WILLIAM H. STEELE, District Judge.
This matter comes before the Court on the Motion for Summary Judgment (doc. 110) filed by plaintiff, GPI AL-N, Inc., and the Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (doc. 111) filed by defendant, Nissan North America, Inc. Both Motions have been extensively briefed and are now ripe for disposition.
Plaintiff, GPI AL-N, Inc. d/b/a Nissan of Mobile ("Nissan of Mobile"), is an independently owned motor vehicle dealer that operates an authorized Nissan dealership in Mobile, Alabama. Nissan of Mobile brought this action against defendant, Nissan North America, Inc. ("NNA"), a manufacturer/distributor of new Nissan motor vehicles, after NNA announced its intention to create a so-called "open point" to establish a new Nissan dealership in west Mobile, Alabama. According to Nissan of Mobile, NNA's actions violate both the terms of the Dealer Agreement governing the parties' relationship and the statutory provisions of the Alabama Motor Vehicle Franchise Act, Ala. Code §§ 8-20-1 et seq. (the "MVFA").
In its Amended and Restated Complaint (doc. 46), Nissan of Mobile asserts a half-dozen state-law causes of action against NNA, including four claims for alleged violations of the MVFA and two claims for breach of contract.
Counts Five and Six of the Amended Complaint sound in theories of breach of contract. In Count Five, plaintiff maintains that NNA breached the Dealer Agreement by deciding to add another dealer to the Mobile market before notifying Nissan of Mobile of the results of the market study, failing to provide Nissan of Mobile with an opportunity to object to the study, and giving no consideration to Nissan of Mobile's objections, for which plaintiff seeks an injunction prohibiting NNA from creating an open point or appointing a new dealer in west Mobile. Meanwhile, in Count Six, plaintiff alleges that NNA breached the Dealer Agreement by failing to endeavor to discern if there were reasonable criteria that should be taken into account in analyzing Nissan of Mobile's sales performance, and that Nissan of Mobile is therefore entitled to an injunction prohibiting NNA from evaluating Nissan of Mobile's sales performance using metrics that fail to take into account "reasonable criteria directly affecting Nissan of Mobile's sales opportunity and performance." (PageID.280.)
The parties have filed and briefed multipronged, overlapping cross-motions for summary judgment. Plaintiff contends that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on each of the six causes of action joined in the Amended Complaint. For its part, defendant seeks entry of summary judgment in its favor on Counts Two through Six, while representing that genuine issues of material fact remain as to Count One.
Nissan of Mobile and NNA entered into a Dealer Sales & Service Agreement (the "Agreement") on November 28, 2011. (PageID.1304.) The parties subsequently amended and extended that Agreement on December 20, 2016. (PageID.1306-07.) Incorporated into the terms of that Agreement is a document styled "Nissan Dealer Sales and Service Agreement Standard Provisions" (the "Standard Provisions"). (PageID.1586.) Section 3.B. of the Standard Provisions states that "Dealer's performance of its sales responsibility for Nissan Cars and Nissan Trucks will be evaluated by Seller on the basis of such reasonable criteria as Seller may develop from time to time," and provides certain examples of such "reasonable criteria." (PageID.1310.) Among those enumerated types of "reasonable criteria" for evaluating dealer sales performance recited in the Standard Provisions is Section 3.B.3, which allows for "[a] comparison of Dealer's sales and/or registrations to sales and/or registrations of all other Authorized Nissan Dealers combined in Seller's Sales Region and District in which Dealer is located." (Id.) Section 3.D. of the Standard Provisions states that "[w]here appropriate in evaluating Dealer's sales performance, Seller will take into account such reasonable criteria as Seller may determine from time to time, including, for example," things like dealership location, general shopping habits of the public in that market area, any special local market conditions that would affect the dealer's sales performance differently than other dealers, and the like. (PageID.1310-11.)
Section 4 of the Standard Provisions addresses issues concerning market studies, NNA's authority to establish an "open point" (i.e., to create a new dealership in a particular market), and Nissan of Mobile's rights to be notified and to object in certain circumstances under certain conditions. In particular, Section 4.A. provides, in pertinent part, that "Seller may, from time to time and in its sole discretion, conduct studies of various geographic areas to evaluate market conditions. ... Such studies will make recommendations concerning the market, the Dealership Facilities, and the Dealership Location." (PageID.1311.) Section 4.B.1. establishes the following procedures regarding creation of an open point:
(PageID.1312.) And Section 17.A. of the Standard Provisions provides as follows: "All notices or notifications required or permitted to be given by this Agreement to either party shall be sufficient only if given in writing and delivered personally or by mail to the Dealer at the address set forth on the Dealership Facilities Addendum ... and to Seller at its national headquarters." (PageID.1313.)
