McCLENDON, J.
Appellant, Ronnie McLin, who alleges that he entered into a valid agreement with a corporate entity, seeks review of the trial court's granting of a motion for summary judgment in favor of the corporation. Appellant asserts that the granting of the motion was improper because he entered into an agreement with an agent of the corporation granting him the exclusive rights to open a restaurant franchise. Alternatively, he argues that he detrimentally relied upon the agent's acts and/or omissions such that the corporation is bound for the agent's acts. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.
On April 28, 2010, John T. Guzzardo, Jr. signed an agreement with Ronnie McLin, which purportedly granted McLin the exclusive right to open a HI HO Bar-B-Q restaurant in the town of Livingston for a period of two years from the date of the agreement. Specifically, the agreement provides:
On April 5, 2011, a third party, HI HO Barbeque 5, LLC, under a HI HO franchise/license agreement, established and commenced operating a HI HO Bar-B-Q restaurant in the town of Livingston.
On June 2, 2011, McLin filed a Petition for Injunctive Relief, naming HI HO, Inc. and John T. Guzzardo, Jr. as defendants. Therein, McLin alleged that HI HO, Inc. intentionally breached the April 28, 2010 contract and he sought injunctive relief to prohibit and terminate the operation of HI HO Barbeque 5, LLC's restaurant in Livingston. McLin also asserted that relying on his exclusive rights to operate a franchise, he acquired certain immovable property and a restaurant business for serving the general public retail food services. In a First Amending and Supplemental Petition for Injunctive Relief, McLin named J.T. and Stella Guzzardo,
In their respective answers, J.T. and Stella Guzzardo, Inc. and John T. Guzzardo, Jr. alleged that John T. Guzzardo, Jr. was not an authorized representative or agent for HI HO, Inc. Rather, they indicated that John T. Guzzardo, Jr. "is merely an employee of said enterprise without any authorization to grant any franchises or to bind the corporate entity he works for in any fashion."
Subsequently, J.T. and Stella Guzzardo, Inc. ("the Corporation") filed a Motion for Summary Judgment. Therein, the Corporation asserted that John T. Guzzardo, Jr. did not have authority to contract on behalf of or bind the Corporation such that McLin never had an enforceable, binding contract with the Corporation. In support of its motion for summary judgment, the Corporation attached the affidavit of John T. Guzzardo, Sr., the President of the Corporation. Therein, he attested, in part:
In response, McLin asserted that genuine issues of material fact remained as to whether John T. Guzzardo, Jr. had actual, express or implied, or apparent authority to bind the Corporation and whether any consideration was made for the subject written agreement granting McLin the exclusive right to operate and obtain a franchise/license agreement in Livingston. McLin also asserted that he relied on Guzzardo's acts, including among other things, purchasing a restaurant business and securing a lease. As such, Mr. McLin concluded that summary judgment was inappropriate.
Following a hearing on May 21, 2012, the trial court signed a judgment granting summary judgment in favor of the Corporation and dismissing McLin's claims against the Corporation with prejudice.
McLin has appealed, raising two assignments of error. First, he asserts that the trial court erroneously held that there are no genuine issues of material fact as to whether John T. Guzzardo, Jr. had authority — express, apparent, and/or implied — to act on behalf of the Corporation. Second, McLin asserts that the trial court erred in concluding that no genuine issues of material fact remained regarding whether he relied on John T. Guzzardo, Jr.'s acts and/or omissions and as a result sustained damages such that summary judgment should not have been granted in favor of the Corporation.
A motion for summary judgment is a procedural device used to avoid a full scale trial when there is no genuine issue of material fact for all or part of the relief prayed for by a litigant. All Crane Rental of Georgia, Inc. v. Vincent, 10-0116 (La. App. 1 Cir. 9/10/10), 47 So.3d 1024, 1027, writ denied, 10-2227 (La.11/19/10), 49 So.3d 387. Appellate courts review summary judgments de novo, using the same criteria that govern the trial court's consideration of whether summary judgment is appropriate. Costello v. Hardy, 03-1146 (La.1/21/04), 864 So.2d 129, 137. A motion for summary judgment should only be granted if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to material fact and that the movant is entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law. See LSA-C.C.P. 966(B)(2).
