Harmon v. INNOMED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

709 S.E.2d 888, 309 Ga. App. 265, 2011 Fulton County D. Rep. 1115, 2011 Ga. App. LEXIS 315
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedMarch 30, 2011
DocketA09A1814
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 709 S.E.2d 888 (Harmon v. INNOMED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harmon v. INNOMED TECHNOLOGIES, INC., 709 S.E.2d 888, 309 Ga. App. 265, 2011 Fulton County D. Rep. 1115, 2011 Ga. App. LEXIS 315 (Ga. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinions

PHIPPS, Presiding Judge.

Kevin C. Harmon appeals the grant of summary judgment against him in this lawsuit, wherein he claims ownership of certain intellectual property purchased by Innomed Technologies, Inc. We review de novo a trial court’s grant of summary judgment, construing the evidence in a light most favorable to the nonmoving party.1 Because Harmon has demonstrated no reversible error, we affirm.

In 1996, Thomas J. Wood obtained a patent in connection with a nasal ventilation device he had invented. The patent was held by a company wholly owned by Wood. Years later, in late 1998, Wood met with Harmon to discuss the feasibility of getting the device “to market.” In January 1999, the two executed an agreement, wherein Harmon and Wood contemplated developing a corporation, in which Harmon would acquire shares by contributing funds, and in which Wood would contribute patents procured for his inventions. Specifically, with respect to patents, the agreement stated: “All patents related to medical devices developed by Thomas J. Wood will be transferred into the name of the corporation that is to be formed.”

The following month, February 1999, articles of incorporation were filed with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office. A business bank account was opened. Harmon began depositing money therein; and Wood began writing checks on that account. Beginning in about February and continuing through September 1999, Harmon’s attorney repeatedly sent to Wood various corporate documents such as bylaws and a subscription agreement, with accompanying letters instructing Wood to sign and return them. Wood never did so. Instead, as Harmon deposed, Wood expressly told him by March 2000 that he was no longer interested in any business relationship. Communications between Harmon and Wood halted.

In September 2002, Harmon discovered that Wood had continued to develop a nasal ventilation device, which had been taken to market. In fact, Wood had applied for and obtained another patent; had applied for and obtained FDA approval to market the device; had entered a business relationship with his in-laws in connection with that device; and together with his in-laws and his in-laws’ company, had entered into an asset purchase agreement with a company that later became Innomed. Assets purchased in accordance with that agreement included any associated trade name for the device(s), all trademarks, patents, patent applications, and patents pending, as well as “At Buyer’s option, all Patent, and related technology [266]*266pertaining to respiration and ‘sleep apnea’ both presently and which may be developed by any party hereto for a period of five (5) years from the date of the Closing.”

Claiming that his 1999 agreement with Wood entitled him to at least some interest in the intellectual property underlying the nasal ventilation device, Harmon filed suit against several defendants, including Innomed. Moving for summary judgment, Innomed claimed that records at the United States Patent and Trademark Office showed an unbroken ownership path of the patent issued in 1996 from the company wholly owned by Wood to Innomed. Further, Innomed argued that Harmon had no ownership in the subject intellectual property because the 1999 agreement underlying Harmon’s claim had no legal force, asserting it was a mere agreement to agree. In addition, Innomed raised the defense that it was a bona fide purchaser without notice that Harmon had any interest in the property.

Opposing Innomed’s motion, Harmon asserted that his claim of ownership was premised upon his agreement with Wood in 1999. Harmon also claimed that he held equitable title to the intellectual property. And he countered that Innomed had failed to establish that it had no notice of his interest in the property. After a hearing, the trial court summarily granted Innomed’s motion.

On appeal, Harmon enumerates two claims of error. He contends that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment “on grounds that [he] did not have equitable title to certain property created with his funds.” Also, Harmon contends that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment “on grounds that [Innomed] was a bona fide purchaser without notice of Harmon’s interest in certain property.”

1. Harmon has failed to demonstrate any merit in his claim that he holds an “ownership interest,” stemming from the 1999 agreement, in the intellectual property.

(a) As a preliminary matter, to the extent Harmon sought to enforce contractual rights, we agree with Innomed’s argument asserted below that the agreement was unenforceable because it was a mere agreement to agree.

It is well established that no contract exists until all essential terms have been agreed to, and the failure to agree to even one essential term means that there is no agreement to be enforced. If a contract fails to establish an essential term, and leaves the settling of that term to be agreed upon [267]*267later by the parties to the contract, the contract is deemed an unenforceable “agreement to agree.”2
(A)s a rule, the consent of the parties being essential to a contract, until each has assented to all the terms, there is no binding contract; until assented to, each party may withdraw his bid or proposition. Finally, a promise must be sufficiently definite as to both time and subject matter to be enforceable.3

Here, the 1999 agreement was not an enforceable contract because, as a whole, it failed to establish essential terms. Among other things, the agreement failed to establish the amount of money due from Harmon. What is more, the terms that were specified within the agreement were tempered by alternatives and otherwise subject to unspecified future changes.

The agreement stated as its purpose: “[T]o establish $80,000.00 financing for the development of a corporation to be named ‘Breathing Technologies Corporation’ at the expense of Kevin C. Harmon in exchange for a 49% ownership of the corporation.” And it set forth that there would be “three phases of financing”; that at those respective phases, Harmon would transfer to the corporation first $25,000, next $30,000, and finally $25,000; and that with each financial transfer, a percentage ownership of the corporation would be transferred to Harmon. But there was no time frame established for any of these funding phases; rather, the agreement provided, “These phases are a rough guideline and timetable of the funds to be dispersed.” Even the funding amounts were not definite; the agreement allowed Harmon to unilaterally “stop purchasing interest in the corporation at any time.” And as for Wood, the agreement failed to specify time frames during which he would transfer existing or future patents; and, the agreement failed to provide any limitation upon the time frame during which future patents related to medical devices developed by Wood would belong to the anticipated corporation.

Regarding the structure of the anticipated corporation, the agreement stated only that Harmon would be appointed as a vice president “with all of the benefits afforded other officers in the corporation” and that Wood would be given “opportunity to input on all major corporate decisions.” And while the agreement provided [268]*268that Harmon could purchase up to 49% of the corporation, the agreement did not expressly provide for the remaining ownership.

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Harmon v. INNOMED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
709 S.E.2d 888 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2011)

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Bluebook (online)
709 S.E.2d 888, 309 Ga. App. 265, 2011 Fulton County D. Rep. 1115, 2011 Ga. App. LEXIS 315, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harmon-v-innomed-technologies-inc-gactapp-2011.