On October 2, 2015, NNA transmitted a letter to Nissan of Mobile to notify it that, pursuant to § 4.A. of the Standard Provisions, NNA "will conduct a market study in the Gulf Coast area." (PageID.1621.) The October 2 letter invited Nissan of Mobile to submit any information it wished to bring to NNA's attention within 30 days, and indicated that NNA would consider such information prior to finalizing a recommendation. (Id.) Nissan of Mobile elected not to avail itself of this opportunity. (PageID.1625-26, 1632.)
NNA retained a company called Urban Science Applications, Inc. ("USAI") to prepare the Mobile market study. USAI delivered its completed report for the Mobile market to NNA on January 4, 2016. (PageID.1344-45.) The initial result of that study was that USAI recommended a "monitored market," meaning that NNA would monitor the Mobile market going forward to continue evaluating whether establishing an open point at some future time would be appropriate. (PageID.1372.)
In furtherance of the information-gathering process, Delbrueck traveled to Mobile in late 2016 for the purpose of "tak[ing] a look at the Mobile market ... as a result of Urban Science presenting the study to [NNA]." (PageID.1481.) At that time, he "drove the Mobile market" over the course of "more than a couple of hours," including driving the "existing auto row in Mobile" where Nissan of Mobile is located, as well as the auto row in West Mobile. (PageID.1481, 1483.) In canvassing the West Mobile area, Delbrueck drove "past each one of the dealerships that were established there," drove "north and south of the auto row, ... back into some areas where there [were] new houses being constructed," traveled "past the big box retailers just to gauge an indication of who was there," and "drove around each one of the dealerships that was there; the Ford, the Chevy, the Toyota, and the Hyundai." (PageID.1484.) In driving the market, Delbrueck was looking for indications of the kind of retail in the area, whether the area was growing or declining, whether there was investment in new facilities (either inside or outside the automotive industry), and the like. (PageID.1485.)
Ultimately, in February 2017, "there was a change made in the recommendation for the open point because we did not agree with Urban Science on their initial assessment." (PageID.1493.) NNA's evidence is "that's not an unusual occurrence. We don't always agree with Urban Science on their findings." (PageID.1494.) As one NNA official explained, "In the case of this particular situation, our existing dealer was not covering that part of the market ... to what we consider to be an adequate level, and that was why the decision was made to then change it to an open point. ... So that's really the difference between open point and monitored market. If we're not covering the area and capturing the opportunity that's there, then obviously that has an impact on the final decision on whether or not we declare an open point." (Id.) After the recommendation of the market study was changed to establishment of an open point, various NNA officials and departments signed off on the new recommendation in short order. According to NNA, the "final decision from Nissan to move forward with creating an open point in Mobile West" was made before NNA presented the market study results to Nissan of Mobile. (PageID.1495.)
A "Dealer Presentation" was prepared and dated February 2017. It essentially retained all or most of the data and analysis from the original market analysis report prepared by USAI in January 2016, but modified the final conclusion to recommend an open point in the West Mobile market. (PageID.1497-1522.)
On March 15, 2017, NNA's Dealer Operations Manager, Ryan Knight, met with Michael Neves, Nissan of Mobile's General Manager, in person to review the market study. (PageID.1526.) At that time, Knight informed Neves that "it has been decided that another store will be added in West Mobile, ideally within a relative location to Palmer's Toyota and Palmer's Hyundai." (Id.) For his part, "Neves acknowledged the findings and did not have any further comment on the topic." (Id.) On the same date, Knight presented this information to David Fesmire, who was listed as the "dealer" on the Dealer Agreement, via telephone. In response, Fesmire "voiced his concern about the number of new stores going in around the gulf area in general, but understands Nissan's drive to match Toyota's locations and to get ahead of potential growth." Id. On March 30, 2017, NNA sent a letter to Fesmire formally notifying Nissan of Mobile of the results of the market study, indicating that the study yielded a "recommendation" of establishing an open point in West Mobile, and concluding, "Thank you again for the opportunity to meet with you to review the study results." (PageID.1685.) On April 18, 2017, Nissan of Mobile met with NNA officials and stated their position that (i) "the market was still properly served with the 1 location," (ii) designating the open point was premature, (iii) the data supporting the market study was of questionable relevance because it dated back to October 2015 "and may not reflect the current market conditions," and (iv) Nissan of Mobile's parent company "might be interested in establishing a service location in this area." (PageID.1406.) At the conclusion of the meeting, NNA advised Nissan of Mobile that "Nissan would be moving forward with the Open Point." (Id.) This litigation followed.
