Lundberg v. Church Farm

Defendant, Church Farm, Inc., appeals from the judgment of the circuit court of Winnebago County awarding the plaintiffs $147,000 following a jury verdict in their favor in this breach of contract action. The facts in this case can fairly be summarized as follows. Gilbert Church and a silent partner are the sole owners of defendant, Church Farm, Inc. (Church Farm), a corporation located in Manteno and engaged in the business of breeding thoroughbred race horses. Gil Church also owns an unrelated business called Acme Propane, Inc. (Acme). Plaintiffs, Vern and Gail Lundberg, also breed thoroughbred race horses as Pam Dee L. Farm in Rockford. Herb Bagley was the farm manager at Church Farm. Church Farm purchased a very well bred stallion called Imperial Guard for approximately $700,000, and in February 1982, Gil Church placed a full center-page ad in the Racing Form, a publication directed to the horse breeding and racing community, advertising Imperial Guard for breeding and/or syndication. The ad listed the cost of breeding rights, convertible to a single syndication share, as $50,000, and directed all inquiries to ""Herb Bagley, Manager.""