Quickick, Inc. v. Quickick International

304 So. 2d 402, 1974 La. App. LEXIS 4248
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 31, 1974
Docket9778
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 304 So. 2d 402 (Quickick, Inc. v. Quickick International) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Quickick, Inc. v. Quickick International, 304 So. 2d 402, 1974 La. App. LEXIS 4248 (La. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

304 So.2d 402 (1974)

QUICKICK, INC.
v.
QUICKICK INTERNATIONAL et al.

No. 9778.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

May 31, 1974.
Rehearing Denied June 28, 1974.
Writs Refused September 18, 20, 1974.

*403 Donn Moss, Baton Rouge, for appellant.

R. Boatner Howell, Jr., Baton Rouge, for appellees.

Before LANDRY, ELLIS and BAILES, JJ.

ELLIS, Judge:

This is a suit for rescission of a marketing contract, and for damages allegedly due for the breach thereof. Plaintiff is QuicKick, Inc., a Texas corporation. Defendants are QuicKick International, Ada Oil Company, and K. S. Adams, Jr.

Plaintiff corporation was formed under the laws of the state of Texas in March, 1969, to manufacture and sell QuicKick, an isotonic salt supplement beverage, which had been formulated over a period of time by W. Evans Howell. The original shareholders were Mr. Howell, K. S. Adams, Jr., H. L. Trentham, and Kevin P. Reilly.

On October 17, 1969, an agreement was entered into among QuicKick, Inc. and its shareholders which provided that a new corporation be formed, Mr. Adams to own 90% of its stock, and Mr. Howell 10%, to which QuicKick, Inc. would assign marketing rights, and to which it would sell various forms of QuicKick concentrate at stipulated prices.

*404 The contract further provided for the employment of Mr. Howell by both QuicKick, Inc. and the new corporation; it gave Mr. Trentham an option to purchase stock in the new corporation from Mr. Adams; it provided for loans by Mr. Adams and Mr. Trentham to QuicKick, Inc.; and it provided for expiration of certain restrictions on transfer of outstanding capital stock in QuicKick, Inc.

QuicKick International was duly chartered under Texas law, in accordance with the foregoing agreement, and, under date of November 3, 1969, the marketing contract provided for in the October 17 agreement was executed by Mr. Howell on behalf of QuicKick, Inc. It was never signed by anyone on behalf of International.

Immediately after the October 17 agreement, the hiring of staff and personnel for a nationwide marketing of QuicKick in various forms was begun. The marketing effort continued through the summer of 1970 at great expense, but with indifferent success.

Although considerable QuicKick concentrate was bought in various forms during this period, no payments were ever made from International to QuicKick, Inc. for these purchases. Demands for payment were not satisfied and this suit was eventually filed. The national marketing effort for QuicKick wound down and was eventually discontinued during the latter part of 1970. International's loss was in excess of $5,000,000.00.

This suit was filed on November 4, 1970, against International, for cancellation of the November 3 contract for various reasons, and for judgment of $327,583.45 allegedly due under the market contract. In its answer, International alleged various advances to QuicKick, Inc., and further alleged that the price charged for some of the concentrates purchased was excessive. It alleged that it had tendered the amount it claimed to be due to QuicKick, Inc., and that the tender had been refused. It further denied any other breach of the contract.

In December, 1971, International filed a supplemental answer and reconventional demand, alleging that the product sold by QuicKick, Inc. to it was defective in various respects. It alleged it was not liable for the price of such defective product, and reconvened for $5,471,000.00 as its loss allegedly caused by interference in its operation by QuicKick, Inc. and because of the defective product it was forced to repurchase or destroy.

QuicKick, Inc. then filed a supplemental petition making K. S. Adams, Jr. and Ada Oil Company parties defendant, alleging Adams' personal liability under the October 17, 1969 agreement, and also on the theory that International was his alter ego. In addition to the $327,583.45 originally demanded, plaintiff further prayed for $2,500,000.00 for damage to its trademark, trade name and good will and $1,500,000.00 for loss of future profits.

Mr. Adams filed exceptions to the jurisdiction over both his person and the subject matter, and to the sufficiency of service of process. These exceptions were referred to the merits of the case on motion of Mr. Adams and Ada, and answers were filed by both parties.

After an extended trial on the merits, judgment was rendered in favor of QuicKick, Inc. and against International and Mr. Adams, in solido, for $263,729.60 plus interest, and dismissing plaintiff's suit as to Ada. International's reconventional demand was dismissed. The judgment is silent as to the November 3, 1969, contract. International and Mr. Adams have taken a suspensive appeal to this Court. Since plaintiff has neither appealed nor answered the appeal, the judgment is final insofar as it dismisses the suit as to Ada.

In its reasons for judgment, the trial court found that Mr. Adams was personally bound under the October 17, 1969, agreement; that International was his alter *405 ego, and he was therefore responsible for its obligations; that Mr. Adams was therefore subject to the jurisdiction of the Court; and that the November 3, 1969, contract had been breached and should be cancelled.

In this Court, defendants allege that the trial court erred in its interpretation of the October 17, 1969, agreement; in holding that International was the alter ego of Mr. Adams; in overruling the declinatory exception of lack of jurisdiction over the person of Mr. Adams; in holding that the November 3, 1969, agreement was not a valid contract; and in construing both agreements as fixing the cost of concentrate to be used for product to be sold in glass decanters and in cans.

The latter two assignments of error relate to the liability of International and the extent thereof. With respect to the validity of the November 3 contract, we find we need not consider the point. Although the trial judge indicated in his reasons for judgment that the contract had been breached and should be cancelled, and that it might have been invalid for lack of International's signature, the judgment itself is silent on both of those points. Since plaintiff has not appealed from the judgment, it is final in that respect, and the question of the validity of the contract is therefore not presented by this appeal. We can, however, consider the question of International's liability for failure to make payments required by the contract.

The liability of International under the November 3 contract is not seriously disputed no error having been assigned to the judgment in that respect. The question of the amount of the award is raised as the final assignment of error. It is contended that no agreement was ever reached as to the price to be paid to plaintiff for concentrate to be used in making product to be sold in glass decanters and in cans. It is clear from the record that this concentrate was exactly the same as the concentrate used in dairy sales, the price of which is fixed in the contract. All invoices and all schedules of price which were sent by plaintiff to International reflected the same contract price. All bookkeeping entries of credits to plaintiff made in International's books reflect the same contract price, until the time that the dispute between the two corporations arose. We think it clear that the contention as to price of the concentrate was an afterthought on the part of International.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
304 So. 2d 402, 1974 La. App. LEXIS 4248, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/quickick-inc-v-quickick-international-lactapp-1974.