Justia Idaho Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

Defendant Four Rivers Packing Company operated an onion packing plant and hired Plaintiff Stuart Mackay as the company's "field man." Plaintiff had been in the onion business for decades and knew many onion farmers. Four Rivers through its general manager Randy Smith (Smith) offered Plaintiff a job that involved purchasing enough onions to keep Four Rivers' packing shed stocked at a price that Smith would set. Plaintiff contended that Smith offered him a long-term employment contract. From 2000 to 2002, financial and managerial setbacks made it difficult for Four Rivers to operate its business, and for Plaintiff to acquire onions at prices set by Smith in order to keep the sheds stocked. In 2003, Four Rivers laid Plaintiff off. Plaintiff filed suit in 2004 alleging breach of the employment contract. At trial following a remand, Four Rivers contended that the parties had not entered into an employment contract for any specified term. A jury would return a verdict in favor of Plaintiff. In a special verdict form, the jury found that the parties had entered into a long term contract of "up to ten years, or such time as the Plaintiff retired." Four Rivers timely appealed, challenging jury instructions given at trial and the sufficiency of the evidence. Upon review of the trial record, the Supreme Court found that the trial court properly instructed the jury and that the evidence presented was sufficient to support the verdict. The Court affirmed the trial court's judgment against Four Rivers. View "Mackay v. Four Rivers Packing Co." on Justia Law

In 2001, Plaintiff Allied Bail Bonds, Inc. and Defendants the Kootenai County Sheriff and Board of Commissioners entered into a settlement agreement setting forth procedures for how inmates at the county jail would be informed of and obtain bail bonds. Allied brought suit alleging several claims including breach of the settlement agreement. The district court dismissed Allied's claims. Principal among them was Allied's contention that the Sheriff wrongfully diverted Allied's potential customers away from Allied, toward credit card companies, with the intent to harm Allied's business. Upon review, the Supreme Court found that Allied ran afoul of the technical pleading requirements of the legal authorities it used to support its claims. As such, the Court held that the district court properly dismissed Allied's claims against Defendants. View "Allied Bail Bonds, Inc. v. County of Kootenai" on Justia Law