Summary judgment should be granted only "if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Rule 56(a), Fed.R.Civ.P. The party seeking summary judgment bears "the initial burden to show the district court, by reference to materials on file, that there are no genuine issues of material fact that should be decided at trial." Clark v. Coats & Clark, Inc., 929 F.2d 604, 608 (11
Here, both sides have moved for summary judgment on the claims asserted in this action. It is well-settled that "[t]he applicable Rule 56 standard is not affected by the filing of cross-motions for summary judgment." Page v. Winn-Dixie Montgomery, Inc., 702 F.Supp.2d 1334, 1345 (S.D. Ala. 2010) (citations omitted); see also Murray v. Holiday Isle, LLC, 620 F.Supp.2d 1302, 1307 (S.D. Ala. 2009) (same). The Eleventh Circuit has explained that "[c]ross-motions for summary judgment will not, in themselves, warrant the court in granting summary judgment unless one of the parties is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on facts that are not genuinely disputed." United States v. Oakley, 744 F.2d 1553, 1555 (11
As noted, the parties have filed and briefed cross-motions for summary judgment. In its Rule 56 Motion, Nissan of Mobile seeks entry of judgment in its favor as to all six causes of action asserted in the Amended Complaint. By contrast, NNA's Motion for Summary Judgment seeks dismissal of only Counts Two through Six, without requesting entry of judgment as a matter of law as to Count One of the Amended Complaint. The parties' respective arguments on each cause of action will be addressed sequentially.
As noted, only plaintiff has moved for summary judgment on Count One, which is a statutory claim arising under Alabama's Motor Vehicle Franchise Act. Count One alleges that NNA violated the subsection of the MVFA prohibiting a manufacturer from "unreasonably and without notice to existing motor vehicle dealers ... enter[ing] into a franchise with an additional motor vehicle dealer who intends to conduct its dealership operations from a place of business situated within the relevant market area of an existing motor vehicle dealer ... representing the same line make." Ala. Code § 8-20-4(3)(l). Reasonableness is the touchstone of the inquiry under § 8-20-4(3)(l). In a legal proceeding to determine whether such a proposed appointment is reasonable, the manufacturer "shall have the burden of proof that such action is not unreasonable." Id. "In determining whether such a proposed appointment is unreasonable, the court shall consider all pertinent circumstances." Id.
To meet its burden of showing that its decision to create an open point for the West Mobile market was not unreasonable, NNA relies heavily on the expert opinions of Sharif Farhat, Vice President of Expert Analytical Services for USAI, whom NNA retained to perform a market analysis after Nissan of Mobile filed suit.
On its face, Farhat's expert report is sufficient to create genuine issues of material fact as to whether NNA can meet at its burden under § 8-20-4(3)(l) to show that its decision to establish an open point in the Mobile West PMA was not unreasonable. Plaintiff does not argue otherwise; rather, plaintiff's position is that Farhat's expert opinions should be excluded in their entirety under Daubert reliability principles. If NNA's expert in automotive dealer market analysis were excluded, Nissan of Mobile reasons, NNA could not meet its statutory burden of showing reasonableness, and plaintiff would therefore be entitled to summary judgment on Count One. Indeed, Nissan of Mobile candidly acknowledges that "summary judgment as to Count One rests on the admissibility of Farhat's opinions." (PageID.2428.)
Both sides move for summary judgment on Count Two. In that claim, Nissan of Mobile maintains that NNA violated the MVFA provision prohibiting it from "coerc[ing] or attempt[ing] to coerce any motor vehicle dealer to ... adhere to performance standards that are not fair, reasonable, and equitable or that are not applied uniformly to other similarly situated dealers." Ala. Code § 8-20-4(1)(h). That subsection further requires that any such performance standard "that may have a material effect on a dealer" must be fair, reasonable, and equitable. Id. Plaintiff's position is that NNA's use of a performance metric called "State Sales Effectiveness Represented," or "SSER" for short, violates § 8-20-4(1)(h) because it fails to account for local market conditions, such as the presence or absence of competing dealers or the presence or absence of Nissan facilities and employees.
As a threshold matter, NNA argues that Count Two fails as a matter of law because Nissan of Mobile lacks standing to bring a claim under § 8-20-4(1)(h). The MVFA creates a private right of action for "any person
Faced with this substantial record showing that it has not incurred injury its property or business by NNA's use of the SSER performance standard, plaintiff counters with a factual argument and a legal argument. The factual argument is that Nissan of Mobile has indeed been injured in its business or property by NNA's reliance on SSER scores. Indeed, plaintiff's brief posits, "It is clear that SSER was a driving factor in NNA's decision to declare an open point." (PageID.1892.) The trouble is that plaintiff identifies no record evidence that reasonably supports that proposition. Plaintiff cites no deposition testimony, exhibit or discovery response in which any representative of NNA ever indicated that the decision to declare an open point in West Mobile was driven by deficiencies in Nissan of Mobile's SSER score. At most, Nissan of Mobile offers deposition testimony showing that NNA witnesses referred generally to having conducted a "sales analysis" (as opposed to a "service analysis") in the open point decision, which was based in part on "years of inadequate representation in Mobile." But these kinds of statements are too generic, too vague, and too open-ended to support a reasonable inference that NNA decided to create an open point because Nissan of Mobile's SSER score was too low, or indeed that its SSER score had any material influence on that decision.
