Larson v. Tony's Investments, Inc.

46 F.R.D. 612, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12951
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Alabama
DecidedMarch 12, 1969
DocketCiv. A. No. 2719-N
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 46 F.R.D. 612 (Larson v. Tony's Investments, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Larson v. Tony's Investments, Inc., 46 F.R.D. 612, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12951 (M.D. Ala. 1969).

Opinion

ORDER

FRANK M. JOHNSON, Jr., Chief Judge.

This cause is again submitted upon numerous motions.

I

Plaintiffs have filed two motions seeking leave to further amend their complaint. Under Rule 15 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure leave to amend is to be granted liberally unless the proposed amendment would be subject to motions under Rule 12. 3A Moore’s Federal Practice para. 15.08(4).

In the motion filed January 30, 1969, plaintiffs withdraw the previous motion for leave to amend filed January 8, 1969, and seek to add ten paragraphs of amendments to the complaint. These ten paragraphs attempt essentially to accomplish three objectives.

First, they attempt to assert a Rule 10b-5 cause of action based on the facts which allegedly assert a violation of Sections 12(2) and 17 of the 1933 Act for omissions and misrepresentations in the prospectus and other offering material. Although there may be total overlap in these legal theories in the circumstances of this case, this Court can see no objection to this aspect of the proposed amendment.

Second, the proposed amendment attempts to add a derivative cause of action for the benefit of Tony’s Investments based on the theory that the corporation was injured by certain defendants’ selling shares at less than $1.00 per share when Tony’s was attempting to raise capital by selling its stock at $1.00 per share. These allegations do not state a cause of action under Rule 10b-5 because whatever injury the corporation may have suffered does not grow out of any connection of the corporation with a purchase or sale of securities. See the order of this Court filed January 14, 1969, in Herpich v. Wilder, Civil No. 2747-N. And, assuming that the facts alleged state a derivative cause of action under Alabama law, this Court cannot and should not exercise pendent jurisdiction over it under the principles set forth in United Mine Workers of America v. Gibbs, 383 U.S. 715, 725-727, 86 S.Ct. 1130, 16 L.Ed.2d 218 (1966). This aspect of the proposed amendment will not be allowed.

Third, the proposed amendment, in conjunction with the additional proposed amendment filed in this Court on February 28, 1969, seeks to assert claims under Section 12(1) both on behalf of the class of purchasers who purchased part of the issue by the corporation at $1.00 per share and on behalf of the class of purchasers who bought shares from [615]*615individual defendants at less than $1.00 per share. Viewing each of the classes as a distinct party, the two classes are not appropriate parties to join in a single action under the provisions of Rule 20 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Nothing in the complaint suggests that these two claims for relief arise out of the same series of transactions or occurrences.

The motion for leave to amend filed February 28, 1969, will be denied. Leave will be granted for the paragraphs numbered 1, 3, 4 and 7 of the proposed amendment filed January 30, 1969; the remaining paragraphs of the proposed amendment will not be allowed.

II

Plaintiffs and defendant James A. Lane also filed on January 30, 1969, a joint petition seeking this Court’s approval of a proposed pro tanto settlement. Several of the other defendants have objected to the proposed settlement. However, because the proposed settlement is expressly conditioned upon the allowance by this Court of leave to file the amendments to the complaint discussed above, it would be inappropriate for this Court to rule on the proposed settlement at this time.

Ill

Plaintiffs have addressed to the individual defendants 12 separate motions to produce certain enumerated documents. A previous motion to produce was denied because in requiring “each of the defendants, separately and severally” to produce the material, the motion imposed an unnecessarily onerous burden on the defendants. The present motions have been reframed to overcome that deficiency and the other objections to the motions are without merit. If any of the individual or corporate defendants have the documents in their custody or control, they should be produced. One who does not have or control, actually or constructively, a requested document should say so under oath. 4 Moore’s Federal Practice, para. 34.07.

IV

Motions to dismiss have been filed by certain of the named defendants in a cross-claim and third-party complaint filed herein on January 16, 1969, by defendant James A. Lane. Lane seeks indemnity for any liability he may incur by reason of his sale of the stock of Tony’s Investments on the theory that the named defendants expressly or impliedly represented to him that the documents furnished him for use in selling the stock were legal and proper. That theory presupposes that Lane had no independent knowledge or access to knowledge that the documents were in some way improper. If that is true, Lane will not be liable in the first instance; lack of scienter is a defense to alleged violations of Sections 12(2) and 17(a) (2) and Rule 10b-5. Lane does not state a cause of action.

V

Defendant Security Merchants filed herein on February 10, 1969, a cross-claim against defendant James A. Lane on the theory that under respondeat-superior principles it would be liable for any illegal oral misrepresentations made by Lane in the course of selling securities for it. Because counsel for plaintiffs have filed an affidavit with this Court on February 20, 1969, stating that they do not presently rely on any oral misrepresentations, this cross-claim is due to be dismissed.

VI

Defendant Rex Moore filed herein on February 13, 1969, a motion for an order requiring James L. Caldwell to tender to the Clerk of this Court Certificate Number 355-A, representing 500 shares [616]*616of stock in Tony’s Investments. Defendant Moore has deposited $115 with the Clerk to return the consideration paid plus interest. Plaintiff Caldwell has tendered Certificate Number 355-A to the Clerk. Nevertheless, inasmuch as shares purchased for less than $1.00 per share from the “insider” defendants are not part of this action, see section I above, the Clerk will be directed to return the certificate and the cheeks.

VII

On February 22, 1969, defendant Security Merchants filed a third-party complaint against one Eduardo Johnson and moved to make him a party to this action. Security Merchants will not be liable on respondeat-superior principles for oral misrepresentations. See section V above. Any claim for conversion of funds belonging to Security Merchants is factually and legally independent from plaintiffs’ claim against Security Merchants and is thus not an appropriate subject for third-party practice under Rule 14, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The motion is due to be denied.

VIII

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Bluebook (online)
46 F.R.D. 612, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12951, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/larson-v-tonys-investments-inc-almd-1969.