Opinion ID: 2619544
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Breach of Joint Venture Agreement

Text: Preliminarily it must be noted that in this litigation reference has been made to a joint venture as relates to two separate and essentially different situations which do not necessarily have any direct bearing on each other. The one relates to the dealings between Willamette and Martin and Luther concerning the Sandia tram, which was the subject of counterclaims of Willamette against Martin and Luther and is alluded to in this appeal by Willamette, and the other is the relationship of the two parties as far as the Jackson project is concerned. We here address ourselves to the relationships affecting the Sandia tram. Willamette argues that the court was in total abuse of its judicial discretion, or inadvertently overlooked the substantial claim in this aspect, and we are inclined to think that there is merit in the argument. If the claim was not overlooked, it was at best seriously confused in the proceedings. In the first part of the memorandum opinion dealing with the joint venture, mention is made as to evidence on that aspect as it concerned the Jackson tram, but nothing was said about the Sandia project, and later in the memorandum the statement pertaining to the counterclaims contained nothing regarding Sandia and was at best ambiguous: In Willamette's answers in original Cases No. 1578 and 1579, it asserts three identical counterclaims against Martin & Luther. The court finds generally for Martin & Luther and against Willamette on the three counterclaims and finds specifically that Willamette has not sustained the burden of proof and shown the court that alleged corrective work done by Willamette was because of the conduct of Martin & Luther. Whether such statement intended to say that each of the three counterclaims was identical or that the counterclaims were similarly alleged in Cases 1578 and 1579 is unclear, and in any event, no separate finding is made as to the counterclaims which related to the Sandia project. This left Willamette in an anomalous position where it could no nothing more than speculate as to what the finder of fact had in mind. It similarly places this court at an extreme disadvantage. Strangely enough, the argument on this phase of the case is unanswered by Martin and Luther's counsel. Any intelligent disposition of the litigation here requires that the cause be remanded for determination of the counterclaims referring to the Sandia project.