Nissan of Mobile's legal argument that defendant has omitted "a key provision of the statute" fares no better. In particular, plaintiff focuses on statutory text conferring a private right of action on any person injured in his business or property "because he refuses to accede to a proposal for an arrangement which, if consummated, would be in violation of this chapter." Ala. Code § 8-20-11. Plaintiff also cites a concurring opinion from an Alabama Supreme Court case that it says confirms that prospective future violations of the MVFA are actionable.
This argument is unpersuasive because the cited statutory language has no apparent application to the circumstances here. This case is not about a proposed illegal arrangement at all. SSER is not a brand-new policy or initiative that NNA is attempting to roll out at this time over a dealer's objection; rather, as Nissan of Mobile admits and as the summary judgment record confirms, "NNA adopted SSER as its primary standard in 2014." (PageID.1886.) It is thus undisputed that NNA has been evaluating Nissan of Mobile's sales performance using the SSER metric for more than five years.
To summarize, Count Two is a claim that NNA violated the MVFA by coercing or attempting to coerce Nissan of Mobile to adhere to sales performance standards (namely, the SSER) that were unfair, unreasonable and inequitable. In order for Nissan of Mobile to be eligible to assert this claim, the MVFA requires that it be "injured in [its] business or property by a violation of this chapter by the commission of any unfair and deceptive trade practices, or because [it] refuses to accede to a proposal for an arrangement which, if consummated, would be in violation of this chapter." Ala. Code § 8-20-11. The summary judgment record lacks evidence that Nissan of Mobile was injured in its business or property by NNA's use of the SSER performance standard. There are no record facts that plaintiff's SSER scores were a driving force behind the "open point" decision, that they were used to penalize plaintiff in any sales incentive program, that they were a basis for disapproval of any executive manager candidate, or the like. In the absence of proof of injury to its business or property caused by NNA's reliance on the SSER performance standard, Nissan of Mobile cannot proceed as to Count Two. Its attempt to invoke the "accede to a proposal" statutory language is unavailing for multiple reasons, including, notably, that NNA has been using the SSER to evaluate Nissan of Mobile's sales performance for five years, so there is no "proposal" in play here. For all of these reasons, defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment is due to be
Both parties have moved for summary judgment on Count Three, another statutory claim brought under the MVFA. Specifically, Count Three alleges that NNA violated the statutory prohibition against any manufacturer "engag[ing] in any action with respect to a franchise which is arbitrary, unconscionable, unreasonable, or is not in good faith and which causes damage to any of the parties." Ala. Code § 8-20-4(2). Plaintiff contends that defendant ran afoul of § 8-20-4(2) in a multitude of ways, including (i) failure to follow the Dealer Agreement in creating an open point; (ii) failure to allow Nissan of Mobile to object to the market study's recommendations or to consider Nissan of Mobile's objections to such recommendations; (iii) failure to consider Nissan of Mobile's objections to the open point; (iv) consideration of factors other than the Mobile market's need for an additional Nissan dealer; and (v) evaluation of Nissan of Mobile's sales performance using an incomplete, non-comprehensive standard (the SSER). (PageID.277-78.)
For the reasons stated in Section IV.B., supra, defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment is
As a threshold matter, defendant advances a series of legal arguments that it contends are fatal to Count Three in its entirety. First, NNA maintains that Count Three is legally barred because of what it terms the "specific/general doctrine." The argument is as follows: Alabama law provides that a specific statute controls a more general statute. See, e.g., Crawford v. Springle, 631 So.2d 880, 882 (Ala. 1993) ("Where statutes in pari materia are general and specific, the more specific statute controls the more general statute."). NNA characterizes § 8-20-4(3)(l) — the section of the MVFA at issue in Count One that forbids a motor vehicle manufacturer from unreasonably appointing a new dealer in the same market area served by an existing dealer — as a specific statute governing challenges to "open point" decisions. By contrast, NNA frames § 8-20-4(2) — the MVFA section at issue in Count Three that bars a manufacturer from acting unreasonably or in bad faith toward a franchise — as a general statute. Applying the "specific/general" canon of statutory construction, then, defendant reasons that "Section 8-20-4(3)(l) is the exclusive method of challenging the establishment of the proposed new dealership," such that Count Three must be dismissed. (PageID.1569.)
