JTH Tax, Inc. v. Aime

236 F. Supp. 3d 929, 2017 WL 626366, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21828
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedFebruary 15, 2017
DocketCivil Case No. 2:16cv279
StatusPublished

This text of 236 F. Supp. 3d 929 (JTH Tax, Inc. v. Aime) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
JTH Tax, Inc. v. Aime, 236 F. Supp. 3d 929, 2017 WL 626366, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21828 (E.D. Va. 2017).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

Henry Coke Morgan, Jr., Senior United States District Judge

This matter is before the Court following a bench trial held January 11, 2017 through January 13, 2017 between Plaintiffs JTH Tax, Inc. d/b/a Liberty Tax Service and SiempreTax+, LLC (“Plaintiff1”) and Defendants Gregory Aime, Wolf Ventures, Inc. d/b/a Wolf Enterprises, Aime Consulting, LLC and Aime Consulting, Inc. (“Defendants”). After the trial, the Court SET ASIDE the Temporary Restraining Order, DENIED Plaintiffs Claims,2 and GRANTED IN PART Defen-dánts’ Counterclaims.3 The Court entered Judgment in favor of Defendants and against Plaintiffs JTH Tax, Inc. d/b/a Liberty Tax Service and SiempreTax+, LLC, jointly and severally, in the amount of $2,736,896.17. These findings of fact and conclusions of law explain the Court’s reasoning,

I. FINDINGS OF FACT

A. Franchise Agreements, the PSA, and the EFIN Extension

Plaintiff is a tax preparation compány. Defendants have been franchisees of Liberty Tax and SiempreTax + locations since about 2011. As of 2016, Defendants operated nine (9) franchise locations (hereinafter “Business”) and a centralized processing center. Defendant Gregory Aime owns Defendant Wolf Ventures, Inc. d/b/a Wolf Enterprises and manages the company as an entity through which he operated the Franchises. In about January 2016, Plain[932]*932tiff learned that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) revoked the Electronic Filing Identification Number (“EFIN”) for Defendants’ Franchises as a consequence of Defendants’ activities. Defendants were required to maintain a. valid EFIN under their franchise agreements with Plaintiff. Plaintiff could have terminated the .franchise agreements under the terms of the contract, but instead executed a Purchase and Sale Agreement (“PSA”) with Defendants4 on January 21, 2016. Under the PSA, Plaintiff purchased Defendants’ Franchises and gave Defendants until May 8, 2016 to obtain a valid EFIN and buy back the Business. As a result of the PSA, Plaintiff operated these franchises as company stores as of the closing date, Jánuary 21, 2016.

The PSA terminated all of the franchise agreements between the Parties, except for the agreements’ post-termination obligations. Notably, the post-termination obligations included a covenant not to compete with Plaintiff and instructed Defendants to: remove all of Plaintiffs marks from the Business; pay all debts owed to Plaintiff; .deliver all customer and company information, files, and tax returns to Plaintiff; and transfer all telephone numbers to Plaintiff.5 The post-termination obligations also instructed Defendants to assign, the leases associated with the franchises to Plaintiff, upon Plaintiffs request and the lessors’ consent. .

In the PSA, Plaintiff is listed as the “Purchaser” and Defendants are listed as the “Seller.” The PSA defines the term “Business” as Defendants’ nine (9) Franchises. The PSA provides that Purchaser agrees- to buy all of the “tangible and intangible assets of the Business” for $1,107,580.36. Doc. 6, Ex. L ¶1. At the time the PSA was executed, Defendants owed Plaintiff $1,075,893. The PSA states that “[a]t Purchaser’s request, Seller shall seek the Lessor’s consent to the assignment of" all office real estate leases connected with the operation of the Business to Purchaser or its assignees.” Id., Ex. L ¶ 6(g). In the PSA, the Parties agree that “[ajll expenses and liabilities arising out of or related to the Business, which arise from the moment of Closing and thereafter shall be the responsibility of the Purchaser,” Id., Ex. L ¶ 2. Further, the- PSA provides that “if Seller buys back the Business ..., Purchaser agrees to pay to Seller the Adjusted, Net Profits ... from the operation of the Business from the date of Closing through resale of the Business back to Seller.” Id., Ex. L ¶ 4.

