Insurance House, Inc. v. Insurance Data Processing, Inc. , 367 F. App'x 1 ( 2010 )

[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
________________________
FILED
U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
No. 09-12463 ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
________________________ FEBRUARY 8, 2010
JOHN LEY
D. C. Docket No. 07-00286-CV-BBM-1 ACTING CLERK
THE INSURANCE HOUSE, INC.,
a Georgia Corporation,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
versus
INSURANCE DATA PROCESSING, INC.,
a Pennsylvania Corporation,
Defendant-Appellee.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of Georgia
_________________________
(February 8, 2010)
Before CARNES, HULL and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
After oral argument and careful consideration, we conclude that the
particular arguments made by Appellant in the district court and in its initial brief
on appeal failed to persuade us that the district court erred. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
§1292(b), the district court certified, and this Court accepted, the following issue
for interlocutory appeal: Whether Insurance House may recover actual and
consequential damages for alleged breaches of §1.2 of the Delivery Agreement by
IDP. The district court held that §1.6 of the Delivery Agreement was a liquidated
damages provision which precluded recovery of actual and consequential
damages. In its initial brief on appeal, appellant Insurance House makes three
arguments: (1) that §1.6 is not a liquidated damages clause because it is not thus
labeled, does not disclaim other damages, and, pursuant to the general rule of the
applicable Pennsylvania law, a specification of certain damages does not exclude
other legally recognized remedies; (2) that §1.6 is ambiguous, and parol evidence
should have been admitted and considered; and (3) that §1.6 cannot be considered
the exclusive remedy because that would render §5.10 surplusage.
With respect to the first of these arguments, Appellant’s initial brief on
appeal has failed to persuade us that the district court erred. Although it is true
that §1.6 of the Delivery Agreement does not label itself as a “liquidated damages”
provision, and although it does not otherwise expressly use language which
precludes recovery of actual or consequential damages, Pennsylvania case law
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does not require such labeling. See Holt’s Cigar Co. v. 222 Liberty Ass’n, 591
A.2d 743, 749 n.5 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1991). Thus, the absence of such labeling is not
dispositive. As part of this argument, Appellant cites a general contractual
principal of law to the effect that the specification of a particular remedy does not
necessarily exclude others. In support of this general proposition, Appellant relies
heavily upon Cedrone v. Unity Sav. Ass’n, 609 F.Supp. 250 (E.D. Pa. 1985).
However, as the district court pointed out, the Cedrone case did not involve the
issue of whether the provision was a liquidated damages clause. As the district
court pointed out, under Pennsylvania law, the issue of whether a contract
provision is a liquidated damages provision is an inquiry distinct from whether an
ordinary contract provision provides an exclusive remedy. Because a liquidated
damages provision is by definition a good faith effort to estimate in advance the
actual damage that will probably ensue, there cannot also be recovery of actual
damages. See Pantuso Motors, Inc. v. Corestates Bank, N.A., 798 A.2d 1277,
1282 (Pa. 2002); Carlos R. Leffler, Inc. v. Hutter, 696 A.2d 157, 162 (Pa. Super.
Ct. 1997). This is clear as a matter of Pennsylvania case law, and also as a matter
of common sense. Thus, Appellant’s argument in its initial brief on appeal is not
persuasive.
With respect to Appellant’s argument that §1.6 is ambiguous, thus
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permitting parol evidence, Appellant’s argument in its initial brief on appeal fails
to cite persuasive reasons why the provision is ambiguous. Accordingly, we
cannot conclude that the district court erred in excluding parol evidence.
Appellant’s initial brief on appeal makes a final argument. Appellant argues
that §1.6 cannot be construed as an exclusive remedy because that would render
§5.10 of the Delivery Agreement surplusage. Appellant’s argument in this regard
is flawed for at least three reasons. First, as the district court noted, a liquidated
damages clause does not preclude all other remedies. The district court held only
that it precluded recovery of actual or consequential damages, precisely the kind
of damages that a liquidated damages clause attempts to estimate. Second,
Pennsylvania case law has expressly contemplated the availability of more than
one liquidated damage provision. See Allied Fire & Safety Equip. Co. v. Dick
Enter., Inc., 972 F. Supp. 922, 934-35 (E.D. Pa. 1997). Finally, in any event,
§5.10 is clearly not a liquidated damage provision. Rather, it acknowledges that
IDP owes Appellant reimbursement for a bonus previously paid but not earned,
and provides for release of IDP’s obligation to reimburse if IDP completes
delivery in a timely manner.
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For the foregoing reasons,1 the judgment of the district court is
AFFIRMED.
1
We note that several arguments were made for the first time in Appellant’s reply brief.
Although it is doubtful that the arguments would be successful in making additional remedies available
to Appellant, we decline to address such belated arguments, pursuant to our well-established precedent.
See United States v. Levy, 379 F.3d 1241, 1242-43 (11th Cir. 2004) (holding that claims not raised in the
initial brief are deemed waived).
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