This argument is flawed in a critical respect, to-wit: It overlooks the well-settled rule that this canon of statutory construction is operative only where the general statute and the specific statute are in conflict. See, e.g., Nitro-Lift Technologies, L.L.C. v. Howard, 568 U.S. 17, 21, 133 S.Ct. 500, 184 L.Ed.2d 328 (2012) ("the ancient interpretive principle that the specific governs the general ... applies only to conflict between laws of equivalent dignity"); Perdue v. Green, 127 So.3d 343, 359 (Ala. 2012) ("when the law descends to particulars, the specific provisions must be understood as exceptions to any general rules laid down to the contrary"); Springhill Hospitals, Inc. v. State Health Planning and Development Agency, 224 So.3d 670, 673 (Ala.Civ.App. 2016) ("In the event of a conflict between two statutes, a specific statute relating to a specific subject is regarded as an exception to, and will prevail over, a general statute relating to a broad subject.") (citations omitted); Herrin v. GreenTree-AL, LLC, 376 B.R. 316, 321 (S.D. Ala. 2007) ("The rules that a specific statute trumps a general ... apply only when two statutes conflict with one another") (internal marks omitted). Despite the rule that "a specific statutory provision trumps a general one," the Eleventh Circuit has instructed that "[i]f any interpretation permits both statutes to stand, the court must adopt that interpretation," barring a clear expression of congressional intent to the contrary. Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 619 F.3d 1289, 1299 (11
Second, NNA articulates a legal argument for dismissal of Count Three based on the nature of the injunction demanded by Nissan of Mobile. According to NNA, the relief sought in Count Three amounts to nothing more than an injunction to obey the law, which is impermissible and improper. Such "obey the law" injunctions are much maligned in the case law, and rightfully so, because they lack specificity and deprive defendants of important procedural protections. See, e.g., S.E.C. v. Goble, 682 F.3d 934, 949 (11
Third, NNA reprises its "no injury" argument from Count Two. Again, Nissan of Mobile may validly bring Count Three under § 8-20-11 only if it is "injured in [its] business or property by a violation of this chapter ... or because [it] refuses to accede to a proposal for an arrangement which, if consummated, would be in violation of this chapter." Id. However, application of that principle to Count Three (concerning alleged unreasonable, bad-faith conduct by NNA in the procedures and protocols it followed in establishing an open point for the West Mobile market) diverges considerably from that to Count Two (concerning NNA's use of the SSER performance standard). On this record, a reasonable finder of fact could conclude that NNA's establishment of an open point would indeed injure Nissan of Mobile in its business or property if and when a dealer is appointed to fill that open point. If, as plaintiff alleges, the open-point decision is the product of multiple procedural actions by NNA that, individually and collectively, amount to unfair and deceptive trade practices under the MVFA, then the injury requirement of § 8-20-11 is satisfied as to Count Three. After all, both logic and common sense, as well as the statutory language itself, support the proposition that "proposed illegal arrangements which are not consummated but are, rather, stopped by the litigation" suffice to satisfy § 8-20-11. DaimlerChrysler, 853 So.2d at 928 (Johnstone, J., concurring). Simply put, Nissan of Mobile says that a series of MVFA violations by NNA resulted in an open point decision that, if implemented, will injure Nissan of Mobile's business or property. It filed suit and asserted Count Three to attempt to block implementation of that open point decision. The Court finds that these circumstances are sufficient to comport with the requirements of § 8-20-11 and to authorize Nissan of Mobile to pursue Count Three against NNA.
Defendant's broad legal arguments for summary judgment as to Count Three being unmeritorious, the remaining analysis of the parties' cross-motions for the § 8-20-4(2) cause of action turn on the presence or absence of record evidence that NNA actually (a) failed to follow the Dealer Agreement in creating an open point, (b) failed to allow Nissan of Mobile to object to the Market Study recommendations or to consider those objections, and (c) failed to consider Nissan of Mobile's objections to the open point. For the reasons stated in sections IV.E. and IV.F., infra, the Court finds that genuine issues of material fact preclude entry of judgment as a matter of law on each of these topics. Therefore, the cross-motions for summary judgment are
Count Four of the Amended Complaint marks Nissan of Mobile's final claim for relief under the MVFA. In this cause of action, plaintiff invokes the statutory requirement that "[e]very dealer agreement entered into under Act 2010-198 shall impose on the parties the obligation to act in good faith and to deal fairly." Ala. Code § 8-20-4.1. Much like in Count Three, plaintiff pleads that NNA violated § 8-20-4.1 in five distinct respects, to-wit: (i) failing to abide by the terms of the Dealer Agreement; (ii) failing to follow its internal procedures in evaluating whether to create an open point; (iii) failing to follow its internal procedures requiring that market studies be objective, consistent, and include legally defensible analysis and decisional process; (iv) rejecting the market study's recommendation that West Mobile be classified as a "monitored market" and that no open point be created; and (v) basing its open point decision on irrelevant factors. (PageID.278.) Both sides' Rule 56 Motions seek entry of judgment as a matter of law on Count Four.
