Opinion ID: 3012975
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Greco filed a motion for judgment as a matter of law following the jury verdict in Bernback’s favor. The District Court denied Greco’s motion. We exercise plenary 2 We agree with Bernback that Judge Caputo’s decision to grant leave to Bernback to amend his action to include breach of the Stock Purchase Agreement was not inconsistent with his December 10, 1998 dismissal of Greco’s counterclaim. Under the Personal Guarantee, Hold Harmless and Assignment Agreement, Greco personally guaranteed performance of all of the promises, obligations, and terms set forth in the Stock Purchase Agreement, and pledged to be liable for all remedies available to Bernback under the Stock Purchase Agreement. Because he undertook this personal guarantee, Greco cannot now argue that he was not on notice of the possibility that Bernback would file a breach of contract suit under the Personal Guarantee based on the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement. 10 review of a district court’s grant or denial of a motion for judgment as a matter of law. Walter v. Holiday Inns, Inc., 985 F.2d 1232, 1238 (3d Cir. 1993). Reversal of a jury verdict is only appropriate if, “viewing all the evidence which has been tendered and should have been admitted in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion, no jury could decide in that party’s favor.” Id. at 1238. Although the parties were not helpful in pointing to the relevant parts of the record, there is sufficient evidence for a rational juror to find that Greco breached the Stock Purchase Agreement. With respect to Harvey’s Lake’s loss of the business opportunity with Metropolitan Entertainment Co., Greco testified that he entered into discussions with a company called Metropolitan regarding a possible agreement between Harvey’s Lake and Metropolitan, whereby Harvey’s Lake Amphitheater would close, shows scheduled to take place there would move to a venue called Montage, and Greco and Bernback would receive 17% of the profits from those shows. However, Metropolitan ultimately decided that it did not wish to go through with the Agreement, based largely on actions by Greco. Bernback’s counsel read into the record at trial the deposition of James Koplik, the President of Metropolitan. Koplik testified that the relationship between Metropolitan and Harvey’s lake dissolved as a result of actions by Greco, including his having gotten into a fight with a police officer at a concert, accepting advertising money when he was not actually putting on shows at a venue, and other problems. Koplik testified that 11 Metropolitan’s decision to end its relationship with Harvey’s Lake had nothing to do with Bernback. Counsel for Bernback introduced correspondence between Greco and Bernback, in which Greco admitted that he had made misrepresentations to Metropolitan during the course of negotiations, including indicating to them that he was personally liable on a lease when he was not. Counsel also introduced testimony by Shirley Hanson that Greco had intentionally altered a lease agreement. Greco had also, contrary to his promises, opened Harvey’s Lake during the summer of 1994 and told the media that he intended to open it during the summer of 1995. The foregoing evidence was sufficient for a rational juror to find that Greco breached Section 6.21 of the Stock Purchase Agreement, which requires Greco to refrain from action that would compromise Harvey’s Lake’s ability to achieve the highest level of profitability.