Litigation

The litigation attorneys at Houston Harbaugh, P.C., are accomplished business trial lawyers, providing comprehensive support in litigation across a broad spectrum of matters throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and other jurisdictions upon a special admission basis. Our clients are regional and national small, medium and large companies and individuals who seek well planned and aggressive, but cost effective litigation. We counsel, we budget, we have a deep bench, we act quickly when needed and we have experienced trial lawyers who know the courts and bench. We serve regularly as local counsel for some of the largest law firms in the country when they have matters in this region.

When Does an Agreement to Repurchase Construction Material Equal a Contract for Services?

Recently, in the case of CPG Int’l LLC v. Shelter Products, Inc., No. 3:15cv1045 (M.D. Pa. 2017) the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania denied a motion for partial summary judgment on the grounds that the claim at issue was not barred by the statute of frauds, which applies to contracts for the sale of goods, because the purchaser actually agreed to provide a service to the seller in repurchasing inventory and relocating it to another distributor.

In the CPG case, TimberTech, a manufacturer of highly engineered building materials had a longstanding distribution relationship with Shelter Products Inc. (“Shelter”). Shelter had purchased several thousands of dollars of materials from TimberTech for resale when TimberTech informed Shelter that TimberTech was going to be merged into CPG International (“CPG”). TimberTech allegedly orally agreed to ensure that if CPG did not retain Shelter as a distributor after the merger, TimberTech would ensure that the materials purchased from it by Shelter were repurchased and moved to another distributor at no cost to Shelter.

After the merger, Shelter was terminated as a distributor but owed several thousand dollars for materials ordered from and delivered by TimberTech. Accordingly, CPG filed an action to recover the unpaid amounts for those goods. Shelter counterclaimed, alleging the oral contract between it and TimberTech and seeking to have CPG repurchase the materials from Shelter and relocate them to another distributor. CPG moved for summary judgment on Shelter’s counterclaim based on the statute of Frauds, which would render the alleged oral agreement for the repurchase of the materials void.

In considering this issue, Judge Munley held: “Viewing Shelter’s credible evidence in the light most favorable to it, a reasonable juror could conclude that CPG agreed to assist Shelter with moving its TimberTech inventory to a surviving distributor. That is, the agreement at issue is for services, not for the sale of goods. Thus, Pennsylvania’s statute of frauds fails to preclude the parties’ oral agreement, and the court will deny CPG’s motion for summary judgment on this issue.”

One must wonder how the Court came to the conclusion that an agreement to repurchase materials and have them shipped at no cost constitutes a contract primarily for services under hornbook case law starting with Bonebrake v. Cox, 499 F.2d 951 (8th Cir.1974) (proper inquiry is whether contract’s predominant factor, thrust, purpose, “reasonably stated, is the rendition of service, with goods incidentally involved (e.g. contract with artist for painting) or is a transaction of sale, with labor incidentally involved (e.g. installation of a water heater in a bathroom.)”); cited in, Cober v. Corle, 610 A.2d 1036 (Pa. Super. 1992).

About Us

The litigation attorneys at Houston Harbaugh, P.C., are accomplished business trial lawyers, providing comprehensive support in litigation across a broad spectrum of matters throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and other jurisdictions upon a special admission basis. Our clients are regional and national small, medium and large companies and individuals who seek well planned and aggressive, but cost effective litigation. We counsel, we budget, we have a deep bench, we act quickly when needed and we have experienced trial lawyers who know the courts and bench. We serve regularly as local counsel for some of the largest law firms in the country when they have matters in this region.

Henry Sneath Pittsburgh Business Litigation Lawyer. Pittsburgh Strong.® DTSALaw® Complex Case Mediation and ADR

Henry M. Sneath - Practice Chair

Co-Chair of Houston Harbaugh’s Litigation Practice, and Chair of its Intellectual Property Practice, Henry Sneath is a trial attorney, mediator, arbitrator and Federal Court Approved Mediation Neutral and Special Master with extensive federal and state court trial experience in cases involving commercial disputes, breach of contract litigation, intellectual property matters, patent, trademark and copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, DTSA claims, cyber security and data breach prevention, mitigation and litigation, probate trusts and estates litigation, construction claims, eminent domain, professional negligence lawsuits, pharmaceutical, products liability and catastrophic injury litigation, insurance coverage, and insurance bad faith claims.

Sam Simon Houston harbaugh lawyer

Samuel H. Simon - Practice Chair

As co-chair of Houston Harbaugh’s Litigation Group, Sam focuses his practice on commercial/business litigation. Sam regularly represents clients in the construction, manufacturing, oil and gas, and wholesale/retail/ distribution industries, as well as individuals in matters such as:

  • Construction litigation
  • Environmental litigation
  • Breach of contract disputes
  • Oil and gas litigation
  • Negligence
  • Restrictive covenants (non-compete agreements)
  • Civil rights
  • Collections/creditors’ rights
  • Lease disputes