Significant portions of the summary judgment analysis for Count Four parallel that for Count Three, as addressed in Section IV.C., supra. In particular, plaintiff appears to have abandoned — and the record appears devoid of evidence to support — the theory that NNA based its open point decision for West Mobile "upon factors which were not relevant." Accordingly, defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment is
The cross-motions for summary judgment on the § 8-20-4.1 cause of action require review of the record evidence as to whether NNA did or did not (a) fail to abide by the terms of the Dealer Agreement; (b) fail to follow its internal procedures in evaluating whether or not to create an open point; (c) fail to follow internal procedures allegedly requiring that the market study be conducted in a manner that was objective, consistent, and legally defensible; and (d) reject for arbitrary reasons the "monitored market" recommendation of the market study. If the record supports a reasonable inference that NNA did not comply with the Dealer Agreement or its internal procedures as to the open point decision, or that NNA arbitrarily or capriciously rejected the "monitored market" recommendation, then a reasonable finder of fact could also find that NNA violated its good faith and fair dealing obligations to Nissan of Mobile, so as to support liability under § 8-20-4.1 in Count Four.
For the reasons stated in Sections IV.E. and IV.F., infra, the Court finds that there are genuine issues of material fact as to whether NNA did or did not comply with the terms of the Dealer Agreement. For that reason, summary judgment is inappropriate for either party as to that component of Count Four.
With regard to defendant's internal procedures relating to market studies and open points, the critical document is entitled Nissan Dealer Sales and Service Agreement Guide, Chapter 107 of which is entitled "Market Study." The relevant internal procedures contained in the Guide upon which Nissan of Mobile predicates Count Four are as follows: (i) the stated purpose of the Market Study procedure is that market studies be conducted "to ensure an objective, consistent, and legally defensible analysis and decision process to support the market study recommendations;" (ii) market studies must be reviewed and approved by multiple departments and levels of management at NNA before their recommendations are adopted; (iii) among those layers of approval are that "Regional and Divisional management reviews the recommendations, and may agree on actions to be taken the market with final, written approvals" from key NNA officials; (iv) after market study approval is given, NNA reviews the results and recommendations with the dealer in the study area; (v) if an open point is recommended, dealers within 10 miles driving distance must be sent written notification; and (vi) "It is the Region's responsibility to uphold and implement the market study recommendations." (PageID.1401-03.)
It is not clear from the pleadings and briefs precisely how Nissan of Mobile contends that NNA violated the internal procedures as set forth in the Guide. In summary judgment briefing, plaintiff acknowledges that "[a]t first, NNA appears to have followed its internal procedure with regard to this market study recommendation." (PageID.1884). However, plaintiff goes on to assert that NNA diverged from these internal procedures when a company official (Delbrueck) tabled the market study to gather additional data, and when NNA ultimately decided one year later to alter the market study recommendation from monitored market to open point. (Id.) The fundamental defect with plaintiff's argument is that it never explains how any of these complained-of activities contravened defendant's internal procedures. By all appearances, nothing in the Guide forbade NNA from tabling a market study to gather more data or to conduct further review of existing data. Nothing in the Guide forbade NNA from disagreeing with the consultant's initial recommendations in a market study. Nothing in the Guide forbade NNA from interpreting market study data differently than its consultant did, and from modifying a "monitored market" recommendation to an "open point" recommendation on that basis. Indeed, defendant's evidence is that these were not unusual occurrences. Following the change in recommendation, all necessary internal approvals (as outlined in the Guide) were obtained and notice was given to Nissan of Mobile. On this record, no reasonable finder of fact could determine that defendant failed to follow its internal procedures in evaluating whether to create an open point or in processing the market study; therefore, defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment is properly
The remaining basis for Count Four is plaintiff's theory that NNA violated § 8-20-4.1 by "[r]ejecting, for reasons that were not objective or consistently applied," the "monitored market" recommendation in the original market study prepared by its consultant. (PageID.278.) On its face, this theory of relief is highly problematic. As noted, it is undisputed that NNA's decision not to follow its consultant's recommendation in the market study was not extraordinary. Indeed, as one NNA official explained, "that's not an unusual occurrence. We don't always agree with Urban Science on their findings." (PageID.1494.) The mere fact, then, that NNA did not adopt Urban Science's "monitored market" recommendation cannot support a finding of bad faith so as to give rise to liability under § 8-20-4.1. Plaintiff endeavors to shore up this claim by alleging that NNA rejected the recommendation "for reasons that were not objective or consistently applied." But in what legal doctrine or analytical principle does Nissan of Mobile find support for equating "objective" with "good faith" and "subjective" with "bad faith"? Plaintiff does not say. Of course, logic and common sense confirm that a defendant may reject a consultant's recommendations for subjective reasons, yet still be acting in full compliance with its obligation of good faith and fair dealing.
