Cimo v. National Motor Club of Louisiana, Inc.

237 So. 2d 408, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5229
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 6, 1970
Docket4056
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 237 So. 2d 408 (Cimo v. National Motor Club of Louisiana, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cimo v. National Motor Club of Louisiana, Inc., 237 So. 2d 408, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5229 (La. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

237 So.2d 408 (1970)

Larry H. CIMO
v.
NATIONAL MOTOR CLUB OF LOUISIANA, INC.

No. 4056.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

July 6, 1970.

*409 Reed, Reed & Reed, Floyd J. Reed, New Orleans, for plaintiff-appellee.

A. J. Graffagnino, Metairie, for defendant-appellant.

Before BARNETTE, LeSUEUR and SWIFT, JJ.

BARNETTE, Judge.

The plaintiff, Larry H. Cimo, purchased from Philip A. Borges, a stockholder in National Motor Club of Louisiana, Inc., a stock certificate for 25 shares of stock issued by the defendant corporation to Borges. The defendant corporation refused to recognize the stock transfer from Borges to Cimo and to make the necessary transfer on the books of the corporation and to issue a new certificate to Cimo. This suit was filed to compel the defendant corporation to do so. The trial court rendered judgment in plaintiff's favor ordering the transfer to be made and a new certificate in the name of Cimo to be issued. The defendant has appealed.

Defendant's refusal to make the stock transfer on its books and to issue a new certificate in the name of Cimo is based upon the alleged violation of a restrictive covenant in "AGREEMENT GOVERNING SALES OF STOCK OF NATIONAL MOTOR CLUB OF LOUISIANA, INC." The agreement filed in evidence by stipulation contains the following pertinent conditions with the provisions to *410 price omitted as irrelevant to the issues in this case:

"3.
No shareholder shall sell, assign, transfer, pledge, hypothecate, or otherwise in any manner alienate or in any way dispose of any shares of the capital stock of the Company unless such shares shall first have been offered for sale to the Company by written offer personally served upon an officer of the Company, or sent by certified mail, postage prepaid, addressed to an officer of the Company at the Company's principal place of business. The Company shall have the exclusive right and option, within ninety (90) days after receipt of such written offer of sale, to purchase such shares from such offering shareholder at the price hereinafter provided. * * * After the expiration of such time, the shareholder, if the Company shall not have exercised its option to purchase such shares, shall be free to transfer, alienate or otherwise dispose of such shares to any person, firm or corporation he may desire.
4.
If any shareholder shall cease to be a full time employee of the Company * * the Company shall have the exclusive right and option exercisable within (90) days after the termination of such employment * * * to purchase all or a portion of the shares held by such shareholder at a price determined as hereinafter provided. * * *"

The original stock certificate in question was issued February 1, 1966, to Philip A. Borges for 25 shares of the capital stock of defendant corporation of $25 par value per share. On the face of the certificate is the following:

"* * * [T]ransferable only on the books of the Corporation by the holder hereof in person or by Attorney upon surrender of this Certificate properly endorsed."

On the reverse side of the certificate is a transfer blank to be filled in and signed by the holder and also the following:

"NOTICE OF RESTRICTIVE STOCK TRANSFER AGREEMENTS

You are hereby placed on notice that there are certain restrictive stock agreements and/or amendments thereto which impose restraints on the power of the holder hereof or heirs to sell, transfer, pledge, hypothecate, alienate and otherwise dispose of the shares of stock represented by this certificate and grant unto the Company an option to purchase these shares exercisable upon certain eventualities therein described.
These various agreements are on file among the records of this corporation and are available there for your inspection, or full information concerning same may be secured by contacting the Secretary of this corporation, 2711 Cedar Springs, Dallas, Texas."

At the time of the issuance of the stock certificate to Borges he was an employee of the corporation. His employment relationship was terminated in May, 1967.

There are a number of National Motor Clubs which apparently have a close corporate affiliation with the same president with headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Borges was a member of several of the Boards of Directors. G. H. Kelsoe, a Dallas attorney, was the attorney for the several affiliated corporations. The defendant corporation was originally one of the group but severed its affiliation in October or November of 1967 and thereafter operated as a distinct and separate corporation with E. E. Crumpler, a resident of Jefferson Parish, as its president.

In February, 1968, there was a meeting in Mr. Kelsoe's office in Dallas about which Kelsoe testified as follows:

"Well, sir, I represent various of the National Motor Clubs and there was a termination of affiliation of all other motor *411 clubs with the National Motor Club of Louisiana and there were some matters to be settled and Mr. Crumpler and Mr. Graffagnino [identified as attorney for Crumpler and the corporation] and I previously, maybe Mr. Pollack and Mr. Eddy were all in my office in Dallas and we worked out a settlement on those termination matters and at that time Mr. Crumpler told me that he would like to acquire the stock of Mr. Borges and it was, so I told him that I would get a hold of Mr. Borges and see if he was agreeable to selling it."

Pursuant to this agreement Kelsoe did contact Borges who signed the stock transfer certificate in blank, dated it March 11, 1968, and mailed it to Kelsoe. Thereafter the negotiations between Kelsoe as attorney for Borges and A. J. Graffagnino as attorney for Crumpler are disputed.

Kelsoe testified that on March 25, 1968, he addressed a letter to Graffagnino which in pertinent part is as follows:

"You will recall at the time of the settlement that Mr. Crumpler advised me he desired to purchase the stock of Phillip [sic] A. Borges in National Motor Club of Louisiana. I conveyed this to Mr. Borges, and I have recently received from him stock certificate No. 8 for 25 shares in National Motor Club of Louisiana, Inc. If you will advise me as to the book value per share which Mr. Borges will receive for this certificate, I will communicate this to him, and upon his approval will deliver said certificate for 25 shares to you in exchange for said proceeds. Kindly let me hear from you."

He also testified that another letter dated April 12, 1968, was mailed to Graffagnino, reading as follows:

"Mr. Borges has asked me again about the book value of the 25 shares of stock which he owns in National Motor Club of Louisiana, Inc. I am authorized to deliver this stock to National Motor Club of Louisiana, Inc. on being paid the book value per share as per the terms of the Restrictive Stock Agreement.
Kindly give this matter your attention and advise."

Kelsoe identified copies of the letters which were filed in evidence in connection with his testimony. Graffagnino denied receiving either of the letters.

The actual sale of the stock by Borges to Cimo, according to their testimony, was on June 27, 1968. A receipt signed and identified by Borges and Cimo was filed in evidence indicating the payment on that date of $1,350 representing $54 per share for the stock.

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Bluebook (online)
237 So. 2d 408, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5229, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cimo-v-national-motor-club-of-louisiana-inc-lactapp-1970.