Chokel v. Genzyme Corp.

17 Mass. L. Rptr. 83
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedNovember 12, 2003
DocketNo. 032520BLS
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 17 Mass. L. Rptr. 83 (Chokel v. Genzyme Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chokel v. Genzyme Corp., 17 Mass. L. Rptr. 83 (Mass. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

van Gestel, J.

This matter is before the Court on the defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint pursuant to Mass.R.Civ.P. Rule 12(b)(6). The plaintiff, Jeffrey D. Chokel (“Chokel”), has sued Genzyme Corporation and each member of its Board of Directors (collectively “Genzyme” or as appropriate “the “Directors”) , in connection with a decision by the Directors to exercise a right conferred by Genzyme’s Articles of Organization to exchange certain Biosurgery Division ’’tracking" shares for Genzyme General Division stock.

BACKGROUND

The facts that follow are taken from the complaint and, in some instances, from the documents “incorporated in the complaint” such as Genzyme’s Articles of Organization. Harhen v. Brown, 431 Mass. 838, 839-40 (2000).

Genzyme is a global biotechnology corporation organized under the laws of Massachusetts. Since 1994, Genzyme’s capital structure has included series of common stock designed to “track” the performance of particular business divisions, rather than the company as a whole. Since the end of 2000, Genzyme has had outstanding “tracking” stock for each of its General Division, its Biosurgeiy Division, and its Molecular Oncology Division. Each of those “tracking” stocks was registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, traded over-the-counter, and quoted on the NASDAQ National Market System.

Although Genzyme’s “tracking” stocks were designed and intended to reflect the financial performance of the discrete division to which each corresponded, the divisions were not separate legal entities. Rather, each “tracking” stock is a series of the common stock of Genzyme Corporation. Holders of any series of “tracking” stock were stockholders of a single corporation and faced the risks of an investment in Genzyme Corporation. They did not own an undivided or fractional interest in the assets or business of the division whose performance the stocks were designed to “track.”

As required in its Articles of Organization (“Articles”), Genzyme allocated programs, products, assets and liabilities among its divisions, but the corporation, not the divisions, continued to own all of the divisional assets and was responsible for all of their liabilities. The “tracking” stocks “tracked” the performance of the divisions with which they were associated through the publication by Genzyme of financial statements for each division, and through provisions in the Articles governing distributions to holders of each series of Genzyme “tracking” stock.

On May 8, 2003, Genzyme announced that its Directors had determined to eliminate its “tracking” stock capital structure. Genzyme announced that the Directors had determined to exercise an Optional Exchange Provision (the “OEP”) in the Articles. The OEP affords the Directors the ability — at any time and in their sole discretion — to exchange any “tracking” stock for cash or shares of Genzyme General Division stock, or a combination of the two.

The language of the Articles permitting the exercise of the option read:

E. GENZYME BIOSURGERY DIVISION COMMON STOCK
6. Exchange or Redemption of [Genzyme Biosurgery Division] Stock.
Shares of [Genzyme Biosurgeiy Division] stock are subject to exchange or redemption upon the terms and conditions set forth below:
(a) Optional Exchange of [Genzyme Biosurgeiy Division] Stock.
[108]*108(1) The Board of Directors may at any time . . . declare that each of the outstanding shares of [Genzyme Biosurgeiy Division] Stock shall be exchanged, on an Exchange Date, as determined by the Board of Directors, for (a) a number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of [Genzyme General Division] Stock (calculated to the nearest five decimal places) equal to (1) 130% of the Fair Market Value of one share of the [Genzyme Biosurgeiy Division] Stock (the “GBS Optional Exchange Amount”) as of the date of the first public announcement by the Corporation (the “GBS Optional Exchange Announcement Date”) of such exchange divided by (2) the Fair Market Value of one share of [Genzyme General Division] Stock as of such GBS Optional Exchange Announcement Date or (b) cash equal to the GBS Optional Exchange Amount, or (c) any combination of Genzyme General Division Stock and cash equal to the GBS Optional Exchange Amount as determined by the Board of Directors.

The Articles separately defined “Fair Market Value” for these purposes as follows:

F. GENERAL PROVISIONS REGARDING THE COMMON STOCK
7. Definitions.
(f) “Fair Market Value” shall mean
(1) as to shares of any series of stock of the Corporation as of any date, the average of the daily Closing Prices for the 20 consecutive Business Days commencing on the 30th Business Day prior to such date, except that in the event such Closing Prices are unavailable, Fair Market Value shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

As a result of the Directors’ decision to exercise the OEP, on June 30, 2003, all shares of Biosurgeiy Division “tracking” stock were exchanged for shares of Genzyme General Division stock according to the foregoing provisions of the Articles.

Chokel argues two separate theories for recovery, respectively alleging breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing and the breach of fiduciary duty. Each of these claims derives from Chokel’s allegation that the timing of the Directors’ approval of the share exchange was unfair.

Chokel’s complaint alleges that, at some point “prior to February 4, 2003,” in recognition that the Biosurgery Division’s market price did not reflect its “true” fair market value, the Directors “began to plan to have Genzyme acquire the outstanding Biosurgery Stock” in an exchange that was “based upon the deflated market price” for the “tracking” stock shares.

Chokel’s complaint acknowledges that the Directors created a special Capital Structure Committee in Februaiy 2003, and that the Committee retained independent financial advisers in March 2003 to opine on whether the exercise of the OEP would be fair to the holders of the “tracking” stock from a financial point of view. Chokel’s complaint nevertheless contends that the Directors selected May 8, 2003, as the date to announce the exchange because the 20-trad-ing-day measuring period to calculate the exchange ratio would only include five days after the announcement by Genzyme of the “highly favorable” Biosurgeiy Division earnings announcement on April 16, 2003, which provoked an increase in the market price for Biosurgeiy Division shares.

Chokel’s complaint alleges that the Directors timed the exercise of the OEP to take advantage of the “depressed” price of the “tracking” stock, and accelerated the announcement once the market price began to increase. He alleges that the exchange was timed to occur when “Biosurgeiy stock was substantially undervalued relative to its intrinsic worth and future prospects.”

Chokel’s complaint further alleges that the Directors “directly benefitted” from the timing of the exchange because they each disproportionately owned more Genzyme General Division stock than Biosurgeiy Division “tracking” shares.

DISCUSSION

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Bluebook (online)
17 Mass. L. Rptr. 83, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chokel-v-genzyme-corp-masssuperct-2003.