Paul T. Freund Corp. v. Commonwealth Packing Co.

288 F. Supp. 2d 357, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18524, 2003 WL 22430162
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 26, 2003
Docket6:00-cv-06572
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 288 F. Supp. 2d 357 (Paul T. Freund Corp. v. Commonwealth Packing Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Paul T. Freund Corp. v. Commonwealth Packing Co., 288 F. Supp. 2d 357, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18524, 2003 WL 22430162 (W.D.N.Y. 2003).

Opinion

DECISION and ORDER

SIRAGUSA, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

This diversity breach of contract case, removed from state court, is before the Court on plaintiffs motion (# 45) for partial summary judgment, defendants’ motions (## 38, 39 & 40) for summary judgment and defendant’s motion (# 64) to strike portions of plaintiffs affidavit. For the reasons that follow, the Court grants in part defendant’s motion (# 64) to strike, grants defendant’s motion (# 39) for summary judgment, grants defendant’s motion (#38) to dismiss the crosselaim, denies defendant’s motion (# 40) for summary judgment, and grants, in part, plaintiffs motion (#45) for partial summary judgment.

BACKGROUND

A. Procedural History and Claims

Plaintiff Paul T. Freund Corp. (“Freund”) filed a summons and complaint in New York State Supreme Court, Seventh Judicial District, on July 20, 2000. The verified complaint lists Commonwealth Packaging Company (“CPC”) and Victoria’s Secret Stores (“VSS”) as defendants. It raises three causes of action. The first is against CPC for breach of contract. The second is against VSS for breach of contract, alleging that CPC was acting as an agent of VSS. The third cause of action is against VSS for tortious interference with contract “in the event Plaintiff was not in privity of contract with Victoria’s Secret....” Complaint ¶ 28. Freund seeks compensatory damages *361 against each defendant for lost profits and the cost of manufacturing 66,806 or more boxes it did not deliver to VSS. Freund also seeks punitive damages against VSS in the third cause of action.

CPC’s ‘Verified Answer with Counterclaim” 1 alleges, in a First counterclaim, that Freund breached the contract causing VSS to cancel the order and incur damages. In a second counterclaim, CPC seeks damages alleging that Freund breached express and implied warranties. In a third counterclaim, CPC alleges that Freund intentionally or negligently misrepresented that it was capable of fulfilling CPC’s order in a timely basis and in conformance with the contract requirements. In its verified answer, CPC also makes a crossclaim against VSS for indemnification under contract or common law in the event that Freund obtains a judgment against CPC.

On November 21, 2000, VSS removed the action to this Court. VSS then filed, on December 6, 2000, a motion to dismiss, which the Court denied in a Decision and Order entered on September 19, 2001 (# 26). VSS filed an answer and counterclaim on October 17, 2001, in which it denied privity of contract with Freund and denied that CPC was its agent. In its counterclaim against Freund, CPC seeks damages against Freund for lost sales and other damages allegedly incurred as a result of Freund’s breach of the contract. In its motion, CPC opposes damage claims brought by Freund.

B. The Contract between Paul T. Freund Corp. and Commonwealth Packaging Company

The following facts are taken from Freund’s, CPC’s and VSS’s submissions and plaintiffs complaint. Except as otherwise indicated, these facts are not contested.

1. Parties

Freund is in the business of manufacturing paper boxes. Compl. ¶ 4. CPC is a distributor of paper and packaging goods. Waters dep. at 18 (attached to Webb-Lawton aff. (# 39) Ex. 1). VSS sells lingerie and women’s clothing through retail stores throughout the United States. VSS planned to offer for sale in its stores a garment-filled gift box during the holiday 2 season (“project”). Tesner aff. ¶ 2. The box required several component parts, including a flocked paper, called Dainel, that was used to cover the box. Davis aff. ¶ 3. VSS contracted with CPC for the manufacture and fulfillment 3 of the boxes.

2. The Decision to Choose Paul T. Freund Corp. to Manufacture the Boxes

Because CPC is not itself a manufacturer, CPC talked to several manufacturers and solicited bids for the production of the box. Waters dep. at 76 (attached to Webb-Lawton aff. (#39) Ex. 1). VSS contends that CPC’s employee, Mindy Waters (“Waters”) alone determined from which vendors she would seek bids to produce the boxes. Waters dep. at 456 (at *362 tached to Webb-Lawton aff. (# 39) Ex. 1). Freund contends 4 that it was VSS who made the final decision to hire Freund. Pl.’s Statement ¶ 12. Both agree that one of the manufacturers that CPC approached was Freund. Waters dep. at 456 (attached to Webb-Lawton aff. (# 39) Ex. 1). On this issue, Waters testified that CPC suggested having the boxes made in China, but VSS rejected 5 that suggestion and informed CPC that, because of concerns about shipping overseas, they wanted the boxes made in the United States. Waters dep. at 66 (attached to Webb-Lawton aff. (#39) Ex. 1). Waters solicited bids from United States box manufacturers, including Freund. Waters eventually recommend to VSS that they use Freund. Id. at 66-67. This series of questions and answers illustrates what happened next:

Q. So what happened after you suggested to Victoria’s Secret that Freund make the ’99 Bikini box?
A. They took my advice....
Q. So was the decision to hire Freund to make the box made by Commonwealth or by Victoria’s Secret? 6
A. The ultimate decision was Victoria’s Secret.

Waters dep. at 67 (attached to Webb-Lawton aff. (# 39) Ex. 1).

3. Negotiations Prior to Contracting

As is common in the industry, prior to entering into a contract with Freund to produce the necessary boxes, CPC requested that Freund prepare a sample box. Waters dep. at 446 (attached to Webb-Lawton aff. (#39) Ex. 1). As requested, Freund prepared a sample. Id. at 109. VSS states that the sample box was provided by CPC to VSS for approval as to the quality of the boxes that CPC proposed to provide under its contract with VSS. Id. at 109. Freund, however, disputes this representation and contends that most of its samples were sent directly to VSS by Freund and not via CPC. VSS did in fact approve the sample. Id. at 66-67.

Freund submitted its bid for the project to CPC on August 3, 1999. CPC’s App. of Exhibits (#44) Tab 5 (Freund’s bid for project). According to its bid, Freund’s shipment of boxes was to begin eight weeks after receipt of CPC’s confirming order. Id. On August 9, 1999, after VSS had contracted with CPC, CPC sent by facsimile to Freund four handwritten purchase orders for the manufacture and fulfillment of the boxes. Farnham dep. at 24-25 (attached to Webb-Lawton aff. (#39) Exs. 2,11 (CPC purchase orders) (Bates Nos. FR000105-06)). Several days later, Waters faxed to Freund typewritten versions of the same purchase orders. Webb-Lawton aff. (#39) Ex.

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Bluebook (online)
288 F. Supp. 2d 357, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18524, 2003 WL 22430162, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paul-t-freund-corp-v-commonwealth-packing-co-nywd-2003.