Event Sales v. The TJX Companies
Event Sales, Inc. v. The TJX Companies, Inc.; Federal Express Corporation, a Delaware Corporation; and FedEx Ground Package System, Inc., a Delaware Corporation
- Katherine Menendez
- 0:23-cv-03444
- U.S. District Court · District of Minnesota
- 4
Counsel of record per CourtListener. Firm names are approximate and have been consolidated across spelling variants.
In Event Sales v. TJX, Judge Menendez granted TJX’s interest motion and ordered judgments on the parties’ contract claims.
Event Sales, Inc., The TJX Companies, Inc., and the FedEx defendants. The order sets the amounts of the contract judgments, awards TJX prejudgment interest, dismisses Event Sales’ listed claims, and denies TJX’s expert-exclusion motion without prejudice.
What happened
Event Sales, Inc. sued The TJX Companies, Inc. over a merchandise-purchase agreement, and TJX and FedEx asserted counterclaims. The court had previously ruled that Event Sales owed TJX $1,115,832.22 for unpaid merchandise and had dismissed Event Sales’ claims against TJX. TJX then asked the court to decide the amount of interest owed before final judgment.
The court applied Massachusetts law because the agreement selected that law. It concluded that the agreement required interest at 1.5% per month on late payments. Using TJX’s expert’s calculations, the court determined that interest totaled $491,550.52 through September 29, 2025, plus $62,730.78 for the following 114 days. The court declined to reconsider its earlier conclusions that the agreement was binding and that TJX was entitled to damages.
Judge Menendez granted TJX’s motion and determined that Event Sales owed TJX $554,281.30 in prejudgment interest. The court also directed entry of judgment awarding FedEx $6,291,636.39 on its shipping-cost counterclaim, awarding TJX $1,115,832 on its counterclaim, and dismissing Event Sales’ listed claims. The court denied TJX’s motion to exclude expert testimony without prejudice.
The detailed version
- Event Sales v. The TJX Companies · No. 0:23-cv-03444
- Katherine Menendez
- Jan. 22, 2026
Background
The dispute arose from a Salvage Agreement under which Event Sales, Inc. would purchase merchandise from The TJX Companies, Inc. and pay for it upon delivery. Event Sales sued TJX for breach of contract in 2023. TJX counterclaimed, alleging that Event Sales failed to make required payments. FedEx also asserted a breach-of-contract counterclaim concerning unpaid shipping costs.
In July 2025, the court granted summary judgment for TJX on its counterclaim, determining that Event Sales owed TJX $1,115,832.22 in unpaid remittances, and dismissed Event Sales’ claims against TJX. The January 22, 2026 order addressed TJX’s motion to determine the amount of prejudgment interest and directed the clerk to enter judgment consistent with the earlier summary-judgment order and the new interest ruling.
Prejudgment Interest Analysis
In a diversity case, state law controls prejudgment interest. The parties agreed that Massachusetts law governed the agreement. Massachusetts law provides that interest on contractual damages is calculated at the contract rate when the contract establishes one, or otherwise at 12% per year from the breach or demand.
The agreement set prejudgment interest at 1.5% per month and defined the breach date as 60 days after the end of each month following delivery. The parties did not dispute that Event Sales stopped paying for merchandise received beginning with the December 2022 shipment but continued receiving merchandise through July 2024. The merchandise totaled 208,070 cartons after accounting for Event Sales’ claimed deduction of 55,297 unsaleable cartons.
TJX’s damages expert calculated $491,550.52 in interest through September 29, 2025. The expert then calculated daily interest of $550.27 based on an annual rate of 18% applied to the $1,115,832 damages amount. The court determined that 114 additional days had passed by the date of the order, adding $62,730.78 and producing total prejudgment interest of $554,281.30.
Event Sales did not identify errors in the expert’s calculations or methods. Instead, it argued that TJX could recover no more than $58,983.50, apparently challenging whether the Salvage Agreement was binding or valid during the relevant period. The court declined to consider those arguments because it had already decided that the agreement was binding throughout the relevant period and that TJX was entitled to damages on its counterclaim.
Order and Disposition
Judge Menendez granted TJX’s Motion to Determine the Amount of Prejudgment Interest. The order directed entry of judgment as follows:
- FedEx’s motion for partial summary judgment was granted. Event Sales’ declaratory-judgment claim against FedEx, Count IV, was dismissed, and FedEx was awarded judgment as a matter of law on its breach-of-contract counterclaim in the amount of $6,291,636.39 for unpaid shipping costs incurred between December 2022 and June 12, 2023. - TJX’s motion for summary judgment was granted. Event Sales’ claims against TJX for breach of contract, unfair business practices under Minnesota Statutes § 325F.69, unjust enrichment, and declaratory judgment were dismissed. TJX was awarded judgment as a matter of law on its breach-of-contract counterclaim in the amount of $1,115,832, and Event Sales was ordered to pay TJX $554,281.30 in prejudgment interest. - TJX’s motion to exclude expert testimony was denied without prejudice.
The order stated that judgment should be entered accordingly.
Read the full 4-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.