Author Question: In Summers Group v. Tempe Mechanical, Summers (Rexel) sold electrical materials used in a ... (Read 116 times)

Lisaclaire · **on:** Jun 24, 2018

In Summers Group v. Tempe Mechanical, Summers (Rexel) sold electrical materials used in a construction project that went into bankruptcy. In the litigation to determine where various claimants stood in their efforts to collect, the appears court held that because Summers was the first lienholder to file a claim, it stood first to collect.
a. True
b. False
Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Question 2

Jurisdiction. Alex Sutton, a professional golfer living in Middleburg, Florida, entered into a sponsorship agreement with ARS & Associates, a Michigan partnership. Among other things, the agreement provided that (1) ARS would sponsor Sutton on a Professional Golfing Association (PGA) tour, (2) ARS would pay all of Sutton's expenses, (3) ARS and Sutton would split the proceeds (whatever remained after ARS had been reimbursed for expenses) fifty-fifty, and (4) ARS would provide health insurance for Sutton. Preliminary negotiations were carried out mostly over the phone. ARS drew up the agreement in Michigan and sent it to Sutton in Florida; Sutton signed and returned the contract to ARS. ARS then signed the agreement and sent a copy of it to Sutton. Sutton subsequently participated in several senior PGA events, including two tournaments in Florida. While playing golf in a senior PGA tournament in Palm Springs, California, Sutton suffered a heart attack and, as a result, later incurred costs of more than 100,000 for open-heart surgery and related medical expenses. Because ARS had not obtained health-insurance coverage for Sutton, Sutton sued ARS in a Florida state court for breach of the agreement. ARS moved to dismiss the action for lack of personal jurisdiction. Can the Florida court, under its long arm statute, exercise personal jurisdiction over the Michigan defendant in this case? Discuss.

ecox1012 · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 24, 2018

Answer to Question 1

FALSE

Answer to Question 2

Jurisdiction
A court can exercise personal jurisdiction over nonresidents under the authority of a long arm statute. Under a long arm statute, it must be shown that the nonresident had sufficient contacts with the state to justify the jurisdiction. In regard to business firms, this requirement is usually met if the firm does business within the state. In this case, the parties to the sponsorship agreement contemplated that substantial activities to further their joint venture would take place in Florida. Sutton lived in Florida, and he was expected to and did play in tour events in Florida. Sutton was to be provided health care insurance in Florida. All earnings from Sutton's golf-related activities in Florida and elsewhere were to be paid by the Professional Golfing Association from its headquarters and bank account in Florida to the ARS & Associates account in Michigan; the partnership was to disburse funds from the account to Sutton's account in Florida to enable him to perform golf-related activities and participate in tour events for the benefit of the joint venture. After ARS failed to fund health insurance for Sutton, it instructed Sutton to obtain medical care in return for providing golf lessons to a physician in Florida. These factsthe provision of health care insurance in Florida, the exchange of funds to and from Florida, the instruction to Sutton to perform certain work in Floridashowed that the members of the joint venture were operating, conducting, engaging in, or carrying on their business venture in Florida. When an agreement for a joint venture made outside a state contemplates and results in performance in substantial part within the state, the nonresident members of the venture exercise sufficient minimum contacts within the state to support the state's exercise of personal jurisdiction over them. Thus, ARS could be subjected to the Florida court's exercise of jurisdiction and could be required to appear to defend itself in that state.