Languirand v. Lopez

261 So. 3d 1054
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 12, 2018
DocketNO. 18-CA-245
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 261 So. 3d 1054 (Languirand v. Lopez) 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
Languirand v. Lopez, 261 So. 3d 1054 (La. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

JOHNSON, J.

Plaintiffs appeal the trial court's judgment sustaining Defendants' exceptions of no right of action, no cause of action, prematurity and improper cumulation of parties and dismissing their suit without prejudice. For the following reasons, we affirm in part, reverse in part, and amend in part.

FACTS & PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Plaintiffs, Helen Lopez Languirand and L. Lopez's Sons, Inc. (the "corporation"), filed a petition on December 15, 2017 against Defendants, John Magruder Lopez ("John"), Shawn Lopez ("Shawn"), and John Michael Lopez ("John Michael"), seeking to have the January 2017 election of the directors and officers for the corporation declared null and void and to have the April 2017 sale and transfer of treasury shares declared null and void.

In her petition, Ms. Languirand alleged that she is a shareholder of the corporation. She asserted that Defendants held an annual meeting of shareholders without issuing proper notice, resulting in a meeting attended only by the three defendants. Ms. Languirand stated that neither she nor shareholder Carroll Campbell attended the *1057meeting.1 She alleged that at this meeting, which lacked a quorum, Defendants proceeded without authority to elect themselves as the new directors and officers of the corporation. Thereafter, in April 2017, John, as newly elected president, and Shawn, as newly elected treasurer and secretary, passed a resolution selling a total of 200 treasury shares to Shawn and John Michael. Ms. Languirand averred Defendants failed to offer those treasury shares to her or the other shareholders in violation of law - namely their preemptive rights under La. R.S. 12:1-630.

Ms. Languirand contended Defendants' acts of electing directors and officers and selling treasury shares constituted ultra vires acts. She asserted that Defendants, as officers and/or shareholders of the corporation, breached their fiduciary duties to the corporation and its shareholders. Accordingly, she sought to have the January 2017 election of directors and officers and the April 2017 sale of treasury shares declared null and void.

Defendants responded to the petition by filing four exceptions: no right of action, no cause of action, improper joinder of parties,2 and prematurity. They first argued that Ms. Languirand had no right of action to bring an individual claim on behalf of the corporation for breach of fiduciary duties because she did not allege any individual damage as a result of the alleged actions of Defendants. As such, they maintained that any action belongs to the corporation and must be brought as a derivative proceeding. Second, Defendants asserted that the petition failed to state a cause of action because it failed to comply with the requirements for a derivative action set forth in La. R.S. 12:1-742.1. Third, Defendants asserted the petition improperly joined the corporation as a plaintiff because the corporation must be named as a defendant in any derivative proceeding. Finally, Defendants argued the petition was premature because it failed to comply with the statutory requirements that a written demand must be made upon the corporation to take suitable action and that 90 days must pass from the date of demand prior to the commencement of a derivative proceeding.

A hearing on the exceptions was held on March 14, 2018. During the hearing, no evidence was presented but rather the entire hearing consisted only of the argument of counsel. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court sustained all four exceptions. A written judgment to that effect was signed on March 22, 2018, and the trial court issued reasons for judgment on April 17, 2018, at the request of Ms. Languirand.

In its reasons for judgment, the trial court concluded that Ms. Languirand's lawsuit was for a breach of fiduciary duty that resulted in deflation of the value of corporate shares. The trial court reasoned that a shareholder does not have a right to personally sue for a breach of fiduciary duty that does not result in a direct loss to the shareholder. Citing Lawly Brooke Burns Trust v. RKR, Inc. , 96-1231 (La. App. 1 Cir. 3/27/97), 691 So.2d 1349, the court explained that the decline in the value of stock, which is suffered by all shareholders, has been determined to be an indirect loss from which no individual *1058direct action is permitted. Thus, the trial court concluded that Ms. Languirand may only sue to recover said loss through a derivative suit. Based on this conclusion, the trial court further granted the exception of no cause of action and prematurity, finding Ms. Languirand had not complied with the statutory requirements to sustain a derivative action. Additionally, the trial court granted the exception of improper joinder of parties on the basis that the corporation must be a defendant in any derivative action.

ISSUE

In her appeal, Ms. Languirand argues that the trial court erred in finding that she had no right of action to file an individual direct action suit against the corporation's directors and other shareholders to enforce her preemptive rights and to void the sale of shares that were made in violation of her preemptive rights. She contends the trial court erred in concluding that her claims must be brought by a derivative action.

DISCUSSION

An action can only be brought by a person having a real and actual interest in which she asserts. La. C.C.P. art. 681. The exception of no right of action tests whether the plaintiff has a real and actual interest in the action. See La. C.C.P. art. 927(A)(6). The purpose of an exception of no right of action is to determine whether the plaintiff belongs to the class of persons to whom the law grants a cause of action asserted in the petition. Badeaux v. Southwest Computer Bureau, Inc. , 05-612 (La. 3/17/06), 929 So.2d 1211, 1217. The exception of no right of action assumes that the petition states a valid cause of action for some person and questions whether the plaintiff in the particular case is a member of the class that has a legal interest in the subject matter of the litigation. Howard v. Administrators of the Tulane Educ. Fund , 07-2224 (La. 7/1/08), 986 So.2d 47, 60.

The party raising a peremptory exception bears the burden of proof. On the trial of a peremptory exception of no right of action, evidence is admissible to support or controvert the objection pleaded when the grounds do not appear from the petition. La. C.C.P. art. 931. In this case, neither party presented any evidence at the hearing on the exception; thus, this Court must decide, based on the allegations alone, whether Ms. Languirand belongs to the class of persons to whom the law grants the cause of action asserted.

"The determination of whether a plaintiff has a legal right to bring an action raises a question of law, which requires a de novo review." Rebel Distributors Corp., Inc. v. LUBA Workers' Compensation , 13-749 (La. 10/15/13),

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Bluebook (online)
261 So. 3d 1054, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/languirand-v-lopez-lactapp-2018.