Qatar National Bank v. Winmar, Inc.
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
650 F. Supp. 2D 1 (2009)
- Written by Steven Pacht, JD
Facts
The Al-Jazeera news agency (Al-Jazeera) hired Winmar, Inc. (defendant) to renovate its Qatari offices. In late 2005, the Qatar National Bank (bank) (plaintiff) properly transferred $476,677 from Al-Jazeera’s account to Winmar. However, on January 30, 2006, the bank mistakenly transferred the same amount to Winmar. As of the second transfer, Al-Jazeera owed no more than $355,297 to Winmar. Winmar first learned of the second payment on February 24, when Al-Jazeera contacted Winmar about the mistake. Winmar had not credited Al-Jazeera’s account with the second payment amount at that time. The bank sued Winmar seeking restitution, claiming that Winmar’s retention of the second payment would constitute unjust enrichment. The bank moved for summary judgment, which Winmar opposed, arguing that it was entitled to keep the money under the discharge-for-value defense recognized by Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) § 4A-303 and that factual disputes regarding its defense precluded summary judgment.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Kessler, J.)
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