Klapmeier v. Telecheck International, Inc.

482 F.2d 247, 1973 U.S. App. LEXIS 9185
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedJune 26, 1973
DocketNo. 72-1219
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 482 F.2d 247 (Klapmeier v. Telecheck International, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Klapmeier v. Telecheck International, Inc., 482 F.2d 247, 1973 U.S. App. LEXIS 9185 (8th Cir. 1973).

Opinion

BRIGHT, Circuit Judge.

The stockholders of Boatel, Inc. (Boa-tel) agreed to exchange all of the capital stock of their corporation, which was engaged in the manufacture of pontoon boats, houseboats, dairy equipment, and snowmobiles in the community of Mora, Minnesota, for stock of Telecheck, Inc. (Telecheck), a Hawaiian-based corporation. James E. Klapmeier, plaintiff-ap-pellee, the president and principal stock[249]*249holder of Boatel, for himself and the other Boatel stockholders, negotiated with defendant-appellant, Harry M. Flagg, Klapmeier’s friend and fraternity brother of his earlier college days at MIT. On May 10, 1969, the parties executed an agreement having the effect of merging Boatel into Telecheck. Thereafter, the old school ties proved too fragile to withstand business disagreements. In February of 1970, Telecheck fired Klapmeier, who at that time was the chief executive officer of its Leisure Time division (formerly Boatel). Klap-meier later that year responded with a suit for eight million dollars against Telecheck, Flagg, and other directors of Telecheck, alleging common law fraud and violations of the Federal Securities laws. Other minority stockholders of Boatel, who had been fraternity associates and friends of Klapmeier and Flagg at MIT, joined as plaintiffs. Telecheck counterclaimed, seeking damages in excess of five million dollars for breach of express warranty, for misrepresentations of the value of Boatel’s assets and for common law and securities fraud allegedly committed by Klapmeier and other Boatel stockholders.

Following a three-week trial, a jury awarded appellees $857,632 against Tele-cheek, its president, Flagg, and its secretary-director-lawyer, George L. T. Kerr. The action against the other directors was dismissed by order of the court as to some and by the verdict of the jury as to others. Following unsuccessful post-trial motions for judgment n. o. v. or for a new trial, Telecheck, Flagg, and Kerr prosecute this appeal. After a careful review of a most extensive record, we reject the appeal on all grounds except that we hold the award of damages excessive as not supported by substantial evidence. We reverse and remand for a new trial on damages.

Appellants raise the following issues:

(1) That the damages were excessive.

(2) That the exchange of stock was exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, and that therefore the trial court erred in submitting to the jury the question of Telecheck’s failure to register.

(3) That the trial court erred in permitting oral testimony to be introduced which varied from the provisions of the written agreement of merger.

(4) That the appellant Telecheck sustained prejudice in attempting to recover upon its counterclaim by instructions that required that Telecheck establish elements of common law fraud as a prerequisite to recovery based on violations of the federal securities laws.

(5) That the appellant Teleeheck should be granted a new trial on its counterclaim because the jury returned a verdict which did not indicate any decision on the counterclaim.

Appellant Kerr separately contends (a) that the trial court erred in denying him judgment of dismissal n. o. v. since the jury verdict against him lacked any evidentiary support or (b) that he should have a new trial because of error in instructions relating to the personal liability of a “controlling person” of a corporation.

We consider these issues against the backdrop of relevant facts developed at trial. Boatel, a small company with annual sales under one million dollars, exhibited fair success1 in its business until 1967, when it experienced heavy financial losses incident to its performance of a contract to construct landing craft for the United States Navy. That year, on sales of 1.9 million dollars (non-Navy sales, 1.4 million dollars; Navy, $500,000) it experienced a loss of $72,000, and in the following nine months of 1968, on combined Navy and non-Navy sales of 2.2 million dollars, Boatel incurred a loss of about $400,000. As a result of these financial difficulties, Boatel’s creditors sought to declare [250]*250Boatel a bankrupt in the spring of 1968. Boatel, in response to the creditors’ petition, obtained permission from the bankruptcy court to attempt to reorganize under Chapter XI of the Bankruptcy Act, thus holding the creditors’ petition for involuntary bankruptcy in abeyance, while Boatel remained in possession of its assets.

In April of 1968, Flagg wrote Klap-meier a friendly letter offering advice, having learned of these financial difficulties from appellee Dave Wilbourn, á minority stockholder in Boatel. Klap-meier and Flagg exchanged correspondence. The correspondence flowered into visits to Minnesota by Telecheek personnel, a meeting between Klapmeier, Flagg, and others in Minnesota in November of 1968, and another meeting in Honolulu in mid-December of the same year. During these meetings, Klapmeier and Flagg engaged in negotiations looking toward Telecheck’s acquisition of Boatel by merger. Further negotiations took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in January of 1969, culminating in the execution of an agreement on January 11, in which Boatel’s stockholders granted Telecheck an option until the summer of 1969 to acquire all of Boatel’s stock. The option provided that Telecheck could acquire all. of the shares of Boatel for a consideration of not less than $1,000,000 worth of Telecheck stock, provided Boa-tel had completed its Chapter XI proceedings by March 7, 1969. The consideration decreased to not less than $600,000 worth of stock if Telecheck exercised its right under the option agreement to terminate the Chapter XI bankruptcy by settling with Boatel’s creditors after March 7,1969.

Boatel’s plan of reorganization submitted to the referee in bankruptcy in the Chapter XI proceeding called for paying general creditors 20 percent of their claims on a deferred basis. In late January of 1969, following the execution of the option agreement, the referee rejected this plan. Boatel’s financial situation then became extremely precarious. Telecheck advanced it $100,000 by way of a loan to enable it to continue its operations. Teleeheck then advanced about $250,000 to the bankruptcy court on March 14, 1969, under an approved plan by which Boatel’s creditors would receive an immediate payment of 20 percent of their claims.

On May 10, 1969, the parties signed an agreement under which Boatel’s stockholders agreed to transfer all 5,200 outstanding shares (about 61 percent owned by Klapmeier and about four percent by other appellees) to Boatel in exchange for a minimum of $1,000,000 worth of Telecheck stock, subject to certain provisions. The agreement provided for immediate delivery of 18,000 shares of Telecheck stock to the Boatel stockholders. This was lettered stock to be held for two years as an investment. The balance of stock called for under the agreement would be delivered in 1971. The total number of shares which Telecheck was obligated to deliver above a guaranteed minimum depended on the future profits of Boatel. If earnings reach certain specified levels in 1969, 1970, and 1971, Boatel’s stockholders would receive additional shares, not to exceed a total of 165,000 shares of Telecheck stock. The agreement also specified that Boatel’s stockholders would receive shares of Telecheck having a fair market value of no less than $1,000,000 in the aggregate, valued at the close of Telecheck’s fiscal year ending May 31, 1971.2

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Bluebook (online)
482 F.2d 247, 1973 U.S. App. LEXIS 9185, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/klapmeier-v-telecheck-international-inc-ca8-1973.