Michael v. GLD Foremost Holdings, LLC

240 F. Supp. 3d 326, 2017 WL 930598, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33988
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMarch 9, 2017
DocketNo. 1:15-cv-02230
StatusPublished

This text of 240 F. Supp. 3d 326 (Michael v. GLD Foremost Holdings, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Michael v. GLD Foremost Holdings, LLC, 240 F. Supp. 3d 326, 2017 WL 930598, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33988 (M.D. Pa. 2017).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

Kane, Judge

This matter is presently before the Court on a motion to dismiss Counts II and III of Plaintiff Ralph C. Michael’s complaint pursuant to Rules 9(b) and 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, filed by Defendants GLD Foremost Holdings, LLC (“Defendant GLD”), and Daniel Gordon (“Defendant Gordon”), on January 22, 2016. (Doc. No. 8.) Having considered the arguments raised by the parties in their respective briefs and the applicable law governing this breach-of-contract action, for the reasons provided herein, the Court will grant Defendants’ motion for partial dismissal of Plaintiffs complaint.

I. BACKGROUND1

Plaintiff Ralph C. Michael, co-founder and exclusive stockholder of Foremost Industries, Inc., a modular home manufac-taring company headquartered in Franklin County, Pennsylvania (the “Company”), resolved in 2012 to retire and sell his Company. (Doc. No. 1 ¶¶6-9.) Plaintiff advertised the sale of the Company in the Wall Street Journal as an “asset sale” to potential buyers. (Id. at ¶ 10.) In December of 2014, Defendant Daniel Gordon (“Gordon”), responded to Plaintiffs advertisement, expressing an interest in acquiring the Company. (Id. at ¶ 12.) In January of 2015, Plaintiff and Gordon arranged for Gordon to visit the Company’s corporate headquarters in Franklin County and tour its facilities. (Id. at ¶ 13.) At that visit, Plaintiff furnished Gordon with the Company’s financial statements for the years 2012 and 2013. (Id. at ¶ 15.) Shortly thereafter, in February of 2015, Plaintiff and Gordon entered into exclusive negotiations for the purchase of Plaintiffs interest in the Company. (Id. at ¶ 16.) Following two additional visits to Company’s facilities, Gordon made an initial offer to acquire the assets of the Company in a letter and an accompanying indicative term sheet dated February 4, 2015. (Id. at ¶¶ 17-20.) Specifically, Gordon’s offer consisted of a $4 million cash payment and a charitable donation totaling 35% of the Company’s net income to an organization specified by Plaintiff. (Id. at ¶ 21.) On March 30, 2015, Gordon presented Plaintiff with a draft Stock Purchase Agreement that outlined the terms and conditions of the anticipated purchase of all issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company from Plaintiff. (Id. at ¶ 23.)

According to the complaint, throughout April and May of 2015, Gordon exhibited [330]*330conduct that was perceived by Plaintiff as demonstrating a • commitment to consummating the agreement to purchase the Company. Specifically, on or about May 4, 2015, in anticipation of closing, Gordon incorporated Defendant GLD (“GLD”), as a Delaware limited liability company to purchase, own, and operate the Company. (Id. at ¶¶ 31.) During his recurrent visits to the Company’s facilities in April and again .-in May ,of 2015, Gordon: represented to’ the Company’s employees the type, of health insurance plan he was going to offer upon obtaining . possession of the Company; scheduled the auction of personal property belonging to the Company; and strateg-ized the eventual engineering changes he would make to the Company. (Id. at ¶¶ 28-29.)

