Martino v. Cottman Transmission Systems, Inc.

554 N.W.2d 17, 218 Mich. App. 54
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 27, 1996
DocketDocket 167208, 170567
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 554 N.W.2d 17 (Martino v. Cottman Transmission Systems, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martino v. Cottman Transmission Systems, Inc., 554 N.W.2d 17, 218 Mich. App. 54 (Mich. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinions

Marilyn Kelly, J.

Defendant Cottman Transmission Systems, Inc. appeals from grants of partial summary disposition for plaintiffs in two cases, consolidated on appeal. Cottman asserts that plaintiff Leonardo Martino’s action for rescission is barred by res judicata, because a prior Pennsylvania judgment should be given full faith and credit by Michigan courts. It argues that plaintiffs Martino and Trans One II, Inc., failed to state a cause of action for rescission under MCL 445.1531; MSA 19.854(31), because Pennsylvania rather than Michigan law controls the franchise agreement. Cottman asserts that plaintiffs have unclean hands which bar their claim for rescission. Finally, it alleges that issues of material fact remain unresolved, precluding summary disposition. We affirm in part and remand for further findings.

i

Cottman is a Pennsylvania corporation which licenses automotive transmission service centers in various states. Due to financial problems, Cottman and A-l Transmissions entered into an agreement where Cottman would offer existing A-l franchisees the opportunity to convert to Cottman Transmission franchises. The converted franchises would operate as A-l/Cottman Transmission Centers. Cottman also agreed to manage all franchise services on behalf of A-l for franchisees who opted not to convert. Upon signing the agreement with A-l Transmissions, Cottman held meetings with the A-l franchisees. Cottman [57]*57provided plaintiffs with a modified Uniform Transmission Offering Circular, but did not give them a separate Michigan Circular. Plaintiffs converted to an A-1/Cottman franchise.

In December, 1991, Cottman allegedly discovered that Martino was underreporting his gross sales and defrauding Cottman of licensing and advertising fees. On March 3, 1992, Cottman filed a lawsuit against Martino in Pennsylvania for breach of the franchise contract. Instead of responding to the complaint, Martino filed this action for rescission. He claimed that Cottman failed to provide proper notice that certain of its contract’s provisions are void and unenforceable under Michigan law, as required by MCL 445.1508(3); MSA 19.854(8)(3). Meanwhile, a default judgment was entered against Martino in the Pennsylvania action.

In this case, the trial court granted Martino’s motion for summary disposition, holding Cottman failed to comply with MCL 445.1508(3); MSA 19.854(8)(3) and MCL 445.1531(2); MSA 19.854(31)(2). It granted plaintiffs’ request for a rescission.

n

We review a trial court’s grant of summary disposition de novo examining the record to determine whether the prevailing party was entitled to judgment as a matter of law. G&A Inc v Nahra, 204 Mich App 329, 330; 514 NW2d 255 (1994).

Defendant argues that res judicata bars Martino’s action for rescission. The doctrine of res judicata is applied broadly. It includes issues which the parties sought to have adjudicated as well as “every point which properly belonged to the subject of litigation, [58]*58and which the parties, exercising reasonable diligence, might have brought forward at that time.” Van Pembrook v Zero Mfg Co, 146 Mich App 87, 100-101; 380 NW2d 60 (1985).

Cottman instituted the Pennsylvania action for breach of the franchise contract. It alleged that Martino was systematically underreporting his gross sales and defrauding Cottman. The cause of action in Michigan seeks rescission of the franchise agreement for Cottman’s failure to provide proper notice as required by the Michigan Franchise Investment Law (MFIL), MCL 445.1501 et seq.) MSA 19.854(1) et seq. A different set of proofs is required for each of the two causes. Moreover, the subject matter is different. As a consequence, res judicata does not bar plaintiffs’ claim for rescission. Van Pembrook, supra at 101.

Nor does plaintiffs’ failure to raise rescission as a counterclaim to the Pennsylvania complaint bar this action. The full faith and credit clause of the federal Constitution requires that judgments be given the same full faith and credit in every court within the United States as they have by law or usage in the courts of such State from which they are taken. US Const, art IV, § 1. Its purpose is to prevent the litigation of issues in one state that have already been decided in another. Van Pembrook, supra at 104.

Were the issue before us the enforcement of the Pennsylvania judgment, we would conclude that the judgment must be enforced. Int’l Recovery Systems, Inc v Gabler (On Rehearing'), 210 Mich App 422, 424; 527 NW2d 20 (1995). However, the issue before us today, notwithstanding the Pennsylvania judgment, is whether plaintiffs are nevertheless entitled to rescission.

[59]*59We find that the full faith and credit clause in conjunction with res judicata does not preclude plaintiffs’ action for rescission. Plaintiffs’ rescission claim is grounded in Michigan’s franchise statute. Pennsylvania’s laws contain no analogous right. Therefore, because the Pennsylvania court did not apply Michigan law in deciding the breach of contract action, plaintiffs could not have raised Michigan’s statutory remedy of rescission. In effect, plaintiffs would have to forfeit the claim. The full faith and credit clause does not compel such a result. See Van Pembrook, supra at 104-105.

The dissent argues that plaintiffs could have brought a fraud claim in Pennsylvania or attempted to change venue to Michigan. However, the issue before us today is not what could have been done differently in Pennsylvania, but rather, whether plaintiffs’ rescission claim is barred. The hypotheticals posed by the dissent are irrelevant to the issue before us.

Finally, we must determine whether Pennsylvania’s, rather than Michigan’s, franchise laws should be given effect out of comity.

We are hesitant to overrule Michigan law where the laws of another state would contravene Michigan’s public policy. The public policy of this state is fixed by its constitution, its statutes and the decisions of its courts. Van Pembrook, supra at 105.

The mfil has deemed that certain contractual provisions are void and unenforceable as between franchisors and franchisees. MCL 445.1508(1) and (3); MSA 19.854(8)(1) and (3). The provisions are found in MCL 445.1527; MSA 19.854(27). Included is the requirement that, at least ten business days before executing a franchise agreement, the franchisor must [60]*60notify the prospective franchisee of contractual provisions which the statute renders unenforceable.

Pennsylvania law contains no such requirement. If we were to apply Pennsylvania’s law in ruling on this Michigan case, we would effectively override Michigan’s law. The effect would be to abrogate plaintiffs’ right to rescind. We find that Pennsylvania law should not be given preclusive effect where it would nullify the law of this state as expressed in the MFU.

m

Alternatively, defendant argues that Pennsylvania law must be followed, because the franchise agreement stated that Pennsylvania law controlled the franchise agreement.

In a similar situation, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that, when determining the applicable law, we are required to balance the expectations of the parties with the interests of the States. Chrysler Corp v Skyline Industrial Services, Inc, 448 Mich 113, 125; 528 NW2d 698 (1995).

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Bluebook (online)
554 N.W.2d 17, 218 Mich. App. 54, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martino-v-cottman-transmission-systems-inc-michctapp-1996.