The burden of proof on a motion for summary judgment remains with the movant. However, if the movant will not bear the burden of proof at trial on the matter that is before the court on the motion for summary judgment, the movant's burden on the motion does not require him to negate all essential elements of the adverse party's claim, action, or defense, but rather to point out to the court that there is an absence of factual support for one or more elements essential to the adverse party's claim, action, or defense. Thereafter, if the adverse party fails to produce factual support sufficient to establish that he will be able to satisfy his evidentiary burden of proof at trial, there is no genuine issue of material fact. LSA-C.C.P. art. 966(C)(2). Once the motion for summary judgment has been properly supported by the moving party, the failure of the non-moving party to produce evidence of a material factual dispute mandates the granting of the motion. Pugh v. St. Tammany Parish School Board, 07-1856, (La. App. 1 Cir. 8/21/08), 994 So.2d 95, 97 (on rehearing), writ denied, 08-2316 (La.11/21/08), 996 So.2d 1113; see also LSA-C.C.P. art. 967(B). Because it is the applicable substantive law that determines materiality, whether a particular fact in dispute is material can be seen only in light of the substantive law applicable to this case. Janney v. Pearce, 09-2103 (La. App. 1 Cir. 5/7/10), 40 So.3d 285, 290, writ denied, 10-1356 (La. 9/24/10), 45 So.3d 1078.
In considering whether genuine issues of material fact remain as to the liability of the Corporation, we must consider the law of agency and mandate. A mandate is a contract by which a person, the principal, confers authority on another person, the mandatary or agent, to transact one or more affairs for the principal. LSA-C.C. art. 2989. A mandatary's power or authority is composed of his actual authority, express or implied, together with the apparent authority which the principal has vested in him by his conduct. Boulos v. Morrison, 503 So.2d 1, 3 (La. 1987).
An actual agency is a contract between the principal and agent created either expressly or by implication. AAA Tire & Export, Inc. v. Big Chief Truck Lines, Inc., 385 So.2d 426, 429 (La.App. 1 Cir.1980). An agency is created expressly by the oral or written agreements of the parties. Id. It is created by implication when, from the nature of the principal's business and the position of the agent within the business, the agent is deemed to have permission from the principal to undertake certain acts which are reasonably related and necessary concomitant of the agent's express authorization. Id.
In order for the doctrine of apparent authority to apply, the principal must first act to manifest the alleged mandatary's authority to an innocent third party. Boulos, 503 So.2d at 3. Then, the third party must reasonably rely on the mandatary's manifested authority. Id. See also LSA-C.C. art. 3021.
On appeal, McLin contends that John T. Guzzardo, Jr. held himself out to have all authority to make decisions, including entering into franchise/licensing agreements.
McLin has presented nothing in his opposition to the Corporation's motion for summary judgment to show that John T. Guzzardo had express authority. Specifically, McLin has not introduced any charter, corporate bylaws, or any resolution of the board of directors that granted John T. Guzzardo, Jr. such express authority. See LSA-R.S. 12:81(A) and 12:82(D). McLin has also presented no other express agreement between the Corporation and John T. Guzzardo, Jr. granting such authority. Additionally, with regard to implied authority, it connotes permission from the principal for the agent to act, though that permission is not expressly set forth orally or in writing. Generally, one should look from the viewpoint of the principal and the agent to determine whether one has implied authority. AAA Tire & Export, Inc., 385 So.2d at 429. Given John T. Guzzardo, Jr.'s testimony that he never believed he had authority to grant such an agreement and the principal's position that no such authority had ever been granted, it necessarily follows that there was also no implied authority. McLin has not presented anything to show that he will be able to satisfy his evidentiary burden of proof at trial to establish an actual agency relationship.
Even assuming that a franchise/license agreement could be enforced against a corporation absent actual express authority,
In his second assignment of error, McLin asserts that he detrimentally relied upon John T. Guzzardo, Jr.'s acts and/or omissions such that the Corporation should not be released from the litigation. The elements for a cause of action for detrimental reliance, as provided by LSA-C.C.
For the foregoing reasons, the trial court's June 12, 2012 judgment granting summary judgment in favor of the Corporation is affirmed. Costs of this appeal are assessed to plaintiff/appellant, Ronnie McLin.