Tenet Healthcare Corp. v. Community Health System, Inc.
Tenet Healthcare Corp. v. Community Health System, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER
Before the Court is Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss [Docket Entry # 40]. The Motion is GRANTED and Plaintiffs claims are DISMISSED with prejudice.
I. Background and Procedural History
Plaintiff Tenet Healthcare Corporation (“Tenet”) seeks a judgment against Defendants Community Health Systems, Inc. (“CHS”), Wayne T. Smith, and W. Larry Cash for its costs and disbursements incurred in connection with analyzing and opposing Defendants’ preliminary proxy materials. CHS initially attempted to acquire Tenet in a cash and stock transaction in November 2010. The Tenet Board rejected CHS’s offer and thereafter, CHS went public with its acquisition proposal. From December 2010 to May 2011, CHS made various preliminary proxy filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), preparatory to potential later efforts to effectuate a merger with Tenet and nominate a slate of directors for the Tenet Board. CHS’s proxy materials
Tenet filed its original Complaint on April 11, 2011, seeking injunctive and declaratory relief and damages under Section 14(a) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 and SEC Rule 14a~9. CHS then made additional efforts to acquire Tenet, but upon Tenet’s rejection of CHS’s final offer in May 2011, CHS withdrew its proposed slate of candidates for Tenet’s Board. Tenet then amended its Complaint to recover its costs to analyze CHS, its bids, and its proposed slate. Defendants move to dismiss under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6).
II. Analysis
Defendants argue under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) that Tenet lacks standing under Section 14(a) to recover its costs as claimed. Defendants argue that Section 14(a) authorizes only private causes of action for shareholders with voting rights. Tenet argues that its claim for damages is brought on behalf of its voting shareholders, and that because it was in the best position to protect the voting process on their behalves, it has standing to sue.
Four opinions of the United States Supreme Court are particularly relevant to the issues presented here. In J.I. Case Co. v. Borak, the Supreme Court ruled that shareholders could assert a private action for damages and other relief under Section 14(a), either individually or in a derivative suit.
The broad language of Borak as to the duty of courts in implying a private right was addressed by the Supreme Court almost thirty years later in Virginia Bankshares Inc. v. Sandberg,
Subsequent Supreme Court decisions have further narrowed the holding of Borah to its specific facts. In Alexander v. Sandoval, the Supreme Court again focused on congressional intent as a basis for finding an implied private right of action, rather than on congressional purpose as it had done in Borak.
Two district courts addressing the issue of whether a target corporation has standing to sue for damages under Section 14(a) have reached opposite conclusions. In Diceon Electronics v. Calvary Partners, L.P., the court concluded that granting standing to a target corporation to claim damages under Section 14(a) would impermissibly extend Borah and other case law seemingly “contrary to the legislative intent behind § 14(a).”
Reaching a result contrary to that in Diceon, the court in International Jensen Inc. v. Emerson Radio Corp. held that a target corporation could recover its expenses in response to another party’s use of improper proxy solicitations, finding that when “a corporation incurs expenses in reaction to another party’s use of improper proxy solicitations, it is in reality the shareholders who are harmed.”
This Court concludes, based on the focus on congressional intent mandated by Virginia Banhshares, that it cannot infer “any congressional urgency to depend on implied private actions [by target corporations] to deter violations of § 14(a)” especially through the type of damages Tenet seeks here.
The Court notes that many of the authorities relied upon by Tenet, such as Studebaker Corp. v. Gittlin
Other cases relied on by Tenet, Wininger v. SI Management, L.P.,
For these reasons, the Court concludes that Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss under Rule 12(b)(1) should be GRANTED. As a result, the Court does not reach Defendants’ Rule 12(b)(6) Motion. Plaintiffs suit is DISMISSED with prejudice.
SO ORDERED.
. J.I. Case Co., et al. v. Borak, 377 U.S. 426, 431-32, 84 S.Ct. 1555, 12 L.Ed.2d 423 (1964).
. Id. at 433, 84 S.Ct. 1555.
. Virginia Bankshares Inc., et al. v. Sandberg, 501 U.S. 1083, 1104, 111 S.Ct. 2749, 115 L.Ed.2d 929 (1991).
. The Fifth Circuit later stated categorically that "voting rights are critical to standing under Section 14(a).” See 7547 Corp. v. Parker & Parsley Dev. Partners, L.P., 38 F.3d 211, 230 (5th Cir. 1994).
. Virginia Bankshares, 501 U.S. at 1104, 111 S.Ct. 2749.
. Id. at 1103-04, 111 S.Ct. 2749.
. Alexander v. Sandoval, 532 U.S. 275, 287, 121 S.Ct. 1511, 149 L.Ed.2d 517 (2001).
. Stoneridge Investment Partners, LLC v. Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., 552 U.S. 148, 165, 128 S.Ct. 761, 169 L.Ed.2d 627 (2008).
. Diceon Electronics v. Calvary Partners, L.P., 772 F.Supp. 859, 869 (D.Del. 1991).
. Id.
. International Jensen Inc. v. Emerson Radio Corp., Nos. 96-cv-2816, 96-cv-6902, 1997 WL 43229 at *5 (N.D.Ill. Jan. 24, 1997).
. Virginia Bankshares Inc., et al. v. Sandberg, 501 U.S. at 1104, 111 S.Ct. 2749.
. Studebaker Corp. v. Gittlin, 360 F.2d 692 (2d Cir. 1966).
. Ameribanc Investors Group v. Zwart, 706 F.Supp. 1248, 1254 n. 12 (E.D.Va. 1989). The court, in finding standing, explicitly noted that in "the case at bar, plaintiff seeks corrective disclosures, not damages.”
. KBR Inc. v. Chevedden, 776 F.Supp.2d 415, 427 (S.D.Tex. 2011).
. Wininger v. SI Management, L.P., 33 F.Supp 2d 838 (N.D.Cal. 1998).
. CNW v. Japonica Partners, L.P., 116 F.Supp. 864 (D.Del. 1990). Japonica was decided before the same court decided Diceon, supra.
. Maldonado v. Flynn, All F.Supp. 1007 (S.D.N.Y. 1979).
. In re Haas, 36 B.R. 683 (Bankr.N.D.Ill. 1984).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- TENET HEALTHCARE CORPORATION v. COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEMS, INC., Wayne T. Smith, and W. Larry Cash
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published