Geitner Ex Rel. Southern Hosiery Mills, Inc. v. Mullins

643 S.E.2d 435, 182 N.C. App. 585, 2007 N.C. App. LEXIS 808
CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedApril 17, 2007
DocketCOA06-547
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 643 S.E.2d 435 (Geitner Ex Rel. Southern Hosiery Mills, Inc. v. Mullins) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Geitner Ex Rel. Southern Hosiery Mills, Inc. v. Mullins, 643 S.E.2d 435, 182 N.C. App. 585, 2007 N.C. App. LEXIS 808 (N.C. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinions

TYSON, Judge.

Diane and Jacques Geitner, individually, and on behalf of Southern Hosiery Mills, Incorporated (“SHM”) (collectively, “plaintiffs”) appeal from orders entered denying plaintiffs’ motions for summary judgment and granting Martha Mullins, individually and as executrix of the Estate of Phillip A. Mullins, III (“the Estate”), Virginia Shehan, Peter Menzies, and SHM’s (collectively, “defendants”) motions for summary judgment regarding plaintiffs’ declaratory judgment action and derivative action. We affirm.

I. Background

SHM is a closely held corporation founded in approximately 1945 by Balfour Menzies (“Menzies”), P.G. Menzies, and W.B. Shuford. Menzies obtained ownership of virtually all of SHM’s stock. Menzies had two daughters, Diane Geitner (“Diane”), and Martha Mullins (“Martha”) and transferred most of his stock in. SHM, in equal parts, to them.

Diane married Jacques Geitner. Diane is an officer, director, and shareholder of SHM. Jacques Geitner is a director and shareholder of SHM. Plaintiffs own or are the beneficiaries of approximately 49% of SHM’s common stock.

Martha married Phillip A. Mullins, III (“Phillip Mullins”). Before his death, Phillip Mullins served as a director and the president of SHM. Martha and her children, including Virginia Shehan and Peter Menzies, own or are beneficiaries of approximately 49% of SHM’s [587]*587common stock. Martha, Virginia Shehan, and Peter Menzies also serve as directors of SHM. The remaining approximately 2% of SHM’s common stock is owned by Ellen Menzies, a cousin of the sisters, Diane and Martha.

At all relevant times, SHM’s six person board of directors consisted of plaintiffs, Phillip Mullins, Martha, Virginia Shehan, and Peter Menzies. In 2003, Charles Snipes (“Snipes”) replaced Phillip Mullins as a director on SHM’s board.

Phillip Mullins died on 25 May 2004. On 26 May 2004, plaintiffs filed a complaint against Phillip Mullins, Martha, Virginia Shehan, and Peter Menzies. Plaintiffs sought only a declaratory ruling that the votes of the “Mullins Shareholders do not count in determining matters related to Phillip Mullins or members of his immediate family, and that the votes of [plaintiffs] do count regarding such matters.” Plaintiffs never served this complaint on defendants.

Martha qualified as executrix of the Estate and opened the estate in the office of the clerk of superior court in Catawba County. The clerk issued letters testamentary. Beginning on 18 June 2004, Martha published in the Hickory Daily Record a statutory general notice to all creditors once a week for four consecutive weeks. This statutory notice notified all existing and potential creditors to present any claims against the Estate on or before 18 September 2004. Failure to provide notice of any claim on or before 18 September would result in the claim being “forever barred” against the Estate. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-19-3 (2005). Plaintiffs did not file a Notice of Claim against the Estate at any time on or before 18 September 2004. On 12 January 2005, the clerk of superior court ordered the Estate closed.

On 13 January 2005, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint against Martha, individually and as executrix of the Estate, Virginia Shehan, Peter Menzies, and SHM. The amended complaint asserted two claims: (1) the original declaratory judgment action regarding the voting rights of SHM’s board of directors and (2) a derivative action on behalf of SHM against the Estate to recover “unauthorized payments” made to Phillip Mullins before his death. The amended complaint was served on defendants on 20 January 2005.

On 17 March 2005, plaintiffs moved for summary judgment regarding their declaratory judgment action against defendants. On 20 April 2005, the trial court denied plaintiffs’ motion. Plaintiffs appeal in part from this order.

[588]*588On 4 May 2005, plaintiffs petitioned the clerk of superior court for Catawba County to reopen the Estate. An assistant clerk initially reopened the estate based upon allegations that “[n]ecessary act(s) remain unperformed by the Personal Representative.” Martha, as executrix, objected to reopening the Estate and requested a hearing before the clerk of superior court.

On 9 June 2005, the clerk conducted a formal hearing to determine whether the Estate would remain closed. On 9 June 2005, the clerk heard arguments from both parties and considered the briefs and record evidence. The clerk found that the order which reopened the Estate was “improvidently and inappropriately entered” and entered an order setting aside reopening the estate.

On 21 June 2005, plaintiffs noticed appeal of the clerk’s order to the Catawba County Superior Court. Plaintiffs alleged: (1) the clerk’s order did not meet the procedural requirements of N.C. Gen. Stat. § l-301.3(b) and (2) Martha had knowledge of plaintiffs’ claim against the Estate, but failed to provide them personal notice. The superior court heard plaintiffs’ appeal on 10 October 2005 and entered an order on 2 November 2005 affirming the clerk of superior court’s order setting aside the reopening of the estate. Plaintiffs appealed to this Court. This Court affirmed the superior court’s order. See In re Estate of Mullins, 182 N.C. App. 667, — S.E.2d — (2007).

In September 2005, defendants moved for summary judgment regarding plaintiffs’ derivative action on behalf of SHM against the Estate to recover “unauthorized payments” made to Phillip Mullins before his death. On 31 October 2005, the trial court granted summary judgment for defendants. In November 2005, defendants moved for summary judgment regarding plaintiffs declaratory judgment action regarding the voting rights of SHM’s board of directors. On 29 December 2005, the trial court granted defendants’ motion. Plaintiffs also appeal from both of these orders.

II. Issues

Plaintiffs contend the trial court erred by: (1) denying their motion for summary judgment and granting defendants’ motion for summary judgment regarding their declaratory judgment action and (2) granting defendants’ motion for summary judgment regarding plaintiffs’ derivative action.

[589]*589III. Standard of Review

Summary judgment is proper where “the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that any party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1A-1, Rule 56(c) (2005). “[S]ummary judgment may be appropriate in a declaratory judgment action, under the same rules applicable in other actions.” Floyd v. Integon Gen. Ins. Corp., 152 N.C. App. 445, 448, 567 S.E.2d 823, 826 (2002).

The parties stipulated no genuine issue of material fact exists regarding plaintiffs’ declaratory judgment action before the trial court. See Floyd, 152 N.C. App. at 448, 567 S.E.2d at 826 (“[I]n the instant case the parties stipulated to all material facts, leaving only questions of law; accordingly, summary judgment was proper in this case.). Since the parties stipulate no issue of material fact is in dispute, “[o]ur only inquiry is whether defendants are entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” McCabe v. Dawkins, 97 N.C. App. 447, 448, 388 S.E.2d 571

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Geitner Ex Rel. Southern Hosiery Mills, Inc. v. Mullins
643 S.E.2d 435 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2007)

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Bluebook (online)
643 S.E.2d 435, 182 N.C. App. 585, 2007 N.C. App. LEXIS 808, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/geitner-ex-rel-southern-hosiery-mills-inc-v-mullins-ncctapp-2007.