Galligan v. Galligan

741 N.E.2d 1217, 2001 Ind. LEXIS 76, 2001 WL 92282
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 2, 2001
Docket10S01-0004-CV-261
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 741 N.E.2d 1217 (Galligan v. Galligan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Galligan v. Galligan, 741 N.E.2d 1217, 2001 Ind. LEXIS 76, 2001 WL 92282 (Ind. 2001).

Opinions

ON PETITION FOR TRANSFER

BOEHM, Justice.

This case deals with the effect of a corporation’s failure to follow statutory requirements in a sale of substantially all of its assets.

Factual and Procedural Background

Irish Park, Inc. is an Indiana corporation operating a family-owned construction business. It was founded by Thomas R. Galligan in 1983. From its inception, Gal-ligan has apparently owned fifty-two of the one hundred issued shares and his four children, Annette, Charles, Jennifer, and William, have owned twelve shares each. Galligan served as president and director of Irish Park until January 1996, when he resigned both positions, and Larry Rice, a long-time employee and member of the board, became president. Galligan’s ex-[1220]*1220wife, Jo Ann, apparently remained as the only other director. In 1994, Rice and Galligan formed a second corporation, Golden Shamrock, Inc., to engage in hauling aluminum. Galligan owned eighty-five percent of the shares and Rice owned the remaining fifteen percent.

By the end of 1996, Irish Park was struggling. It owed more than $750,000 in bank debt and had assets estimated to be worth only approximately $250,000. According to the minutes of a later meeting, this balance sheet severely impaired the company’s ability to get new contracts. In January 1997, Galligan sold his Golden Shamrock shares to Rice for one dollar and the assumption by Golden Shamrock of some of Irish Park’s obligations. At about the same time, Rice and Galligan started negotiations directed towards a sale of all of Irish Park’s assets to Golden Shamrock.

On May 23, 1997, Galligan and Golden Shamrock entered into an agreement whereby Golden Shamrock would purchase all of Irish Park’s assets and also real and personal property owned by Galligan individually. At that time, Galligan remained the majority shareholder of Irish Park, but was neither an officer nor a director of either Irish Park or Golden Shamrock. The transaction was closed on May 30, 1997. None of the actions required by the Indiana Business Corporation Law for a disposition of substantially all of Irish Park’s assets were taken. There was no recommendation by the Board, no notice to shareholders, and no shareholder vote on the transaction. Indeed, it is not clear from the record who comprised the Board of Irish Park at that point. On August 15, 1997, three of the four minority shareholders, Annette, Charles, and Jennifer, filed suit against Irish Park, Galligan, and Rice for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conspiracy to misappropriate funds, and employment claims. The complaint was later amended to add allegations of self-dealing and a claim that the sale was ultra vires.

In response to the complaint, Galligan, as majority shareholder, sent a notice to all the shareholders of a special shareholder meeting to be held March 11, 1998. The purpose of this meeting was stated to be the removal of the board, election of a new board, and ratification of the asset sale. On March 10, the minority shareholders served a “Shareholders’ Notice Asserting Dissenters Right,” addressed to Galligan, Jo Ann, Rice, and Irish Park, in which they objected to the asset sale and sought to assert their dissenters’ rights pursuant to Indiana Code section 23-1-44-8. Galligan was the only shareholder who attended the March 11 meeting. Acting as a shareholder, he elected himself as the sole director. Then, as director, he elected himself president and secretary of Irish Park. Finally, as a shareholder, Galligan voted to ratify the asset sale.

After these corporate actions were taken, the defendants filed a motion for partial summary judgment, contending that the plaintiffs were limited to dissenters’ rights under the doctrine set forth in Fleming v. International Pizza Supply Corp., 676 N.E.2d 1051, 1056-57 (Ind.1997). The plaintiffs responded with their own motion for partial summary judgment asking the court to rule that: (1) Rice was an officer or director of Irish Park at the time of the asset sale; (2) the asset sale was voidable because of Rice’s conflict of interest; (3) Rice breached his fiduciary duties as an officer and director of Irish Park and Galligan breached his fiduciary duty as a majority shareholder; (4) Rice’s conduct was willful and reckless; and (5) the asset sale was not in compliance with the requirements for a major asset sale by an Indiana corporation. The trial court granted the defendants’ motion for partial summary judgment and denied the plaintiffs’. The Court of Appeals affirmed the denial of plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment, but reversed the trial court’s grant of defendants’ motion for partial summary judgment. Galligan v. Galligan, 712 N.E.2d 1028 (Ind.Ct.App.1999).

[1221]*1221Standard of Review

On appeal, the standard of review of a summary judgment motion is the same as that used in the trial court: summary judgment is appropriate only where the evidence shows there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Ind.Trial Rule 56(C); Shell Oil Co. v. Lovold Co., 705 N.E.2d 981, 983-84 (Ind.1998). All facts and reasonable inferences drawn from those facts are construed in favor of the non-moving party. Id.; Colonial Penn Ins. Co. v. Guzorek, 690 N.E.2d 664, 667 (Ind.1997). The review of a summary judgment motion is limited to those materials designated to the trial court. T.R. 56(H); Rosi v. Business Furniture Corp., 615 N.E.2d 481, 434 (Ind.1993).

I. Defendant’s Motion for Partial Summary7 Judgment

The trial court granted defendants’ motion for partial summary judgment on the grounds that “the plaintiffs’ claim in this case is for a statutory appraisal proceeding under I.C. 23-1-44-8 to determine the fair market value of plaintiffs’ shares in Irish Park” and that under Fleming v. International Pizza Supply Corp., 676 N.E.2d 1051, 1056-57 (Ind.1997), “the statutory appraisal procedure is plaintiffs’ exclusive remedy.” The Court of Appeals reversed, holding that because the initial asset sale did not meet the statutory requirements for a sale of substantially all of the assets of a corporation, the dissenters’ rights were not triggered, and, therefore, the shareholders could assert the common law remedies pleaded in the complaint. The court also held that the later attempt to ratify the sale was ineffective because the defendants did not invoke the statutory procedures to trigger the plaintiffs’ dissenters’ rights. As a result, the Court of Appeals concluded that Fleming was inapplicable. Galligan, 712 N.E.2d at 1032.

A. Fleming v. International Pizza Supply Corp.

In Fleming, this Court held that, “in a merger or asset sale, the exclusive remedy available to a shareholder seeking payment for the value of the shareholder’s shares is the statutory appraisal procedure.” 676 N.E.2d at 1056. This was based on Indiana Code section 23-l-44-8(c), which reads: “A shareholder: who is entitled to dissent ... may not challenge the corporate action creating ...

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741 N.E.2d 1217, 2001 Ind. LEXIS 76, 2001 WL 92282, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/galligan-v-galligan-ind-2001.