Source: https://www.scribd.com/document/9658180/Order-After-Trial
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 08:14:14+00:00

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This case is before me following a five-day bench trial that began December 8, 2008.
Based on the evidence and arguments presented at that trial, I find and conclude as follows.
intentionally under-portioned the meat on a single sandwich.
and rescission of the unused agreement.
assigned to this initial Agreement.
executed a mutual release of their obligations under the lease.
counsel, responded with an e-mail to Defendants’ then-lawyer, stating “Ms. Blickman and Mr.
deadline, and this issue was ignored by both parties until after this lawsuit was filed.
000 down and the balance of $130. and he ran the Coopersburg store from early July 2005 until Defendants bought it effective February 2006. upon payment of a $12. since their long-term plan was to own more than one Quiznos franchise anyway. Sterner paid Quiznos the $12. Defendants expressed an interest in buying it even though the Oxford location was not yet dead.000. Sterner’s full-time manager. and the sale did not close until February 1. Exhibit 9). D. When Sterner decided to sell the store. 2006 through Quiznos’ purported termination of the 6309 Agreement in early October 2006. Defendants operated the store as owners from February 1. Defendants worked 10.to12- hour days. $70. along with some paid help. As discussed in much greater detail below.000 from an SBA loan taken out by Zig Zag and guaranteed by Defendants.500 transfer fee out of his proceeds. Piotrowski agreed to become Mr. though it took time for Defendants to make the necessary financial arrangements. So Mr. through their own hard work Defendants were largely able to stabilize what had been a rather steady decline in profitability during the end of Mr. The transfer was accomplished by Zig Zag taking an assignment of Sterner’s existing lease (Exhibit 8) and Defendants taking an assignment of Sterner’s Franchise Agreement with Quiznos. The general terms of the sale were these: the price was $200.” Quiznos consented to the transfer. Zig Zag borrowed an additional $20. Exhibit 10. Quiznos’ Field Tests 4 . which I will refer to as “the 6309 Agreement.500 transfer fee. Defendants and Sterner eventually agreed to the terms of a sale in September 2005 (see Asset Purchase Agreement. The lease and assignment were admitted as Exhibit 8. Sterner’s ownership.000 on the SBA loan for working capital (for a total loan of $150. The 6309 Agreement itself. 2006.000).was being built. its assignment and assumption from Sterner to Defendants and Quiznos’ written consent to the transfer were all admitted as Exhibit 2. six to seven days every week.
one could reliably infer that the sandwich started off with less than the required 5 oz. The centerpiece of the campaign would be a new sandwich. Mr. Daigle testified that he made this decision for two reasons— to satisfy advertisers about the truth of the claim. Manning designed the following test: Mystery shoppers would call the store and order a small Prime Rib Philly Cheesesteak to go. before being cooked further in au jus and then run under a toaster. to design a test for anonymous Quiznos personnel—called “mystery shoppers”—to conduct at every one of Quiznos’ 4. and to protect Quiznos from any litigation by Subway (which litigation in fact occurred anyway). that if the meat weighed less than 4. Manning determined. franchises. Daigle commissioned Michael Manning. Mr. remove its contents from the bread. 2 oz. Mr. attempt to separate the melted cheese from the meat (being instructed never to remove any meat). Quiznos’ vice-president in charge of quality control.S. Daigle decided Quiznos had to take the extra step of satisfying itself that the new sandwiches were actually being built to specifications. as discussed in much greater detail below. of pre-cooked prime rib. Mr. As mentioned above. weigh the meat. with equivalent proportions for larger versions). and record and report the meat’s weight. on the small Subway. The seeds of this case were planted in the summer of 2006. Mr.000-plus U. 5 . the small Prime Rib Philly Cheesesteak is supposed to be made with 5 oz. Subway. The mystery shopper would then pick up the sandwich. and therefore did in fact have twice the meat of Subway’s.5 oz. take off all the onions. the Prime Rib Philly Cheesesteak. after these processes. Despite the fact that this claim was demonstrably true based simply on the specifications of each sandwich (5 oz. which would be touted as having “more than twice the meat” of a comparable Subway sandwich. when Quiznos decided to begin an aggressive national advertising campaign targeting its main competitor. to be placed on the small Quiznos sandwich.
Exhibit 71. was in charge of training his field operators to be the mystery shoppers. and it appears that Mr. the results were re-classified as “Not 100% intentional.” Exhibit 64. Daigle. then the Quiznos vice-president for field operations. Daigle dated September 19. 2) check the job aids (the actual in-store specifications on how to build sandwiches) to see if they had been altered. See also Exhibit 41. Despite the fact that this e-mail was sent to Mr. including Defendants’. they were to do a second test “the next day or by the end of next week. and franchisees like Defendants were defaulted or terminated based on a single test of a single sandwich weighed on a single day. If mystery shoppers discovered a sandwich with less than 4.5 oz. George Wooten. None of the Quiznos witnesses could explain this re-classification. and 3) ask the person who made the sandwich how much meat he/she put on it.5 oz.” E-mail from G. in writing. Daigle and his legal department were entirely unaware of it. Mr. that if a sandwich failed the test (that is. Whether aware or unaware. He instructed all of them. someone at Quiznos did some sort of re-examination of the “intentionality” findings by the mystery shoppers. as with many others. they were instructed to make three inquiries regarding whether the shortage was “intentional’: 1) check the store scale to see if it had been altered. the meat weighed less than 4. In Defendants’ case. 2006. Many of the results originally reported as “intentional” under-portioning. There was one additional and important piece of evidence about the “intentionality” inquiry by the mystery shoppers. 6 . these second field tests were never done. At some unspecified time after all the field tests were completed and the results reported and recorded.). Wooten to M. Daigle and the legal department never considered this re-assessment in their dealings with Defendants.. were re-classified as something less than intentional.
. and those “intentionally” at or above 4 oz and below 4. but who were nevertheless terminated for intentional under-portioning.5 oz. When field personnel began to complain about the idea of terminating franchisees based on these tests..0 oz. and curable notices of default to every franchisee who tested at or above 4 oz.” Wooten then passed that information on to the field in writing.5 oz. so franchisees like Defendants. but less than 4. Conversely.5 oz. In terms of taking action in response to the test results. which did not distinguish between franchisees “unintentionally” below 4 oz. Mr. By the way. Daigle and the legal department did not follow their own protocol.. and the initial actions taken by Quiznos. there was only a single form notice of termination. and nevertheless received a notice of default rather than a notice of termination. Daigle testified that he decided he would have his staff automatically send out facially non-curable notices of termination to every franchisee whose tests resulted in a weight of less than 4 oz.5 oz. Several of these franchisees tested as low as 2. however.5. the shortage was “intentional” as determined by the mystery shopper’s three-step process described above. it misrepresented the details of the protocol to other Quiznos officials. and who were nevertheless defaulted. Wooten that no franchisee would be terminated except for an “egregious shortage. in which case even franchisees in the 4. who were at 4. were not informed in the notice of any allegations of intentional under-portioning. adding that in his view an “egregious shortage” 7 .range would be terminated. Neither Mr. That Exhibit shows that there were many franchisees (by my count at least 32) who tested below 4 oz. in this latter range. Daigle nor any other Quiznos witness could explain these results. the legal department told Mr. In actual application. Not only did the legal department not enforce the protocol consistently. Exhibit 67 is a summary of the final weights of some of the tests.0 to 4. Mr. there were a handful of franchisees who tested at 4. unless.
