Alabama Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Thrift Foundation, Inc.

495 So. 2d 1067, 1986 Ala. LEXIS 4002
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedSeptember 19, 1986
Docket84-1138
StatusPublished

This text of 495 So. 2d 1067 (Alabama Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Thrift Foundation, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alabama Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Thrift Foundation, Inc., 495 So. 2d 1067, 1986 Ala. LEXIS 4002 (Ala. 1986).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

This is an appeal from a declaratory judgment entered in favor of defendant Thrift Foundation, Inc., et al., and against plaintiffs Alabama Federal Savings & Loan Association and Jack H. Shannon.

Plaintiffs filed a complaint on December 10, 1984, requesting a preliminary injunction and requesting that the court declare void an amendment to the articles of incorporation of Thrift Foundation, Inc. (hereinafter “Thrift”), made on May 15, 1984; that the court find that the current directors of Alabama Federal Savings & Loan Association (hereinafter “Alabama Federal”) were entitled to membership in Thrift; that the court determine that the individuals who were serving as directors of Thrift were not entitled to serve in that capacity; and, further, that an accounting be rendered by Thrift of all funds received and disbursements made and obligations incurred since January 1, 1984, to the date of the complaint; and that a constructive trust be imposed on the assets of Thrift in favor of Alabama Federal.

In 1925, Tuscaloosa Savings & Loan Association was formed. It became First Federal Savings & Loan Association (hereinafter “First Federal”) in the 1930’s. By the 1970’s, First Federal had become quite profitable. As a result, in 1972, the board of directors of First Federal formed First Federal Foundation, a charitable foundation, for the purpose of making charitable contributions for and on behalf of First Federal.

In 1977, pursuant to an examination by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, the regulatory agency responsible for supervising federally chartered savings and loan associations, First Federal was directed to “sever the association’s relationship with the foundation” because it “ha[d] no express or implied authority to organize a charitable foundation.” Subsequently, defendant Thrift was formed in 1978 as a nonprofit corporation. First Federal Foundation was merged into Thrift, the latter being the surviving corporation. The purpose of the merger was to sever the relationship between First Federal and the charitable foundation. Thrift, like First Federal Foundation, was to operate as a corporation exempt from federal income tax,' with contributions made to it deductible to the donor.

The plan of merger for the charitable foundations contained the following pertinent language:

“The membership rights of the members of the merging corporation [First Federal Foundation] shall be converted into membership rights in the surviving corporation [Thrift Foundation], with all of the privileges and appurtenances thereof, as set forth in the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of the surviving corporation.”

[1069]*1069The articles of incorporation of Thrift contained the following provision concerning membership:

“The membership of the corporation shall consist of all persons, corporations, partnerships and associations which indicate a desire to join the corporation and make a minimum donation to the corporation in an amount not less than one hundred ($100.00) dollars. Such donation shall entitle the person, corporation, partnership and association to membership in the corporation for a period of two (2) years from the date of the receipt of such donation. For the election of Directors or for any other matter which may require the vote of the membership of the corporation, a member shall be entitled to one (1) vote for each sum of one hundred ($100.00) dollars donated to the corporation within two (2) years preceding the date of such meeting.”

First Federal changed its name to Heritage Federal Savings & Loan Association (hereinafter “Heritage”) in 1980. Heritage then merged with three other federally chartered savings and loan associations in April 1982, to form Alabama Federal, the plaintiff in the present case.

Members of the initial board of directors of Thrift were set forth by name in the certificate of incorporation. They were John D. Cade, John C. Duckworth, Jr., J. Clemson Duckworth, Albert Baernstein, and Paul S. Garner; John C. Duckworth, Jr., and John D. Cade were also members of the board of directors of Alabama Federal.

In 1984, there was a rift among the directors of Alabama Federal. Several directors, including John C. Duckworth, Jr., and John D. Cade, resigned as directors of Alabama Federal. Shortly thereafter, on May 8, 1984, the board of directors of Thrift met. The board determined that Thrift had no members, since, according to its articles of incorporation, a person was entitled to membership only if he contributed $100.00 and expressed a desire to become a member, in which case, membership was good for two years. Alabama Federal, which came into existence in 1982, had never contributed any money to Thrift. All of Thrift’s contributions had come from the prior savings and loan associations, First Federal and Heritage, and those contributions had ended in 1981. Thus, the board determined that there had been no contributions to Thrift in over two years, and, therefore, that Thrift had no members. Each of the five directors then made a contribution of $100 and expressed a desire to be a member of Thrift. The board then voted to call a special meeting of the membership of Thrift for the purpose of amending its articles of incorporation.

On May 15, 1984, all of Thrift’s members/directors met and adopted an amendment to the certificate of incorporation of Thrift. The amendment provided simply that the corporation would have no members and that the board of directors itself would elect new directors as vacancies occurred. Subsequent to this meeting, Thrift removed its funds, books, and records from Alabama Federal.

Alabama Federal contests the validity of the actions taken by Thrift’s board of directors on May 15, 1984. It contends that, as of May 8, 1984, when Thrift’s board of directors initially met, Alabama Federal was the only entity qualifying as a member under Thrift’s articles of incorporation. Alabama Federal contends that it has membership by virtue of the fact that all contributions ever made to Thrift or First Federal Foundation came from Alabama Federal’s predecessors, First Federal and Heritage, and it contends that on the merger of the two foundations, those that were members of First Federal Foundation, (i.e., directors of First Federal or its successor) became members of Thrift. Since Alabama Federal was not officially notified of the subsequent special meeting on May 15, 1984, Alabama Federal asserts that the actions taken at that meeting were illegal and void.

Thrift argues that the plan of merger explicitly provided that membership rights were as “set forth in the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of the surviving cor[1070]*1070poration.” Thrift argues that its articles of incorporation required a contribution of $100 every two years for membership rights, and that, since Alabama Federal had not contributed any money to Thrift in over two years, it was not a member of Thrift and, therefore, had no right to notice of the meeting held on May 15, 1984.

Alabama Federal also contends that Thrift operated as a fiduciary to the savings and loan association in that Thrift acted as its agent, making numerous charitable donations requested by and for the benefit of Alabama Federal. Alabama Federal claims that Thrift acted as an outgrowth of, or as an “arm of,” the savings and loan association. Alabama Federal notes that it supplied Thrift with offices, employees, officers, and supplies, and provided Thrift with accounting work.

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Bluebook (online)
495 So. 2d 1067, 1986 Ala. LEXIS 4002, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alabama-federal-savings-loan-assn-v-thrift-foundation-inc-ala-1986.