Opinion ID: 1530016
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The disposition of the Times' motion to dismiss.

Text: On July 22, 1998, as a result of the foregoing events, Ms. Thompsen filed suit against the Times. Her initial complaint contained five counts: I. breach of express contract; II. breach of implied contract; III. promissory estoppel; IV. conversion; and V. breach of quasi-contract. [2] The Times moved to dismiss all of Ms. Thompsen's claims as time-barred, invoking the District's three-year statute of limitations for contract claims. See D.C.Code § 12-301(7) (2001). On November 17, 1998, the first motions judge dismissed as time-barred the counts of the complaint based on breach of express contract, breach of implied contract, and promissory estoppel, but he denied the motion to dismiss the claims for conversion and unjust enrichment because, in the judge's view, the statute of limitations on these two counts did not start [to run] until June 1997, when the Times published its first edition of the Family Times, because logic and the law require actual use of Plaintiff's idea to commence these claims. With respect to the quasi-contract count, the judge wrote that the concept of quasi-contract provides a basis to prevent unjust enrichment in the absence of an obligation. Black's Law Dictionary 1120 (5th ed. 1979). By definition, the quasi-contract claim is clearly distinct from the first three contract claims in the complaint. Essentially, breach of contract involves causing an injury to the Plaintiff, while unjust enrichment involves conferring a benefit on the Defendant. Thus, even if Defendant's failure to pay Plaintiff for her ideas constituted a breach of contract, Defendant would not have been unjustly enriched if it had never used Plaintiff's ideas. But, if the Defendant used Plaintiff's ideas in publishing the Family Times without giving Plaintiff credit or compensation at that time, then the Times was unjustly enriched. As such, a quasi-contract claim could not commence until June 1997, when the first Family Times was published.