Dewey v. Bechthold
Dewey v. Bechthold
Opinion of the Court
J.P. Stadtmueller, U.S. District Judge *975On February 11, 2019 Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint alleging fraud and violations of Wisconsin state law in connection with their rights as shareholders. (Docket #45). On March 7, 2019, Defendants filed a motion to dismiss, in which they sought dismissal of Counts Four and Five of the amended complaint. (Docket #50). Count Four seeks declaratory judgment that a transfer restriction implemented in 2014 (the "2014 Restriction") does not apply to John Dewey ("John")'s shares because his shares were issued prior to the 2014 Restriction, and because he did not vote for or agree to the 2014 Restriction. Count Five seeks declaratory judgment that the 2014 Restriction is unenforceable. The motion to dismiss is fully briefed. For the reasons stated below, Defendants' motion will be granted in part and denied in part.
1. LEGAL STANDARD
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b) provides for dismissal of complaints which, among other things, fail to state a viable claim for relief. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). To state a claim, a complaint must provide "a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). In other words, the complaint must give "fair notice of what the...claim is and the grounds upon which it rests." Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly ,
2. RELEVANT FACTS
Plaintiffs in this case consist of minority shareholders of several closely held corporations, as well as various related trusts and beneficiaries. Defendants are the majority shareholders and five companies. The key players among Plaintiffs are Nancy Dewey ("Nancy") and her son, John, (collectively, "the Deweys"), who are eager to sell their shares in the companies but are having difficulty valuing (and thus selling) their shares. The key players among Defendants are Kurt Bechthold ("Kurt") and David Bechthold ("David") (collectively, "the Bechtholds"), who are Nancy's brothers, and who run the defendant companies ("the Defendant Companies").
This story begins in 1967, when the Defendant Companies first adopted a transfer restriction (the "1967 Restriction") which included a right-of-refusal provision that required a seller of company stock to first offer to the stock to the corporation for thirty days, and then to other holders of the same class of stock for thirty days, each time at an option price. (Docket #45 at 15). If, after this sixty-day period, the stock was not purchased, then the stockholder would be free to sell his shares to a third party.
[T]he book value of the stock determined by a balance sheet stated according to recognized accounting practice as of the end of the calendar month preceding the offer to the corporation and in such balance sheet no value shall be assigned to any good will but the value of all contracts and work in progress shall be included on a percentage of *976completion basis according to recognized accounting practice.
In 1993, the Defendant Companies enacted another transfer restriction bylaw (the "1993 Restriction") which elaborated that the option price would be calculated as:
[T]he book value of the stock determined by the corporation's balance sheet included in its financial statements and stated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied as of the end of the calendar month preceding the offer to the corporation and in such balance sheet no value shall be assigned to any good will but the value of all contracts and work in progress shall be included on a percentage of completion basis in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Id. at 16 (additions underlined in amended complaint). According to Plaintiffs, this new definition of option value required the book value to be calculated solely on "the corporation's balance sheet included in its financial statements," which effectively allows the controlling shareholders to set the book value. John did not vote for the 1993 Restriction.
In 2014, another restriction was created to protect certain inter-trust transfers. John objected to the 2014 Restriction to the extent that it contained the right-of-refusal language from the 1993 Restriction-which he had not voted for-but agreed with its protective effects on the trusts. He was led to believe that he could vote in favor of the 2014 Restriction while retaining his right to challenge the right-of-refusal provision to which he did not agree. Accordingly, John voted in favor of the 2014 Restriction. When John subsequently tried to value and sell his shares, he claims that he was unfairly held to the 2014 Restriction's definition of option value as book value. Because of this, he claims that Defendants fraudulently induced John into voting for the 2014 Restriction. Plaintiffs allege that the 2014 Restriction gives the Bechtholds the ability "to manipulate the books in order to force minority stockholders to sell their shares to the controllers at an artificially-depressed price," which makes the right-of-refusal provision "unreasonable and unenforceable" as a matter of law. Id. at 18.
