Dunning v. Bush

536 F.3d 879, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 16540, 2008 WL 2967040
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedAugust 5, 2008
Docket07-2764
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 536 F.3d 879 (Dunning v. Bush) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dunning v. Bush, 536 F.3d 879, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 16540, 2008 WL 2967040 (8th Cir. 2008).

Opinion

BRIGHT, Circuit Judge.

This lawsuit arises from the sale of a 50% interest in a holding company, Twin City Mineral Corp. (“Twin City”), by Appellants, Peter Dunning and various family members (collectively “Dunning”) to the owners of the other 50% interest, Appel-lees Gregory Bush, Francis McCarthy and others (collectively “Defendants”). Dunning, dissatisfied with the amount he received in connection with the sale of his interest, seeks damages or avoidance of the contract or certain contract terms by asserting the following claims of fraud and other improper conduct against Defendants: fraudulent concealment, affirmative misrepresentation, rescission, breach of fiduciary duty, securities fraud, insider trading, and breach of contract. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of Defendants on all of Dunning’s claims. In doing so, the district court also struck the Dunning supplemental report by expert witness, William Allen (“Supplemental Allen Report”). Dunning appeals.

We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. Specifically, we affirm the dismissal of Dunning’s common law fraud and securities fraud claims. We, however, reverse the dismissal of the remainder of Dunning’s claims. We also reverse the district court’s order striking the Supplemental Allen Report by an expert witness.

I. Facts and Procedural History

We adopt, with minor changes, the statement of facts and procedural history as stated by the district court in its unpublished order and opinion dated July 26, 2007. 1

Twin City Mineral Corp. (“Twin City”) is a holding company that owned 50 percent of the outstanding membership interests in Superior Minerals Company, L.L.C. (“Superior”), a Colorado limited liability company. Plaintiff Peter Dunning started Twin City in 1987 and ran its day-to-day operations until 2002. The directors of Twin City during 2003 were Peter Dunning, David Dunning, Gregory Bush and Francis McCarthy, until the Dunnings resigned as directors in August of 2003. Prior to December 8, 2003, Twin City owned 50 percent of the outstanding membership interests in Superior. Twin City is a Minnesota corporation.
Between June 1991 and August 2003, Aggregate Industries North Central Region, Inc., a subsidiary of Aggregate Industries, Inc. (referred to collectively as “Aggregate”), a publicly traded company headquartered in London, England, owned the remaining 50 percent interest in Superior. Prior to August 8, 2003, plaintiffs owned 50 percent (30,000 shares) of Twin City and defendants (along with Jack Bush and Charlie Burke) owned the other 50 percent (30,-000 shares). Each shareholder group had two directors. Certain shareholders were actively involved in business operations.
Twin City’s principal business operations were conducted by Superior. Superior was engaged in the business of processing calcium carbonate into products necessary for various manufacturers in the roofing materials, animal feed, plastic and other industries in the upper Midwest and Canada. The calcium carbonate was purchased from Linwood Mining & Materials Corp. (“Linwood”), *882 which was also owned by defendants. Superior also processed steel mill slag into slag cement for various Portland cement companies. Superior had successfully exploited these markets since the early 1990s. During the calendar year of 2000, as a result of the economic downturn it[sic] the United States economy, the financial results of Superior began to deteriorate and Superior did not earn profits during 2001 and 2002. Superior’s losses in 2001 and 2002 were also due in part to a joint venture between Superior and Lehigh, which resulted in significant losses to Superior. Consequentially, the economic circumstances of Twin City deteriorated as well. Further, Superior’s banking arrangement was tenuous during the last half of 2002 and first part of 2003. Significant capital contributions to Superior were required from Peter Dunning, defendants and Aggregate in order for Superior to maintain its banking relationship with U.S. Bank during 2002 and 2003. Peter Dunning did not participate in the capital contributions in 2003.
Superior was operated by a management committee having the effective duties and responsibilities of a board of directors. For several years prior to August 2003, the membership of this committee consisted of eight members— four from Twin City and four from Aggregate. Peter Dunning was on the management committee of Superior until the time he signed the Stock Purchase Agreement. However, Peter Dunning attended no meetings of the management committee in 2003. David Dunning attended a management committee meeting on February 19, 2003. Other Twin City members of the Superi- or management committee were David Dunning, Gregory Bush and Francis McCarthy.
Rather than make these capital contributions, Peter Dunning decided to sell his family’s interest in Twin City. Further, Peter Dunning wished to retire from Superior and move to Vail, Colorado. Peter Dunning was also aware that Superior’s financing would be coming due in September 2003. Defendant Greg Bush encouraged Peter Dunning to stay in the business and not sell his interest. Defendants offered to sell their interest in Twin City to Peter Dunning. Peter Dunning felt such discussions were not serious and, therefore, the parties began negotiations to sell plaintiffs’ interest in Twin City. Dunning’s replacement, Don Vry, was hired and trained. Dunning became inactive in the day-to-day management of Superior prior to January 2003.
In January 2003, discussions began between Peter Dunning and representatives of the McCarthy-Bush defendants regarding the potential sale of the plaintiffs’ shares of stock in Twin City. Plaintiffs were represented in the negotiations by attorney Michael Giudicessi of the Faegre & Benson law firm, who negotiated the terms and conditions of the Stock Purchase Agreement on plaintiffs’ behalf. Defendants were represented by attorney James Mezvinsky. Eventually, the parties entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement, under which plaintiffs sold their interest in Twin City. Peter Dunning reviewed the entire Stock Purchase Agreement with his attorney before he signed it, and was not aware of anything that was left out of the Agreement that he requested his attorney to include. The Stock Purchase Agreement was specifically tailored to the particular transaction between the parties.
The Stock Purchase Agreement contains an integration clause that states that it “constitutes the entire agreement *883 among the parties with respect to the matters covered hereby and supersedes all previous written, oral or implied understandings among them with respect to such matters.” The clause continues, “[n]o representation, warranty, promise or understanding shall be binding against a party unless set forth herein.”

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Bluebook (online)
536 F.3d 879, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 16540, 2008 WL 2967040, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dunning-v-bush-ca8-2008.