Opinion ID: 1698977
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Assignability of the 1997 Agreement

Text: At trial, the jury awarded New TCN $1,007,499.97 on its counterclaim against Conference America alleging that Conference America had breached the 1997 agreement. Conference America contends that New TCN's right to recover under the 1997 agreement hinges on whether that agreement was assignable without Conference America's knowledge or consent; we hold that it was so assignable. As stated above, the 1997 agreement is silent as to its assignability. In Sisco v. Empiregas, Inc. of Belle Mina, 286 Ala. 72, 76, 237 So.2d 463, 466 (1970), this Court noted the general proposition that personal service contracts are not assignable. In Sisco, we noted that personal service contracts involve a relationship of personal confidence between the parties. 286 Ala. at 76, 237 So.2d at 466. Such a relationship is one in which a party would have a substantial interest in having that [particular] person perform or control the acts promised. Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 318(2)(1979). This case, however, does not involve such a personal relationship; rather, this case involves the performance of an agreement by the unidentified agents, servants, or employees of an impersonal corporation to provide teleconferencing services to customers of another impersonal corporation; contracts for such works are not personal and may be assigned. [5] Based on the above, we hold that the trial court's rulings based on the assignability of the 1997 agreement were correct.