In sum, defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment is
Count Five of the Amended Complaint sets forth the first of a pair of common-law breach of contract claims. These claims center on the Dealer Agreement between NNA and Nissan of Mobile, and more precisely, the Standard Provisions incorporated into that Agreement. In Count Five, plaintiff maintains that defendant breached the so-called "Dealer Representation Provision" found at Section 4.B.1. of the Standard Provisions, which states as follows:
(PageID.1312.) The gravamen of Count Five is plaintiff's contention that NNA made a "final decision" to create an open point in West Mobile before providing notice to Nissan of Mobile, that NNA did not furnish Nissan of Mobile with an opportunity to object to the open point determination, and that NNA "gave no consideration" to Nissan of Mobile's objections. (PageID.279.) Once again, the parties pursue cross-motions for summary judgment on this cause of action.
The two critical factual issues underpinning Count Five are as follows: (i) whether NNA made a final decision to declare an open point before notifying Nissan of Mobile of the market study recommendation; and (ii) whether NNA considered all timely objections made by Nissan of Mobile. Upon careful review of the summary judgment record, the Court finds that genuine issues of material fact preclude definitive resolution of these fact questions at this time. As an initial matter, the Dealer Agreement is clear that NNA was required to notify Nissan of Mobile of the "open point" recommendation in the market study, to allow Nissan of Mobile 30 days from receipt of such notice to make objections, and to consider all such objections timely made by Nissan of Mobile. Accordingly, if NNA did not take these procedural steps, then it was in violation of the Agreement as pleaded in Count Five. But the record reasonably supports competing factual inferences on these points.
As to the timing of NNA's decision, there is limited record evidence that would reasonably support a finding that NNA had concluded that it was definitely going to declare an open point in West Mobile before it ever made a presentation to Nissan of Mobile on the market study and its recommendations. If NNA's mind was already made up that an "open point" was being created before it ever notified the dealer, then it was in breach of its contractual obligations to provide the dealer with notice of the "open point" recommendation, to allow the dealer an opportunity to object, and to consider those objections before making a final, irrevocable decision. However, there is also evidence in the record reasonably supporting an inference that NNA had merely completed all the requisite internal approvals of the "open point" decision when it provided notice to Nissan of Mobile, that the market study recommendation was nothing more than a recommendation (and certainly was not carved in stone) when dealer notice was given, and that NNA received and considered Nissan of Mobile's objections before making a final decision to move forward with declaring an open point. Conflicting facts and inferences in the record preclude entry of summary judgment for either side on this issue.
Separately, the parties spar over whether NNA actually considered Nissan of Mobile's objections. The undisputed facts are that NNA's Dealer Operations Manager met with Nissan of Mobile's General Manager in person on March 15, 2017, to review the results of the study, and that the same NNA official presented that information telephonically on the same date with the person listed as the dealer on the Dealer Agreement. Neither Nissan of Mobile representative articulated any contemporaneous objections to the "open point" recommendation. It is further undisputed that NNA transmitted a letter to Nissan of Mobile on March 30, 2017, formally notifying plaintiff of the market study's recommendation that an open point be established in West Mobile. And the record is uncontroverted that on April 18, 2017, Nissan of Mobile met with NNA officials and expressed objections that the data used in the market study was stale and that any brand coverage/representation issues might be addressed by establishing a service-only location in West Mobile. Where ambiguity and uncertainty emerge in the record is on the question of whether NNA "considered" these objections or not. Defendant says it did, but promptly and summarily rejected them without conducting any further analysis. Plaintiff says it did not, because the fix was in and the decision was already made. The summary judgment record reasonably supports each of these conflicting inferences. Plainly, then, key fact questions remain as to whether defendant did or did not breach the Dealer Agreement as alleged in Count Five.
Finally, in Count Six of the Amended Complaint, Nissan of Mobile pursues another breach of contract claim against NNA, this one predicated on the theory that NNA's method of evaluating Nissan of Mobile's sales performance (again, via the SSER computation) violates the Dealer Agreement. In that regard, plaintiff relies on Sections 3.B. and 3.D. of the Standard Provisions. The former provision specifies that "Dealer's performance of its sales responsibility for Nissan Cars and Nissan Trucks will be evaluated on the basis of such reasonable criteria as Seller may develop from time to time." (PageID.1310.) And the latter states as follows:
(PageID.1310-11.) Both sides seek summary judgment on Count Six.
The crux of Nissan of Mobile's summary judgment argument is that the SSER performance standard is not a "reasonable" criterion for evaluating its sales performance, as required by the Dealer Agreement. Plaintiff elaborates that SSER is not a reasonable performance standard because it fails to take into account and to make adjustments for local market conditions, such as the number and proximity of competitive dealerships, the volume of customers who may qualify for NNA incentive programs, or other local demographic factors. Plaintiff further balks that the unreasonableness of the SSER tool is underscored by the fact that it fails to account for any of the specific factors enumerated in Section 3.D. of the Dealer Agreement.
