FOR PUBLICATION
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEES:
DAVID A. ROSENTHAL JASON W. BENNETT
Lafayette, Indiana JAMES A. GOTHARD
Lafayette, Indiana
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH & )
RACQUET CLUB, INC., )
)
Appellant-Plaintiff, )
)
vs. ) No. 79A04-0211-CV-538
)
JERRY K. SCOTT and MARSHA L. SCOTT, )
)
Appellees-Defendants. )
APPEAL FROM THE TIPPECANOE SUPERIOR COURT
The Honorable Donald C. Johnson, Judge
Cause No. 79D01-0111-CP-667
May 29, 2003
OPINION - FOR PUBLICATION
MATHIAS, Judge
Ex. Vol., Defendants Ex. A. Before they agreed to enter into the
two-year membership contract, the Scotts inquired about a membership on a monthly basis
because they were temporarily residing in Lafayette. Due to the expense of
a monthly membership and International Healths assurance that they could cancel the membership
if they moved more than thirty miles away, the Scotts agreed to purchase
the two-year membership.
On September 19, 1997, the Scotts informed International Health that they had relocated
to Attica, Indiana, and wanted to cancel the membership contract. They provided
their new address and phone number to International Health in addition to a
map, which was generated on-line, showing a driving distance of 35.3 miles from
their home in Attica to International Healths nearest location. They also provided
a copy of the land contract for their Attica property, which noted that
the Scotts purchased the property in 1994, and their $75 cancellation fee.
At that time, the general manager of International Health, Paul Fortwendel (Fortwendel) told
the Scotts that the information they provided was not sufficient to comply with
the cancellation provision and requested proof that the Scotts had terminated their lease
on their Lafayette apartment. Tr. p. 43. Therefore, on September 23,
1997, the Scotts sent a letter to Fortwendel stating that their lease was
terminated on July 31, 1997, and a copy of the lease was enclosed.
Ex. Vol., Plaintiffs Ex. 2. The letter also listed the Scotts
new address in Attica and their telephone number. International Health cashed the
Scotts $75 check, but did not apply it toward their account. Because
they did not receive any further communication from International Health, the Scotts assumed
that the membership contract was canceled.
In June 2001, the Scotts were attempting to purchase a boat, but were
denied financing for the purchase because International Health had turned their account over
to a collection agency. The Scotts contacted the collection agency and stated
that their membership had been canceled. The collection agency then contacted International
Health, which verified the debt. Until that time, the Scotts were unaware
that the membership had not been canceled.
In October 2001, the Scotts met with a bank representative with regard to
refinancing their home. The bank representative suggested that they contact International Health
to resolve the collection matter. The Scotts contacted Fortwendel, who told them
that he had requested further proof of their move to Attica by letter
dated December 10, 1997, and that the Scotts failed to respond to that
request. The Scotts denied receiving Fortwendels letter, which was sent to their
previous Lafayette address. Fortwendel also stated that he had decided not to
accept the Scotts cancellation, and that he applied the $75 check towards their
account balance. Tr. pp. 47, 82.
Thereafter, on November 7, 2001, the Scotts filed a complaint against International Health
alleging breach of contract, defamation, and invasion of privacy. A bench trial
was held on August 21, 2002, and the trial court issued findings of
fact and conclusions of law on September 13, 2002. The trial court
found that 1) International Health cashed the Scotts $75 check, but did not
apply that amount to their account; 2) the Scotts residence in Attica was
more than thirty miles from International Health; 3) Fortwendels claim that he sent
the December 10, 1997 letter to the Scotts was not credible; 4) the
Scotts suffered additional costs in refinancing their mortgage because of the open collection
account on their credit report; and 5) the Scotts did suffer and endure
embarrassment due to the intentional actions of [International Health] in reporting the [Scotts]
to a collection agency when in fact the account had been cancelled by
the acceptance of the [Scotts] $75.00 cancellation fee. Appellants App., Ex. 3.
See footnote
The trial court concluded that International Health had breached its contract with the
Scotts by accepting the cancellation fee, but refusing to cancel the membership contract,
and when it reported the Scotts account to a collection agency, the Scotts
suffered economic and emotional harm. The trial court found the following damages
as a result of the breach of contract:See footnote
FHA fee that was amortized in the [Scotts] refinanced mortgage: $2,687.46
Additional mortgage insurance premium that was required by
the FHA for a period of 5 years: 1,474.80
Termite inspection fee:
63.00
Additional interest paid by [the Scotts] prior to obtaining a new
[m]ortgage due to the false reporting by [International Health] on
[the Scotts] [c]redit report: 4,664.02
Attorney fees incurred by the [Scotts]: 1,369.50
Appellants App., Ex. 3. Therefore, the trial court entered a judgment against
International Health in the amount of $10,258.78. International Health now appeals.
Additional facts will be provided as necessary.
Id. at 664, 317 N.E.2d at 452.
In White River Conservancy District v. Commonwealth Engineers, Inc., 575 N.E.2d 1011,
1014 (Ind. Ct. App. 1991), trans. denied, the Conservancy District entered into a
contract whereby Commonwealth Engineers agreed to provide certain engineering services for the District.
The contract contained specific provisions concerning submission of claims for payment of
services, and although Commonwealth Engineers claims allegedly were not submitted as required under
the terms of the contract, the Conservancy District approved the claims and paid
them accordingly. Id. at 1014, 1016. The Conservancy District was later
dissolved, and after it failed to pay certain claims submitted by Commonwealth Engineers,
Commonwealth obtained a judgment against the Conservancy District. Id. at 1014.
On appeal, the Conservancy District argued that Commonwealth Engineers failed to comply with
contractual provisions when it submitted its claims for payment. Id. at 1016.
Our court determined that Commonwealth Engineers had substantially complied with the contract
in submitting the claims and the Conservancy District accepted and approved many of
the claims. Citing the principle that [s]trict performance of the terms of
a contract on the part of one party may be waived by the
other, we held that the Conservancy Districts approval of Commonwealth Engineers claims preclude
[the] District from asserting that [Commonwealth Engineers] claims were defective and therefore, uncollectible.
Id.
In this case, the Scotts expressed their desire to cancel their membership contract
and tendered to International Health the contractual $75 cancellation fee. International Health
requested additional proof of relocation, and the Scotts complied with that request by
providing a copy of their terminated Lafayette lease agreement. International Health never
made any other credible requests for further proof of relocation. It also
cashed the Scotts check and did not apply those funds to the Scotts
membership account. Although International Health argues that it did not receive sufficient
proof of relocation as required by the membership contract, by cashing the Scotts
check after the Scotts provided their new address and phone number and a
copy of their terminated lease agreement, International Health waived the condition in the
cancellation provision requiring proof of relocation of more than thirty miles from its
nearest location. Therefore, the trial court did not err when it determined
that International Health breached the membership contract by accepting the Scotts cancellation fee,
and then failing to cancel the Scotts membership. The judgment of the
trial court is affirmed.
Affirmed.
KIRSCH, J., and MATTINGLY-MAY, J., concur.