Gonzalez v. UniversalPegasus International, Inc.

531 S.W.3d 276
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 24, 2017
DocketNO. 14-16-00009-CV
StatusPublished

This text of 531 S.W.3d 276 (Gonzalez v. UniversalPegasus International, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gonzalez v. UniversalPegasus International, Inc., 531 S.W.3d 276 (Tex. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

OPINION

Ken Wise, Justice

This case involves minority shareholders in a Delaware corporation who claim that the corporation and its board of directors sought to divest them of their' shares through an attempted restructuring of the company. The minority shareholders appeal from a summary judgment against them on their claims of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and violations of the Texas Securities Act. We affirm,

Background and 'Procedural History

Headquartered in Houston, appellee UniversalPegasus International, Inc. (UPI) is an international engineering company that provides survey, inspection, engineering, procurement, and construction services to companies in the energy industry. UPI was incorporated under the laws of Delaware on January 23, 2008, when its majority shareholder, KRG Capital Partners (KRG), and its co-investors acquired all of the outstanding capital shares of both Universal Ensco, Inc. and Pegasus International, Inc,. Appellants are former and current employees of Pegasus International and UPI who hold varying amounts of UPI common stock and Series A-l Preferred Shares totaling approximately 4.181% of UPI’s equity.

According to UPI, it began experiencing financial difficulty in 2009 and 2010, which worsened throughout 2010, 2011, and 2012. This financial difficulty resulted from adverse market events, a slower-than-expected transition into 'the midstream shale business, lingering effects from the 2008-09 financial crisis and resulting recession, and employee retention issues.

In December 2010, at the behest of UPI’s lenders, KRG and, its co-investors put $20 million in capital into UPI. In return, a majority of UPI’s stockholders approved a Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the Certificate of Incorporation) and provided KRG and its co-investors Series AA Preferred Shares that were senior to all other equity. The Certificate of Incorporation awarded holders of AA Preferred Shares dividend and liquidation preferences ahead .of the dividend and redemption rights afforded the holders of A-l Preferred Shares (such as Appellants). The Certificate of Incorporation- also provided for mandatory notice to all A-l Preferred shareholders in the event a proposed transaction would, if carried out, effectuate a “fundamental change” in UPI’s capital structure or ownership.

In the summary judgment proceedings below, UPI and the individual appellees, who were members of 'UPI’s board of directors during the relevant time frame (the Directors), offered evidence that the December 2010 restrúcturing did not lead to unproved financial performance by UPI. Among other things, the 'Directors contended that UPI’s deteriorating financial condition caused defaults to UPFs primary lenders.

UPI hired a restructuring firm, Houli-han Lokey, and began to evaluate financial [279]*279alternatives. In raid-2012, Houlihan Lokey presented several financial alternatives to the board of directors (the Board), including filing for bankruptcy. The Board considered the alternatives and determined that a “comprehensive restructuring transaction” was the best alternative because it “addressed UPI’s unsustainable debt burden, ensured adequate liquidity for operational needs and minimized business disruptions.”'The terms of the restructuring were worked out over several weeks among key company stakeholders, including KRG, lendérs, and subordinated lenders.

The restructuring closed on September 28, 2012; By written consent in lieu of a meeting, the majority shareholders of UPI accepted the Board’s recommendation and approved a restructuring that would include the merger of UPI with a subsidiary of a new company called UniversalPegasus Holdings, Inc. (UPI Holdings). UPI Holdings was owned by a number of stakehold-ersy including a combination of holders of $109.2 million in subordinated notes who agreed to cancel their debt in return for a 30% stake in the new company; certain senior debtholders who received a warrant for a 10% share in exchange for refinancing and restructuring a credit agreement; and KRG and its co-investors in UPI, who put $15 million into UPI Holdings in- exchange for equity in the company. Ultimately, as of the date of the restructuring, 60% of the issued and outstanding equity of UPI Holdings was owned by UPI’s former and current lenders.

The majority shareholders also agreed that UPI would amend its certificate of incorporation to effectuate the transaction. The Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (the Merger Amendment) provided that the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement would not cause a redemption or otherwise give rise to any obligation or right to redeem any shares of Series AA Preferred Stock or Series A-l Preferred Stock; UPI would not be required to comply with'its obligation to send notice of a fundamental change; and all of the shares of stock in UPI were immediately can-celled and converted into a right to receive the “merger consideration” provided for in the merger agreement, “without any further action by the holder of such shares.”

As a result of the .merger between UPI and the subsidiary of UPI Holdings, UPI emerged as the surviving company with UPI Holdings its sole shareholder. Under the merger agreement,"all of UPI’s shareholders, including KRG ’and Appellants, were given the right to receive a cash payment of $.01 for each share of stock they owned, or the option to seek an appraisal of the fair value of their shares in a Delaware Chancery Court. To receive the $.01 per share payment, the shareholders were required to sign a Letter of Transmittal containing a broad release of UPI and the Directors.

UPI filed a certificate of merger with the Delaware Secretary of State memorializing the transaction and amending'UPI’s certificate of incorporation. UP! 'also adopted a Third Amended- and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and ’operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of UPI Holdings. The third amended certificate did not allow for redemption or dividend payments.

A consequence of the restructuring was that Appellants were not" given fifteen days’ notice of the merger. Shortly before the completion of the merger, however, on September 10, 2012, UPI’s chief executive officer, Philip Luna, provided a positive assessment of UPI’s performance to its shareholders. Along with providing. UPI’s second quarter financial statements, Luna stated: -: ■ ■.

[280]*280Note that our 2nd Quarter 2012 performance has improved over 1st Quarter 2012 (see page 6 of the attached financial package). Our revenues continue to trend up as a result of our improving backlog and sales prospects. We have reduced our selling, general and administrative expenses run rate to be in line with our business. The. combination should drive continued improvement for the 3rd quarter.

A few days after the merger, on October 5, 2012, Luna forwarded the stockholders an Information Statement and Notice of Appraisal notifying Appellants of the restructuring. In that document, Luna stated that based on an independent valuation report by Stout, Risius & Ross, the Board had. concluded that UPI had “no equity value.” The Information Statement provided an overview of the company, the restructuring transaction, the amendment of the certificate of incorporation, the merger agreement, appraisal rights, and the opportunity for accredited investors to purchase shares in UPI Holdings. The Information Statement also included contact information for shareholders who had questions or required further assistance.

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Bluebook (online)
531 S.W.3d 276, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gonzalez-v-universalpegasus-international-inc-texapp-2017.