Opinion ID: 2281968
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Uhlmann's Authority to Assign Warranty Claims to TEAM

Text: The first issue is whether evidence supports Uhlmann's authority to assign any warranty claims belonging to Crush. The Amended and Restated Operating Agreement for Crush indicates that Uhlmann became a 92.5 percent Crush member in 2002. The terms of the operating agreement permitted Uhlmann, as the holder of a super-majority interest, to dissolve Crush/Mo-Kan. On September 18, 2003, the remaining members of Mo-Kan agreed to dissolve the company and adopted a dissolution plan by which liquidation proceeds were distributed to members according to their capital account balances. Uhlmann was the only member with a positive capital account balance. Under the terms of the operating agreement, all liquidation proceeds including any rights of action were distributed to Uhlmann. However, Vermeer disputes Uhlmann's authority to assign any claims associated with the T1055. First, the manufacturer argues that Gary and Terry Watts never signed the amended and restated operating agreement, so that Uhlmann was never made a member of Crush. Second, it contends that the Watts brothers did not sign the dissolution agreement for Mo-Kan, so that Uhlmann never was entitled to receive Mo-Kan's liquidation proceeds. Vermeer points to testimony from Gary Watts that his and his brother's signatures were forged. But there is contrary testimony verifying Gary Watts' signature on proxy documents. In addition, the Wattses' signatures would be available on Crush's initial operating agreement as exemplars. The genuineness of a contested signature is an issue for the jury. See International Harvester Credit Corp. v. Formento, 593 S.W.2d 576, 579 (Mo.App. 1979); see also § 490.640 (Comparison of a disputed writing with any writing proved to the satisfaction of the judge to be genuine shall be permitted to be made by witnesses, and such writings and the evidence of witnesses respecting the same may be submitted to the court and jury as evidence of the genuineness or otherwise of the writing in dispute.). Giving plaintiffs the benefit of all reasonable inferences, there is evidence to support Uhlmann's contention that he had the authority to assign Crush's warranty claims to TEAM.