Pharr v. Olin Corp.

715 F. Supp. 1569, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7193, 1989 WL 72529
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedJune 5, 1989
DocketCiv. A. 1:86-CV-708-JTC
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 715 F. Supp. 1569 (Pharr v. Olin Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pharr v. Olin Corp., 715 F. Supp. 1569, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7193, 1989 WL 72529 (N.D. Ga. 1989).

Opinion

ORDER

CAMP, District Judge.

This action comes before the Court on defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment, defendant’s Second Motion for Summary Judgment, defendant's Motion for Rule 11 Sanctions, plaintiffs’ Motion for Rule 11 Sanctions, and plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment. For the reasons detailed below, defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED, defendant’s Second Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART, defendant’s Motion for Rule 11 Sanctions is DENIED, plaintiffs’ Motion for Rule 11 Sanctions is DENIED, and plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment is DENIED.

I. Facts

Plaintiffs Cecil Pharr and Robert Browne formed an entity known as Browne and Pharr Makers, Inc. with Mr. Browne and Mr. Pharr as principals, in order to sell and distribute reproductions of the double-barreled Parker or Parker Brothers shotgun. In 1981, Browne and Pharr approached defendant Olin Corporation (hereinafter “Olin”) and presented a proposal to David Mathewson, Jr., Olin’s Business Manager, for the manufacture of the Parker reproduction shotguns.

At Olin, Mr. Mathewson was “responsible for the promotion and marketing of the Japanese produced Winchester Firearms in the United States market.” Mathewson dep. at 6. While Mathewson lacked the authority to enter into contracts on Olin’s behalf, he did possess the authority to negotiate terms and provisions of prospective contracts. Id. at 16-17. Browne and Pharr’s dealings with Olin were almost exclusively through Mathewson. Mathewson was receptive to Browne and Pharr’s ideas concerning the Parker reproduction shotguns and soon authorized employees at the Olin plant in Japan to begin researching the project. Id. at 75-78. In the meantime, Browne and Pharr worked to acquire the rights to the Parker trademark and tradename. Browne aff. ¶ 15.

In November of 1981, Browne, Pharr, Mathewson, and Larry • Larsen, Olin’s Director of New Product Development, met in Mathewson’s office to discuss tooling costs, the cost related to gun cases, the cost of the wood for the stock of the shotgun, prototypes, and other matters related to the reproduction project. Id. ¶ 19. On March 8, 1982, Mathewson sent Browne a document entitled “General Terms and Conditions Proposed ‘Parker’ Contract.” Exhibit “A” attached to Browne’s affidavit. The cover letter from Mathewson indicated that the document was a summary of key points which Olin was working on relative to a contract for the manufacture of the Parker reproductions. The document provided in pertinent part:

It is our intention to manufacture and your intention to purchase a yet to be determined number of Parker type shotguns during the life of the contract. Volumes are assumed to be in the area of 6,000 units per year....
*1571 You agree to the payment of U.S. $80,-000 for the development of four prototype firearms.... It is further agreed that we will require payment of the U.S. dollar equivalent of Yen 150,000,000 to be used for the purchase of unique tooling and special machinery dedicated to the manufacture of the Parker gun.

Id.

Not long after Mathewson sent the document to Browne, he telephoned Browne to inform him that Olin’s Executive Committee had altered their proposal. Olin now demanded more money for the retooling and required that Browne and Pharr provide a letter of credit or some other financial guarantee to ensure they were capable of meeting the terms of the contract. Mathewson dep. at 130; Browne aff. ¶ 23. The telephone conversation between Mathewson and Browne, which took place in late March or early April of 1982, spawned this litigation. While both parties agree that Browne told Mathewson that he and Pharr could not meet Olin’s most recent demands, the accounts given by Mathewson and Browne as to what transpired next, differ considerably. Mathewson dep. at 135; Browne dep. at 37.

Plaintiffs contend that Mathewson and Browne formed an oral contract whereby Olin would compensate Pharr and Browne for the value of bringing to Olin, a buyer for the Parker reproduction shotguns. Plaintiffs rely on Browne’s account of the telephone conversation:

My [Browne] response to that was, we have both got a problem. Since we can’t do it, meaning our group, Browne & Pharr, Makers, Inc., suppose Cecil [Pharr] and I put our heads together ... possibly we could find someone else as an alternate who could enter into the picture and meet the stipulations that Winchester [Olin] had established and buy the guns.
Dave’s [Mathewson] response was, that would be a good idea. I said, if we find someone who meets the criteria, will you do a deal with us. His response was, yes, subject to their meeting the stipulations that Olin had set down....
The conversation ended on a hopeful note that, okay, Cecil and I will get together and see if we can locate someone who can meet the stipulations; if so, we will bring them to you, and we’ll do a deal. We parted at that point in time with a good luck and let’s do it.

Browne dep. at 38-39.

Conversely, defendant asserts that no such oral agreement was ever reached. In support of that contention, defendant relies on Mathewson’s account of the conversation:

Q. Do you recall any specific conversation where Mr. Browne offered, if his group could not do the deal, to find someone to do the deal based on terms acceptable to Olin?
A. We did have a conversation along those lines_ Mr. Browne’s comments generally were that this is beyond the capabilities of Browne and Pharr Makers and our current backers. If we have backing that is acceptable to Olin, would you be willing to continue the deal? At which point I said yes.
Q. Do you remember specifically the language used by either you or Mr. Browne in that conversation?
A. Best of my recollection, and I believe it is quite clear on this point, was that if we bring somebody in that has financial resources satisfactory to Olin, will you still be willing to do the deal?

Mathewson dep. at 135-36.

Both sides do agree that the subject of a commission was never broached. The following colloquy took place at Mr. Browne’s deposition:

Q. He [Mathewson] never said to you, if you do x, I’m going to pay you x commission or x fee?
A. No.
Q. Now there was no discussion at any time between you and Mr. Mathewson, one, about whether it would be a flat fee or a commission; is that correct?
A. Correct.
Q. Two, over what period of time or when it would be paid?
*1572 A. Correct.
Q. Three, as to what amount would be paid?
A. Correct.
Q. Four, as to any other term or condition of payment, correct?

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
715 F. Supp. 1569, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7193, 1989 WL 72529, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pharr-v-olin-corp-gand-1989.