Boynton v. Headwaters, Inc.

252 F.R.D. 397, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76008, 2008 WL 4057827
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Tennessee
DecidedAugust 26, 2008
DocketNo. 02-1111-JPM
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 252 F.R.D. 397 (Boynton v. Headwaters, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Boynton v. Headwaters, Inc., 252 F.R.D. 397, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76008, 2008 WL 4057827 (W.D. Tenn. 2008).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO CERTIFY CLASS PURSUANT TO RULE 23

JON P. McCALLA, District Judge.

Pending before the Court is Plaintiffs’ renewed Motion to Certify Class (Docs. 435 & 436, originally filed Sept. 26, 2005) and supporting memoranda (Docs. 523, 553, 559, and 567). Defendant Headwaters, Inc. (“Headwaters”) responded in opposition to the original motion (Doc. 458) and the supplemental memoranda (Docs. 531, 552, 561, and 571). The Court held hearings in this matter on March 12, 2008, and May 19, 2008. For the foregoing reasons, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Motion to Certify Class pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Factual History

Plaintiffs bring a civil conspiracy action on behalf of a putative class of investors. According to the Amended Complaint, at some time in the late 1980s Plaintiffs invested in Adtech, Inc. of Illinois (“Adtech”), an Illinois corporation formed on November 23,1987, to develop and commercialize coal agglomeration technology. (Am.Compl. ¶ 8.) Coal agglomeration combines small particles of coal, rock, and other materials, removing undesirable impurities and reducing raw coal to a more usable state. (Am.Compl. ¶ 10.) James G. Davidson, a former Defendant in this case, oversaw Adtech’s operations, including the development of the agglomeration process eventually patented as U.S. Patent No. 5,238,629 (“the '629 Patent”). (Am. Compl. ¶ 15.)

Davidson filed his application for the '629 Patent on August 9, 1991, along with an assignment to Adtech of his interest in the '629 Patent. (Patent Application Transmittal Letter (Doc. 80 at 35-37).) Davidson received $10,000 and Adtech stock, which was issued to members of Davidson’s family, in consideration for the assignment. (Am. Compl. ¶ 16; see also Pis.’ Shareholder List (Doc. 80 at 30-33); Def.’s Shareholder List (Doc. 15 at 36 — 42).) Listing Davidson as “Inventor” and Adtech as “Assignee,” the United States Trademark and Patent Office issued the '629 Patent on August 24, 1993. (’629 Patent (Doc. 80 at 40).)

On April 1, 1991, four months before Davidson filed his patent application, Illinois’s Secretary of State administratively dissolved Adtech for failure to file an annual report. (Certificate of Dissolution (Doc. 15 at 43-44).) As a result of the dissolution, the assignment of the '629 Patent to Adtech failed to effect a transfer of rights. See Adtech v. Davidson, Case No. 00-1244, Order Granting Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss at 2-3 (W.D.Tenn. Aug. 8, 2001). Davidson failed to inform Plaintiffs of the dissolution and continued to operate Adtech as if it had [399]*399not been dissolved for more than seven years. (Am. Compl. ¶ 18; see also Oct. 27, 1993, Letter from the President (Doc. 136 at 17-18); Aug. 1, 1994, Notice of Stockholder Meeting Date Change (Doc. 136 at 19); May 25, 1999, Davidson Report to Shareholders (Doc. 136 at 20); Davidson Settlement Agreement ¶ 2.A.) The dissolved Adtech’s ongoing business transactions included the grant of a license in the '629 Patent to Carbontec Energy Corporation (“the Carbontec license”) on July 18, 1996, and the receipt of royalties from that license. (Carbontec License Agreement (Doc. 136 at 35); Hoover Dep. (Doc. 540-29) at 51.)

In 1998, Davidson began arrangements to transfer his rights in various patents, including the '629 Patent, to Headwaters.1 (See Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement (Doc. 136 at 25).) During these discussions, Davidson disclosed Adtech’s dissolution to Headwaters and its counsel, who subsequently investigated Adtech’s corporate status and confirmed its dissolution. (Davidson Settlement Agreement ¶2.F; Investigation Summary (Doc. 238, Ex. 18) at 7 (“Each of the patents is assigned to a business that is no longer in operation — could this be because he is putting an asset into a company and raising money then pulling the plug[?]”).)

