Court Opinion

ID: 9884835
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-06 03:16:37.244422+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:48:41.208152
License: Public Domain

KIRSCH, Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent.
Neither Sunburst Chemical, nor Gary Jackson consented to venue in Marion County; nor did they consent to Marion County as a forum for the resolution of any dispute that arose under the credit agreement. While they did consent to the personal jurisdiction of Marion County, they did not enter into a prorogation provision by which only Marion County would have jurisdiction.
It is Hornbook law that an agreement will be construed against the party that drafted it (or, perhaps in this case, the party that mis-drafted it). Here, that party is Acorn Distributors. While I agree that courts should generally presume that the provisions in a contract are there for a purpose, courts should not re-write the parties agreement in the guise of such presumption, nor should they presume that there is a specific purpose for every provision in every contract. Indeed, superfluous terms are often found in contracts and especially in form agreements that may be used by a business in a wide range of business transactions.
I would reverse the trial court's order and remand with instructions to transfer this case to Allen County.