Maritan v. Birmingham Properties

875 F.2d 1451, 1989 WL 53335
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedMarch 17, 1989
DocketNo. 87-1287
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 875 F.2d 1451 (Maritan v. Birmingham Properties) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maritan v. Birmingham Properties, 875 F.2d 1451, 1989 WL 53335 (10th Cir. 1989).

Opinion

STEPHEN H. ANDERSON, Circuit Judge.

Gene Maritan appeals from an adverse summary judgment dismissing his action under the federal securities laws, and pendent state law claims, against Birmingham Properties, an Oklahoma limited partnership (“Birmingham”), Edwin Kronfeld, both individually and as surviving general partner of Birmingham (“Kronfeld”), and the First National Bank and Trust Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma, as successor personal representatives of the estate of F. Paul Thieman, deceased (we refer herein only to “Thieman"). Maritan apparently lost all or most of $482,591.80 in an unsuccessful project for the construction and sale of five expensive homes and the remodeling and sale of a sixth home, all on a single piece of property, subdivided into six lots. Mari-tan’s involvement was solicited by Thieman on behalf of Birmingham. The core question is whether Maritan’s interest in the project is a security, as defined in the federal securities laws, by virtue of being an “investment contract.” Section 2(1) of the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C. § 77b(l). The district court ruled that Maritan’s involvement with Birmingham was not an investment contract. It found, among other things, that Maritan “exercised considerable control and influence over the joint venture and closely monitored his investment and cannot now be heard to maintain that he was merely a passive investor.”

On appeal Maritan essentially repeats the arguments he raised below, and he contends that summary judgment was improper because when “[vjiewed in a light most favorable to Maritan, the evidence is clearly sufficient to create a triable issue of fact” on the controlling test for determining the existence of an investment contract. In this regard he alleges that the district court disregarded evidence and improperly evaluated other evidence. Maritan also contends that the district court erred “in failing to exercise pendent jurisdiction over Maritan’s state law claims.” We affirm substantially for the reasons contained in the district court’s careful opinion.

Maritan does not dispute the following facts. Thieman and Kronfeld were both attorneys and partners in the practice of law in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1980. They formed Birmingham, a general partnership. On January 26, 1981 Birmingham acquired the “Brazier Estate” in Tulsa for the purpose of subdividing it into twelve residential lots, remodeling and selling the existing house on one lot, and building and [1453]*1453selling homes on the other eleven lots. Due to neighborhood resistance the project was eventually redesigned for six lots. Initial financing was obtained by borrowing $425,000 from the Bank of Oklahoma, secured by a mortgage on the property. On December 15, 1981 H.A. Reaves, a longtime friend of Thieman invested $100,000 in the project. For tax purposes he was listed for 1981 as a general partner of Birmingham, but thereafter as a limited partner. Birmingham was formally converted to a limited partnership in 1982, with Thieman and Kronfeld as general partners and Reaves as the sole limited partner.

The project became short of funds and in June, 1982 Thieman approached Maritan and solicited his involvement. Thieman and Maritan had been friends for more than twenty years. Thieman had also done and was doing legal work for Maritan, and they had participated in other business ventures together. Maritan was a successful businessman, president and majority shareholder of Western Petroleum Company, Inc.

Thieman proposed that Maritan become involved immediately with just two of the lots. The house to be remodeled and sold was on one, and a new house would be constructed for sale on the other. Maritan also would have the option to participate in developing the remaining four lots. Within a few days after Thieman’s meeting with Maritan, Thieman mailed him a letter containing the terms of their agreement. Since those terms are crucial to the case, we set them out in full:

BIRMINGHAM PROPERTIES
1818 One Williams Center
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74172
July 2, 1982
Mr. Gene Maritan
3105 East Skelly Drive
Suite 615
Tulsa, OK 74105
Re: Block 1, Birmingham Circle Addition
Dear Gene:
If this letter correctly sets forth our agreement as to the above-captioned land and improvements thereon (the “Property”), please indicate your acceptance in the place indicated below.
1. You are to purchase Lots 1 and 2 of the Property for $235,000: $200,000 on July 5, 1982 and $35,000 within thirty (30) days.
2. We are to jointly remodel the house on Lot 2 and construct a new house on Lot 1 as follows:
a. You and Birmingham Properties, an Oklahoma Limited Partnership (“Birmingham”), will each pay for fifty percent (50%) of the cost of such remodeling and new construction which shall include landscaping, architectural expense, contractor’s and owner’s representative fees as well as sales expenses; the details of which will be the sole responsibility of Birmingham.
b. The sales proceeds, less expenses, will be divided as follows and in the following order:
(i) to you in an amount equal to all your cash outlay for paragraphs 1 and 2(a) above;
(ii) To you in an amount sufficient to provide a twenty-five percent (25%) return, on an annualized basis, on your paragraphs 1 and 2(a) cash outlays;
(iii) To Birmingham in an amount equal to its cash outlays for paragraph 2(a) above;
(iv) To Birmingham in an amount sufficient to provide a twenty-five percent (25%) return, on an annualized basis, on its paragraph 2(a) cash outlays.
(v) The balance, if any, to you and Birmingham equally.
3. Birmingham, in its sole discretion, will construct new houses on Lots 3, 4, 5 and 6. You have six months from the date of this letter to elect to participate in said construction and sale on the following terms and conditions, including paragraphs 4, 5 and 6:
a. You and Birmingham will each pay for fifty percent (50%) of the cost of such construction which shall in-[1454]*1454elude landscaping, architectural expense, contractor’s and owner’s representatives fees, as well as sales expenses, the details of which will be the sole responsibility of Birmingham.
b. The sales proceeds from such Lots 3, 4, 5 and 6 and the houses to be constructed thereon will be divided on a house by house basis, as follows and in the following order:
(i) To Birmingham in an amount equal to its cash outlays for paragraph 3(a) above and $85,000 as to each lot;
(ii) To Birmingham in an amount sufficient to provide a twenty-five percent (25%) return on an annualized basis on its paragraph 3(a) cash outlays and on $85,000 as to each lot, the return as to such lot price to be deemed to run from July 1, 1982;

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875 F.2d 1451, 1989 WL 53335, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maritan-v-birmingham-properties-ca10-1989.