill its obligations under both the 1963 and 1964 contracts, plaintiff entered into an employment contract (Exhibit B attached to plaintiff’s complaint and hereinafter referred to as “Contract B”), with Carl Miller, on May 15, 1963, in which Miller agreed to manage the corporate defendant’s business.

After performing under Contract A for almost a year, the corporate defendant terminated its relationship with plaintiff in May of 1965. Miller also terminated his relationship with plaintiff at approximately the same time.

In its complaint, plaintiff alleges in Count I that as a result of its' breach of Contract A, corporate defendant has continued to engage in business, utilizing plaintiff’s trade secrets, know-how, and techniques. In Count II plaintiff alleges defendants wrongfully and intentionally induced Miller to break his contract (Contract B), and that “at defendants’ request Carl Miller, to plaintiff’s detriment, did divulge valuable information of a confidential and unique character, including trade secrets and techniques to defendants.”

Defendants contend in the first instance that the contracts are void and unenforceable because plaintiff failed to qualify to do business in the State of Michigan. The following statutes are pertinent:

Section 93 (MSA Section 21.94) Comp.Laws Mich.1948, § 450.93 [P.A. 1956 No. 97]:

“It shall be unlawful for any foreign corporation to carry on its business in this state, until it shall have procured from the Michigan corporation and securities commission a certificate of authority for that purpose. * * * ”

Section 94 (MSA Section 21.95) Comp.Laws Mich.1948, § 450.94 [P.A. 1961, No. 15]:

“When such corporation has fully complied with the provisions of this act, the Michigan corporation and securities commission may issue to such corporation a certificate of authority to carry on such business in this state * * *

Section 95 (MSA Section 21.96) Comp.Laws Mich.1948:

“ * * * No foreign corporation shall be capable of making a valid contract in this state until it shall have fully complied with the requirements of the laws of this state with respect thereto, and at the time holds an unrevoked certificate to that effect from the Michigan corporation and securities commission. * * * ”

See also the following provision of the Michigan Revised Judicature Act:

Section 2021 (MSA Section 27A.-2021) Comp.Laws 1948, § 600.2021 [P.A.1961 No. 236]: “When, by the laws of this state, any act is forbidden to be done by any corporation * * * without express authority by law, and such act was done by a foreign corporation, the foreign corporation shall not maintain any action founded upon such act, or upon any liability or obligation, express or im[878]*878plied, arising out of, or made or entered into in consideration of such act.”

Since it is undisputed that plaintiff did not qualify to do business in Michigan as required by M.S.A. 21.94, the only issue for our consideration is whether plaintiff’s business activities in Michigan could be classified as either interstate or intrastate commerce.

Plaintiff cites Bay City v. Frazier, 77 F.2d 570 (C.A.6, 1935), as authority for holding that its activities in Michigan constituted interstate commerce. In Bay City the court held that the activities of Ohio engineers engaged by defendant to design and supervise the erection of a complete' water works were interstate rather than intrastate in character. In reaching this decision, the court cited the following tests for determining “whether a transaction exhibiting both interstate and intrastate features constitutes interstate commerce, * * *

“(1) That the dominant characteristic of the transaction is interstate, overshadowing the intrastate features. * * *
“(2) That the contract is isolated, indicating a purpose not to carry on business in the state. * * *
“(3) That the intrastate feature is ‘relevant and appropriate’ to the interstate transaction.

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Related

Lake States Engineering Corp. v. Lawrence Seaway Corp.
167 N.W.2d 320 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1969)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
270 F. Supp. 875, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8993, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/columbus-services-inc-v-preferred-building-maintenance-inc-miwd-1967.