Mr. if franchisees contacted Mr. Exhibit 49. what the real difference was between a curable notice of default and a purportedly non-curable notice of termination.2 So Mr. and I find. Quiznos still sent notices of termination to approximately 300 franchisees. is that both notices were just for show. never took place. 8 . No Quiznos witness could adequately explain the difference. Daigle designed and (albeit inconsistently) implemented. Mr. which.S. and that the notice of termination would be rescinded if they passed a future third-party inspection. Daigle’s staff would automatically send them a form e- mail advising them that in fact they did not need to stop operations. more than 7% of its total number of U. 3 This third-party inspection is not to be confused with Mr. Defendants were the only responding franchisees who were not given a chance to have the termination rescinded if they passed a third-party inspection. Daigle at the e-mail address or phone number contained in the last sentence of the notice of termination (in which they were invited to contact Quiznos with any questions). as discussed below. Daigle also testified that Quiznos really had no interest in terminating any franchisees without giving them an opportunity to get back into compliance. But of course that was not at all an accurate description of the protocol Mr. Daigle developed the following procedure to deal with franchisees who failed the test: Even though the notices of termination were on their face unconditional and unequivocal. Wooten’s second round of field tests.would be something as low as 3. that this whole charade of “terminating” and “defaulting” franchisees who failed the field test was just that—a charade—driven not by Quiznos’ genuine concern about whether its franchisees were making sandwiches to spec. One or two never responded and were therefore terminated. It is clear to me. so the difference between them didn’t matter. franchisees.3 In turns out that despite its inconsistent application of the Daigle protocol. as I did at trial. The reality. as mentioned above.0 oz. and demanded that the franchisee immediately stop operating. if in both cases franchisees could continue to operate and could cure. but rather by its overriding 2 One might therefore ask.
2006. according to Mr. But the public relations monster had to serve two masters—the action Quiznos took once it ferreted out non-complying franchisees had to look serious (otherwise what would Subway say?). Sanata’s reported results show that Mr. but I find that the mystery shopper was a Mr. Exhibit H. Daigle’s protocol. Quiznos’ summations of Mr. Sanata concluded that Defendants had intentionally shorted the meat on the sandwich—whether he discovered an altered scale or job aids. id. Exhibit 1. Eric Sanata. which it was not. Quiznos’ records are not entirely clear. Ordinarily. Sanata. but it couldn’t actually be serious. As a result. Sanata’s test form or any other notes he may have taken contemporaneous with the test. Sanata’s test results also indicated that he found Defendants had “intentionally” under-portioned the meat. More importantly. Daigle’s staff sent Defendants the form notice of termination. Exhibit H.public relations desire to be able to proceed with its national advertising campaign targeting Subway. What he did not count on was that franchisees like Defendants might actually take the notice of termination at face value. cf. Daigle came up with. Defendants would have gotten only a default notice. This explains the sort of non-termination termination process Mr.00 oz. E. Sanata measured Defendants’ sandwich meat at 4. But because the summary of Mr. we have no details about the particular test he performed (except to assume he attempted to comply with Messrs.. unless Quiznos was willing to lose a potentially huge number of non-complying franchisees. then. and that he visited Defendants’ store on September 20. or whether Defendants or an employee admitted under- 9 . Manning’s and Wooten’s instructions). Mr. we have no idea why Mr. Quiznos could not produce Mr. The Purported Termination of Defendants’ Franchise A mystery shopper visited Defendants’ store in late September 2006. Nor was either side able to locate Mr. Exhibit O.
there was no one home to accept the delivery because Defendants had already left to open their store. as was presumably true of all the notices of termination. ironically. Quiznos’ notice of termination of Defendants’ franchise was sent by overnight carrier.” Exhibit 1. Wednesday.” The notice of termination sent to Defendants. The carrier left a notice of attempted delivery. October 3. Defendants decided they should not open. and never instructed any employee to do so. Mr. erroneously stated that the mystery shopper had determined that Defendants were using only 4. shortly before they would otherwise drive to the store to open up. Piotrowski then made a seemingly innocuous. Defendants. but fateful. Moreover.portioning. decision. Not 10 . on the other hand. Quiznos in any event re-classified Defendants’ under- portioning as “Not 100% intentional. at around 9:00 a. But of course this number was the tested post-preparation weight that Quiznos used to infer that the actual starting weight was less than the required 5 ounces. Daigle at the address provided in the notice of termination—in which event he would have automatically received the form e-mail telling him not to close and that the termination would be rescinded if he passed a third-party inspection—Mr.00 oz. Rather than e- mailing Mr. as mentioned above.m. 2006.. The carrier attempted delivery at Defendants’ home on the morning of Tuesday. but. and Defendants actually received the notice in the morning of the next day. 2006. October 4. Aware that both the notice of termination itself and the terms of the 6309 Agreement required them to shut the store immediately upon a notice of termination. As with all of the notices of termination. of meat “in preparing the sandwich. I believed that testimony. Piotrowski instead called the telephone number that was also listed in the notice of termination as an alternative method of contact. both testified that they never intentionally under- portioned any of their sandwiches.
sometime around 11:30 a.m. Because Quiznos did not return any of their calls or the Help Desk e-mail. Exhibit I. Those messages are in evidence in the form of transcripts. Daigle.” a Quiznos information service provided to franchisees (thus repeating his initial “mistake” of not using the Daigle e-mail provided in the notice of termination). Piotrowski reiterated the substance of his earlier calls. namely that he had closed his store pursuant to the notice of termination and was awaiting written communication from Mr.. and requested a return call. the Help Desk and other Quiznos officials whose numbers they knew. on the whole. No one ever returned any of 11 . unrelentingly and unsuccessfully. Daigle. and never having anyone return any message. I find that those messages were. Defendants’ messages grew more and more frantic and frustrated. at least early on. and having already turned away some lunch customers. the notice erroneously claimed the test showed the sandwich started out at 4. Mr. and on one occasion Ms. They continued. after an hour of leaving phone messages.m. denied any under-portioning. Piotrowski e-mailed the Quiznos’ “Help Desk. Defendants decided to go ahead and open up the store. Blickman. at least 20 times). given that Defendants’ livelihood had apparently just been snatched away by a letter claiming that an unidentified person had on one occasion detected an unidentified worker at Defendants’ store under-portioning the meat on a single sandwich by a full ounce (remember. never getting through to anyone. Daigle and other Quiznos officials throughout the rest of the day (by my count. remarkably restrained.surprisingly—because presumably dozens if not hundreds of franchisees were also calling that number—Mr. to call Mr.). He. Mr. Most of these messages. and some of them were preserved audially in Exhibit W. continued to call Mr. and left a message.00 oz. At 10:00 a. simply stated that Defendants had closed their store in compliance with the notice of termination. Exhibit J. Piotrowski could not get through to a live person.
