JAMES RIVER MANAGEMENT CO., INC. v. Kehoe

674 F. Supp. 2d 745, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 114473, 2009 WL 4730715
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedDecember 8, 2009
DocketCivil Action 3:09cv387
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 674 F. Supp. 2d 745 (JAMES RIVER MANAGEMENT CO., INC. v. Kehoe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
JAMES RIVER MANAGEMENT CO., INC. v. Kehoe, 674 F. Supp. 2d 745, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 114473, 2009 WL 4730715 (E.D. Va. 2009).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

ROBERT E. PAYNE, Senior District Judge.

This matter is before the court on the Defendants’ MOTION FOR ADVANCEMENT OF ALL FEES AND EXPENSES (Docket No. 94). For the reasons set forth below, the motion is granted in part and denied in part.

BACKGROUND

On June 19, 2009, James River Management Company Inc., James River Group Inc. (“JRG”), and James River Insurance Company (“JRIC”) filed suit against Kin-sale Management, Inc., Kinsale Capital Group, Inc., Kinsale Capital Group, Inc. (collectively “Kinsale”), William Kenney, Brian Haney, Ann Marie Marson, 1 Edward Desch (collectively “James River Individual Defendants”), Michael Kehoe, and Greg Share.

The facts are recited fully in the Court’s memorandum opinion of November 18, 2009, 2009 WL 3874167 (Docket No. 130), and will not be repeated here. The First Amended Complaint (“FAC”) alleges misappropriation of trade secrets and other misconduct, both tortious and in breach of contract, by Defendants who left the Plaintiffs’ employment to start their own company. The Plaintiffs claims devolve from statute, as well as from the common law of tort (including breach of fiduciary duty) and contract. Although several claims in the original complaint have been dismissed, most are pending decision on motion for summary judgment.

On October 29, 2009, Defendants Kehoe, Desch, and Kenney moved “for an Order requiring JRG and JRIC to advance all fees and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by or on behalf of the above named defendants in connection with this litigation.” Def. Mot. at 1. The Defendants note that rights of advancement from JRG and JRIC must be analyzed separately. JRG, of which Kehoe only was a director, and thus from which only Kehoe seeks advancement, is a Delaware corporation. Def. Mem. at 1. JRIC, of which all three Defendants were officers, and thus from which all three Defendants seek advancement, was incorporated in Ohio. Id. Thus, the controlling law differs with respect to the relief sought against JRG and JRIC.

Citing Article VI of JRG’s corporate bylaws, and 8 DeLCode § 145(a), Kehoe asserts that he is entitled to advancement, from JRG, of all fees and expenses incurred to date in this litigation, and all future fees and expenses as they are incurred. Def. Mot. at 1. Next, citing Ohio Code § 1701.13(E), Kehoe, Desch, and Kenney assert that Ohio law similarly mandates advancement of their fees and expenses. Id.

The Plaintiffs concede that Delaware law requires JRG to advance Kehoe’s fees and expenses relating to the breach of fiduciary duty claim against him. PI. Oppo. Mem. at 2. However, they contend that JRG is not required to advance fees *748 for the remainder of the claims against Kehoe, which the Plaintiffs contend implicate Kehoe in his personal capacity, not his capacity as director. As to the claims against JRIC by Kehoe, Desch, and Kenney, JRIC asserts several arguments: (1) “JRiC’s bylaws create no right of advancement,” and thus do not trigger Ohio Rev. Code § 1701.13(E); (2) Ohio Rev.Code § 1701.13(E) does not apply “to suits ... brought by current corporate management against officers or directors;” and (3) Ohio law “does not mandate advancement to former directors, only current ones.” Id. at 2-5 (emphasis added). 2

The motion is fully briefed, and the matter is ripe for resolution. The moving Defendants have requested oral argument. However, the Court does not consider that to be necessary because the issues are adequately briefed and argument would not materially aid the decisional process.

1. The Applicable Legal Standard 3

“[A] corporation can make the right to advancement of expenses mandatory, through a provision in its certificate of incorporation or bylaws.” Gentile v. SinglePoint Financial, Inc., 787 A.2d 102, 106 (Del.Ch.2001). “Where such a mandatory provision exists, the rights of potential recipients of such advancements will be enforced as a contract.” Id. Advancement proceedings must be summary in nature if they are to serve their intended purpose of covering the directors’ legal expenses while the merits of the litigation are determined. Lipson v. Supercuts, Inc., 1996 WL 560191, at *2 (Del.Ch. Sept. 10, 1996); see also Reddy v. Electronic Data Systems Corp., 2002 Del. Ch. LEXIS 69, at *30, 2002 WL 1358761, at *9 (Del. Ch. June 18, 2002) (noting the Delaware General Assembly’s determination “that persons claiming a right to the advancement of expenses (including attorneys’ fees) under Delaware law should be entitled to have their claims adjudicated by this court in a summary fashion”).

Advancement is a remedy distinct from indemnification, and, due to the necessity of promptly adjudicating issues of advancement, a director’s right to advancement must be determined before his ultimate right to indemnification. Homestore, Inc. v. Tafeen, 888 A.2d 204, 212 (Del.2005). A director’s right to advancement is in no way dependent upon a showing of any likelihood that he will be ultimately entitled to indemnification. Id. Nor does it depend, unless the agreement so provides, on a litigant’s ability to ultimately repay the funds if the litigant loses. See Reddy, 2002 Del. Ch. LEXIS 69, at *13, 2002 WL 1358761, at *4 (noting that the corporation “could have conditioned former employees’ advancement rights on an undertaking, proof of an ability to repay, or even the posting of a secured bond. But it did not do so.”). Thus, in toto, this motion for advancement is a determination of whether the Defendants meet the basic contractual requirements for advancement of fees and expenses, and, if they do, which fees and expenses are covered.

II. JRG’s Advancement Obligations Under Delaware Law.

The Delaware Code, providing for indemnification of officers by the corporations they serve, as follows:

A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party ... to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, *749 whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative ... by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation ... against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action ... if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation. ...

8 Del.Code § 145(a). Indemnification is available for defending actions “by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor,” 4

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674 F. Supp. 2d 745, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 114473, 2009 WL 4730715, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/james-river-management-co-inc-v-kehoe-vaed-2009.