Throughout this period, Gordon also repeatedly inquired into, and directed the disclosure of, certain financial information concerning the Company’s operations as contemplated by the draft Stock Purchase Agreement, pursuant -to which Plaintiff was required to prepare and submit schedules detailing, inter alia, the Company’s operations, debts, liabilities, and income prior to closing, (Id. at ¶ 30.) Significantly, on April 2, 2015, Gordon questioned Laurie Myers (“Myers”), Plaintiffs daughter and the Company’s treasurer and controller, regarding-the consideration given for an anticipated sale of real property from the Company to her and her husband. (Id. at ¶25.) Myers informed Gordon that .the purchase price for the real property,totaled $100,000.00. (Id. at ¶ 26.) On April 10, 2015, Myers and her husband purchased the real property from the Company by deed, a copy ' of which was subsequently forwarded to Gordon via e-mail. (Id. at ¶ 27.)'

Oh May 11, 2015, Myers sent Gordon a draft of the completed schedules required by the draft Stock Purchase Agreement. (Id. at ¶ 32.) The finalized schedules were e-mailed to Gordon on May-14, 2015.' (Id. at ¶ 33.) Plaintiff alleges that Gordon “made no objection concerning the adequacy of the information set forth on the schedules to [him] or to Myers” upon receipt, (Id. at ¶ 34.) As alleged by Plaintiff, while “[t]he parties tentatively agreed to close on the transaction on Monday, May 18, 2015,” the closing date was subsequently delayed due to Gordon proposing a series of changes to the- draft Stock Purchase Agreement and demanding additional supporting documentation on' May 15, and 26, 2015. (Id at ¶¶ 36-40.) In his e-mail correspondence with Myers the morning of May 26, 2015, Gordon indicated his intention to execute the Stock Purchase Agreement upon reviewing and finalizing, the schedules and confirmed that he would be returning to the Company’s corporate office the following day to “perhaps sign everything.” (Id. at ¶¶ 38, 40.) That' afternoon, however, Gordon informed Myers via email that he would not be able to close on the transaction as previously suggested because he' was reviewing the schedules, awaiting additional information to be submitted by Plaintiff, and requiring an appraisal of real property owned by the Company. (Id. at ¶ 41.> • " •

On May 27, 2015, Gordon sent Myers an “Execution Version” of the Stock Purchase Agreement and notified Myers that he was prepared to proceed with the closing. (Id. at ¶44.) On May 29, 2015, Gordon sent Myers finalized schedules for Plaintiff to review and initial. .(Id. at ¶ 46.) The Stock Purchase Agreement and incorporated schedules were executed by Plaintiff that same day and mailed to Gordon via overnight courier. (Id. at ¶ 47.) Consequently, by Plaintiffs execution of the Stock Purchase - Agreement, GLD received' all of Plaintiffs rights, titles, and interests in the Gompany. (Id. at ¶ 48.)

[331]*331Plaintiff alleges that while the parties agreed to date the Stock Purchase Agreement as of May 29, 2015, Gordon did not counter-execute the Stock Purchase Agreement on behalf of GLD and return a copy to Plaintiff until August 19, 2015. (Id. at ¶¶ 49, 57.) According to Plaintiff, in that intervening period, Gordon, operating as GLD, took possession of the Company on or about June 7, 2015, and began dismantling it through an auction sale of the Company’s assets scheduled for July 11, 2014. (Id. at ¶¶ 53, 54.) Moreover, Plaintiff avers that Gordon wired $1 million of the purchase price to Plaintiff on June 30,2015 m contravention to the Stock Purchase Agreement, which stipulated that the purchase price of $3 million was to be remitted at closing. (|d. at ¶¶ 56, 58.)

On August 26, 2015, approximately one week after Gordon forwarded Plaintiff a copy of the executed Stock Purchase Agreement, Plaintiff received a letter from Gordon demanding rescission of the Stock Purchase Agreement on ‘ the basis that Plaintiff misrepresented the Company's financial position to Gordon. (Id, at ¶¶ 59, 61.) By Plaintiffs assessment, the letter addressed numerous matters “well-known to Gordon prior to taking possession of the Company and executing the Stock Purchase Agreement, including but not limited to the sale of certain real estate to Myers and her husband.” (Id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
240 F. Supp. 3d 326, 2017 WL 930598, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33988, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/michael-v-gld-foremost-holdings-llc-pamd-2017.