Perma Life Mufflers, Inc. v. International Parts Corp.

392 U.S. 134 (1968)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
P
From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Perma Life Mufflers, Inc. v. International Parts Corp.

United States Supreme Court
392 U.S. 134 (1968)

Facts

Perma Life Mufflers, Inc., and several other muffler dealers (the muffler dealers) (plaintiffs) entered into franchise agreements with Midas, Inc. (Midas) (defendant), that granted the muffler dealers the exclusive right to market and sell Midas mufflers. The franchise agreements included restrictions that prevented the franchisees from buying mufflers from any other manufacturers or selling mufflers outside the locations specified in the agreements. Additionally, the franchisees were required to stock a complete line of Midas products in stores and purchase exhaust-system parts only from Midas. The muffler dealers brought an action against Midas, claiming that the franchise agreements were unlawful restrictions under antitrust law, and sought treble damages under the Clayton Act to compensate for lost profits resulting from the restrictions. The court of appeals determined that the doctrine of unclean hands applied and consequently barred the suit, noting that each of the muffler dealers had been fully aware of the restrictions in the franchise agreements and made considerable profits as franchisees. The muffler dealers appealed on the issue of whether the doctrine of unclean hands barred their claim.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Black, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 806,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 806,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 806,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Antitrust

Key Terms