Camp v. Parks

314 So. 2d 611, 1975 Fla. App. LEXIS 13658
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedJune 20, 1975
DocketNo. 74-1508
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 314 So. 2d 611 (Camp v. Parks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Camp v. Parks, 314 So. 2d 611, 1975 Fla. App. LEXIS 13658 (Fla. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

WALDEN, Judge.

The trial court granted plaintiff-seller’s motion for summary judgment and ordered the defendant, as purchaser, to specifically perform the terms of their Agreement to Sell Corporate Stock and Pledge of Stock as Security. Defendant appeals. We reverse and remand with instructions to allow plaintiff to amend his complaint, if he wishes, in order to pursue money damages for breach of contract. See 29A Fla.Jur., Specific Performance § 157 (1967).

Plaintiff-Parks was president of a close corporation. He owned 50% of the stock. His wife, Jane Parks, was vice president and secretary, and owned the other 50% of the stock. Defendant, Camp, worked for this corporation as an employee. Over a period of time defendant and plaintiff discussed a sale of plaintiff’s stock to appel[613]*613lant. Finally, a contract was drawn up which specified that: plaintiff, as seller, was to sell to defendant, as purchaser, 25 shares, a one-half interest in the corporation. The method of payment for this, $50,000, was specified as $1,000 down payment in cash, $150 per week, and, in addition, 5% of the gross revenues of the company every month. Upon receipt of the down payment by plaintiff, he was to assign the stock to defendant. Also plaintiff was to resign as a Director and President of the company and defendant was to be appointed as Director and President. Defendant further agreed to continue working full time with the company until the stock purchase was paid off. Other terms included a transfer to defendant of specified personal property owned by the company, and a transfer of one-half of all the cash and accounts receivable standing on the company’s books on the date plaintiff resigned as president.

The basic problem with the implementation of this contract stems from the fact that plaintiff’s wife, the other half owner of the company, did not sign the agreement. Although only defendant and plaintiff consented to the contract, some of the terms of the contract necessarily involve the participation of the company. The company could only be brought into the agreement through the participation of Jane Parks. Repeating, neither Jane Parks nor the company was a party to the suit or the agreement and so, of course, is in nowise obligated by the agreement or the judgment.

Although space was provided on the contract for the written consent of Jane Parks, she did not execute the contract. Apparently, she does not agree to its terms and would not sign it as written. It appears from the record that Jane Parks had knowledge of the agreement prior to its execution, but did not voice any objection nor consent to its terms. Contemporaneously with the filing of the lawsuit, Mr. and Mrs. Parks instituted dissolution of marriage proceedings.

Defendant has paid all monies owing under the terms of the contract into an escrow account. The stock has not yet been assigned to defendant because Jane Parks took the certificates belonging to her former husband, and has refused to return them.

When the trial court, on plaintiff’s motion, entered summary final judgment in favor of plaintiff it ordered specific performance totally and without limitation.

The trial court’s order of summary judgment found the stock to be freely transferable, and that plaintiff, Parks, at no time represented to defendant that Jane Parks had consented to the agreement. Further, the court held that, since defendant, Camp, had the opportunity to discuss the contract with Jane Parks prior to the execution of the agreement, he could not raise impossibility of performance as an affirmative defense, citing shore Investment Company v. Hotel Trinidad, 158 Fla. 682, 29 So.2d 696 (1947).

Defendant’s first point, saying that summary judgment procedure was inappropriate, is without merit.

Defendant’s Point Two, in its first part, argues that specific performance is not a proper remedy because there exists an adequate remedy at law. This point is not well founded. Generally, “specific performance of a contract concerning stock usually will not be decreed unless damages at law are clearly inadequate, but where justice demands it, a contract to sell stock will be specifically enforced.” Baruch v. W. B. Haggerty, Inc., 137 Fla. 799, 188 So. 797 (1939). In Baruch, however, the court held that where the corporation was a closed one, and where none of the stock had ever been put on the market and had no readily ascertainable market value and where the stock had no fixed value and no [614]*614par value, the buyer would be entitled to invoke the aid of equity to enforce a contract for sale of stock. Further, the court found the doctrine of mutuality of remedy would entitle the seller to specific performance; the Baruch case was discussed in Jackson Land Co. v. Harbeson, 153 So.2d 826, 827 (Fla.1963):

“[Baruch] announced the rule that specific performance would not ordinarily be granted to enforce the transfer of stock unless the stock was of peculiar value, and could not be bought and sold in the market in which case it could not be readily replaced' or the value easily ascertained. The court held that because of the need for mutuality of remedy a seller of stock could resort to a court of equity for relief against a prospective buyer who defaulted.”

In the Jackson Land Co. case, however, the Supreme Court held that, since the sellers had exercised their rights under a contractual acceleration clause providing for the return of the stock by the escrow agent, they were not entitled to specific performance of the stock purchase contract.

Under the facts in the instant case, the remedy of specific performance is proper under the holding in Baruch, supra, in that here the shares are in a close corporation with the stock not having a readily ascertainable market value.

The second phase of defendant’s Point Two deals with impossibility of performance and we think it has merit so as to cause reversal. The problem with ordering specific performance of the contract is that several of the terms in the agreement cannot be enforced by the court because they involve performance by a party not involved in this litigation.

In addition to the mentioned transfer and sale of one-half of the stock for a price of $50,000, the agreement contained certain provisos, which are necessarily not within the power of plaintiff-seller to control or deliver. The will and disposition of Jane Parks is the key to this performance. Further, if the court requires plaintiff only to perform those portions of the agreement which he can deliver, the court will be im-permissibly making a new and different contract for the parties. See 29A Fla.Jur., Specific Performance § 155 (1967).

Those critical provisions are:

“3. Parks agrees, upon receipt of payment of $1,000.00 as provided in Paragraph 2(a) above to resign as a Director and President of Company and in his place, Camp will be elected as Director and President of Company. Camp agrees to continue working full time with Company as long as any part of his obligation to Parks remains unpaid. [Emphasis supplied.]
* * * ' * * *
“5. Company agrees not to transfer the stock purchased by Camp or to issue any further stock in Company until such time as Parks has been paid in full. [Emphasis supplied.]
“6. . . .

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314 So. 2d 611, 1975 Fla. App. LEXIS 13658, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/camp-v-parks-fladistctapp-1975.