For its part, NNA advances a series of contentions to the contrary. First, it asserts that "Plaintiff
After careful review of the summary judgment record and the respective arguments of counsel, the Court concludes that there are genuine issues of material fact as to whether SSER is a "reasonable" criterion for evaluating Nissan of Mobile's sales performance, as required under the Agreement. Defendant's assertion that plaintiff expressly agreed to the use of the SSER performance standard is not supported by the record. To be sure, Sections 3.B.3. and 4. of the Standard Provisions do specify as examples of "reasonable criteria" that NNA may use to evaluate dealer performance "[a] comparison of Dealer's sales and/or registrations to sales and/or registrations of all other Authorized Nissan Dealers combined in Seller's Sales Region and District in which Dealer is located;" and "[a] comparison of sales and/or registrations achieved by Dealer to the sales or registrations of Dealer's competitors." (PageID.1310.) But to agree generally to sales performance metrics involving comparisons of Nissan of Mobile's sales to those of other Nissan dealers in a sales region, or of Nissan of Mobile's sales to those of competing brands, is not equivalent to agreeing to SSER specifically.
Furthermore, a fair reading of the record does not compel a finding that Nissan of Mobile's witnesses have acknowledged the reasonableness of the SSER metric. Careful examination of the Fesmire deposition reveals that he agreed only that "SSER is an example of ... a means of evaluating sales effectiveness," but then expressly disagreed that SSER was used properly or that it was fair to Nissan of Mobile. (PageID.2036.) And while DeLongchamps testified to his opinion that SSER is "a reasonable way" to measure dealer sales performance, he went on to qualify that statement that it was only reasonable "[a]s long as it's consistent" and he was "not familiar" with "hard data" as to whether it was consistent or not. (PageID.1633-34.) Plaintiff's objections to reasonableness of SSER on summary judgment go directly to the question of consistency. Thus, the Court does not find that NNA is entitled to summary judgment on Count Six on the ground that Nissan of Mobile has conceded the reasonableness of SSER as a sales performance standard in this case.
The ultimate question of the reasonableness vel non of the SSER performance standard is not amenable to resolution on summary judgment. Both sides have assembled facts to support their respective positions as to reasonableness. The SSER criterion takes certain factors into consideration, while excluding other potentially significant factors. It makes certain judgments and weighs certain factors in a manner that may be viewed as reasonable through one lens, or unreasonable through another. The parties' summary judgment briefs, which devote numerous pages to exploring the minutiae of SSER, bear that out. Under the circumstances, a considered assessment of reasonableness is best accomplished on a fully developed trial record, including hearing from the parties' respective expert witnesses, rather than on summary judgment. Accordingly, the Court finds that fact questions remain as to whether defendant did or did not breach the Dealer Agreement in the manner alleged in Count Six.
One final issue relating to the viability of the common-law contract claims found at Counts Five and Six remains to be addressed. In its Motion for Summary Judgment, NNA cites well-settled law for the general proposition that a plaintiff cannot obtain a permanent injunction without showing a substantial threat of irreparable injury. See, e.g., Triple J Cattle, Inc. v. Chambers, 551 So.2d 280, 282 (Ala. 1989) ("The primary reason for issuing an injunction is to prevent an irreparable injury ...."); Ex parte B2K Systems, LLC, 162 So.3d 896, 904 (Ala. 2014) ("Our cases hold that a preliminary injunction should be issued only when the party seeking the injunction can demonstrate that, without the injunction, he or she would suffer irreparable injury for which there is no adequate remedy at law."); Gagliardi v. TJCV Land Trust, 889 F.3d 728, 734 (11
Of course, "[i]rreparable injury is an injury that is not redressable in a court of law through an award of money damages." Slamen v. Slamen, 254 So.3d 172, 175 (Ala. 2017) (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). By all appearances, any lost profits that Nissan of Mobile might incur via appointment of a new dealer in West Mobile and any foregone incentive payments or other losses resulting from use of SSER as a sales performance evaluation tool would be redressable through an award of money damages. In response to this argument, plaintiff remains silent. It offers no plausible basis for finding that either (i) the "irreparable injury" requirement is inapplicable to Counts Five and Six, or (ii) plaintiff has any evidence that might support a finding of irreparable injury as to those counts. Instead, Nissan of Mobile's lone argument on this point is that "even if Nissan of Mobile does not meet elements required for an injunction under the common law or civil procedure rules, Nissan of Mobile's entitlement to an injunction under the MVFA remains unaffected." (PageID.1904.) In other words, plaintiff effectively capitulates on the "irreparable injury" requirement for Counts Five and Six, but urges the Court to deem it inapplicable to the statutory claims found at Counts One through Four.
In sum, then, defendant has made an uncontested showing that the sole relief sought by plaintiff in Counts Five and Six is an injunction barring defendant from using SSER or creating an open point in West Mobile, that such an injunction cannot be granted without a showing of a substantial threat of irreparable injury, and that the record lacks any reasonable basis for finding that Nissan of Mobile's complained-of injuries are "irreparable," or incapable of being redressed through money damages. For that reason, defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment is
For all of the foregoing reasons, it is