Daigle. Daigle told Mr. finally. had been informed about the threatened press conference. who then forwarded it to Daigle. By the way.4 That. Piotrowski advised Quiznos that Defendants were going to hold a press conference and complain about Quiznos’ treatment of them. Piotrowski left with someone other than Mr.m. It was not the stock e-mail inviting franchisees to open back up and qualify for a rescission of the termination if they passed an inspection. through a message Mr. Daigle invited Defendants to continue operating the store. At one point. 12 . “In case you are interested. Piotrowski also threatened to file a grievance against Mr. Piotrowski that he. Mr. Mr. by inference. this reference to mitigation makes no sense. Instead. Mr. Piotrowski an e-mail.” Id.their calls. seems to have been around 5:00 p. that suggestion could never have been made because no one from Quiznos ever responded to any of Defendants’ inquiries. Defendants’ messages grew more and more desperate and aggressive. Mr. Exhibit 25. until this response by Mr. Daigle’s claim. In that same e-mail. Daigle. At what. Daigle had already decided not to give Defendants a chance to avoid the termination. Daigle. If 4 In later e-mails sent after Mr. and that Quiznos would not tolerate any defamation or other harm. following is the text of the e-mail you would have received had you taken the time to send me an e-mail as the support staff here suggested. Mr. As discussed below. Mr. I find that no Quiznos support staff had ever suggested to Defendants that they should send an e-mail instead of call. indeed. Daigle finally sent Mr. Defendants’ time (eight hours after getting the notice of termination). but only to mitigate damages. without distinguishing between them. Daigle’s attention. Daigle then inserted into the body of the e-mail the stock e-mail sent to every other inquiring terminated franchisee. seemed to get Mr. contrary to Mr. Daigle then wrote. Daigle. And of course the body of the notice of termination invites inquiries either by e-mail or telephone.
a breaching party to continue to operate under an agreement that has purportedly been terminated is not mitigating damages. Despite the commencement of this litigation. and Defendants passed the inspection. it is waiving one’s right to terminate. 2006) Quiznos commenced this action against Defendants. since all 300 of these franchisees were lawfully terminated. Quiznos sent a third-party inspector to Defendants’ store later in October.” When I asked him to explain to me. in the end. Daigle got mad at Defendants because Mr. two days later (on October 6. he testified that he did not know. He decided not only not to accommodate Defendants. Mr. Despite that passed inspection. then it is Quiznos that suffered damage and Quiznos that had a duty to mitigate those damages. if terminating franchisees was never the intention of the field tests. Daigle not only did not invite a third-party inspection and rescission of the termination. But it is quite clear to me what happened. seeking liquidated damages. Indeed. Mr. Quiznos did not rescind its notice of termination or withdraw this lawsuit. Daigle decided at that instant that he would not afford Defendants the same opportunity he had afforded every other of the roughly 300 franchisees who were terminated. In any event. Daigle testified that in his view. whether he chose to reinstate any one of them was entirely a matter of whether he wished to “accommodate” them. and Mr. except perhaps that the field operations folks simply did not know what the legal department had done. Permitting. Piotrowski. given the same opportunity as everyone else to pass the inspection and get the termination rescinded.Quiznos terminated Defendants because Defendants breached the 6309 Agreement. Mr. why Defendants were not. 13 . but to cause them to be sued for damages two days later. Piotrowski threatened to call a news conference. Mr. indeed encouraging. and for reasons no one at Quiznos could explain. Daigle testified he treated Defendants in this singular way because he “was done with Mr.
Defendants continued to use the same operating account post-termination. such as paper products and plastic utensils. The Post-Termination Shadow Land After being invited to “mitigate damages” by remaining open despite the termination. especially toward the end of this shadow period. Quiznos even went so far as to physically bar Defendants from a regular marketing meeting they attempted to attend after the purported termination. Most significantly. 14 . but Quiznos stopped taking its royalties and fees (though during trial Quiznos’ 5 Actually. Before termination. nearby customers interested in finding the Quiznos location closest to them were directed to other locations. Defendants began what ended up being a 14-month period of operating their store in a Kafkaesque kind of shadow land between approved Quiznos franchisee and terminated franchisee/civil defendant. but restored them a week later. Quiznos automatically withdrew those amounts from Defendants’ operating account. As a result. I find that. Quiznos stopped supplying Defendants with many. The evidence was mixed as to whether Quiznos also cut off Defendants from non-food supplies. and in fact that Defendants were forced to buy many non-food products from other franchisees. This no doubt caused a serious drop in trade. but it cut off Defendants from the Help Line and from all other sources of official information. and to hold themselves out as a Quiznos restaurant. Quiznos continued to allow Defendants to buy food from its authorized supplier. of the non-food supplies necessary to operate the franchise. though not all. Quiznos removed Defendants’ location from their 1-800 and on-line store locator. Quiznos cut off food sales to Defendants immediately after termination. Perhaps the strangest element of this shadow existence was that Quiznos stopped taking its royalties and advertising fees. F.5 to use Quiznos’ trade and service marks.
So we have this schizophrenic behavior by Quiznos in which it claims in a court-filed complaint that Defendants have breached the 6309 Agreement and that Quiznos has lawfully terminated it. Piotrowski testified weighed heavily in Defendants’ ultimate decision to close the store as a Quiznos store. There had been at least two general food recalls in the news. confused manner in which Mr. and were unable to advertise it because they were also getting no advertising materials. or worse still waiving its claim of a lawful termination. As mentioned above. and the single most apparent way to mitigate those damages was to collect royalties and advertising fees. confused. Defendants were not getting any notices from Quiznos about recalled food product. This ambiguous. But of course Quiznos did not want to be seen as ratifying Defendants’ post-termination operations. who owed a duty to mitigate damages. It was this lack of communication that Mr. and Defendants were unable to sell it because they received no specifications for it. behavior was in some ways merely a continuation the ambiguous. not Defendants. and yet Quiznos invites Defendants to continue to operate and half-supplies them with the things they need to succeed. and Defendants were unwilling to run the risk that they might be selling food that had been recalled by Quiznos. Daigle conceived the whole non-termination termination program. More importantly. by collecting post-termination royalties and advertising fees. it was Quiznos. There was at least one new sandwich unveiled by Quiznos during this time. including new products.counsel complained about Defendants’ failure to pay those royalties and fees). Defendants were not informed about any new developments. This failure to collect royalties and fees is a symptom of how profoundly confused Quiznos’ legal department was about the nature of this shadow period. 15 . Because Quiznos stopped communicating with Defendants entirely. if Quiznos’ termination of Defendants had been lawful.
