Morris N. Palmer Ranch Co. v. Campesi

487 F. Supp. 1062, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10599
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Louisiana
DecidedMarch 24, 1980
DocketCiv. A. No. 77-6-A
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 487 F. Supp. 1062 (Morris N. Palmer Ranch Co. v. Campesi) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morris N. Palmer Ranch Co. v. Campesi, 487 F. Supp. 1062, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10599 (M.D. La. 1980).

Opinion

E. GORDON WEST, District Judge:

This case is within the federal jurisdiction because it is an action between a citizen of Louisiana and a citizen of a foreign state, U.S.Const. Art. Ill, Section 2; 28 U.S.C.A. Section 1332(a)(2).

Plaintiff, the Morris N. Palmer Ranch Company of Alberta, Canada, brings suit against Ross J. Campesi of Louisiana for the unpaid portion of the purchase price of a herd of 476 registered Maine-Anjou cattle; for the balance due on another smaller sale of cattle; for the price of Maine-Anjou semen sold for use in breeding the animals; for costs incidental to the sales; and for attorney’s fees together with appropriate interest on the amounts owed.

Ross Campesi, defendant, claims that the cattle were not as represented in several respects and that as a result he suffered damages in excess of the amount of the purchase. The semen, he claims, was to have been provided to him without charge as part of the inducement for the sale.

The original contract of sale here involved having been executed by these parties while both were physically present at [1064]*1064the plaintiff’s ranch in Canada, it would appear that, under the usual and familiar conflicts of law rule, Canadian law might be expected to govern the rights and duties of the parties subject to the terms of that contract. However, throughout this litigation, both parties have argued the case in accordance with and in reliance upon Louisiana law. Neither party has at any time even suggested that the law of Canada would govern this dispute. It is perfectly permissible for them to have agreed to be bound by the law of this forum, and we find that they have done so and therefore Louisiana law will be applied herein.

SUMMARY OF THE FACTS

In December of 1974, the defendant took delivery of 461 head of cattle, many of them pregnant cows. These represented all but 15 of a herd of 476 which he had bought at an agreed sale price of $604,500 and on which a down payment of $60,450 had been made, the rest to be paid in future installments beginning in July of 1975. The price was considerably higher than is usually paid for ordinary cattle because these were specialty animals, registered Maine-Anjou cattle. As security for payment of the price, the buyer delivered to the seller a livestock collateral chattel mortgage in the amount of $1,000,000 and a collateral mortgage note of like amount. Six promissory notes maturing at six month intervals represented the balance due. The seller was secured by a policy of insurance covering the particular sale issued by the Canadian Export Development Corporation. None of the installments has ever been paid.

As a defense to the seller’s claim for the unpaid balance due, and as the basis of an. independent claim for damages, defendant makes the following complaints:

1. On approximately one-fourth of the animals in the herd tattoos, brands and tags were not legible enough to allow matching of particular animals with their registration papers.

2. On another one-fourth of the herd, the sire indicated on the registration certificate was allegedly proved by blood test not to be the sire in fact.

3. Only 141 of 200 animals sold as bred heifers or cows actually bore calves.

At trial, the testimony of plaintiff’s expert, Forrest E. Walters (trial transcript pages 349-50), and defendant’s expert, Dr. Russell L. Schelkopf (transcript pages 232— 3), was in agreement that during 1975, after the sale of these cattle, the market price of all cattle and particularly of cattle of this kind, began to decline and fell dramatically, reaching its nadir sometime in 1976.

The default of the defendant apparently occurred in July of 1975, well after the drastic decline in the market value of the cattle had commenced.

It is convenient at this time to note that the average price per animal involved in this sale was $1,270. By contrast, the value of an ordinary commercial cow during the time in question was approximately $300, according to the testimony of Dr. Schelkopf (transcript page 228) which stands uncontradicted.

. In August of 1976, some time after defendant’s alleged default, the parties executed an agreement styled “1976 Agreement,” the validity and effect of which is also at issue in this suit.

Since the defendant claims that the 1976 Agreement amounted to a complete compromise of the parties’ differences arising from the original contract of sale, consideration of that agreement should precede consideration of the validity of the original sale.

THE 1976 AGREEMENT

After Mr. Campesi failed to pay anything towards the price of these cattle when the first payment was to have been made in July of 1975, the parties entered into negotiations. These negotiations resulted in the confection of an agreement signed by both parties and styled “1976 Agreement.” This document is filed in the record as Defendant’s Exhibit 10. It provides that upon its entry into force, the buyer shall pay to the seller $200,000. The seller is reciprocally obligated to cancel the livestock collateral chattel mortgage and [1065]*1065promissory notes already described and cancel the contract of insurance with Export Development Corporation, repaying all funds previously received thereunder. The balance remaining due was to be paid in annual installments from the sale of progeny of the cattle here concerned, which cattle were to be kept together in Louisiana by the buyer, who was required to make regular reports to the seller concerning the number of cattle in the herd and the amount of money realized from the sale of animals during the term of the agreement.

The agreement as described quite evidently was limited to considerations of the time and manner of payment. The buyer’s claim that he was entitled to a reduction in the price, which, apparently, had not yet been clearly articulated, was left unresolved as indicated by the express provision that “appearers acknowledge and agree that all rights, defenses and warranties previously existing under the terms of the original Livestock Sale Agreement in favor of both appearers are hereby preserved . . .” We .originally had some doubt whether a contract setting forth terms for the payment of money pursuant to a sale, which appeared to leave open the amount payable, could be any contract at all. On reflection, however, we are convinced that the price is adequately set forth. The amount due is, and was agreed to be, the original sum ($604,500 less payments already made) subject to such a reduction or adjustment as the buyer might show himself entitled as a matter of law.

The date set for the entry into force of the agreement having passed, the buyer, through his attorney, contacted the seller, by letter, which was read into evidence at trial (trial transcript pages 26-8) stating his understanding that the agreement was in effect and declaring that he was “ready, willing, and able” to pay the $200,000 due under its terms. Mr. Palmer replied, declaring that the agreement could not enter into force until Mr. Campesi consented to an audit of his affairs to assure his creditworthiness. The buyer insists that the agreement requires no such audit, but claims further that he never refused to permit an audit to be made, but merely refused to pay for one himself.

We find no support in the document itself for the contention that an audit was required for its entry into force.

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487 F. Supp. 1062, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10599, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morris-n-palmer-ranch-co-v-campesi-lamd-1980.