Estate Of Robert M. Arnold v. Mark E. Phillips

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided November 16, 2015·No. 71050-8·Unpublished

Opinion

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IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

THE ESTATE OF ROBERT M. No. 71050-8-1 ARNOLD, deceased, on behalf of BANANA CORPORATION, a DIVISION ONE Washington corporation, assignee,

Respondent,

v.

MARK PHILLIPS and A-DOT CORPORATION, a Washington corporation, UNPUBLISHED OPINION

Appellants,

KENNETH GORDON, JANE DOE GORDON, and the marital community composed thereof; and DOUG LOWER AND MAUREEN LOWER, husband and wife and the marital community composed thereof,

Defendants. FILED: November 16, 2015 Schindler, J. — Mark Phillips appeals the order of partial summary judgment on liability, denial of his motion to dismiss, and the court's entry of findings of fact and conclusions of law and judgment against him for $4,190,000. We affirm in all respects.

FACTS

The material facts are not in dispute. In 2003, Mark Phillips formed A-Dot Corporation (A-Dot), a manufacturing, research, and software development company. Phillips was the sole shareholder, director, and chief executive officer of A-Dot.

In April 2005, Phillips formed MOD Systems Incorporated (MOD), a startup company to develop compact disc kiosks. In July, Phillips transferred all A-Dot employees and assets to MOD Systems.

On June 16, 2006, Phillips formed Banana Corporation (Banana) to develop and market "Metawallet." Metawallet was a mobile payment technology designed to provide mobile banking services in developing countries by using prepaid cell phones.

On June 19, Phillips assigned Banana all "ideas and intellectual property including any and all derivative works" related to Banana's business plan, ideas, and intellectual property in exchange for stock. The next day, Phillips licensed the same intellectual property to Banana for $2,500,000.

In early 2006, Phillips solicited funding for Banana from Robert M. Arnold.

Between June 2006 and May 2007, Arnold invested $5,500,000 in Banana.

Phillips and Arnold were the only shareholders in Banana. Arnold owned a 15 percent interest and Phillips owned an 85 percent interest in Banana.

On July 1, 2006, Phillips on behalf of Banana entered into a "service agreement"

with A-Dot. A-Dot agreed to perform work for Banana. In September 2006, Banana loaned A-Dot $2,385,000. Phillips executed a promissory note for the loan with a maturity date of September 1, 2011. Phillips signed the promissory note on behalf of Banana and on behalf of A-Dot.

On October 11, 2006, Phillips wired $150,000 from A-Dot to other entities he controlled. Between June and December of 2006, Phillips paid himself "consulting fees" from Banana totaling $1,160,000. On December 13, Phillips paid A-Dot a $1,000,000 "consulting fee" from Banana. The same day, Phillips transferred $1,000,000 from A- Dot to his personal brokerage account.

Phillips also paid his high school friend Douglas Lower substantial amounts of money. Phillips on behalf of Banana paid Lower "consulting fees" totaling $450,000 on July 5 and on August 28, 2006. Phillips made the payments "in advance" based on a June 28, 2006 consulting agreement between Banana and Lower. The consulting agreement did not describe a work assignment, provide a fee schedule, or specify a rate of pay, and there was no documentation for work performed by Lower.

On February 16, 2007, Phillips on behalf of Banana loaned Lower $200,000.

Lower executed a promissory note with a maturity date of February 16, 2012. Phillips signed the note on behalf of Banana.

On February 23, 2007, Phillips on behalf of A-Dot wired himself $500,000. On June 22, Phillips on behalf of A-Dot also wired himself $25,000 and made two payments totaling $705,000 for his 2007 personal income taxes. On September 21, Phillips on behalf of A-Dot made a $50,000 "shareholder disbursement" to an unknown account identified as a "foreign wire."

In the spring of 2007, Arnold hired investment advisor Cole Younger to manage his investments. Younger contacted Phillips to obtain financial information for Banana. Phillips did not provide the requested information.

On February 18, 2009, Arnold filed a shareholder derivative lawsuit against Banana. Phillips and the attorneys representing Banana retained auditing firm KPMG LLP to "review and analyze company documents, financial records and electronically stored information that related to allegations of potential misconduct by key Banana shareholders/officers/directors/consultants and personnel."

KPMG partner Guido van Drunen analyzed the corporate and financial records of Banana. Van Drunen also interviewed Phillips, Lower, and Banana bookkeeper Kenneth Gordon. Van Drunen issued a lengthy and detailed report describing the analysis and conclusions (the KPMG Report).

The KPMG Report describes a number of the "transactions entered into between Banana, Phillips, A-Dot and other associated parties or entities." The report concluded there was "no apparent business reason" for the September 2006 loan of $2,385,000 from Banana to A-Dot or the loan of $2,000,000 in February 2007 from Banana to Lower. With respect to the consulting fees of $1,160,000 that Banana paid to Phillips between June and December of 2006, the KPMG Report states, "There are no invoices to evidence either the services provided or work conducted, nor is there other supporting documentation to substantiate the work completed to justify the payments made." According to the KPMG Report, the circumstances surrounding the $450,000 in consulting fees paid to Lower on July 5 and August 28, 2006 suggested that the transactions might be "viewed as a 'sham'" and that there was "no apparent business reason" for the $200,000 loan from Banana to Lower in February 2007. Van Drunen concluded in the KPMG Report that Phillips "acted on both sides of these transactions" and "entered into transactions that were or could be perceived as being conflicts of interest." The KPMG Report states that Phillips did not disclose any of the transactions to Arnold.

In July 2009, Phillips hired Dennis Mandell of Mako Strategies Inc. to review the "questionable financial transactions" addressed in the KPMG Report and "provide litigation, damages, and valuation strategy for the complex allegations of financial fraud against him." Mandell prepared a 39-page report (the Mako Report). Mandell concluded there was "[n]o basis for a finding of embezzlement by Phillips" and Phillips's conflicts of interest "were clearly disclosed to Arnold." The Mako Report states the consulting fees paid to Phillips "were reasonable" and the "A DOT and Lower loans did have business purposes."

On March 12, 2010, Arnold entered into a settlement agreement with Banana.

Banana assigned Arnold all claims against Phillips, A-Dot, and "any other person or entity."

On March 12, Arnold filed a lawsuit on behalf of Banana against Phillips, Lower and his spouse, and A-Dot. The lawsuit alleged breach of fiduciary duty in violation of chapter 23B.08 RCW, conversion and embezzlement, corporate waste, unjust enrichment, and breach of contract. Arnold entered into a settlement agreement with Lower. Arnold agreed not to pursue his right to recover the amount Lower owed on the February 2007 loan.

Arnold filed a motion for partial summary judgment on liability against Phillips and A-Dot. In support, Arnold submitted a number of documents including the KPMG Report. Phillips filed a declaration in opposition.

The court granted partial summary judgment on liability against Phillips for breach of fiduciary duty, conversion and embezzlement, corporate waste, and unjust enrichment. The court entered partial summary judgment on liability against A-Dot for breach of contract and unjust enrichment. The order includes findings of fact on liability. The order states, "[T]he following facts are identified pursuant to CR56(d) as without substantial controversy and shall henceforth be deemed established for the purposes of this litigation."

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