Riegel Fiber Corp. v. Anderson Gin Co.

Riegel Fiber Company (plaintiff) signed a forward contract to buy cotton at 32 cents per pound from Anderson Gin Co. and Ellis Brothers (defendants), covering 'all the acceptable cotton produced' from a specified acreage, with an expected yield of 500 pounds per acre. After cotton prices later jumped to 81 cents per pound, Riegel -- suspecting the ginners would breach -- sued for specific performance. The trial court initially ordered delivery by preliminary injunction, which the ginners obeyed, but later ruled the contract unenforceable for failing to state a definite quantity under the statute of frauds.