Opinion ID: 77477
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Proposed Contract

Text: 18 The Banks first argue that the choice of law is determined by the English choice of law provision included in the proposed contract that ROC submitted to Zernavi, which Zernavi explicitly rejected and refused to sign. The district court found that in October 2003 the parties (OWC, ROC, and Zernavi) reached an agreement for Zernavi to provide certain victualing and food and beverage services to the Vessel, and agreed upon the pricing for the goods and services. However, the court found that the proposed contract did not represent the agreement of the parties, and Zernavi unequivocally rejected the proposed contract. The court found that because Zernavi had not agreed to any choice of law provision, the English choice of law provision is not binding. 19 The Banks do not contest these findings of fact, and do not argue that Zernavi at any time agreed to the English choice of law provision. Instead, they argue that Zernavi is bound by the terms of the proposed contract because Zernavi referenced the proposed contract as an exhibit in its initial Verified Intervening Complaint in rem. The Banks contend that it is a principle of contract law that a party cannot sue for damages under a contract while simultaneously seeking to repudiate that same contract. See MCA Television, Ltd. v. Pub. Interest Corp., 171 F.3d 1265, 1275 (11th Cir.1999). However, Zernavi did not seek damages under the proposed contract; Zernavi argued throughout the course of proceedings that it had never agreed to the provisions of the proposed contract and was basing its theory of recovery not on the proposed contract, but on its maritime lien for necessaries under CIMLA. Further, to eradicate any doubt that it might be proceeding with a claim of damages based on the proposed contract in its initial pleadings, Zernavi made an ore tenus motion at trial to amend its complaint to conform with the evidence that it had rejected the document. The district court, finding that the Banks had been on notice of Zernavi's position regarding the contract and would not be prejudiced, granted the motion. An amended pleading supersedes the former pleading; the original pleading is abandoned by the amendment, and is no longer a part of the pleader's averments against his adversary. Proctor & Gamble Defense Corp. v. Bean, 146 F.2d 598, 601 n. 7 (5th Cir.1945). 1 Even if Zernavi's original complaint could be construed to affirm the proposed contract, that pleading was wholly superceded by the amended complaint which proceeded under a different theory. Accordingly, because Zernavi never agreed to the proposed English choice of law provision and did not base its theory of recovery upon the rejected document that contained that provision, we conclude that English law does not control its claim.