but a matter of acting reasonably in mitigation. and as a result Defendants were not required to perform any of their post-termination obligations. and up until the purported termination the overall economic picture is that Defendants were generally able to stop the decline. At this point let me address Quiznos’ causation argument—that Defendants had never done well. I find that Defendants were eminently reasonable in accepting Quiznos’ bizarre invitation to continue. I reject Quiznos’ interpretation of the economic evidence. Graphs 1. and their own hard work. That is. Piotrowski operated it. But even as a matter of causation. Defendants were forced to close their store as a Quiznos store in December 2007. this is not a matter of causation at all. this argument is legally unsound because I conclude Quiznos unlawfully terminated the 6309 Agreement. 2 and 3 to Defendants’ economic expert’s report. and that if anything they went on too long and with too much hope in the ability of the product’s sheer quality. they operated in this shadow state for almost twice as long as they operated as a full-blown Quiznos franchise. But in fact the picture started to turn around a little right before the sale to Defendants. to translate into success. and that Quiznos’ semi-cooperation in the shadow period had nothing to do with Defendants’ decision to shut down the store as a Quiznos store. 16 . as discussed below. First. Sterner owned it and Mr. I find that Defendants were forced to close their store by Quiznos’ half-support. that the store was on a downward decline from the moment they bought it. It is true that this store had suffered steep and accelerating declines by virtually all measures of economic health (weekly and monthly adjusted and unadjusted gross revenue. except to mitigate their damages. Indeed. weekly and monthly adjusted and unadjusted net revenue) during the period when Mr. I find that as a direct result of this non-support from Quiznos. admitted as Exhibit 93.
Sterner’s wage overhead by working at the store themselves. Defendants may have been able to hobble along in shadow land indefinitely. I do not believe Defendants must prove they closed their new operation because of Quiznos. would have been the proximate cause of Defendants’ unmitigated losses. in no small part because of the increasing demands of this litigation. They remodeled. at this point Quiznos was officially out of the picture. Defendants operated this store until August 2008. at Graph 4. but actually to improve net revenues—not to Sterner’s high but. Id. But the important point is that they were not legally obligated to do so. Yes. indeed. Id. and reopened the store in May 2008 as the American Sub Sandwich Shop. on average. And of course Zig Zag and Defendants remain liable on the SBA loan. at Graph 3. They reduced the discounts. G. The way they did that was largely through their own hard work. removing all Quiznos-identifying material. pulling out modest wages and salaries and wondering what new sandwiches and food recalls they were missing. becomes mitigation. They cut Mr. at Graph 5. By these and other methods Defendants managed not only to continue the turn around that Sterner had begun. Defendants still didn’t give up. shadow and all. Again. Zig Zag remains liable on the lease. Quiznos terminated their franchise (unlawfully). in ordinary circumstances. The question. Out of the Shadows Even after closing the store as a Quiznos store. and it was that termination that. selling sandwiches of their own design and buying food and paper products from their own independent suppliers. Id. again. above the levels they inherited. But the economics are only a part of this picture. and as with their operation of the Quiznos store in the shadow 17 . They cannot be punished for accepting Quiznos’ shadow invitation to mitigate. at which time they chose to close it. full-time.
H. and that that variability directly and fatally infected the reliability of the test. First. either as between the shoppers or even a given shopper as between different sandwiches. and which in combination rendered it laughably unreliable. Defendants’ Disparagement of Quiznos Quiznos introduced evidence that both before and after Defendants’ purported termination in October 2006. as discussed in more detail below. Quiznos failed to prove that any disparagement so materially impaired their goodwill that they were justified in terminating Defendants because of it. the random manner it happened to melt into the meat. Moreover. The Unreliability of the Mystery Shopper Test I find that the mystery shopper test was completely unreliable. I agree with Quiznos that many of these postings were disparaging. I find that Defendants acted reasonably in attempting to mitigate their damages by operating a non-Quiznos sub shop in that same location.period. The test suffered from a host of design. I. and certainly insufficient to be the basis of a decision as important as whether to terminate a franchisee. operational and statistical defects. Piotrowski posted numerous messages on a web site dedicated to having Quiznos franchisees air their grievances. would have enormous variability. Mr. the notion that these mystery shoppers could pull the melted cheese from the meat in anything close to a reproducible fashion. 18 . It doesn’t take an expert to recognize that the way in which the cheese was placed on the meat. each one of which rendered it unreliable. but I also find they had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Quiznos’ decision to terminate Defendants’ franchise. and of course the particular practices of the mystery shopper as he/she attempted this impossible task. is preposterous.
Id. the time a given sandwich spent under the toaster. and the temperature of the toaster. Those variables. 19 . In fact. by weighing the meat after it was cooked further in the au jus and toasted. as several witnesses confirmed. Of course. including Defendants’ cooking expert. and with subjects well-versed in the protocol. of course. But if the sandwich was the last in a long line made during a rush period. in one case (test #3) Mr. 6 Quiznos specifications in some places say the prime rib must be placed in the au jus for 20 seconds. about 70% of the time. Manning’s test makes a host of assumptions about the amount the tested meat will shrink. I agree with Defendants’ cooking expert that these variables render the test’s attempt to reverse engineer the original weights virtually worthless. Thus.6 the temperature of the au jus. Manning’s own second set of controlled tests—designed to confirm the test’s reliability after complaints from field personnel—actually showed how unreliable this pulling- cheese-from-meat step really was. more than enough to have caused an otherwise perfectly complying franchisee to test as non-compliant under the Daigle/Manning standards. none of which Manning measured or otherwise attempted to control for.” Both Defendants testified they often left the meat in the au jus for substantially longer than 20 seconds for customers who expressed a preference for well done meat. In fact. his test subjects did just that. Mr. Exhibit 83 (that portion marked Exhibit C). despite the strict directives not to pull any meat off with the cheese. the amount of time the batch was pre-cooked. Manning’s test subject pulled off 0. include the amount of fat in a given batch of prime rib. it can quickly get out of spec. 7 Quiznos’ specifications allow a range from 160° to 180° for the temperature of the au jus. His results show unequivocally that. even under his ideal and controlled conditions.7 the vigor with which a particular sandwich-maker pressed on the meat to drain the au jus from it. and the variables that determine that shrinkage. even if the au jus starts out at a temperature within specifications. of meat. placing cold meat into hot au jus will not only heat up the meat but also cool down the au jus. but in other places say “at least 20 seconds.5 oz. Mr. Defendants’ expert testified a starting au jus temperature of 160° could drop as low as 130°. the temperature of the au jus could have been be as high as 180°. Second. the time the meat was placed in the au jus. If the meat a mystery shopper happened to weigh was on a sandwich made during a slow period.