To effectuate a buyback of the Business, the PSA instructs that Seller must provide Purchaser with written proof of a valid EFIN from the IRS by May 8, 2016, execute a separate purchase and sale agreement between the parties, and comply with Purchaser’s -standard sales and approval process. Id., Ex. L ¶ 4. Seller would necessarily have to execute a new franchise agreement with Plaintiff for each of the nine (9) franchise locations. Notably, a new franchise agreement with Plaintiff carries a usable term of five (5) years.

Prior to January 21, Mr. Aime employed Sergio Jean-Louis and Marie Fletcher in running his franchise business. Specifically, Mr. Jean-Louis helped" Mr. Aime manage the Business as the Chief Operating Officer of Wolf Ventures, Inc. Mr. Aime hired Ms. Fletcher as an independent con[933]*933tractor to assist in setting .up a processing center. The processing center served to review and verify that all lax filings created by the Business complied with governing laws and regulations before filing with the IRS.

On January 21, 2016, a representative of Plaintiff emailed Mr. Aime that Plaintiff “will not be putting your utilities and leases in our name at this time. We will however be paying those bills.” PI. Ex. 41. As such, Defendants did not begin to assign the leases associated with the franchises to Plaintiff at that time. At some point, Plaintiff began to entertain the prospect of selling the Business to Mr, Jean-Louis, rather than proceeding with Mr. Aime’s buyback opportunity, as provided for in the PSÁ. Notably, Mr. Jean-Louis filed a franchise application with Plaintiff on January 21, 2016, which is the same day as the PSA was signed. On January 22, 2016, representatives of Plaintiff called Mr. Jean-Louis and informed him that he was no longer employed by Wolf Ventures, Inc., but would be employed by Plaintiff as a District Manager. As District Manager, Mr. Jean-Louis was instructed to supervise the Business as Plaintiffs company stores with Mr. Aime’s former staff. Plaintiffs representatives also informed Mr. Jean-Louis during that call that Mr. Aime was banned from entering the Business.

On January 26, 2016, Mr. Aime and Ms. Fletcher met with John Hewitt, President and CEO of Plaintiff, in Virginia Beach. At that meeting, Mr. Aime told Mr. Hewitt that he likely could not obtain a valid EFIN by the PSA’s May 8, 2016 deadline. Mr. Hewitt informed Ms. Fletcher that, as of January 26, 2016, she would work for Plaintiff as a District Manager. As District Manager, Ms. Fletcher was tasked with overseeing certain stores, including the franchises that make up the Business.

On February 5, 2016, the IRS notified Mr. Jean-Louis that his EFIN application was approved. Mr. Jean-Louis subsequently informed Plaintiffs corporate office that he had received a valid EFIN. On March 3, 2016, a representative of Plaintiff emailed Mr. Jean-Louis about the potential purchase of the Business. To purchase the Business, Plaintiff required that Mr. Jean-Louis agree to numerous terms, including that he “understand^] that Liberty is not committing to any future approval of any participation by Mr, Aime in the operation or ownership of the offices, regardless of his future EFIN status.” Def. Ex. 16. Additionally, Mr. Jean-Louis had to complete a franchise application and a background check, the Business had to pass an audit, and Mr. Hewitt had to approve the transfer of the Business from Plaintiff to Mr. Jean-Louis. Mr. Jean-Louis subsequently agreed to Plaintiffs terms, passed a background check, and submitted an additional franchise application.6

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
236 F. Supp. 3d 929, 2017 WL 626366, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21828, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jth-tax-inc-v-aime-vaed-2017.