Koury v. Bonnie-Frances Lingerie Co.

175 So. 2d 372, 1965 La. App. LEXIS 4372
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 3, 1965
DocketNo. 1716
StatusPublished

This text of 175 So. 2d 372 (Koury v. Bonnie-Frances Lingerie Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Koury v. Bonnie-Frances Lingerie Co., 175 So. 2d 372, 1965 La. App. LEXIS 4372 (La. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

CHASEZ, Judge.

This is a suit by the plaintiff, George F. Koury, a stockholder and former officer and director of the defendant corporation, against the defendant, Bonnie-Frances Lingerie Company, Inc., for salary and bonuses alleged to be due him under a written employment contract entered into by the parties. The demand of the plaintiff against the defendant is for the sum of $11,845.79, alleged to be due for the years 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1962.

The defendant corporation, Bonnie-Frances Lingerie Company, Inc., answered and filed a reconventional demand against the plaintiff, alleging that he is indebted to the corporation in the sum of $9,000.00, being the balance due on a certain promissory note dated January 1, 1954, in the principal amount of $25,000.00, payable on or before 90 months after date, bearing interest at the rate of 2% per annum from date, until paid, interest payable semiannually and 10% attorney’s fees; also the sum of $6,422.74 due on an overdraft in plaintiff’s drawing account while in the employ of the defendant.

We believe it should be stated here, for .a proper understanding of this matter, that in 1951 Bonnie-Frances Lingerie Company, •then a sole proprietorship owned by B. F. Coulon, entered into an employment agreement with the plaintiff, setting his compensation at $200.00 per week, plus 10% of the net profits earned in business. Apparently, it was understood between the parties that at some future time the plaintiff, George F. Koury, would acquire an interest in the business and for three years the parties operat- • ed under this agreement satisfactorily. On .December 30, 1953, this company was succeeded by Bonnie-Frances Lingerie Company, Inc., of which corporation plaintiff became a stockholder, a member of the board of directors and held the office of vice-president. He is listed in the charter as a subscriber to 100 shares of the stock of said corporation. On January 1, 1954, a written contract of employment and stock purchase agreement was entered into between the plaintiff, George F. Koury, and the defendant corporation. Under this agreement plaintiff purchased 250 shares of the stock of the corporation at par value of $100.00 per share. As consideration for said stock he executed a promissory note payable 90 months after date for $25,000.00, bearing interest at the rate of 2% per annum, payable semi-annually, and the said 250 shares of stock so purchased by plaintiff were endorsed by him and pledged to secure payment of the note.

Pertinent parts of this agreement considered to be at issue herein, read as follows :

“2. As and when received by Koury, there shall be applied to the principal of said note:
“(a) Not less than one-half (14) of all payments of salary and/or bonus paid to Koury during each calendar year over and above Fifteen Thousand ($15,000.00) Dollars.
“(b) Not less than one-half (J4) of any and all cash dividends declared and paid on the stock pledged to secure the payment of said note.
“Any and all stock dividends declared and paid on the stock pledged to secure the payment of said note shall be added to the pledge as additional security for said note, and said Koury binds and obligates himself to endorse with blank power of attorney each certificate of stock issued in the name of Koury, and in default thereof said Koury hereby authorized Bryan F. Coulon and/or Cuyler H. Coulon to endorse such certificate or certificates in his name.”

[374]*374The agreement also provided that the plaintiff had the right to withdraw from the pledge a certificate for twenty-five shares upon the payment of $2,500.00.

The agreement likewise provided that the plaintiff had an option to purchase 750 additional shares of stock of the corporation.

Section 7 of this agreement, providing that plaintiff was assured of bonuses over and above his salary, reads as follows:

“Corporation has established, by appropriate resolution of its Board of Directors, a policy of increasing the remuneration of its present three (3) principal employees by the payment of bonuses as follows:
“(a) The present salaries of the said three (3) principal employees being now based on net annual sales of One Million ($1,000,000.00) Dollars, each of said employees shall be entitled to bonuses for an increase in the net annual sales as follows:
“I. When the net annual sales are over One Million ($1,000,000.00) Dollars, but not over One Million Five Hundred Thousand ($1,500,000.00) Dollars, a bonus of Two Thousand Five Hundred ($2,500.00) Dollars to each of said employees.
“II. When the net annual sales are over One Million Five Hundred Thousand ($1,500,000.00) Dollars an additional bonus of one (1% per cent, of the net annual sales over One Million Five Hundred Thousand ($1,500,000.00) Dollars to each of said employees.
“(b) The three (3) ‘principal employees’ referred to are:
Bryan F. Coulon, President.
George F. Koury, Vice-President and Production Manager.
Cuyler H. Coulon, Secretary-Treasurer.
“(c) This method of fixing the proper annual bonuses for such employees shall continue from year to year, but shall be applicable only to such of said three (3) employees as are, at the end of each year, in the employ of Corporation and in the active performance of their respective duties.”

In May of 1954, the agreement was amended to add, among other things, sub-section (d) to Article 7:

“Nothing herein provided shall restrict the Bonnie-Frances Lingerie Company, Inc. by appropriate resolution of its Board of Directors from increasing the remuneration of its present three (3) principal employees in its discretion as long as said increases are over the mínimums provided in this paragraph.”

The agreement also provides in Section 8:

“Nothing in this contract is to be construed as constituting an employment of any of said employees except from year to year.”

Article 12 of the agreement provides:

“This agreement constitutes a full and complete compliance with, and discharge from, any and all written or verbal agreements or understandings heretofore had or claimed to have been had, between B. F. Coulon, individually or as the owner of, or on behalf of, Bonnie-Frances Lingerie Company and/or Bonnie Frances Lingerie Company, Inc., on the one hand, and George F. Koury on the other, and said Koury hereby disclaims any further claim or demand of any kind whatsoever against said B. F. Coulon and/or Bonnie-Frances Lingerie Company and/or Bonnie-Frances Lingerie Company, Inc., pertaining to his employment by, or association with, any of the said parties, as to any interest, share or participation in the profits of said business.”

The above section of the agreement had the effect of superseding the 1951 employment contract between B. F. Coulon, individually, and the plaintiff.

[375]*375In July of 1954, a special meeting of the board of directors was held whereby the salaries of the principal officers of the company, including plaintiff, were set at $12,000.00 per year. The method of computing bonuses payable to officers was changed.

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Related

§ 459
50 U.S.C. § 459(g)(3)

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Bluebook (online)
175 So. 2d 372, 1965 La. App. LEXIS 4372, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/koury-v-bonnie-frances-lingerie-co-lactapp-1965.