5 oz. The supervisor responded that this was “interesting.5 oz. She reported these results to her Quiznos supervisor..” Exhibit 73. Quiznos had a responsibility to consider whether it could make any reliable inferences from the single test of a single sandwich. it was not). She confirmed that the franchisees were using the required 5 oz. which should have been apparent to anyone. Quiznos’ own field personnel complained about the unreliability of the test. after the au jus and toasting. These are not just theoretical problems thrown up by counsel and experts post hoc in the heat of litigation. as discussed above. Id. Mr. statistical significance or any of the statistical inquiries one would expect if one party seriously intended to terminate the contract rights of another based on a single sample of a product made thousands of times during the life of a 20 . recommend a termination for anything I saw today. benchmark.” but that he did not have any instructions for her about how to deal with this problem.. a Quiznos franchise support official.” Exhibit 43. Brian Savage.75 oz. Manning and reported that he and other team members conducted their own field tests and saw meat shrinkage of up 1. For example. Savage ended his e-mail with this sentence: “I could not. There was no evidence about standard deviation.. and which became apparent in the field to the mystery shoppers themselves. If the test were intended to be serious (which. Quite apart from these substantial design and operational defects. she asked the franchisees to make another sandwich and let her weigh the meat both before and after the au jus and toasting stages. but that in both cases the meat tested at less than the 4. the test simply fails as an exercise of statistical reliability. confidence intervals. in good conscience. suggesting that perhaps the meat “just had a part of a body that had a lot of fat that melted away [during au jus and toasting]. One of Quiznos’ mystery shoppers reported that after field tests in two locations resulted in weights below 4. e-mailed Mr. which of course would obliterate the Daigle/Manning 4 oz.
and there was no basis for Quiznos to have concluded. or testimony. there is absolutely no basis for me to conclude. level. As I indicated in my colloquy with counsel during closing arguments. But more importantly. Remember. that is more than 7% of all of Quiznos domestic franchisees.0 oz. With no test forms. let me also address the argument. this argument that the test must be reliable because the results are distributed as expected misperceives the statistical issue. Defendants’ meat tested at 4. so they would never have been terminated but for Mr. these statistical inquiries are absolutely mandatory before Quiznos could confidently say that a franchisee was under-portioning based on a single sample. Sanata’s determination of intentionality was reliable.0 oz. As I’ve already mentioned. Sanata’s conclusion that the under-portioning was intentional.franchise. that Mr.25%). hardly de minimus. That is. even if I believed that the Manning test protocol could reliably reverse engineer the amount of meat put on the sandwich before the au jus and toasting phases. notes. Before I leave the area of statistics. but of course the underlying “test” would be no test at all. and failing only those franchisees whose coin came up heads each of those four times. No discussion of the unreliability of the field tests would be complete without re-visiting the mystery shoppers’ conclusions about whether any under-portioning was intentional. 21 . that the field test was proved reliable by the actual results of the test—Defendants being among a small number of franchisees found not above the 4. the same overall outcomes could have been achieved by flipping a coin four times. unless that protocol were demonstrably 100% reliable. In the first place. made by Quiznos’ counsel and some of the Quiznos witnesses. Three hundred franchisees were sent the pretend termination notice. this argument is wrong as a matter of fact.. This would have produced a similar failure rate (6. Expected outcomes are a necessary but not sufficient condition of reliability.
that Defendants have failed to prove their counterclaim for rescission of the 8859 Agreement. and my ruling that their counterclaim for breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing was not a stand-alone claim. seeking a return of their $25. it was both too strict and too forgiving for its real purpose. and not its larger versions. it is worth mentioning that this field test was not only unreliable. THE CLAIMS AND COUNTERCLAIMS Quiznos brings four claims for relief: 1) a claim for specific performance/injunctive relief. Defendants assert two counterclaims: 1) breach of the 6309 Agreement. III. It was too forgiving because it tested only the small Prime Rib Philly Cheesesteak. 2) a claim for breach of the 6309 Agreement.000 franchise fee for the 8859 store they never opened. seeking an injunction directing Defendants to refrain from disparaging Quiznos. would still meet the “more than twice the meat as Subway” tout. 22 . but that Defendants have proved their counterclaim for breach of the 6309 Agreement. CONCLUSIONS OF LAW ON LIABILITY For the reasons articulated below. 3) a declaratory judgment claim. seeking damages. seeking liquidated damages. seeking a declaration that Quiznos lawfully terminated the 6309 Agreement and that Defendants must comply with their post-termination obligations. Finally.8 After an amendment. and 4) a claim for breach of the 8859 Agreement. seeking liquidated damages. assuming any shrinkage during the au jus and toasting stages. I conclude that Quiznos has failed to prove any of its claims for relief. II. of meat. and 2) rescission of the 8859 Agreement. so even test weights as low as 4 oz. It was too strict because Subway’s competing sandwich was made with 2 oz.
194 P. 2008. Langlois v. although there is no doubt that many of Mr.” filed September 10. 78 P.. Piotrowski’s web postings did not “promote a good public image” of Quiznos as required by ¶ 11.1(b) of the 6309 Agreement. 2003). and 3) the injunction will not disserve the public interest. 2) the threatened injury outweighs the harm that the injunction might cause. Quiznos’ First Claim for Relief: Specific Performance/Injunction re Non- Disparagement The short reason this claim fails is that. App. 2008). Quiznos materially breached the 6309 Agreement by wrongfully terminating it.. Inc.3d 1154. either pre-termination or in the post- termination shadow period. App. Exhibits S and T. 8 This fourth claim for relief was not asserted in the original Complaint. It was added as part of Quiznos’ “Amended Reply to First Amended Counterclaims. and I therefore find and conclude that injunctive relief is simply not necessary to prevent any irreparable harm to Quiznos.3d 475. Piotrowski made every one of these disparaging postings while Defendants were operating their Quiznos franchise. 641 (Colo. See. In addition. and as a result may not now attempt to enforce it. 1158 (Colo. Mr. or that they were “disparage[ment]” within the meaning of the non-disparagement clause (¶ 9) of the Agreement and Conditional Consent to Transfer (part of Exhibit 2). Market Square Liquors. Quiznos’ material breach excused Defendants’ continued performance. App. Kaiser v. in order to sustain their claim for injunctive relief Quiznos must also prove that 1) irreparable harm will result in the absence of an injunction. 992 P. 1999). Here. Scott. Board of County Comm’rs.2d 636.2 below. A. e. There is absolutely no evidence that either Defendant disparaged Quiznos once they stopped operating the store as a Quiznos location in December 2007.A. as discussed in Part III. 480 (Colo.g. Saint John’s Church in Wilderness v. 23 . Quiznos’ Claims 1.
Quiznos’ Second Claim for Relief: Breach of the 6309 Agreement Quiznos has failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Defendants breached the 6309 Agreement. e. 273 (Colo. Nelson v. 908 P. In re Marriage of Hill. upon which they reasonably relied by continuing to operate to their detriment. The elements of promissory estoppel are: 1) a promise which the maker should reasonably expect to induce reliance. and indeed reminded Defendants of that requirement in the notice of termination itself. and is in any event estopped from making those claims.. See. Quiznos made a promise to Defendants that they could continue to operate.3d 269. Quiznos was of course well aware of its right to require Defendants to cease operating upon termination. Defendants have proved each of these elements. As a preliminary matter. I conclude that by permitting Defendants to continue to operate as a Quiznos outlet. The detriment is 24 . On the contrary. App. Elway. Quiznos is also estopped from terminating Defendants. not Defendants. breached the 6309 Agreement by wrongfully terminating Defendants. 110 (Colo. 166 P. continue to use Quiznos’ trademarks. when the notice of termination and ¶ 18. 2) which in fact does induce detrimental reliance.g. 2.2d 102. and 3) in circumstances which would make it unjust not to enforce the promise. service marks and goodwill. 1995). and is proved by the person asserting waiver by demonstrating that the other party acted inconsistently with an assertion of the right. Quiznos proceeded by instructing Defendants they could continue to operate—that is. Waiver is the intentional relinquishment of a known right. 2007). and continue representing itself as a Quiznos franchise— an instruction clearly inconsistent with Quiznos’ claimed right to terminate Defendants. I conclude that Quiznos. Even Defendants reminded Quiznos of it in their own telephone calls and e-mails. Quiznos waived its right to terminate Defendants and to seek damages for breach.7(b) of the 6309 Agreement specifically required Defendants to cease operating.
