Maher v. J. R. Williston & Beane, Inc.

280 F. Supp. 133, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11074
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedAugust 3, 1967
Docket66 Civ. 3672
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 280 F. Supp. 133 (Maher v. J. R. Williston & Beane, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maher v. J. R. Williston & Beane, Inc., 280 F. Supp. 133, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11074 (S.D.N.Y. 1967).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION ON MOTION TO DISMISS

MOTLEY, District Judge.

Defendants moved for an order, Rule 12(b), Fed.R.Civ.P., dismissing the original complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted and for lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter. The original complaint, filed November 2, 1966, contained three causes of action. The first count was brought under Section 15(c) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, (“the Act”), 15 U.S.C. § 78o. The second and third counts were predicated on the doctrine of pendent jurisdiction. United Mine Workers of America v. Gibbs, 383 U.S. 715, 86 S.Ct. 1130, 16 L.Ed.2d 218 (1966); See generally, Lowenfels, Pendent Jurisdiction and the Federal Securities Acts, 67 Colum.L.Rev. 474 (1967).

Defendants motions were on the grounds that the first count, based on Section 15(c) of the Act, was barred by the applicable statute of limitations, Section 29(b) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. § 78cc(b), and that since plaintiff’s only federal cause of action should be dismissed, his second and third claims, brought pursuant to state law, should be dismissed as there would be no federal cause of action upon which the doctrine of pendent jurisdiction could operate. Ruckle v. Roto American Corp., 339 F.2d 24, 27 (2d Cir. 1964).

Plaintiff, on December 23, 1966, no answer having been filed, Rule 15(a), Fed.R.Civ.P., served an amended complaint to which the pending motion to dismiss is directed. The allegations of wrongdoing contained in the amended complaint are totally identical to those contained in the original complaint. However, the amended complaint contains six causes of action, two (the first and second) under Section 10 of the Act, 15 U.S.C. § 78j, two (the third and fourth) under Section 15(c) (1) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. § 78o(c) (1), and two (the fifth and sixth) pursuant to state law, jurisdiction being predicated on the doctrine of pendent jurisdiction.

It is alleged that defendant, J. R. Williston & Beane, Inc. (hereinafter “Williston”), a Delaware corporation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission having its principal office and place of business in New York, was the successor to the business and assets, subject to its liabilities, of a partnership operating under the name of J. R. Williston & Beane (hereinafter “partnership”). At all times Williston or its predecessor partnership was engaged in the city, county, and State of New York as a “broker” and “dealer” in securities as said terms “broker” and “dealer” are defined in the Act, 15 U.S.C. § 77b(12), and was subject to the provisions of the Act and to the Rules and Regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder.

The individual defendants were each voting stockholders of defendant Willis-ton and were each directors and/or officers during the periods hereinafter mentioned. It is further alleged that each of the individual defendants was the beneficial owner of voting stock of defendant Williston, and all of them directly or indirectly controlled the corporation.

It is alleged that on or about June 15, 1963, defendants Williston, Beane and Kantor caused and procured the plaintiff to purchase and accept 900 shares of Class A Non-Voting Stock *136 and 400 shares of Common Voting Stock of defendant Williston and to pay a total of $100,000.00 therefor.

Plaintiff claims that to induce him to purchase and accept defendant Willis-ton’s stock, defendants Beane and Kantor falsely and fraudulently represented to plaintiff that the stock was a safe and good investment on which he would get a good return; that Williston was sound financially, substantially as good as that of the predecessor partnership as shown on its balance sheet on March 30, 1963; that the corporation did little business with one “Tino” DeAngelis and his corporate affiliates in commodities and futures; that the corporation and its predecessor partnership operated at a profit; and that the corporation owned seats and memberships on various stock and commodities exchanges which represented an asset of the corporation of the current value of approximately $321,000.00 It is alleged that each representation by Beane and Kantor was false and fraudulent, was known by defendants to be false and fraudulent, was made to induce plaintiff to rely thereon and to agree to purchase and pay for and accept the Williston stock in reliance thereon; that plaintiff did not know that the representations were false .and untrue, did rely thereon, and did purchase the stock to his damage. Furthermore, it is alleged that to induce plaintiff to purchase the stock, defendants Beane and Kantor fraudulently and intentionally concealed facts from plaintiff that Williston and its predecessor partnership had accumulated deficits from operations and sustained losses from operations; that Williston was engaging in business in violation of the net capital rule of the Securities and Exchange Commission; that the shares were risky investments; and that the stock when issued and paid for would have little or no value in comparison to the sum paid therefor. Plaintiff claims that if the true facts so concealed had been revealed, he would not have entered the transaction and purchased the shares, but since he did not know the true facts, he relied on defendants, and was defrauded and deceived by them and by their false representations and concealment of the true facts.

Plaintiff alleges defendants knew or should have known the financial condition of Williston and that it failed to comply with the net capital rule. In addition, it is alleged defendants made use of the mails, telephone, instruments of transportation and communication, and other means and instrumentalities of and in interstate commerce to effect transactions in securities, and they did thereby effect transactions in the subject securities otherwise than on a national securities exchange. Plaintiff also alleges that defendants conspired to obtain plaintiff’s money; and they intended to and did defraud plaintiff by wrongful and unlawful acts, representations, omissions and conduct in violation of the Act and the Rules and Regulations promulgated thereunder.

Plaintiff claims his stock is worthless and he has been damaged in the amount of $100,000.00

The Third and Fourth Causes of Action

Plaintiff’s third cause of action is based on Section 15 of the Act, 15 U.S.C. § 78o, and the Rules and Regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated and adopted pursuant to the Act, 17 C.F.R. § 240.15c 1-2. 1 The

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Bluebook (online)
280 F. Supp. 133, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11074, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maher-v-j-r-williston-beane-inc-nysd-1967.