Vincent L. Hillyer and Manuchehr Riahi v. Pan American Petroleum Corporation

348 F.2d 613, 23 Oil & Gas Rep. 73, 1965 U.S. App. LEXIS 5122
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedJune 25, 1965
Docket7725
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 348 F.2d 613 (Vincent L. Hillyer and Manuchehr Riahi v. Pan American Petroleum Corporation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vincent L. Hillyer and Manuchehr Riahi v. Pan American Petroleum Corporation, 348 F.2d 613, 23 Oil & Gas Rep. 73, 1965 U.S. App. LEXIS 5122 (10th Cir. 1965).

Opinion

MURRAH, Chief Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the trial court denying appellants compensation for their efforts in connection with an oil development contract in Iran between appellee, Pan American Oil Company, and the government of Iran. The claim is grounded in three separate and inconsistent theories of recovery on the same subject matter — two in con *615 tract, one in quantum meruit. Jurisdiction is based upon requisite diversity of citizenship and amount in controversy.

The first theory is based upon an alleged oral contract of October, 1956, whereunder it was agreed that in return for their efforts in the negotiation of an oil development contract with the Iranian Government, Pan American would pay each appellant $25,000 annually during the life of the contract and 2%% of its net profits. The second theory is based upon a subsequently executed letter contract in April, 1957, by the terms of which Pan American agreed to pay appellants 5% of its net profits derived from a negotiated development contract. Finally, and alternatively, if neither contract is sustainable, appellants claim reasonable compensation for their efforts which Pan American solicited and advantageously used. Pan American denied any obligation to the appellants under any alleged contract, oral, written or implied. The trial court denied relief under any and all of the alleged theories. See Hillyer v. Pan American Oil Company, D.C., 225 F.Supp. 425.

While the theories of the claim are separate and inconsistent, no one denies the right of appellants to recover under any legally sustainable theory supported in fact. See Blazer v. Black, 10 Cir., 196 F.2d 139; Berger v. State Farm Mut. Automobile Insurance Co., 10 Cir., 291 F.2d 666.

It was agreed at pretrial that the question of liability under all the asserted theories would be tried to the court without a jury and, in the event liability was established on any theory, the amount of damages would be tried to a jury. The basic and underlying facts, either undisputed or fairly established and relied upon to support the respective theories, may be stated as follows.

Appellant-Riahi was a well-placed and successful businessman in Iran related by marriage to the Shah. Appellant-Hillyer, a native of the United States, was also related by marriage to the Shah. Both were members of the royal household and entrepreneurs of Iranian government business with foreign enterprises. In 1953 Riahi came to the United States for the purpose of interesting American oil companies in the exploration and marketing of Iranian oil. While in the United States, he met Wagner, Hillyer’s business agent, and through him became associated with Hillyer. Working together, Riahi and Hillyer were able to interest Morrow, a principal stockholder of the Cuban American Oil Company. Morrow went to Iran, and appellants arranged an audience with the Shah and meetings with other influential government officials. Morrow later told Klein, President of Cuban American, of his investigation and the possibility of negotiating a profitable oil contract with the Iranian government. They decided to attempt to interest other American oil companies in a venture with a carried interest to Cuban American. Klein contacted Pan American Oil Company, where he was apparently well known, and was referred to Solliday, the Executive Vice President. Klein and Morrow apparently represented to Solliday that an oil development contract might be negotiated on the basis of 75% Working Interest to Pan American, 25% Working Interest to the National Iranian Oil Company and 50% of the net profits of the venture to the Iranian government. Under such arrangement, the Cuban American Oil Company would be carried for 10% of Pan American’s acquired interest.

Solliday, Morrow and Klein went to Iran in October of 1956. During this visit, under the sponsorship of appellants, they met with the Shah and members of the Board of Directors of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), a wholly owned government agency. After intensive negotiations, Solliday was given to understand that NIOC must participate in any oil venture with any foreign oil company on the basis of 50% Working Interest with the national government receiving 50% of the net profits as for income tax.

Riahi testified that in a conference with Solliday in Iran the matter of com *616 pensation to his group was discussed, and Solliday stated that in view of NIOC’s requirement of 50% Working Interest it was “impossible to give us such a high rate of carried interest”. After further discussion, “eventually we agreed upon a figure of 10% which he was willing to give the whole party” and “this carried interest will be divided half between Mr. Klein and Mr. Morrow on one side and Mr. Hillyer, Mr. Wagner and myself and my associates on the other side”; and in addition “Hillyer and Riahi were to receive $25,000 per year during the life of any contract”. Riahi further testified that when alone with Mr. Morrow he asked whether “we should write down our agreement with Mr. Solli-day”, and Morrow said he didn’t “think” it necessary because “you can rely on the words told to you by Mr. Solliday who is executive vice president of the company, and it is agreed upon and you don’t have to worry about it.” No development contract was entered into but Solliday returned to the United States encouraged to believe that some mutually satisfactory arrangements with the Iranian government could be worked out.

Thereafter, Klein wrote to Hillyer with Solliday’s approval suggesting that Hill-yer propose to the Shah that NIOC’s participation in the contract be reduced to 25%. Hillyer then wrote Morrow indicating that the Iranian government might be willing to negotiate on the basis of 75%-25% with 50% of the net profits to the government. Apparently nothing of importance happened, but Riahi and Hillyer continued their friendly intercourse with responsible government officials urging the advantages of an oil development contract with Pan American as one of the largest oil companies with assets of $2 billion and a market of 800,000 barrels of oil, of which it produced only one-half. According to Riahi, in the course of his negotiations it became important for his undisclosed “collaborators” to know about “my commission”. “They insisted that they wanted me to give them [something] in writing that they might have in case Pan American obtained a concession in Iran. So, I decided to ask Mr. Solliday to give me something in writing and that was in the first months of 1957”.

In these circumstances Hillyer (apparently at the suggestion of Riahi) wrote Morrow in March of 1957 asking him to ascertain whether Solliday would be willing to make separate written agreements with appellants and Cuban American, setting forth the interest each would receive if an oil contract were subsequently effected. Hillyer enclosed a proposed agreement acceptable to the appellants. Klein referred the matter to Solliday and, amenable to the request Sol-liday sent the appellants the letter contract of April 5, 1957.

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348 F.2d 613, 23 Oil & Gas Rep. 73, 1965 U.S. App. LEXIS 5122, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vincent-l-hillyer-and-manuchehr-riahi-v-pan-american-petroleum-ca10-1965.