let alone materially impaired it. the precise question under this claim is whether Quiznos has proved that it acted reasonably in determining that Defendants materially impaired Quiznos’ goodwill. Quiznos has failed to prove that it had grounds to terminate Defendants. See. Denver Options.5 oz. when Quiznos was perfectly happy having Defendants continue to operate their shop as a Quiznos outlet for 14 additional months.” Quiznos failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Defendants engaged in any conduct that impaired Quiznos’ goodwill at all.that Defendants spent 14 additional months of their lives in the shadow period. 725-26 (Colo. 2003)... It was unreasonable for Quiznos to send out the notice of termination based on its palpably unreliable field test of a single sandwich on a single 25 . Paragraph 18. too little meat. Thus. or the conclusions it drew about them. is necessarily overlain with an implied requirement that the discretion be exercised reasonably. Let me begin with the phrase “in the sole judgment of [Quiznos]” contained in ¶ 18. In my judgment.g. The answer to that question is a resounding no. It is well-settled that language like this. App. in the sole judgment of [Quiznos]. but with absolutely no continued interest in the quality of Defendants’ product. Even if Quiznos has not waived this claim and is not estopped from asserting it. as pertinent here. it would be profoundly unjust to allow Quiznos to recover damages for Defendants’ alleged breach in making one sandwich with 0. 60 P. when they were getting at best only half-hearted support from Quiznos. Inc. materially impairs the goodwill associated with [Quiznos’ trademarks and service marks]. Defendants engage “in conduct that.2(c). There was nothing reasonable about any of the actions Quiznos took against these Defendants.3d 717. Omedelena v. purporting to give a contracting party limitless discretion in deciding whether facts exist upon which to base a termination decision. e. working 12-hour days six and seven days a week.2(c) of the 6309 Agreement permits Quiznos to terminate Defendants only if.
merely because he was offended at Defendants’ threats to go public with the true nature of this Potemkin village field test. It was. Wooten ordered.day. they had no continuing duty to refrain from disparaging Quiznos. 26 . It was unreasonable for Quiznos to maintain this claim after its own personnel determined that Defendants’ alleged under-portioning was “Not 100% intentional. It was unreasonable for Mr. unsupportable. to decide that Defendants. in the larger context of what happened in this case. and apparently without even knowing about that order for re-testing. It was unreasonable for Quiznos’ legal department to cause this suit to be filed against Defendants two days later. Quiznos’ purported termination of Defendants had nothing whatever to do with any disparagement. and indeed false. This argument also fails. and then stubbornly to single out Defendants in an instant of in-house pique. so this claim fails as a matter of law to the extent it is based on any post-termination disparagement. allegations that any under-portioning was intentional. and on the basis of such flimsy and palpably unreliable evidence. might not be able to get through by telephone. when the notice invited either. like Defendants. It was unreasonable for Quiznos not to anticipate that frantic franchisees. without conducting any of the re-testing that Mr. It was unreasonable for Quiznos not to return any of Defendants’ telephone messages or their Help Line e-mail.” and after Defendants passed the inspection done by independent third-parties. unreasonable for Quiznos to put its franchisees’ livelihoods at risk so cavalierly. like Defendants. Once Defendants were wrongfully terminated. It was unreasonable for Quiznos not to anticipate that some franchisees. Daigle. might respond to the notice of termination by calling instead of e-mailing. Quiznos alternatively argues that it had a right to terminate Defendants because of Defendants’ disparagement. would not receive his benevolence. It was unreasonable for Quiznos to terminate Defendants on the basis of unsupported. and Defendants alone.
since Quiznos waived that requirement by waiting two-and-a-half years after its expiration to assert this claim. Quiznos’ Fourth Claim for Relief: Rescission of the 8859 Agreement Quiznos has failed to prove that Defendants violated the 8859 Agreement by failing to begin operations under that Agreement within 12 months after its execution. however. I do. Quiznos has not proved that any of Defendants’ disparagement materially impaired Quiznos’ goodwill. and 27 . In fact. Quiznos did not produce a single customer. this claim also fails because Quiznos has not proved any damages. without following up and establishing a new deadline. It also waived that requirement by specifically notifying Defendants they need not worry about the 12- month deadline. In any event.2(c). as is required for termination under ¶ 18. Defendants expressed concern to Quiznos about the deadline. and that the proper remedy is simply for Quiznos to retain the $25.000 franchise fee Defendants paid under that Agreement. 3. Quiznos’ Third Claim for Relief: Declaratory Judgment that Quiznos Lawfully Terminated the 6309 Agreement For all of the reasons I have already articulated in rejecting Quiznos’ claim for breach. Piotrowski’s disparaging postings. Indeed. or any other non-Quiznos witness to prove that the disparagement impaired Quiznos’ goodwill. some four months after the 12-month deadline had already expired. As discussed in Part I. 4. the evidence was not at all clear that the website on which these disparaging remarks were posted was even accessible by the public.B above. in April 2006. Quiznos has not proved that its goodwill was damaged at all by Mr. conclude. Moreover. It breached it by wrongfully terminating Defendants. It did not lawfully terminate that Agreement. that the parties terminated the 8859 Agreement by their mutual abandonment of it. I also reject its claim that it lawfully terminated the 6309 Agreement. prospective franchisee.
Quiznos never took any action to assert its rights under that deadline until long after it brought this action. does not itself provide for any remedy for its breach. As also discussed above. save its unsuccessful attempts to help Defendants find a location. Second. Even if it had not waived its right to rescind the 8859 Agreement. I certainly do not think it “proper” to award Quiznos anything other than retention of its $25. no one from Quiznos ever contacted Defendants again to re-set that already expired deadline. This conclusion is reinforced by the plain and unambiguous language of the very liquidated damage provision on which Quiznos relies. I conclude that these actions and inactions by Quiznos amounted to a waiver of their right to terminate the 8859 Agreement for Defendants’ failure to begin operations in 12 months.” with some subsequent limitations not pertinent to this issue. and then only in response to Defendants’ counterclaims for rescission of the 8859 Agreement. That provision.3 of the Agreement. states: [I]f this Agreement is terminated because of a Franchisee default. Quiznos is not entitled to the liquidated damages it seeks under ¶ 21. Exhibit 27.3. at ¶ 21.Quiznos informed them that they need not worry about it. provides that “the court will have the right to award any relief which it deems proper. Indeed.3. 28 . when Quiznos never became obligated for any operational assistance and in fact. is not out one penny. Franchisee shall be liable to Franchisor for a lump sum amount equal to the net present value of the Royalties and Marketing and Promotion Fees that would have become due following termination of this Agreement for the period this Agreement would have remained in effect but for the Franchisee’s default. the general remedies provision. it is important to recognize that the provision in which this 12-month deadline is contained.9.000 franchise fee for terminating this agreement. ¶ 6. Royalties and Marketing and Promotion Fees for purposes of this Section shall be calculated based on the Restaurant’s average monthly Gross Sales for the twelve (12) months preceding the termination date. also in ¶ 21. First.
