United States Rubber Co. v. Bercher's Royal Tire Service, Inc.

205 F. Supp. 368, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3835
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Arkansas
DecidedMay 23, 1962
DocketNo. 1620
StatusPublished

This text of 205 F. Supp. 368 (United States Rubber Co. v. Bercher's Royal Tire Service, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States Rubber Co. v. Bercher's Royal Tire Service, Inc., 205 F. Supp. 368, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3835 (W.D. Ark. 1962).

Opinion

JOHN E. MILLER, Chief Judge.

This case is before the court upon plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment in its favor dismissing the defendants’ defense of set-off based upon an oral agreement of compromise and settlement, on the ground that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the plaintiff is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.

Plaintiff filed its complaint on December 13, 1961, containing three counts. Count I alleged the indebtedness of the defendants to the plaintiff as evidenced by two promissory notes, which notes were executed and delivered by Bercher’s Royal Tire Service, Inc., hereinafter called defendant, to the plaintiff to evidence the indebtedness that it owed for goods, wares and merchandise sold by the plaintiff to the defendant, and that each of the said notes is long past due, in default, and wholly unpaid.

In Count II the plaintiff alleged that the defendant became and still remains indebted to the plaintiff on an open account styled “Warehouse Account” for goods, wares and merchandise sold by the plaintiff to the defendant on consignment and thereafter sold by consignee, the proceeds of which consignment sales have not been remitted by the defendant to the plaintiff.

In Count III plaintiff alleged that the defendant became indebted to the plaintiff on three installment payments due under two installment notes, two of the installment payments having matured on November 10, 1960, and one having ma[370]*370tured December 10, 1960, said notes evidencing the guaranty of defendant of 85 percent of the face amount of conditional sales contracts sold by the defendant to the plaintiff and remaining uncollected and in default, said indebtedness in this count being labeled and styled by the parties hereto as “Budget Note Assistance.”

The complaint alleged that the other defendants, Eugene A. Bercher, Doris E. Bercher, Paul J. Bercher, Jr., and Martine Bercher, are liable for all of the aforesaid indebtedness from the defendant, Bercher’s Royal Tire Service, Inc., to the plaintiff as guarantors.

On January 18, 1962, the defendants filed their answer, in which they denied the allegations of the complaint, and for further defense to the complaint, the defendants alleged that on the 20th day of September, 1960, the parties entered into an agreement, compromising and settling their differences, and that under and by virtue of the terms of the said agreement, plaintiff, among other things, agreed to allow the defendant all of the credits that it was rightfully entitled to and further stipulated and agreed that the plaintiff would accept return of all of the inventory of United States Rubber Company products, which were commonly referred to as “Self-Owned Inventory,” on the 19th day of October, 1960. Defendants alleged that the agreement further stipulated that the price to be allowed as a credit against any indebtedness then owing by defendant for the items in the “Self-Owned Inventory” was to be calculated on the basis of plaintiff’s price list, which applied to the various items contained in the “Self-Owned Inventory” less a handling charge of 2% percent, with the defendant paying the freight charges to plaintiff’s warehouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. That a further consideration of said compromise settlement was that the defendant would pay indebtedness which were currently due as of September 20, 1960, and that the credit or credits which the plaintiff owed to the defendant would be deducted and taken from the notes and accounts set forth and mentioned in Counts I, II and III of the complaint, and that at the time of the entry into said compromise settlement and in compliance with the terms thereof, the defendant paid the plaintiff the total sum of $13,812.52, said amount being represented by two separate checks which were handed to the plaintiff on September 20, 1960; that the parties did further agree that between the time of September 20 and October 19, 1960, that reasonable efforts would be made by each of the parties to attempt to sell the “Self-Owned Inventory,” and the balance remaining was to be received and accepted by plaintiff on October 19, 1960, as aforesaid, and the defendant was to be credited with the amount and value thereof as aforesaid; and that the defendant agreed to forebear any claim against the plaintiff for antitrust violations.

The defendants further alleged that they did on October 19, 1960, cause to be transported and delivered to plaintiff the remaining “Self-Owned Inventory” aforesaid, but that the plaintiff refused to accept delivery thereof and the same was stored by the carrier at the Commercial Warehouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, subject to the call of the plaintiff.

In its counterclaim filed on the same date the defendant alleged that it is entitled to judgment by reason of the credits owing it under the above-stated compromise settlement agreement, and the defendant further alleged that it was entitled to damages from the plaintiff, which were caused by plaintiff’s defamation of defendant in the trade about its credit in an unlawful and illegal manner, calculated by the plaintiff to damage the defendant, its credit and reputation.

On February 7, 1962, plaintiff filed its reply to defendants’ counterclaim, in which it denied all of the defendants’ allegations.

On April 12, 1962, plaintiff filed a pleading entitled “AMENDMENT TO REPLY TO COUNTERCLAIM AND SUPPLEMENTAL ANSWER TO COUNTERCLAIM AND SET-OFF [371]*371PLEADED IN DEFENDANT’S ANSWER AND COUNTERCLAIM, AS AMENDED,” in which plaintiff pleaded the provision of the applicable statutes of fraud of the State of Arkansas, and expressly pleaded all of the provisions of the written agreement between the plaintiff and the defendant executed January 1, 1960, styled “United States Dealer’s Warehouse Agreement.”

On April 21, 1962, plaintiff filed its motion for summary judgment in support of which the plaintiff relied upon the defendant’s answer, in which the compromise and settlement agreement was alleged, and the deposition of Mr. P. Hugh Hardin taken in this cause on April 2, 1962.

On April 30, 1962, the defendant filed its response to the motion for summary judgment, in support of which the defendant relied on an affidavit executed by Eugene A. Bercher, President of the defendant, on April 30, 1962, which affidavit was supported by correspondence between defendant and plaintiff subsequent to September 19, 1960, the date of the compromise and settlement agreement.

The plaintiff in support of the motion contends that the set-off alleged by defendant in its answer based upon an alleged agreement of the plaintiff to repurchase the defendant’s “Self-Owned Inventory” of plaintiff’s products is unenforceable under the applicable Statute of Frauds, Ark.Stat.Ann. Sec. 68-1404 (1947).

The defendant contends that the motion should be denied because (1) there is a genuine and material issue of fact and that, therefore, the court is without jurisdiction to grant plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment; and (2) that the Statute of Frauds is not applicable in the case at bar, and in the alternative that if it is applicable that the actions of the parties have removed it from the Statute of Frauds.

The question presented to the court is whether there is any genuine issue as to any material fact within the meaning of Rule 56, Fed.R.Civ.P., 28 U.S.C.A., and whether either party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. In Marion County Co-Op Ass’n v. Carnation Co., (W.D.Ark.1953), D.C., 114 F.Supp.

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

Related

Marion County Cooperative Ass'n. v. Carnation Co
214 F.2d 557 (Eighth Circuit, 1954)
Jones v. Gregg
293 S.W.2d 545 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1956)
Marion County Co-Op. Ass'n v. Carnation Co.
114 F. Supp. 58 (W.D. Arkansas, 1953)
Lee v. Vaughan's Seed Store
141 S.W. 496 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1911)
Southern Cotton Oil Co. v. Coleman
170 S.W. 992 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1914)
Ferguson-McKinney Co. v. Whitley
246 S.W. 475 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1923)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
205 F. Supp. 368, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3835, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-rubber-co-v-berchers-royal-tire-service-inc-arwd-1962.