Merrill Marine Services, Inc. v. Union Planters National Bank

774 F. Supp. 1207, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15080, 1991 WL 212799
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedOctober 18, 1991
DocketNo. 91-0009A(6)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 774 F. Supp. 1207 (Merrill Marine Services, Inc. v. Union Planters National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Merrill Marine Services, Inc. v. Union Planters National Bank, 774 F. Supp. 1207, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15080, 1991 WL 212799 (E.D. Mo. 1991).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

GUNN, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on the parties’ cross motions for summary judgment. Plaintiff filed this diversity action seeking monetary damages as a result of defendant’s alleged breach of the exclusive listing agreement. Plaintiff has also invoked Rule 9(h) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

At the Court’s request, the parties submitted the following joint statement of stipulated facts:

1. Plaintiff is a Missouri corporation with its principal place of business in St. Louis, Missouri. Defendant is a National Banking Association with its principal place of business in Memphis, Tennessee.

2. The parties to this lawsuit entered into the following listing agreement executed on March 25, 1988:

[1208]*1208In consideration of the Agreement of MERRILL MARINE SERVICES, INC. (Broker) to endeavor to obtain a Purchaser or Charterer for the above captained property, the undersigned hereby appoints MERRILL MARINE SERVICES, INC., as the undersigned’s agent with the exclusive right to sell or charter the subject property for a price of $2,400,-000.00, or any other price which is agreeable to the undersigned.
If within the period of this Agreement and within two months after the expiration of this Agreement, Broker shall produce a Purchaser or Charterer ready, willing an [sic] able to purchse [sic] or charter for an agreeable price, the undersigned will pay said Broker a commission of 5% on the total sale or charter price. Any participating broker is to be paid by MERRILL MARINE SERVICES, INC. The term of this Agreement shall be for a period of (4) four months from date hereof and shall continue thereafter until terminated by either party on fifteen days notice.
* Excluded from the above for a period of thirty (30) days are the following: ASHLAND OIL, BRENT TOWING, OLE MAN RIVER TOWING, HOLLYWOOD TOWING, SYSTEM FUELS INC., AND ALTON MARINE SERVICE. ALSO CHAPPY SORY.

3. On June 22, 1988, Defendant reached an oral agreement to charter the four tank barges referred to in the parties’ agreement to Ashland Oil Company and on July 28, 1988 reduced that agreement to writing.

4. The terms of Defendant’s charter agreement with Ashland Oil Company are reflected in the Barge Charter Party Agreements, dated July 28, 1988, as subsequently modified.

5. The Barge Charter Party Agreements were modified in accordance with the terms contained in the document dated December 5, 1989.

6. Prior to chartering the barges on July 28, 1988, Defendant did not terminate its agreement with Plaintiff.

7. Pursuant to the option to purchase contained in Defendant’s Barge Charter Party Agreements with Ashland Oil Company, Defendant on January 4, 1990, sold barge LC-411 to Ashland Oil Company for $240,476.46.

8. On or after July 28, 1988, Merrill learned that the barges had been chartered to Ashland Oil Company.

9. Merrill Marine was in no way involved in the negotiation and/or execution of the Barge Charter Party Agreements between Union Planters and Ashland Oil Company.

In support of their cross motions for summary judgment, the parties offer exhibits, documents, interrogatory answers and affidavits.

Under Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a movant is entitled to summary judgment if he can “show that [he] is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c); First Sec. Sav. v. Kansas Bankers Surety Co., 849 F.2d 345, 349 (8th Cir.1988). In passing on a motion for summary judgment, a court is required to view the facts and inferences that reasonably may be derived therefrom in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Holloway v. Lockhart, 813 F.2d 874, 878 (8th Cir.1987). The burden of proof is on the moving party and a court should not grant a summary judgment motion unless it is convinced that there is no evidence to sustain a recovery under any circumstances. Foster v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp., 787 F.2d 390, 392 (8th Cir. 1986). As the Supreme Court has stated:

The inquiry performed is the threshold inquiry of determining whether there is the need for a trial — whether, in other words, there are any genuine factual issues that properly can be resolved only by a finder of fact because they may reasonably be resolved in favor of either party.

Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 250, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2511, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).

At the outset, the Court finds that Missouri law is the state law to be applied to the issue before the Court. The listing [1209]*1209agreement became effective upon plaintiff’s executing the listing agreement in Missouri and this agreement was to be performed in Missouri. In a diversity action, a federal district court must apply the choice of law rules of the forum state. Ewing v. St. Louis-Clayton Orthopedic Group, Inc., 790 F.2d 682, 684 (8th Cir. 1986). Missouri has adopted the “most significant relationship” standard as formulated in the Restatement (Second) of Conflicts of Laws (1971). Id.; Kennedy v. Dixon, 439 S.W.2d 173 (Mo.1969) (en bane). Under this standard, a choice of law is made based on the predominance of contacts with the state whose law is to prevail. In the section on contracts, the Restatement provides in relevant part that:

(1) The rights and duties of the parties with respect to an issue in contract are determined by the local law of the state which, with respect to that issue, has the most significant relationship to the transaction and the parties under the principles stated in § 6.
(2) In the absence of an effective choice of law by the parties (see § 187), the contacts to be taken into account in applying the principles of § 6 to determine the law applicable to an issue include:
(a) the place of contracting,
(b) the place of negotiation of the contract,
(c) the place of performance,
(d) the location of the subject matter of the contract, and
(e) the domicil, residence, nationality, place of incorporation and place of business of the parties.
These contacts are to be evaluated according to their relative importance with respect to the particular issue.

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774 F. Supp. 1207, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15080, 1991 WL 212799, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/merrill-marine-services-inc-v-union-planters-national-bank-moed-1991.