Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC v. Jabbour, Docket No. 320291.

• Decision Date: 30 July 2015
• Docket Number: Docket No. 320291.
• Citation: 311 Mich.App. 524,880 N.W.2d 1
• Parties: HOWARD & HOWARD ATTORNEYS PLLC v. JABBOUR.
• Court: Court of Appeal of Michigan — District of US

311 Mich.App. 524

880 N.W.2d 1

HOWARD & HOWARD ATTORNEYS PLLC

v.JABBOUR.

Docket No. 320291.

Court of Appeals of Michigan.

Submitted July 15, 2015, at Detroit.

Decided July 30, 2015, at 9:00 a.m.

Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC, Royal Oak (by Brad A. Rayle and John C. Louisell ) for plaintiff.

Before: WILDER, P.J., and SHAPIRO and RONAYNE KRAUSE, JJ.

PER CURIAM.

Plaintiff appeals by right the trial court's denial of its motion for summary disposition and grant of summary disposition in favor of defendant. Defendant was appointed by the trial court as a receiver to oversee certain businesses involved in an underlying lawsuit; as part of his receivership, he retained plaintiff to perform legal services in connection with the receivership. The receivership appointment order specified that the receivership estate was to pay the receiver's fees and expenses, including compensating plaintiff. However, the parties to the underlying lawsuit settled and, despite being ordered to do so, never paid the entirety of plaintiff's fees. Plaintiff commenced the instant suit against defendant personally, which the trial court deemed impermissible. We affirm.

A trial court's ruling on a motion for summary disposition is reviewed de novo on appeal. Oliver v. Smith, 290 Mich.App. 678, 683, 810 N.W.2d 57 (2010).

A person who retains an attorney is, of course, ordinarily obligated to compensate that attorney pursuant to their contract. However, an agent who contracts with a third party on behalf of a disclosed principal is generally not liable to the third party in the absence of an express agreement to be held liable. Nat'l Trout Festival, Inc. v. Cannon, 32 Mich.App. 517, 521, 189 N.W.2d 69 (1971) ; Huizenga v. Withey Sheppard Assoc., 15 Mich.App. 628, 633, 167 N.W.2d 120 (1969). A court-appointed receiver is an officer or agent of the court. See In re Kennison Sales & Engineering Co., Inc., 363 Mich. 612, 617–618, 110 N.W.2d 579 (1961). The order of appointment explicitly states this. In accord is authority stating:

One contracting with the court through the receiver becomes, in effect, a party to the receivership proceedings in respect of the court's future dealings with him or her and his or her rights under the contract. [75 CJS, Receivers, § 165, pp. 509–510.]

Similarly:

The general rule is that an allowance of attorney's fees in cases of this nature is properly made to the receiver and not directly to the attorneys, and that the attorneys must look to the receiver for their compensation, but they cannot hold the receiver personally liable. [65 Am. Jur. 2d, Receivers, § 225, pp. 780–781.]

The parties' contract in this case explicitly and unambiguously stated that all legal services were being performed pursuant to defendant's appointment by the trial court as receiver. There is no plausible dispute regarding the fact that defendant was lawfully acting within the scope of his receivership authority at all relevant times and that plaintiff was aware of that fact.

Defendant did agree that plaintiff is entitled to be paid. However, the evidence shows that defendant did not...