Davis v. First National Bank of West Chester

43 Pa. D. & C.3d 211, 1984 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 2
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Chester County
DecidedOctober 26, 1984
Docketno. 194 of 1983
StatusPublished

This text of 43 Pa. D. & C.3d 211 (Davis v. First National Bank of West Chester) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Chester County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. First National Bank of West Chester, 43 Pa. D. & C.3d 211, 1984 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 2 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1984).

Opinion

SMITH, J.,

— This case comes to us on the preliminary objections by the various defendants to the complaint. We dismiss in part and grant in part.

This action was commenced in equity by Brooke W. Davis, a minority shareholder of The First National Bank of West Chester, as a derivative' suit against various officers and directors of the bank. Count I and II of the complaint allege that the various directors failed to perfect a security interest in collateral in connection with a loan made to Walter B. Gooslin, and that they further extended another loan to Gooslin on the same unsecured collateral despite warnings of the collateral’s deficiencies. On the basis of these facts, the complaint charges gross negligence, recklessness, willfulness, bad faith, and breach of a fiduciary duty.

[212]*212Counts III and IV allege irregularities regarding a loan to Fred Cadmus. Among the allegations are that several of defendants misrepresented to the board the size of Cadmus’s deposits with the bank, the status of the bank’s interest in the loan collateral, and the investigation into the deficiencies involved with the loan. Based on these and other facts found in the complaint, plaintiff charges negligence, gross negligence, willful and reckless mismanagement and misconduct, bad faith and breach of fiduciary duty. ■

Count V of the complaint alleges that the bank lacks a uniform and comprehensive policy and system governing the approval and monitoring of loans and loan collateral and that the lack .of such policy and system was partially responsible for losses suffered from the Cadmus and Gooslin loans. The complaint prays for damages (including punitives) for losses from the two loans, damages for losses in connection with other acts by defendants of gross mismanagement and negligence, attorney’s fees and costs, plus an order to the bank and the directors to establish a,new, uniform and comprehensive loan policy.

The preliminary objections raise several issues:

(1) that plaintiff did not make the demand on the board, as required by Pa. R.C.P. 1506(2);

(2) that the comptroller of the currency has primary jurisdiction over this matter, and that visitorial powers are not with the power of this court as called for in Count V;

(3) that the complaint lacks thé specificity required to support a claim of gross negligence, mismanagement, and breach of fiduciary duty;

(4) that an adequate remedy at law exists in the form of money damages, and that this action therefore does not belong in equity;

[213]*213(5) that punitive damages are not allowed in equity, and absent evidence of outrageous conduct; and

(6) that plaintiff lacks “clean hands.”

I. The Sufficiency of the Demand

Defendants maintain that Counts III and IV (referring to the Cadmus loan) must be dismissed because plaintiff did not make a proper demand for a remedy with the board of directors. Furthermore, they maintain that the entire complaint should be dismissed because plaintiff has not specified the action taken by the board of directors to his demand, nor has plaintiff averred that he made any effort to secure his rights at a shareholders’ meeting.

Pa. R.C.P. 1506 states:

“In an action to enforce a secondary right brought by one or more stockholders or members of a corporation or similar entity because the corporation or entity refuses or fails to enforce right which could be asserted by it, the complaint shall set forth . . . (b) the efforts made to secure enforcement by the corporation or similar entity or the reason for not making any such efforts.” Pa. R.C.P. 1506(b).

Although the rule refers to “efforts” generally, the cases hold that a stockholder must demonstrate that “he left nothing undone which he might have done to prevail on the corporation to bring such action.” Passmore v. Allentown & Reading Traction, 267 Pa. 356, 359, 110 Atl. 240, 241 (1920). Specifically, there must be averred and proved (1) an actual application to the directors, (2) a refusal by them to bring suit or to allow plaintiff to do so in the corporate name, and (3) where misconduct of the directors themselves is alleged, the bill must show an effort to secure the plaintiff’s rights through a meeting of the corporation. Wolf v. Pennsylvania RR Co., 195 Pa. 91, 94, 45 Atl. 936 (1900).

[214]*214In the case before this court, plaintiff made a sufficient demand on the board to redress the losses incurred from acts connected with the Gooslin loan in a letter dated November 16, 1984. Complaint, exhibit “A”. After the letter was sent, plaintiff, “together with counsel. . . set forth in detail to the bank and its counsel the willful, reckless, and grossly negligent acts of defendant officers and directors in relation to the Cadmus loans, and demanded redress.” There is nothing in the case law nor in the rules that require that this demand be made in writing. The case law merely states that the demand be on the board of directors. Thus, plaintiff made sufficient demand on the board regarding both the Gooslin and Cadmus loans.

The second requirement that must be met to maintain a stockholders’ derivative suit is that one plead the response of the board specifically. Moore v. Keystone Macaroni Mfg. Co., 84 D. & C. 397 (1951). While Moore refers to this rule, the court there held that plaintiff did not have to plead facts which only the directors themselves would have knowledge. In the case before us, plaintiff maintains that only defendants are able to say for certain what explains their inaction. We agree. Plaintiff’s allegation of the board’s lack of response is sufficient to meet Rule 1506(2).

The third requirement for the institution of a derivative suit is that plaintiff take his case to the stockholders in the event that the board does not act. Plaintiff did not do this.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has stated that if “there is not time to remove (the officers) and elect other officers, the shareholder . . . may institute proceedings in equity for relief.” Passmore v. Allentown & Reading Traction Co., supra, at 359 (Emphasis added.)

[215]*215Plaintiff argues that shareholder action here would take months, “inviting further disasters and waste of corporate assets, while the bank’s chaotic loan practices continued unchecked.” Furthermore, defendants control a large portion of the stock, with the rest of the stock, widely distributed among around 500 shareholders. We agree that a battle involving this many stockholders would be extremely expensive. Thus, we find that there is ample excuse for no plea before the entire corporation. As plaintiff left nothing undone, we dismiss the preliminary objections based on Rule 1506(2).

II. Jurisdiction of the Comptroller

Defendants argue that this case is within the primary jurisdiction of the comptroller of the currency.

The comptroller of the currency protects the public and the National Banking System. “Nothing in the language of (12 U.S.C.) §481 purports to impose any duty on the comptroller to protect shareholders. . . . Federal examination of national banks was designed to provide the comptroller with information necessary to perform his regulator function.” Harnsen v. Smith, 586 F.2d 156, 157 (9th Cir., 1978).

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Bluebook (online)
43 Pa. D. & C.3d 211, 1984 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-first-national-bank-of-west-chester-pactcomplcheste-1984.