I address damages in Part IV below. That is. ¶ 21. by their inaction—Quiznos in waiving the 12-month deadline then never re-setting a new one.3 (emphasis added). and of course because Defendants never opened a restaurant under the 8859 Agreement there are no historical royalties and fees. Quiznos is therefore entitled to retain the $25. but is not entitled to any other damages. DEFENDANTS’ DAMAGES FOR QUIZNOS’ BREACH OF THE 6309 AGREEMENT I conclude that Defendants have proved their entitlement to rescissional-type damages as a remedy for Quiznos’ wrongful termination of the 6309 Agreement. I also conclude that that breach was material and substantial. I conclude that Quiznos did breach it by wrongfully terminating Defendants. Defendants’ Counterclaim for Breach of the 6309 Agreement For all the reasons I have already articulated in concluding that Defendants did not breach the 6309 Agreement. these liquidated damages are to be based exclusively on historical royalties and fees. B.8859 Agreement. I conclude that Defendants have failed to prove that they are entitled to rescission of that Agreement. 2. IV. and that the proper amount of 29 . What I find really happened with the 8859 Agreement is that both parties. and the measure of these damages is therefore zero. and Defendants in never opening the 8859 location—mutually abandoned it. Defendants’ Counterclaim for Rescission of the 8859 Agreement For all the reasons I have already articulated in concluding that Defendants and Quiznos mutually abandoned the 8859 Agreement. Defendants’ Counterclaims 1. A breach doesn’t get more material or substantial than wrongfully terminating a contract.000 franchise fee.
. 826 (Colo. This hardly gave Defendants the time they needed to establish a reliable economic baseline on which to ground traditional contract damages. the injury irreparable and ordinary contract damages inadequate. 1995). as I have already concluded. that ordinary contract damages are impossible or difficult to assess. App. contract damages should be based on the benefit-of-the-bargain measure.” though the modern rule in the majority of states. fees. and has made the calculation of those traditional damages difficult if not impossible. 193 P. The Proper Measure of Damages Ordinarily.. Consult. Holmes.those damages is $349. Inc. and perhaps most significantly.00. 30 . v. 1985). 118 (Colo. Here. is that such damages may be recovered if they can be proved with reasonable certainty. Inc. damages that do not just return the parties to the moment before the breach.797.2d 113. Quiznos’ breach was of course substantial. EarthInfo. and post-judgment interest at the contract rate of 24%. and that in any event such damages would be inadequate.g. However. that is. but return them to the moment before the contract was even entered into. it is also well-settled in Colorado that when a breach is substantial. Quiznos wrongfully terminated the 6309 Agreement after Defendants had only operated their store for a little over eight months. difficult or impossible to assess. A. including Colorado. First. v. e.2d 334. 2008). July Corp. See. they should restore the claimant to the position he would have been in had the other party not breached. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. I also conclude that the injuries to Defendants were irreparable. International Tech. that is. plus costs. the traditional rule had been that lost profits were not recoverable at all for a “new business. 900 P. v. Hydrosphere Res. 339 (Colo. Indeed. For many reasons peculiar to the facts of this case.3d 821. Ralston Oil & Gas Co. rescissional damages may be awarded. 719 P..
The short period Defendants operated pre-termination also means that rescissional damages will not unduly distort the parties’ expectations by winding things back for a substantially longer period than would be the case if ordinary contract damages were awarded. It seems hardly just. v. 1 RECOVERY OF DAMAGES FOR LOST PROFITS § 4. It is precisely because Quiznos wrongfully terminated Defendants’ operations so soon that. in my judgment.3 (6th ed. Quiznos. as here. But of course when. 1983). the newness of the business makes it difficult to establish traditional damages. was itself interfered with by Quiznos’ failure to support the store fully. when Quiznos’ lack of support was just a schizophrenic continuation of their wrongful termination. As Defendants’ damages expert put it. it is more appropriate to try to return Defendants to the moment before they entered into the 6309 Agreement. Inc. ended up destroying 31 . 678 P. both through their wrongful termination and then through their failure to support Defendants’ attempts at mitigation. DUNN.. and indeed must.. I recognize that Defendants’ damage expert expressed an alternate opinion on the amount of traditional damages. that difficulty is something I should. Second. and certainly inadequate.. take into consideration in deciding whether rescissional damages are more appropriate.2d 558 (Colo. with Quiznos’ permission and invitation. See generally ROBERT L. Engineering Meas. 2005). rather than to the moment eight months later when Quiznos wrongfully terminated it.Instr. Defendants’ attempt to mitigate their damages by continuing to operate the store post-termination. Co. to punish Defendants with speculative mitigation deductions from a traditional damage computation. but that opinion was fraught with all kinds of speculation endemic to the reality that Defendants did not operate the store long enough for any calculation of traditional contract damages to be sufficiently certain.
and clothes the court with virtually unlimited authority to award “any relief which it deems proper in the circumstances. a rescissional award is itself within the contemplation of the parties’ bargain. 32 . 6309 Agreement ¶ 21. Defendants did not have 12 months of operations. actually caused the failure of the business and therefore created the very circumstances in which Defendants could not continue the business and perhaps achieve a 12-month track record showing a taxable gain. this limitation was part of the parties’ bargain.” That is. Here.Defendants’ business. which in a business case is often the most significant component of the traditional measure.3. After all. I conclude that damages based on a rescission theory are the appropriate measure of damages in this case. Traditional damages are also inadequate because the parties contractually agreed to limit Defendants’ right to lost profits to one year’s worth of income. Even more importantly. Rescissional damages should not be a way to end-run damage limitations to which contracting parties have agreed. as measured by the 12 months immediately preceding the breach. So any traditional measure of contract damages would not include lost profits. and in fact in their eight months they reported a taxable loss.3 recognizes that only the “lost earnings and profits” component of damages is to be limited. not in one fell swoop but over an agonizing period of 14 months of slow kill. I agree with this description and conclusion. Let me now turn to the amount of those damages. I can see that in more ordinary circumstances a breaching party like Quiznos might legitimately object to a court considering a contractual damage limitation like this in making the decision of whether to award rescissional or traditional damages. Paragraph ¶ 21. The breaching party here. But these are not ordinary circumstances. the actual language of this limitation is non-exclusive. through its own refusal to support Defendants’ mitigation efforts. For all of these reasons.