On May 14, 1998, a second Adtech, Inc. of Illinois (“the second Adtech”) was formed.2 (Articles of Incorporation (Doc. 540-12).) The second Adtech had a single shareholder, the Macrotech Corporation, which was in turn controlled by Davidson. (Hoover Dep. 54, 55.) On October 21, 1998, the second Adtech transferred its purported rights in the '629 Patent to Davidson. (Davidson Patent Purchase Agreement (Doc. 540-17).) On the same day Davidson and Headwaters executed a Patent Purchase Agreement, transferring all of Davidson’s rights in the '629 Patent. (Headwater’s Patent Purchase Agreement (Doe. 136 at 31).) Counsel for Headwaters prepared both patent purchase agreements. (Davidson Settlement Agreement ¶ 2.F.) On November 10, 1998, Davidson executed an agreement on behalf of the second Adtech transferring rights in the Carbontec License to Headwaters. (Contract Interest in Patent Purchase Agreement (Doc. 540-19).)

Davidson did not inform, much less seek the approval of, the Adtech shareholders before executing the patent purchase agreements. (Davidson Settlement Agreement ¶ 2.G.) Although the patent purchase agreement between Davidson and the second Ad-tech contained a provision for payment of $130,000, Davidson characterized his consideration for the '629 Patent as debt forgiveness. (May 25, 1999, Davidson Report to Shareholders.) In exchange for the '629 Patent and Carbontec License, Headwaters issued 60,000 shares of its common stock to the second Adtech and to the Macrotech Corporation. (Investment Agreement (Doe. 540-20).) Davidson used the proceeds from the sale of the Macrotech Corporation’s shares to pay a “federal criminal restitution,” which reduced his sentence of incarceration imposed following his pleading guilty to various federal fraud charges. (Davidson Settlement ¶ 2.H; Hoover Dep. 99-101.) On May 5, 1999, in a report to Adtech’s shareholders, Davidson disclosed details of the patent purchase agreements with Headwaters. (May 25, 1999, Davidson Report to Shareholders.) Davidson disclosed Adtech’s administrative dissolution to its shareholders in his letter of resignation on November 23,1999. (Nov. 23, 1999, Davidson Letter to Shareholders (Doe. 540-26).)

On March 24, 2000, the second Adtech held a “special meeting of the board of directors.” (Special Meeting Minutes (Doc. 458, Ex. 9)). In attendance were Tom Patton, Robert Hastie, Mark Hastie, Graydon Hoover, Bob Austin, Jerry Turner, and Robert Wilson. (Id. at 1.) Lowell Tison was absent. (Id.) At the meeting, these directors unanimously elected officers and ratified the patent purchase agreements with Headwaters “as the [400]*400act[s] and deed[s] of the Corporation.” (Id.) The directors, including Lowell Tison and Donald Hastie, met again on July 7, 2000, and discussed, among other things, “whether or not Phil Boynton had ever paid the initial capital contribution of $200.00 for the shares of stock in Adtech.” (Board Meeting Minutes (Doc. 458, Ex. 15).) Though the record is unclear as to when the second Adtech issued additional shares, Marilyn Davidson, Donald Hastie, Mark Hastie, Bonnie Hastie, Robert Hastie, Bowden Enterprises, Inc., Jerry Turner, Robert Wilson, and Tom Patton’s estate each received dividend payments as its shareholders. (Stockholder & Dividend Information (Doc. 458, Ex. 10)).

B. Procedural Posture

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Rush v. City of Mansfield
771 F. Supp. 2d 827 (N.D. Ohio, 2011)
Cline v. City of Mansfield
745 F. Supp. 2d 773 (N.D. Ohio, 2010)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
252 F.R.D. 397, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76008, 2008 WL 4057827, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/boynton-v-headwaters-inc-tnwd-2008.