3. ANALYSIS
Plaintiffs seek declaratory judgment that the 2014 Restriction does not apply to John and that it is generally invalid and unenforceable. Defendants contend that claim preclusion bars John from arguing that the 2014 Restriction does not apply to him ("Count Four").
3.1 Count Four - 2014 Restriction Application to John
Plaintiffs seek declaratory judgment that the "2014 Restriction does not apply to John's shares because his shares were issued prior to the enactment of the bylaws containing the 2014 Restriction and the Defendant Companies are estopped from asserting that John voted in favor of the 2014 Restriction." Id. at 38. Under Wisconsin law, a transfer restriction "may not affect shares and other securities issued before the restriction is adopted unless the holders of the shares and other securities are parties to the transfer restriction agreement or vote in favor of the transfer restriction."
3.1.1 Preclusion
Defendants argue that Count Four is barred by claim preclusion. The Court looks to Wisconsin law to assess the preclusive effect of a ruling of a Wisconsin state court, and to determine the nature and scope of preclusion.
Claim preclusion, also known as res judicata , applies "when there is (1) a prior suit that ended in a final judgment on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction; (2) an identity of the causes of action in the two suits; and (3) an identity between the parties or their privies in the two suits." Veit v. Frater ,
*978Wisconsin courts use the "transactional approach" articulated in the Restatement (Second) of Judgments to determine whether there is an identity of causes of action. The focus is not on the type of claims brought, but the facts alleged in the prior lawsuit. Froebel v. Meyer ,
What factual grouping constitutes a 'transaction,' and what groupings constitute a 'series' are to be determined pragmatically, giving weight to such considerations as whether the facts are related in time, space, origin, or motivation, whether they form a convenient trial unit, and whether their treatment as a unit conforms to the parties' expectations or business understanding or usage.
Restatement (Second) of Judgments § 24(2) (Am. Law Inst. 1982).
The "development of new material facts can mean that a new case and an otherwise similar previous case do not present the same claim." Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt , --- U.S. ----,
In 2013 in Waukesha County Circuit Court, John filed a complaint, which he amended in 2015. Broadly speaking, he complained that the Bechtholds "refused to appropriately share in the control over the Defendant Companies" and "refused to make fair distributions." (Docket #52-12 at 12). He alleged that he was being squeezed out of the company, id. at 12-13; that Defendants prevented him from receiving dividends (and instead paid themselves unreasonably high salaries), id. at 13, 19; that Defendants made improper investments and unauthorized loans, id. at 14; that Defendants engaged in self-dealing that harmed both the company and John, id. at 16; that Ned Bechthold exposed shareholders to adverse tax consequences, id. at 21; and that Defendants violated John's rights as a minority shareholder, specifically by making it difficult for John to attend an annual meeting, id. at 22. John sought, among other things, a fair buy-out of his interest in the Defendant Companies. Id. at 27. In his state court complaints, he also challenged Defendants' refusal to change the right-of-refusal provision's "book value" to the "fair market value" as a breach of fiduciary duty in light of the tax results. See (Docket #52-5 at 17); (Docket #52-12 at 21-22). The state court dismissed the case, holding that John had failed to allege claims of breach of fiduciary duty, conspiracy, and promissory estoppel.
Count Four of the amended complaint relates to a right-of-refusal provision that was enacted in 2014, in the midst of the state law litigation. Plaintiffs claim that John was fraudulently induced to vote for the 2014 Restriction, but he did not learn that he was misled until after the state action resolved, when he attempted to value and sell his shares. These allegations, if true, constitute "material operative facts" that arose after the state court case, which, "taken in conjunction with the antecedent facts, comprise a transaction which may be made the basis of a second action not precluded by the first." Rest. 2d Judg. § 24 cmt. (f). If, as John alleges, he was fraudulently induced to vote for the 2014 Restriction and did not realize the inducement was fraudulent until years later, then *979he could not possibly have brought the claim in the state law action. C.f. Lindas v. Cady ,
