Ever wondered if you should buy direct from the manufacturer or go through a reseller?

Some types of recourse may not be available to you.

In Sky Jet v. VSE Aviation, the buyer tried. They bought an aircraft part through a third-party distributor. That part had been overhauled by VSE Aviation—and when it allegedly failed, Sky Jet sued VSE for negligence and unjust enrichment.

But here’s the catch: Even though unjust enrichment doesn’t require a formal contract (and not even privity), it still requires some kind of connection. The court said there has to be “contact between the party conferring the benefit and the recipient.” Just being the original seller in the chain wasn’t enough.

Judge Teeter: “To find that this satisfies the elements of unjust enrichment would open up every consumer transaction to such a claim against a manufacturer.”

Claim denied. VSE wins summary judgment on unjust enrichment.
Sky Jet M.G. Inc. v. VSE Aviation Servs., LLC, No. 2:23-cv-02210-HLT, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 112924 (D. Kan. June 13,
2025)