§ 5- 12-103(1). 2. . advances. The Amount of Rescissional Damages Defendants’ damages expert calculated rescissional damages in four different categories: 1) recovery of Defendants’ direct investment in the restaurant. less their income from it. and 4) a category the expert calls “estimated absorbed management compensation. 1. since the parties agreed in their contract that “the defaulting party will pay the prevailing party . plus interest at the lesser of two percent (2%) per month or the highest commercial contract rate allowable by law accruing from the date of default. 33 . Direct Investments I agree with Defendants’ expert’s rather straightforward calculations that the amount of these direct investments is $190. this contract provision means the parties have agreed to interest. 2) recovery of their lost opportunity to invest in alternatives. however. or what the expert called “lost alternative investment opportunities.020. Since the maximum allowable interest in Colorado for non-consumer transactions is 45% per annum. . loans (including the SBA loan) and net operating loss (which was a gain because of the estimated liquidation value of the assets).” 6309 Agreement ¶ 23. both pre-judgment and post-judgment. 3) their liability on the real estate lease. .” Let me address each of these categories in order. less all the income Defendants derived from the operation of the restaurant. It does not include interest.” I disagree. . This amount consists of Defendants’ equity investments. with the expert’s use of the statutory interest rate of 8%. at an annual rate of 24%. B. all damages . Lost Opportunity I also agree with Defendants’ expert that Quiznos should pay Defendants what amounts to interest on their net direct investment.6.
3.096. I get a total for this item of $39. is $120. Lease I agree with Defendants’ expert that Defendants are entitled to be compensated for their liability on the real estate lease for the Coopersburg premises. let me address the fact that. Before I take up the next category of damages. a duty I presume he has under Pennsylvania law. Blickman are its only members and are married to each other. to no avail. I am almost certain this space will not remain un-rented for the next six years (the balance of the lease term). but disagree with the expert’s calculation of that liability. that the landlord has accelerated the payments due over the lease term. according to the landlord’s own testimony. Piotrowski and Ms. not to mention the specific area of the rust belt—central Pennsylvania’s Lehigh valley—in which this location sits. ¶ 14(d)(1). my most reasoned estimate about how much Defendants will owe to their landlord. Taking all these facts into consideration. Exhibit 8. The landlord would not hazard a guess about how long this space might remain vacant. that Mr. and therefore only Zig Zag is liable on it. On the other hand. Given that Zig Zag was created for the sole purpose of operating the Quiznos restaurant. I also cannot help to take notice of the generally weak state of the economy. and that all the 34 . but did testify that he has a larger space in the same area that has remained vacant for more than a year. When I use 24% instead of 8% in the calculations contained in Exhibit S3 to the expert’s supplemental report (Exhibit 95). On the one hand. Defendants never guaranteed the lease. after deducting for mitigation. and that that amount equals. It is true that the lease is now in default. $260. Quantifying this mitigation is very difficult.777. I believed Defendants’ testimony that they have been trying to sub-let the premises since August 2008. But this figure does not account for the landlord’s duty to mitigate by re-letting the premises.000. unlike with the SBA loan. and which in any event he has under the express terms of the lease.
Defendants made a choice to invest their sweat equity in this business. it seems to me that this item conflates rescission with the traditional measure of contract damages. I am not addressing. that is. Awarding Defendants the difference between the value of their labor as they chose to spend it and the value of how they could have spent it smacks of a benefit-of-the-bargain measure. But unlike the lost investment opportunity item. this item is intended to repay Defendants for the difference between what they pulled out in salaries and wages on the one hand and what they could have earned doing similar work for someone else. I think it would be unfair to require Quiznos to pay for that choice.other direct contributions seem to have been made by Defendants individually. I am simply saying that for purposes of awarding these rescissional damages. the question of whether the landlord could prevail on a piercing claim. I will therefore disallow the $18. not rescission. which is just a fancy phrase for interest on their investment. instead of earning more in the short-run working for someone else. I think it appropriate to disregard the corporate form at least for the purposes of this damage award. Defendants’ investment in this business must be unwound. Under the rescission measure I have adopted. or even speculating about. 35 . I will make the award to all three Defendants without distinguishing between them. Piotrowski and how much by Ms. Of course. Exhibit SU1 to Exhibit 96. Blickman. and an amount awarded today to represent that unwinding. I do not believe absorbed management compensation is an appropriate item of rescissional damage. Absorbed Management Compensation I understand this category to be the labor analog of lost investment opportunity. Moreover. 4.600 entry the expert attributes to this item. much as I have not distinguished between how much of the direct investments were made by Mr.
” Exhibit 2.797 C. Spencer Contract. See. 994 P. v.777 Costs of Default on Lease 120. City of Aurora. . Of course. D.C. ¶ 23. 5.2d 326. not Defendants. The 8859 Agreement has an identical fee-shifting provision. Coe v. e. the prevailing party is the party in whose favor a decision on contractual liability is rendered. 332 (Colo. 1994).796 (Colo. Inc.3d 794. Interest 36 .6 of the 6309 Agreement.R..P.. but because the parties mutually abandoned that Agreement. the prevailing party is entitled to costs under C. . Crady Davis Corp. 60 P.000 Total: $349. Quiznos is therefore the “defaulting party” and Defendants the “prevailing parties” within the meaning of ¶ 23. Dennis I. and both of their claims under that Agreement have failed. even in the absence of this provision. I have concluded that Quiznos. Conclusion on Rescissional Damages I conclude that Defendants have suffered the following items of rescissional damage: Item Amount Recovery of Direct Investments $190. App. . Under contractual fee-shifting provisions such as the one here. 2002). FEES AND COSTS The 6309 Agreement has an attorney fees clause that requires the “party in default” to pay the “prevailing party” all the attorney fees and costs “incurred by the prevailing party in any legal action or other proceeding as a result of such default .g.020 Interest (lost investment opportunity) 39.6. I conclude that neither party is the “prevailing party” with respect to the claims under the 8859 Agreement. 54(d).. Here. breached the 6309 Franchise Agreement.
JUDGMENT HEREBY ENTERS in favor of Defendants. in addition to the pre-judgment interest at this rate. on Defendants’ counterclaim for breach of the 6309 Agreement. which I have already awarded. 5. 2009.P. Ellen Blickman and Richard Piotrowski. 3. All of Quiznos’ claims against Defendants are HEREBY DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE. plus fees.R. CONCLUSION 1. As discussed in Part IV. to post-judgment interest at this same rate. and those filings shall be briefed in the ordinary course. Hoffman District Court Judge 37 . costs and post-judgment interest at the contract rate of 24% per annum. BY THE COURT: Morris B.A above. in the amount of $349. Defendants shall file a bill of costs and a motion and affidavit for fees by January 26.C. and against Plaintiff Quiznos Franchising II. the parties agreed in the 6309 Agreement to interest at the rate of 24%. LLC. DONE THIS 31ST DAY OF DECEMBER. 2008. Defendants’ counterclaim for rescission of the 8859 Agreement is HEREBY DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE. Zig Zag Restaurant. 4. 2009. LLC. V.797.00. Defendants are therefore entitled. 2. Any motions under C. 59 shall also be filed by January 26.
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