3.2 Count Five - Validity of the 2014 Restriction.
The bylaw, as written, is not unreasonable as a matter of law. Requiring a right-of-refusal at book value, if that book value is honestly calculated, does not guarantee a sale to the corporation at "whatever price it wishe[s] to pay." Allen ,
3.2.1 Statute of Limitations
The Second Circuit has held that "[w]hen the declaratory judgment sought by a plaintiff would declare his entitlement to some affirmative relief, his suit is time-barred if the applicable limitations period has run on a direct claim to obtain such relief." 118 E. 60th Owners, Inc. v. Bonner Props., Inc.
*981Ottaviano v. Home Depot, Inv., USA ,
Plaintiffs argue that affirmative defenses should not be resolved at the pleading stage unless they "plead[ ] facts to show that [the] claim is barred by the affirmative defense." Martin v. Cavalry Portfolio Servs., LLC ,
Count Five's declaratory judgment claim sounds in tort, as Plaintiffs allege that it was a breach of Defendants' fiduciary duties to create such a "manifestly unreasonable" restriction, therefore the three-year statute of limitations applies. See Zastrow v. Journal Commc'ns, Inc. ,
4. CONCLUSION
In light of the foregoing, the Court finds that Plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged facts as to Count Four to surmount the Defendants' motion to dismiss. Whether they will able to proffer evidence that supports a finding in their favor is a different question entirely. As to Count Five, the Court finds that Plaintiffs have not alleged facts to support a finding that Defendants breached their fiduciary duty in enacting the right-of-refusal provision, or that the right-of-refusal provision is unreasonable or unenforceable as a matter of law.
Accordingly,
IT IS ORDERED that Defendants' motion to dismiss (Docket #50) be and the same is hereby GRANTED in part and DENIED in part ; and
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Count Five of Plaintiffs' amended complaint be and the same is hereby DISMISSED as to all Defendants.
Plaintiffs argue against the inclusion of the state court documents in the motion to dismiss to evaluate claims for claim and issue preclusion. It is true that "district courts ordinarily should not dismiss a complaint based on an affirmative defense such as res judicata." Parungao v. Comm. Health Sys., Inc. ,
Plaintiffs borrow the term "manifestly unreasonable" from other subsections in
Relatedly, Plaintiffs' contention that
Accordingly, Plaintiffs' argument that the restriction is unenforceable because there is no way to determine the book value option price is similarly unpersuasive. Plaintiffs allege that Defendants' conduct has made it "impossible", (Docket #45 at 31) to determine the option price. However, Plaintiffs also allege that if Defendants had cooperated with Plaintiffs' various requests, Plaintiffs would have been able to value (and possibly sell) their shares.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Nancy DEWEY individually and as a trustee, The Nancy Dewey Living Trust, The Nancy Dewey 2015 NEA Grantor Retained Annuity Trust, The Nancy Dewey 2015 P&D Grantor Retained Annuity Trust, The Irrevocable Trust for The Grandchildren of Nancy and Douglas Dewey, John Dewey individually and as a trustee, The John D. Dewey Living Trust, The John D. Dewey Irrevocable Children's Trust, The Abigail Dewey Irrevocable Trust, The Erin Dewey Irrevocable Trust, The Ian Dewey Irrevocable Trust, The Sheamus Dewey Irrevocable Trust, The Abigail Dewey Descendants Trust, The Erin Dewey Descendants Trust, The Ian Dewey Descendants Trust, The Separate Trusts for Ian Dewey, Sheamus Dewey, Erin Dewey, Abigail Dewey, and The Sheamus Dewey Descendants Trust v. Kurt BECHTHOLD, Mark Filmanowicz, David Bechthold, Payne & Dolan, Inc., Northeast Asphalt, Inc., Construction Resources Management, Inc., Zenith Tech, Inc., and Timberstone of Richfield, Inc.
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published