MT. VERNON –– Dupo Oilfield Development did not break a contract with Jasper Oil Producers, an appellate court ruled on Sept. 10.
The Fifth District Appellate Court denied Jasper Oil's request to overturn a jury verdict in favor of Dupo Oilfield.
The underlying case stems from a 2008 agreement between the two companies. According to the complaint, Dupo Oilfield agreed to sell a 1/32 share of interests and rights in the oilfield to Jasper Oil for $25,000.
Jasper Oil claimed it cut a cashier's check for $25,000, but never received proof of provenance. In a March 2011 meeting, Jasper Oil says Dupo Oilfield was "vague and unresponsive." Jasper Oil filed suit in St. Clair County Circuit Court soon after.
In June 2017, a a jury returned a verdict in favor of Dupo Oilfield, ruling the company did not breach the contract. Jasper Oil then filed post-trial motions asking for the verdict to be reconsidered or overturned, based on claims not heard by the jury.
When the circuit court denied the motions, Jasper Oil appealed.
The Fifth District Appellate Court, in affirming Associate Judge Heinz Rudolf, ruled that all the same facts and claims weighed by the jury were presented to the circuit court. The appellate court also took issue with Jasper Oil's documentation presented to the court.
"Here, the statement of facts is limited to one page, consisting solely of portions of the testimony and admissions of the defendant’s president at trial," Justice James Moore wrote. "The facts provide absolutely no procedural history related to the pleadings leading up to the post trial motions, therefore providing no understanding of the case nor correlating references to the record."