FCA v. Kamax: Michigan Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal and Leaves Uncertainty for Automotive Manufacturers
On April 22, 2026, the Michigan Supreme Court entered an order dismissing the appeal of FCA US LLC v. Kamax Inc., a case of considerable importance to manufacturers鈥攑articularly automotive suppliers鈥攖hat commonly utilize requirements contracts to govern long-term supply arrangements. The Kamax case has garnered significant interest from manufacturers since the Michigan Supreme Court granted leave to appeal the decision on October 29, 2025. In anticipation of the Court鈥檚 ruling, numerous organizations and entities submitted amicus briefs to the Court including the Michigan Manufacturers鈥 Association and the State Bar of Michigan鈥檚 Business Law Section. Oral argument on the case had been scheduled to be heard by the Court in May. The Court entered the order in response to an April 7, 2026, request from Kamax parties to dismiss the action following the parties鈥 out of court settlement of the dispute, which is confidential.
Had the Court heard argument and decided the merits of the appeal, the Court鈥檚 decision was expected to offer much-needed clarification to automotive suppliers on some of the critical questions that have bedeviled suppliers and the courts in the wake of the Court鈥檚 landmark decision in MSSC, Inc. v. Airboss Flexible Products Co. (2023) with respect to what contractual language is necessary to create a valid 鈥渞equirements contract鈥 under Michigan law鈥攁 type of agreement where a seller agrees to provide all of a buyer鈥檚 needs for specific goods or services and, in exchange, the buyer agrees to purchase a specified portion of its requirements from that seller for a set period. In particular, the Michigan Supreme Court had granted leave to consider: (1) whether Cadillac Rubber & Plastics, Inc. v Tubular Metal Sys., LLC, 331 Mich App 416, 952 N.W.2d 576 (2020)鈥攚here, in relevant part, the Michigan Court of Appeals held that a purchaser鈥檚 obligation to purchase a quantity between 鈥渙ne part and 100%鈥 of its requirements from a supplier constituted a requirements contract as a matter of law鈥攔emains good law after the Court’s decision in Airboss; and (2) whether a written contract for 鈥渁pproximately 65-100%鈥 of a purchaser鈥檚 requirements satisfies the requirements of the Uniform Commercial Code’s statute of frauds, MCL 搂 440.2201(1).
Despite the Kamax parties鈥 request to dismiss the appeal, the Michigan Supreme Court appeared to consider whether it could have denied the parties鈥 request and proceeded with oral argument or rendered a sua sponte decision overturning Cadillac Rubber. However, the Court declined to take either approach and ultimately entered dismissal. Though the Michigan Supreme Court鈥檚 dismissal of the Kamax appeal may be a disappointment for manufacturers that had hoped for greater clarity, the fact that the Court granted leave to appeal suggests the Court has recognized the need for further certainty and is likely to revisit the issue in a future case where the opportunity arises.
Automotive suppliers should consider the following implications from the Michigan Supreme Court鈥檚 dismissal of the Kamax appeal:
- For the time being, there remains a split between the approach taken by the State and Federal courts in Michigan.
- Several State courts 鈥 including the Michigan Court of Appeal in the Kamax matter 鈥 have held that Cadillac Rubber remains good law. As such, Michigan State courts will remain likely to enforce contract language allowing a purchaser to procure an indeterminate range of its requirements from a supplier (in Kamax, for example, the Michigan Court of Appeals held that 鈥渁 quantity between 65% and 100% constituted a proper quantity term.鈥)
- In contrast, several Federal courts have held that the decision in Cadillac Rubber, and indeterminate ranges more generally, are fundamentally incompatible with the decision in Airboss. Most notably, in Higuchi Int鈥檒 Corp. v. Autoliv ASP, Inc., 103 F.4th 400 (6th Cir. 2024), the Sixth Circuit reasoned that under Airboss valid requirements contract language must 鈥渆xplicitly and precisely specify that [a purchaser] will obtain a set share of its total need from [a supplier].鈥 It is unclear whether the contract language at issue in Kamax would pass muster under Higuchi.
The Kamax dismissal serves as a reminder that all parties to purported 鈥渞equirements鈥 contracts should proactively review their purchase orders and other contract terms and consider whether they are bound by a requirements contract or if their contract lacks the necessary specificity in the quantity term. 番茄社区; Lardner LLP stands ready to assist its clients as they navigate the evolving landscape of Michigan contract law and the implications it has across requirements contracts鈥攅ven in other states鈥攇iven the fact that 49 states have adopted the Uniform Commercial Code.