Handwritten Letter of Intent Worth $10.5 Million

According to Newsday.com, a jury has awarded $10.5 million to internet executive Alfred West in his suit to enforce a handwritten agrement with IDT Corp.  According to the report, West met with IDT founder and chairman Howard S. Jonas on February 3, 2001.  The product of this meeting was two pages handwritten by Jonas which contained the terms of a deal in which West would develop a business within IDT.  The terms of the deal were as follows:

The deal called for an annual salary of $200,000 for five years, and an annual payment on Feb. 13 for the next five years of 70,000 shares and $1.5 million, which they estimated was worth “roughly” $14.3 million. The deal called for an annual salary of $200,000 for five years, and an annual payment on Feb. 13 for the next five years of 70,000 shares and $1.5 million, which they estimated was worth “roughly” $14.3 million.

Crucially, the handwritten agreement also contained the following langauge: “The parties will complete formal contracts as soon as possible but this is binding.”

West was fired after six months at IDT.  His suit resulted in a 2005 jury verdict in his favor for $1.5 million.  The Third Circuit vacated that verdict and remanded, while reinstating West’s breach of contract claim, which had been dismissed by the district court.  The second trial worked out even better for Mr. West, but IDT has promised a second appeal.

[Jeremy Telman]