Russell v. Jim Russell Supply, Inc.

558 N.E.2d 115, 200 Ill. App. 3d 855, 146 Ill. Dec. 152, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 704
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 15, 1990
Docket5-88-0699
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 558 N.E.2d 115 (Russell v. Jim Russell Supply, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Russell v. Jim Russell Supply, Inc., 558 N.E.2d 115, 200 Ill. App. 3d 855, 146 Ill. Dec. 152, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 704 (Ill. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinions

JUSTICE WELCH

delivered the judgment of the court:

Plaintiff, Bill Russell, d/b/a Frank Russell and Son Trucking Company, filed suit seeking an injunction and damages against defendants Jim Russell and Jim Russell Supply, Inc. (hereinafter, JRS), for breach of a restrictive covenant not to compete contained in Jim and Bill Russell’s partnership dissolution agreement. Defendants brought a separate action against plaintiff for declaratory judgment with respect to the same contract and the matters were consolidated. Defendants contend, both as affirmative defenses to the contract claim and as allegations in the declaratory judgment suit, that JRS’s use of trucks and storage facilities did not violate the restrictive covenant; that the restrictive covenant violated public policy because it was unreasonably broad in geographic area and time; and that the covenant was unenforceable for want of consideration.

Plaintiff appeals from summary judgment entered in favor of defendants by the circuit court of Franklin County at the close of plaintiff’s case. The trial judge found that the restrictive covenant embodied in paragraph eight of Bill and Jim Russell’s partnership dissolution agreement was unenforceable, ruling that the breach of contract action and injunction sought against Jim Russell and his corporation failed as a matter of law. On appeal we must determine whether the trial judge erred as a matter of law when he ruled that the restrictive covenant was unenforceable because of lack of consideration and because there was no value placed on goodwill. We will also address the secondary finding of the court that even if the restrictive covenant was enforceable, Jim’s purchase and sale of magnetite was not a sham to disguise operation in the trucking business and so there was insufficient proof that defendant Jim Russell breached said covenant.

Bill and Jim Russell are brothers whose family has been in the trucking business in West Frankfort, Illinois, since 1913. Their grandfather founded Frank Russell and Son Trucking; Bill and Jim began working there in the early 1950’s and bought the business from their father, Don Russell, in 1977. In June 1985 they mutually decided to dissolve the partnership and Bill offered to buy out Jim’s 50% share of the business, according to their partnership agreement. They agreed upon $1,100,000 as the value of the tangible partnership assets and the terms of sale, and Jim prepared a handwritten memorandum of that agreement. Bill agreed to pay Jim $550,000 cash, transfer ownership of a 1985 pickup truck valued at $10,000, assume full liability for a partnership note and complete the private annuity payments to their father’s widow pursuant to the 1977 business purchase agreement. After deciding upon the sales price and terms, Bill asked Jim if they could include a provision in their agreement that Jim would not go into the trucking business. Jim agreed, saying that it would be silly for them to compete.

Bill contacted a local attorney to draft their agreement and asked the attorney to draft the restrictive covenant which was incorporated in the dissolution agreement as follows:

“Seller hereby agrees that he will not engage in the business of trucking, hauling, general moving and storage anywhere within a radius of 100 miles of the City of West Frankfort, Illinois, in any capacity whatsoever, directly or indirectly, for a period of 10 years from the date of the execution of this agreement.”

The bill of sale which was attached to the dissolution agreement listed the partnership assets such as the trucks and trailers, office equipment and Interstate Commerce Commission permits, but did not specifically list “goodwill.” The exclusive use of the company name was also transferred to Bill by way of the dissolution agreement. The attorney who drafted the agreement allocated the $560,000 purchase price among the tangible assets of the business for purposes of future depreciation but did not allocate an amount for the restrictive covenant, which is a depreciable asset. Both Bill and Jim read the document prior to signing it at the closing, which took place on July 15,1985.

In November 1985, Jim contacted American Minerals, Inc., in Rosiclare, Illinois, wanting information about its ability to grind magnetite for him. Magnetite is a dry, powdered iron ore used to clean coal. American Minerals processes and sells magnetite, among other products, according to its customers’ specifications. American Minerals had been unable to break into the magnetite market in Southern Illinois until contacted by Jim. In January 1986 Jim incorporated Jim Russell Supply, Inc., to purchase and sell mining supplies. Shortly thereafter, he and Marty Schlicting visited American Minerals' operation. JRS later hired Schlicting as a sales representative.

JRS purchased its first magnetite from American Minerals in April 1986. American Minerals gave JRS space in one of its buildings for an office. In August 1986, JRS installed storage bins for the magnetite at American Minerals and at its location in West Frankfort. American Minerals installed certain equipment on the bins to facilitate transfer of the magnetite to and from the bins and reduced the price per ton of its magnetite sold to JRS to help it pay for installation of the bins.

The only storage capability JRS had before August was in the two pneumatic trailers it owned. Pneumatic trailers are specially designed to transport magnetite. JRS also owned two trucks and always delivered its own product rather than hiring a carrier, even in times of peak orders. Occasionally orders were taken before JRS picked up the product and deliveries were made from American Minerals directly to the customer. Turnover time of the magnetite inventory in JRS’ bins was less than two weeks.

Most of JRS’ customers were coal mines to which Frank Russell and Son Trucking had made delivery of magnetite for another supplier, Reiss-Viking. Most of the mines to which Frank Russell and Son Trucking made deliveries were located within 100 miles of West Frankfort. The only other supplier of magnetite in southern Illinois before defendant started doing business was Prince Manufacturing.

Marty Schlicting had previously been employed as a salesman by Reiss-Viking. Frank Russell and Son Trucking was the exclusive carrier of magnetite for Reiss-Viking and had a Reiss-Viking phone line installed on the premises in order to facilitate placement of orders. Although Frank Russell and Son Trucking delivered other products for other customers, magnetite delivery for Reiss-Viking was a major part of plaintiff’s business. Plaintiff’s shipping business has declined since JRS began selling magnetite.

Frank Russell and Son Trucking holds both Interstate Commerce Commission and Illinois and Missouri Commerce Commission authorities to transport magnetite as a contract or common carrier. Defendant JRS considers itself a private carrier because it transports its own product and is not required to hold authorities for interstate or intrastate transportation.

The first issue we shall address is whether the trial court erred in determining that the restrictive covenant was unenforceable for want of consideration. Defendants contend that the covenant not to compete was an afterthought; that the agreement had been reached before Bill broached the subject of including a noncompetition clause in the document.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
558 N.E.2d 115, 200 Ill. App. 3d 855, 146 Ill. Dec. 152, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 704, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/russell-v-jim-russell-supply-inc-illappct-1990.