Opinion ID: 719608
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Unjust Enrichment Claim

Text: 148 Further, defendants' apparent view that, if there was no agreement that Brine would pay Rule reasonable royalties, the parties must have agreed that Brine would be obligated to make only the fixed monthly payments is specious. The jury would be free to infer that there simply was no meeting of the minds on either proposition. Just as Rule's belief that he would be paid reasonable royalties could not result in the contract he contends existed if that belief was an unexpressed secret intention, neither could an intention on the part of Brine to pay Rule no more than the monthly sums result in the contract that defendants contend existed if Brine's intention was not communicated to Rule. 149 In short, the evidence as to the statements Brine made to Rule and as to the parties' conduct over the years would permit the jury to reach any of at least three conclusions: (1) that the parties agreed that Brine would pay Rule reasonable royalties and that the fixed monthly sums were advances, with reasonable totals to be calculated at some later time; or (2) that the parties agreed that Brine would pay Rule only the fixed sums per month actually paid; or (3) that there was no meeting of the parties' minds as to the meaning of One dollar ($1.00) and other good and valuable consideration, with Rule believing that the fair-and-equitable-royalties interpretation of that term as expressed to him by Brine meant reasonable royalties on which he was to receive advance payments, and with Brine believing that that term meant only the fixed sums eventually paid. 150 If the jury reaches the third conclusion, it should then consider Rule's claim for recovery on a quantum meruit basis, and assess his contention that by manufacturing and selling products that use his inventions and refusing to pay him more than the monthly sums--or indeed to pay him any sums after 1990--Brine has been unjustly enriched. The district court's bifurcation order apparently ignored this possibility. That order required that Rule's contention that there was a contract for reasonable royalties be tried first and stated that, if the jury found in his favor on that issue, there would be a trial on damages. The order did not provide either for exploration of the quantum meruit claim at the first trial or for a later trial on that claim in the event that the jury found there was no contract. On remand, whether or not there is any other bifurcation, at least Rule's claims of breach of contract and unjust enrichment should be tried together.