Chesapeake Supply & Equipment Co. v. J.I. Case Co.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

ELLIS, District Judge.

Introduction

This case is a striking example of the potency of choice of law rules in a multi-state contract context. It is a reminder that parties act at their peril when they fail to make explicit their choice of law and instead leave that decision to the conflicts rules of some future, perhaps unforeseen, forum.

The precise choice of law issue presented here is whether Maryland, Virginia, or Wisconsin law applies to a heavy equipment dealer contract (“Agreement”) executed in Maryland and Wisconsin, delivered in Maryland, and performed in Maryland,…