Written by: Sam Orlando
August 30, 2023 - Ah, the pandemic, the gift that keeps on giving. Just when you thought we had moved past the labyrinthine supply chain issues, mask mandates, and the never-ending rollout of vaccines, it seems we've entered the latest act of our collective COVID-19 drama: The Lawsuit Chronicles.
RCA Laboratory Services, LLC, going by the far more science-y name of GENETWORx, has filed a lawsuit against an unnamed defendant. What for? You might guess: a whopping $320,695 in Covid tests they say they shipped, but the corresponding invoices never got paid. And why? Because apparently, nods and "good job, buddy" don't pay the bills.
The Money, The Money, The Money!
The core issue here is unpaid invoices for COVID-19 "MDT Services," a mysterious term we can only presume stands for something vastly important and pandemic-related. The plaintiff, GENETWORx, has had enough and wants the court to recognize its claims for that eye-watering sum, citing the defendant's "action and inaction" as an assent to the legitimacy of the debt.
In the legal world, that’s known as accounts stated—a concept that probably isn't as sexy as it sounds but still has our litigious pals doing somersaults.
What's In A Contract?
"Ah, but wait," cry the intellectual among us, "what if there was no formal contract?" Cue the drums for counts of Quantum Meruit and Unjust Enrichment—two Latin phrases that are as complicated to understand as they are to spell.
Quantum meruit argues that the defendant requested and received services from the plaintiff, so by the ancient code of "I did something for you, now pay up," they should indeed pay up. It's sort of Latin for, "Well, you knew this wasn't a charity, right?"
Unjust enrichment is its sneaky cousin. It claims the defendant benefited from services and has not compensated the plaintiff, ergo they've been unjustly enriched. This is legal jargon for: "So you thought you'd get away with it, huh?"
The Legal Brouhaha
Packed within the verbose legalese are a litany of legal terms and case references aimed at making the defendant squirm—or at least dig out their law dictionary. We've got terms like "reasonable value of services," "mutuality of assent," and "implied-in-fact contract," all thrown in a linguistic salad that tastes like a five-hour lecture on contract law.
The lawsuit concludes with a polite "WHEREFORE" (that’s Lawyer for "Therefore, so there!") and requests that the court enter judgment in the plaintiff's favor, ideally with a cherry on top.
So, while the rest of us navigate the new normal, these parties are wrangling over the old normal—like paying your debts. Stay tuned to see if this legal drama will add another layer to the pandemic playbook or simply fade into the ether, much like our collective patience.
Ah, lawsuits—aren't they just the perfect seasoning for a world already brimming with chaos?
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