CPB Management., Inc. v. Everly

939 S.W.2d 78, 1996 Tenn. App. LEXIS 366
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJune 14, 1996
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 939 S.W.2d 78 (CPB Management., Inc. v. Everly) 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
CPB Management., Inc. v. Everly, 939 S.W.2d 78, 1996 Tenn. App. LEXIS 366 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

HIGHERS, Judge.

Plaintiffs in this case are CPB Management, Inc. (CPB), a business management services company, and Peter S. Brown Accountancy Corp. (Brown Accountancy). Peter S. Brown is the sole officer and stockholder of both CPB and Brown Accountancy. Defendants are Don Everly of the Everly Brothers, and Old Black Crow, Inc., the corporate entity through which Don Everly conducts his business. Plaintiffs brought this suit against defendants to recover for certain accounting and management services allegedly performed for defendants. The chancellor held that Brown Accountancy was entitled to recover $5,322.25 from Old Black Crow, Inc., pursuant to an express oral contract between the parties, and that CPB was entitled to recover $33,900.00 from Don Everly individually, under a theory of unjust enrichment. Defendants have appealed and presented the following issues for our review: (1) whether the chancellor erred in awarding damages to CPB on an unjust enrichment theory when there existed an express contract between the parties; (2) whether the trial court erred in holding Old Black Crow, Inc. liable to Brown Accountancy for accounting services; and (3) whether the trial court erred in ruling that CPB was not required to possess a valid certificate of authority in order to maintain this action. For the reasons stated below, we reverse the trial court’s judgment in part, and affirm in part.

The pertinent facts are as follows. In late 1989, Peter S. Brown and Don Everly agreed that CPB would act as Don’s business manager in return for 5% of Don’s gross income. In addition, the parties agreed that Brown Accountancy would prepare and file Don’s tax returns for 1989 on a per-hour billing basis. Although Don alleges that the parties never agreed that Brown Accountancy would render accounting services for Old Black Crow, Inc., Brown alleges that the parties agreed that the tax returns were to be prepared and filed for both Don and Old Black Crow, Inc. Brown Accountancy subsequently prepared and filed the tax returns for both Don personally and for Old Black Crow, Inc. Don paid Brown Accountancy for its time spent preparing Don’s individual taxes, but Old Black Crow, Inc. refused to pay for the time spent preparing the company’s tax returns.

In August 1990, the Everly Brothers received an offer to perform a European tour to take place in the spring of 1991. Derek Block, a European concert promoter, sent the offer, which contained a list of tentative dates and venues for the proposed tour.

Brown testified that he submitted a proposal to Phil Everly whereby CPB would book appearances for the European tour in return for 5% of the total gross revenue generated from the tour. Brown stated that Phil agreed to the proposal, and directed him to go to Europe to begin booking the tour. [80]*80Brown stated that he spoke with Don about the proposal and that he “thought his (Don’s) reaction was good.” Brown subsequently went to London in 1990 and met with promoters to book the tour.

In March 1991, Don terminated CPB’s services. In April and May of 1991, the Everly Brothers performed the European tour, which grossed a total of $678,000.00. Phil paid 5% of his share of the revenue generated by the tour to CPB, which was $33,900.00. Don refused to pay 5% of the profits from the 1991 tour. However, Don paid CPB 5% of his total gross earnings from 1990, which was $54,213.74.

No written contract existed between Don and CPB. Brown conceded that Don did not expressly agree to pay him 5% of the gross receipts of the tour in addition to the 5% that Don had already agreed to pay, but testified that Don implied that he would pay. According to Brown, Don knew that Brown was working to put together the European torn’ and did not object. In contrast, Don testified that he did not, at any time, agree to pay Brown any amount beyond the 5% that the parties had already agreed upon. Don stated that he said, “No way,” in response to Brown’s proposal. Don also testified that Brown was terminated prior to the tour and that Don had nothing to do with Brown’s work in Europe because Phil sent him to Europe. However, Don admitted that he “had a notion” that Brown was seeking an additional 5% for booking the European tour and that he did not stop Brown from putting the tour together.

Phil Everly admitted that Brown sought additional money for services performed in connection with the European tour, but denied that he agreed to pay Brown the additional money. Phil in fact paid Brown 5% of his share of the revenues generated by the tour because, Phil said, he was planning to terminate Brown’s services and did not want any animosity between them. Phil testified that he explicitly told Brown the day that Brown left for Europe that Don would not go along with his proposal and that Don would never agree to pay him any additional money-

The chancellor found that Don Everly and Brown agreed that Brown Accountancy would prepare and file both Don Everly’s and Old Black Crow Inc.’s tax returns for 1989, in return for compensation on an hourly basis. Accordingly, the chancellor entered a judgment for Brown Accountancy against Old Black Crow, Inc. in the amount of $5,322.25. The chancellor further held that Don Everly either knew or should have known that Brown expected to be paid for his services in arranging and booking the tour and that Don knowingly accepted the services of CPB in this regard. The chancellor entered a judgment for CPB against Don Everly in the amount of $33,900.00 upon a theory of unjust enrichment.

Don argues on appeal that CPB should not be allowed to recover under a theory of unjust enrichment because there existed an express contract that encompassed the same subject matter and there was no valid modification to the express contract. According to Don, Brown’s services performed in connection with the European tour were not additional to or different from the services Brown had previously performed as business manager on previous tours. Don claims that the fact that he paid Brown 5% of his gross earnings from 1990 pursuant to the parties’ express contract fulfilled his contractual obligations. ’

The trial court’s findings with reference to the plaintiffs’ claims of unjust enrichment are afforded a presumption of correctness on appeal and we must affirm, unless the evidence preponderates otherwise. T.R.AP. 13(d).

The doctrine of unjust enrichment is founded upon the principle that someone who receives a “benefit desired by him, under circumstances rendering it inequitable to retain it without making compensation, must do so.” Lawler v. Zapletal, 679 S.W.2d 950, 955 (Tenn.App.1984).

In Paschall’s, Inc. v. Dozier, 219 Tenn. 45, 407 S.W.2d 150 (1966), the Court said:

Actions brought upon theories of unjust enrichment, quasi contract, contracts implied in law, and quantum meruit are essentially the same. Courts frequently [81]*81employ the various terminology interchangeably to describe that class of implied obligations where, on the basis of justice and equity, the law will impose a contractual relationship between parties, regardless of their assent thereto.

Id. 407 S.W.2d at 154.

Quantum meruit recoveries are lint-ited to the actual value of the goods or services, rather than the contract price. Lawler, 679 S.W.2d at 955.

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Bluebook (online)
939 S.W.2d 78, 1996 Tenn. App. LEXIS 366, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cpb-management-inc-v-everly-tennctapp-1996.