Moneyhun v. Vital Industries, Inc.

611 So. 2d 1316, 1993 WL 2973
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedJanuary 11, 1993
Docket91-3777
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 611 So. 2d 1316 (Moneyhun v. Vital Industries, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Moneyhun v. Vital Industries, Inc., 611 So. 2d 1316, 1993 WL 2973 (Fla. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

611 So.2d 1316 (1993)

James MONEYHUN, Appellant,
v.
VITAL INDUSTRIES, INC., a dissolved Florida corporation, Roupen Nalbandian, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Christopher Donoyan, and as Curator of the Assets of Christopher Donoyan, deceased; and an unnamed Trustee for Vital Industries, Inc., a dissolved Florida corporation, Appellees.

No. 91-3777.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.

January 11, 1993.

*1318 Milton H. Baxley II, Gainesville, for appellant.

Michael Wolny and Eilon Krugman-Kadi of the law firm of Eilon Krugman-Kadi, Gainesville, for appellees.

ERVIN, Judge.

Appellant, James Moneyhun, appeals an order granting the motion for final summary judgment filed by appellees, Vital Industries, Inc. (Vital), et al. Appellant contends the trial court erred in concluding that (1) the statute of frauds bars enforcement of an alleged oral contract between the parties; (2) the dead man's statute bars proof of the alleged oral contract; (3) the statute of frauds bars appellant's action for quantum meruit and for damages based upon fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; (4) the statute of limitations bars appellant's claims for breach of oral contract, quantum meruit, and fraud; and (5) that there are no genuine issues of material fact precluding the entry of summary judgment. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further proceedings.

Between 1980 and 1985, Moneyhun worked for Vital, which developed and sold, among other things, master-control automation systems called "SAM" and "SANDI" for television and radio stations. Moneyhun was a sales manager for the western United States and alleged in his complaint that because of his expertise in automated business systems, Vital asked him in late 1980 or early 1981 to engage in design and consulting work for Vital in order to improve the system's architecture and performance. Moneyhun testified that his sales profits began to decrease as he spent more of his time designing and consulting with engineers in Florida, and he began negotiating for more compensation in the summer of 1981 with Christopher Donoyan, the owner and sole stockholder of Vital.

Moneyhun claims that he met with Donoyan on October 28, 1981, in Los Angeles, where he orally agreed to provide consulting services to Vital in the design, development, sale, and installation of SAM and SANDI, and that Vital in turn agreed to pay him five percent of the selling price for each SAM and SANDI ordered from Vital between November 1, 1980 and October 28, 1986. Moneyhun testified that Donoyan offered him a $10,000 advance, and the record shows that Moneyhun received a check for $10,000, dated October 28, 1981, in October or November, and another $10,000 check, dated January 8, 1982, thereafter.

On May 22, 1984, appellant submitted a written agreement to Donoyan which allegedly incorporated the terms and conditions of the oral agreement, along with an accompanying letter which acknowledged that the agreement had not yet been signed. Neither Donoyan nor any agent of Vital ever signed the agreement, in spite of Moneyhun's repeated requests. The proposed agreement described the payment arrangement as follows:

3. Vital shall pay to Moneyhun five percent (5%) of the selling price of each SAM, SANDI or similar system ordered from Vital by October 28, 1986. Such payments shall be made within 30 days *1319 after receipt by Vital of ninety percent (90%) or more of the selling price of each SAM, SANDI or similar system, or within 60 days after acceptance by the customer of each SAM, SANDI or similar system, whichever is earlier.

Moneyhun testified at deposition that it was his understanding, pursuant to the oral agreement, he would be paid the percentages for sales when Vital was paid for the sales of the video electronics equipment and components.

Moneyhun testified that he began demonstrating SAM to customers in 1982, although he did not recall whether any of the products were delivered that year. He asserted that some features were available in 1982, while others were not until 1985, 1986, and 1987. In January 1983, appellant was appointed senior vice president at a salary of approximately $60,000. He said his appointment did not affect his design and consulting agreement.

In a letter written to Vital's employees, dated July 11, 1985, Moneyhun announced that the SAM system "has finally come to maturity, and is now being sold as Vital's premier product." Moneyhun stated that he was leaving the vice-presidency and going out west to serve as a sales representative for Vital. On or after June 24, 1985, Moneyhun had received and deposited a check from Vital Industries for $5,000, marked, "Final Check between Vital Industries and James Moneyhun." Moneyhun testified that Donoyan told him in June or July 1985 that he could not pay the compensation specified in the oral agreement; he did not have the money, and he had spent too much on the project. Donoyan fired appellant in August 1985 when he learned Moneyhun was working for a competitor.

Donoyan died on September 20, 1987. Moneyhun filed suit on April 11, 1990, alleging that he had fully performed his part of the contract and was owed $86,361.35, less the $20,000 Vital advanced to him. Moneyhun alleged breach of an oral contract in Count I, an action to recover the value of his services in quantum meruit in Count II, and an action for damages for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation in Count III.

Subsequent to a hearing on appellees' motions to dismiss and for summary judgment, the trial court, on September 4, 1991, found there were no genuine issues of material fact, and granted appellees' motion for summary judgment on all three counts. In a subsequent order denying appellant's motion for rehearing, the trial court stated that the dead man's statute barred proof of facts essential to Moneyhun's complaint; that the statute of frauds barred enforcement of the alleged oral agreement; and that, with the exception of appellant's claim on quantum meruit, the statute of limitations barred appellant's claims as untimely.

We cannot agree with the trial judge's order insofar as it relates to the statute of frauds. The reason given by the trial court in concluding that the statute of frauds, Section 725.01, Florida Statutes (1981),[1] barred Moneyhun's cause of action for breach of oral contract was that the statute requires the "fully performing party [to] complete his performance or have intended to complete his performance, within one year," but plaintiff's performance continued for a six-year period. We observe, however, that the statute of frauds only applies to executory contracts, not to agreements that have been fully performed. Full performance takes the agreement beyond the operation of section 725.01. W.B.D., Inc. v. Howard Johnson Co., 382 So.2d 1323, 1327 (Fla. 1st DCA), review denied, 388 So.2d 1114 (Fla. 1980); Goslin *1320 v. Racal Data Communications, Inc., 468 So.2d 390, 392 (Fla. 3d DCA), review denied, 479 So.2d 117 (Fla. 1985); AV-MED, Inc. v. French, 458 So.2d 67, 69 (Fla. 3d DCA 1984); Hiatt v. Vaughn, 430 So.2d 597, 598 (Fla. 4th DCA 1983); Dionne v. Columbus Mills, Inc., 311 So.2d 681, 683 (Fla. 2d DCA 1975); Miami Beach First Nat'l Bank v. Shalleck, 182 So.2d 649, 651 (Fla. 3d DCA 1966).

In their briefs, the parties debate whether Moneyhun had completely performed his part of the contract, which itself demonstrates the existence of a genuine issue of material fact. Moreover, even partial

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611 So. 2d 1316, 1993 WL 2973, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moneyhun-v-vital-industries-inc-fladistctapp-1993.