Ugarit, Inc. v. Citizens Bank

20 Mass. L. Rptr. 33
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedJune 3, 2005
DocketNo. 041622
StatusPublished

This text of 20 Mass. L. Rptr. 33 (Ugarit, Inc. v. Citizens Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ugarit, Inc. v. Citizens Bank, 20 Mass. L. Rptr. 33 (Mass. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

Gailey, Timothy H., J.

This is an action for breach of contract, breach of a covenant of good faith and fair dealing, neglegence and violation of Chapter 93A arising out of an alleged failure by Defendant Citizens Bank of Massachusetts (“The Bank”) to advance money to Plaintiff Ugarit, Inc. (“Borrower”) under a previously agreed to line of credit between the Bank and Borrower. Borrower has moved for summary judgment as to liability on all but the negligence count. The Bank has moved for summary judgment as to all counts. For the following reasons. Borrower’s Motion for Summary Judgment is DENIED, and The Bank’s motion is ALLOWED in part and DENIED in part.

BACKGROUND

The Complaint alleges the following.

Borrower is a Massachusetts corporation owning and operating retail furniture stores. Prior to June 2001, Borrower had an existing loan agreement with Mellon Bank, N.A., providing in relevant part for a $310,000 line of credit for Borrower’s business uses. In or about June 2001, The Bank took over the loan account from Mellon Bank, N.A. and during 2002 Borrower drew down part of that line and repaid it in full in more or less due course.

In January 2003 Borrower’s President was on a buying trip to Germany, and allegedly had an opportunity to buy inventory at a very favorable price. In reliance on the line of credit with The Bank, and on The Bank’s representation that that line would continue to be available until further notice, on January 14, 2003, Borrower allegedly attempted to obtain an advance of $130,000 on the line to take advantage of the special purchasing opportunity. Unbeknownst to Borrower, with no notice to Borrower whatsoever, The Bank had for some reason apparently placed the line of credit on hold and declined to advance the allegedly requested funds. Borrower therefore allegedly missed the opportunity to profit from the special purchase.

Upon Borrower’s President’s return to the United States Borrower informed The Bank of its mistake and, in effect moved its business elsewhere within about 5 months. Borrower thereafter sued The Bank herein.

Count I alleges a breach of contract in the above conduct by The Bank. Count II alleges a breach of a covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Count II alleges that Borrower was damaged by The Bank’s negligence in the January 2003 failure to extend the credit, and Count IV alleges violation of Chapter 93A in connection with the above.

STANDARD

This court grants summary judgment when there are no genuine issues of material fact and where the summary judgment record entitles the moving party to judgment as a matter of law. See Mass.R.Civ.P. 56(c); Cassesso v. Commissioner of Correction, 390 Mass. 419, 422 (1983). The moving party bears the burden of establishing that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the moving party is entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law. Pederson v. Time, Inc., 404 Mass. 14, 17 (1989). A party moving for summary judgment who does not bear the burden of proof at trial may demonstrate the absence of a triable issue by either submitting affirmative evidence negating an essential element of the nonmoving party’s case or by showing that the moving party has no reasonable expectation of proving an essential element of its case at trial. Kourouvacilis v General Motors Corp., 410 Mass. 706, 716 (1991).

DISCUSSION

A. Count I: Breach of Contract

The terms of the written loan agreement establishing the line of credit are undisputed. That loan agreement was first entered into on or about May 31, 2001, and its terms remained the same after the acquisition [34]*34of the loan by The Bank. Those terms were still in effect in January 2003 at the time in issue in this case.

That written loan agreement contained a damage limitations clause that would preclude most, and possibly all, of the damages that Borrower is seeking for breach of contract. That clause was physically located just above the signature line on the agreement, and it was all capital letters. It provided: “6-15. Waiver of Jury Trial and Certain Damage Claims . . . THE BORROWER HEREBY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO CLAIM OR RECOVER [in any litigation under the loan agreement] . . . ANY SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES OTHER THAN, OR IN ADDITION TO ACTUAL DAMAGES.” At oral argument Borrower agreed that if this clause is enforceable it would bar most of the damages Borrower is seeking. The Bank asserts that it would in fact bar all of the damages Borrower is seeking, but that would be a fact issue for possible trial. The clause, if enforceable, would warrant partial summary judgment on Count I limiting damages to actual damages only, and precluding consequential damages.

The question on summary judgment thus becomes whether the damages limitation clause is enforceable.

Looking at whether the contract clause is unconscionable, the standard of unconscionability is high. An unconscionable contract is “such as no man in his senses and not under delusion would make on the one hand, and as no honest and fair man would accept on the other.” Waters v. Min., Ltd., 412 Mass. 64, 66 & 69 (1992), quoting with approval Hume v. United States, 132 U.S. 406, 411 (1889), in itself quoting Earl of Chesterfield v. Janssen, 38 Eng.Rep. 82, 100 (Ch. 1750). The doctrine of unconsoionability has been codified in the Uniform Commercial Code, G.L.c. 106, sec. 2-302.

Looking at the uncontroverted facts of this case, Borrower can make out no claim that the limitation of damages clause is unconscionable. Under the loan agreement there is no disproportionate or nonexistent consideration. The parties operated under that agreement for 2 years, apparently to their mutual advantage since neither party terminated it. The sole owner and operator of Borrower is an experienced businessman, whose company has shown significant growth over a number of years. He also has shown an ability to secure comparable credit from other sources, as he did after the incident complained of. He read and understood the loan agreement before he signed it. The damage limitations clause is unambiguous. It is prominently placed in a position and with a typeface that would make it almost impossible for a person signing a document to miss. The damage limitations clauses still permits some remedy — the remedy of “actual damages” — even though most of the damages Borrower now seeks are barred. The damage limitations clause is the type of commercial allocation of risk that sophisticated businesses bargain for, and it does not offend any public policy of the state. See Logan Equipment Corp. v. Simon Aerials, Inc., 736 F.Sup. 1188 (D.Mass. 1990); Canal Electric Co. v. Westinghouse Electric Corp., 406 Mass. 369, 373-74 (1990).

The clause is enforceable. The clear and unequivocal language of the contract on which Count I rests therefore bars recovery of consequential damages, and any other damages except “actual damages.” Partial summary judgment should therefore enter on Count I on the issue of damages, that Plaintiff is not entitled to recover any special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages.

B. Count II and Count IV: Breach of Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing, and Breach of Chapter 93A

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Hume v. United States
132 U.S. 406 (Supreme Court, 1889)
Pederson v. Time, Inc.
532 N.E.2d 1211 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1989)
Garweth Corp. v. Boston Edison Co.
613 N.E.2d 92 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1993)
FMR Corp. v. Boston Edison Co.
613 N.E.2d 902 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1993)
Kourouvacilis v. General Motors Corp.
575 N.E.2d 734 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1991)
Cassesso v. Commissioner of Correction
456 N.E.2d 1123 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1983)
Canal Electric Co. v. Westinghouse Electric Corp.
548 N.E.2d 182 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1990)
Waters v. Min Ltd.
587 N.E.2d 231 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
20 Mass. L. Rptr. 33, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ugarit-inc-v-citizens-bank-masssuperct-2005.