General Electric Capital Corp. v. MHPG, Inc.

21 Mass. L. Rptr. 395
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedJuly 27, 2006
DocketNo.030833B
StatusPublished

This text of 21 Mass. L. Rptr. 395 (General Electric Capital Corp. v. MHPG, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
General Electric Capital Corp. v. MHPG, Inc., 21 Mass. L. Rptr. 395 (Mass. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

Murphy, Ernest B., J.

In 1999, defendant MHPG, Inc. (hereinafter, “MHPG”) entered into a lease of manufacturing equipment with General Electric Capital Corporation (hereinafter, “GE”). In 2001 and 2002, MHPG defaulted on the lease to GE. The following year, MHPG ceased all business operations. Subsequently, in 2003, GE brought the present action against the defendants. In its second amended complaint, GE alleges: (1) breach of contract; (2) breach of corporate guaranty; (3) a claim for account stated; (4) successor and alter ego liability, or liability flowing from a “piercing of the corporate veil”; (5) conversion; (6) breach of bailment; (7) negligence; (8) unjust enrichment; (9) aiding and abetting conversion; (10) unfair and decep[396]*396tive business practices in violation of G.L.c. 93A; and (11) an action for replevin. GE now moves this Court for partial summaiy judgment.2 The defendants additionally move for summary judgment against GE. Furthermore, defendants Scott London (hereinafter, “London”) and Keith Miller (hereinafter, “Miller”) bring counterclaims against GE alleging abuse of process and unfair and deceptive business practices in violation of G.L.c. 93A. London and Miller move this Court to grant summary judgment in favor of their counterclaims; GE opposes their motion and moves this Court to grant summaiy judgment in its favor on the counterclaims.

After a hearing on the motions, and for the following reasons, the plaintiffs motion for summaiy judgment is DENIED. The defendants’ motions for summaiy judgment on the plaintiffs claims are ALLOWED. Furthermore, London and Miller’s motions for summaiy judgment on their counterclaims are ALLOWED, as to liability.

FINDINGS OF FACT

The following facts are either undisputed or are taken in the light most favorable to the non-moving parties.

I. The Corporations

GE is a Delaware Corporation which, relevant to this action, leased manufacturing equipment to MHPG.

MHPG,' formed in 1984, and MHPG NY, Inc. were close corporations engaged in the business of t-shirt manufacturing. MHPG held annual meetings' and maintained corporate records. In 1999, at the time the lease was entered into, MHPG conducted sales and printing from Whitinsville, Massachusetts. At that time, defendants David Hurowitz (hereinafter, “Hurowitz”), Barbara Kupfer (hereinafter, “Kupfer”), London, and Miller were the sole stockholders and directors of MHPG. Kupfer held 7% of outstanding shares, and the remaining three shareholders each held 31%. In December of 1999, following a dispute among the shareholders, London and Miller left the corporation and sold their interests to Hurowitz and Kupfer: Kupfer gained an 18% ownership stake, and Hurowitz’s interest grew to 82%. Subsequently, in July of 2000, Kupfer left MHPG, leaving Hurowitz as sole shareholder.3 The following month, MHPG closed its manufacturing operations in Massachusetts and relocated its manufacturing, and the leased equipment, to plants in South Carolina and Mexico. MHPG maintained an office at 6 Brussels Street in Worcester, which was sublet from Image Apparel, Inc. In 2001, MHPG underwent financial difficulties, and stopped making payments under the lease in July 2002. Later in that year, MHPG went out of business.

Chillybear, Inc. (hereinafter, “Chillybear”) is a Sub-chapter S corporation located in Needham, Massachusetts. Chillybear maintains corporate records. Chillybear was founded in 1988 by sole shareholder Ted Pidcock (hereinafter, “Pidcock"). The corporation is a custom printing business, engaging in the business or production of: screen printing, embroidery, mugs, keychains, pens, and apparel.

Image Apparel, Inc. (hereinafter, “Image”) is a Massachusetts corporation engaged in the business of custom screen-printing. Image holds annual meetings and maintains corporate records. From 1997 through 2000, Image was owned and operated by David Amato. In 2000, Kupfer acquired a 50% interest in Image. At the time Kupfer acquired an ownership interest, Image was located at 66 Ellsworth Street in Worcester. Subsequently, in 2000, Image relocated to 6 Brussels Street. In 2001, Image filed for bankruptcy. Pidcock, in October 2002, rescued Image from bankruptcy and acquired a 75% interest in the corporation. Kupfer remained as a shareholder, but her interest dropped to 25%. Image sublet a separate space at 6 Brussels Street to MHPG following MHPG’s termination of manufacturing activities in Massachusetts.

II. Factual Background

Following the unanimous consent of the Directors, on April 21, 1999, MHPG entered into a contract to lease manufacturing equipment from GE. Under the lease, GE provided equipment described in five Schedules, and was paid in monthly installments. The equipment was delivered to MHPG at its Whitinsville plant in July 1999. In the summer of 2000, MHPG unilaterally moved all of the leased equipment to other plants: the equipment described in Schedule 3 was sent to South Carolina; all of the remaining equipment was sent to Mexico. When MHPG notified GE of the move, GE sent a letter noting that the movement constituted an “event of default” under the contract. Nevertheless, GE did not declare the lease in default at that time. Rather, GE requested and received a list of the locations of the equipment and authority to enter the various premises to inspect the equipment. MHPG continued to make monthly payments, which GE received, until shortly before MHPG’s ultimate dissolution.

In the early months of 2002, as MHPG’s financial situation grew increasingly distressed, MHPG attempted to enter into agreements with other companies whereby those companies would replace MHPG on the lease of equipment. Hurowitz contacted the Royal Avalon Company seeking to assign equipment from Mexico. Ultimately, this attempt failed, and GE eventually sold that equipment to Mid Atlantic Screen Print, Inc. for $200,000. Hurowitz also contacted Kupfer in an attempt to have Image become an assignee of the equipment described in Schedule 3. Kupfer agreed and made two payments, from her personal funds, to GE. Image subsequently made a third half-payment, but after not receiving the equipment, all payments to GE on behalf of the Schedule 3 equipment were terminated. GE then recommenced its prior practice of [397]*397billing MHPG. There was no formal or written reassignment of the lease, as required under the contract. Following the commencement of this suit, GE located the Schedule 3 Equipment in South Carolina. GE alleges that the equipment was severely damaged and in an inoperable condition.

Prior to the consummation of the lease, GE undertook a financial investigation of MHPG. The investigation, which included an audit of MHPG and MHPG NY, Inc., revealed the following: $14,793,006 in assets at year end of 1999; $14,098,231 in liabilities atyear end of 1999; retained earnings of $1,566,988 at year end of 1999; shareholder advances of $372,000 on record in 1999; and, an equity of $1,855,334 for the year of 1998. In preparation for this trial, GE deposed defendant Paul J. DeCristofaro (hereinafter, “DeCristofaro”), Chief Financial Officer of MHPG in the relevant periods. In his deposition, DeCristofaro stated that the value of MHPG’s shares in 1999 and 2000 was “zero.”4 This Court finds no evidence that DeCristofaro brought his assessment of MHPG’s financial situation to the attention of the directors.

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21 Mass. L. Rptr. 395, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/general-electric-capital-corp-v-mhpg-inc-masssuperct-2006.