Nexus Communications, Inc. v. Qwest Communications Corp.

953 N.E.2d 340, 193 Ohio App. 3d 599
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 12, 2011
DocketNo. 10AP-561
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 953 N.E.2d 340 (Nexus Communications, Inc. v. Qwest Communications Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nexus Communications, Inc. v. Qwest Communications Corp., 953 N.E.2d 340, 193 Ohio App. 3d 599 (Ohio Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

Bryant, Presiding Judge.

{¶ 1} Plaintiff-appellant, Nexus Communications, Inc., appeals from a judgment of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas denying its motion for summary judgment and granting the summary-judgment motion of defendantappellee, Qwest Communications Corporation. Because (1) genuine issues of material fact remain concerning defendant’s motion for summary judgment, but (2) no genuine issue of material fact remains regarding plaintiffs motion for summary judgment, we affirm in part and reverse in part.

I. Facts and Procedural History

A. The Written Contract

{¶ 2} On March 17, 2006, plaintiff and defendant entered into a written contract, the “Qwest Total Advantage Agreement” (“QTAA”), in which plaintiff [602]*602agreed to purchase from defendant certain telecommunications services, including inbound domestic toll-free calling services. Plaintiff negotiated substantially discounted rates from defendant’s nondiscounted base rates for the services and, in exchange, provided defendant with a one-year term and use commitment of $2,500 per month.

{¶ 3} Pursuant to Sections 3.2 and 3.3 of an exhibit to the QTAA, plaintiff was to be charged the discounted rate of $.022 per minute for domestic interstate inbound toll-free calls. Section 3.2 specifically provided that “[t]he Net Rates listed below * * * already include all applicable discounts, including the QTA[A] Discount. Unless otherwise stated in this Service Exhibit, the Net Rates set forth herein are in lieu of any rates listed in the Service Schedule.” Section 2 of the QTAA listed the “QTA[A] Discount” as 22 percent.

{¶ 4} Section 2 of the QTAA also listed the initial term of the agreement as one year and provided that at the conclusion of the one-year term, the agreement would automatically renew for consecutive one-year terms if not terminated earlier in accordance with the QTAA’s termination provisions. The termination provisions, set forth in Section 9, provided that either party could terminate the agreement by submitting written notice to the other party at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the then current term.

{¶ 5} When plaintiff executed the QTAA on March 17, 2006, it attached a termination letter postdated January 15, 2007, 61 days before the one-year initial term expired. The letter, which plaintiffs president Steven Fenker signed, specifically stated that it served “as the notice to terminate the Qwest Total Advantage Agreement that was entered into by our respective companies on 3/17/06.” Citing the portions of the QTAA addressing termination, the letter stated that “[i]t is the express intent of Nexus Communications, Inc., to terminate the above referenced agreement prior to the end of the original term, and any then current renewal terms.”

B. Negotiations for Month-to-Month Services

{¶ 6} On January 12, 2007, Fenker e-mailed Dustin Reiner, defendant’s account manager, reiterating plaintiffs intention to terminate the QTAA at the expiration of the one-year term and not allow it to roll into a renewal term. Fenker proposed that the parties negotiate competitive per-minute rates. On March 14, 2007, defendant’s lead paralegal, Roxanne Wilson, e-mailed Fenker requesting clarification of plaintiffs intent regarding both the QTAA and the potential for providing ongoing services after the QTAA expired.

{¶ 7} To that end, Wilson inquired whether Nexus intended “to terminate the [QTAA], leaving the services installed on a month-to-month basis at month-to-month rates until otherwise terminated by Nexus” or rather “to terminate all [603]*603services in addition to the termination of the [QTAA] with such termination effective March 17, 2007.” Fenker responded via e-mail the same day, stating, “Nexus’ intent is to leave the services installed on a month-to-month basis until Nexus can reach terms with Qwest that are acceptable to sign a new agreement.” Fenker advised that “[i]f Nexus and Qwest cannot negotiate new terms with a new agreement, then Nexus will, at that time, provide Qwest with a written request to terminate all services. Nexus is ready willing and able to negotiate new terms on a successor agreement.”

{¶ 8} Reiner replied via e-mail on March 15, 2007, with proposed rates for a new agreement and confirmed that defendant’s month-to-month rates would go into effect after the QTAA expired. Reiner pointed out to plaintiff that “the letter of disconnect for the QTA[A] contract and associated term and volume discounts will have a major impact on your rates beginning Sunday, March 18th.” As Reiner explained, plaintiff would “go to base rates on the services provided. Service itself will not be impacted.”

{¶ 9} Plaintiff rejected the rates that defendant proposed in the March 15, 2007 e-mail. The parties continued negotiations but ultimately were unable to reach terms on a successor long-term contract prior to expiration of the QTAA. After expiration of the QTAA, defendant continued to provide telecommunications services on a month-to-month basis, and plaintiff continued to use those telecommunications services. Defendant invoiced plaintiff monthly for the services provided after March 17, 2007, at a rate of $.044 per minute. Plaintiff remitted payments of $26,436.28 and $46,932.12 in May and June 2007, respectively, reflecting a per-minute rate of $.0268 based on modification of the QTAA rates.

{¶ 10} On August 14, 2007, Debbie Lynch, defendant’s billing representative, notified Fenker via e-mail that plaintiff owed over $100,000, and payment in full was expected by close of business on August 17, 2007, to avoid interruption in services. On the same day, Fenker e-mailed Lynch seeking “some basis for why [defendant] doubled the rates back in mid-March. Simply stating ‘market based rates’ does not suffice. I need you to show me where these rates are referenced in a tariff, in the contract or otherwise.” On August 16, 2007, Lynch responded to Fenker, informing him that the requested information could be found on defendant’s website.

{¶ 11} By e-mail dated August 17, 2007, Fenker again sought clarification from Lynch regarding the term “base rate,” explaining he saw “nothing whatsoever in any document that you have presented that grants Qwest the authority to arbitrarily change the rates of the agreement.” Observing that “[n]owhere does the effective rate of $0,044 MOU appear,” Fenker asked if she could “direct [him] to any document or any contract term that references the $0,044 MOU rate.” The same day, Fenker sent defendant a check for $13,321 in purported full [604]*604satisfaction of the amount plaintiff owed defendant. Defendant received the check on August 20, 2007.

C. The Litigation

{¶ 12} On August 22, 2007, plaintiff filed a complaint against defendant, alleging that defendant had breached the QTAA by “arbitrarily and without notice doubling the effective rate of the inbound toll-free service to approximately $0.40 cents a minute.” Defendant subsequently cashed the $13,231 check that plaintiff had tendered as full payment of its debt, but on November 20, 2007, tendered repayment of $13,231 to plaintiff in care of plaintiffs counsel of record in the lawsuit. Defendant terminated its telecommunications services to plaintiff on November 30, 2007, due to nonpayment.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
953 N.E.2d 340, 193 Ohio App. 3d 599, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nexus-communications-inc-v-qwest-communications-corp-ohioctapp-2011.