Oshidar v. Asura Development Group, Inc.

CourtSuperior Court of Delaware
DecidedMarch 24, 2017
DocketN14C-09-169 EMD
StatusPublished

This text of Oshidar v. Asura Development Group, Inc. (Oshidar v. Asura Development Group, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oshidar v. Asura Development Group, Inc., (Del. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE

XERXES OSHIDAR, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) C.A. No.: N14C-09-169 EMD ) ASURA DEVELOPMENT GROUP, ) INC., f/k/a/ IA GLOBAL, INC. and ) BRIAN HOEKSTRA, ) ) Defendants. ) ) )

Submitted: December 7, 2017 Decided: March 24, 2017

Upon Motion of Defendant Brian Hoekstra for Judgment on the Pleading DENIED

David L. Finger, Esquire, Finger & Slanina, LLC, Wilmington, Delaware. Attorneys for Brian Hoekstra

Xerxes Oshidar. Pro se

DAVIS, J.

I. INTRODUCTION

Before the Court are two separate but identical civil actions for breach of contract and

fraud. In this first civil action, N14C-09-169 EMD, Plaintiff Xerxes Oshidar filed a Complaint

against Defendant Asura Development Group, Inc. for breach of contract and Defendant Brian

Hoekstra in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer of Asura Development Group, Inc. for fraud.

The second civil action, N14C-12-227 EMD, filed by Plaintiff Kanga Krishna, asserts the same

causes of action against the same defendants.

Mr. Hoekstra filed a Motion of Defendant Brian Hoekstra for Judgment on the Pleadings

in both civil actions (collectively, the “Motions”). In the Motions, Mr. Hoekstra argues that the fraud claim is barred by the three-year statute of limitations. Mr. Hoekstra also argues that the

Complaints fail to state a claim for fraud. Mr. Krishna filed Plaintiff Ranga Krishna’s

Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings and Mr. Oshidar filed a Notice

of Adoption and Joinder in Plaintiff Ranga Krishna’s Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for

Judgment on the Pleadings (collectively, the “Oppositions”).

After reviewing the Motions, the Oppositions, the entire record in this civil action and

determining that a hearing does not need to be held, the Court will DENY the relief sought in the

Motions.

II. PROCEDURAL AND FACTUAL BACKGROUND1

Mr. Oshidar is an individual and resident of California. Mr. Krishna is an individual and

resident of New Jersey. Mr. Oshidar and Mr. Krishna are business colleagues. Asura

Development Group, Inc. (“Asura”), formerly known as IAG Global Inc., is a Delaware

corporation. Brian Hoekstra is the former Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of Asura.

Mr. Hoekstra, in his capacity as CEO of Asura, met with Mr. Krishna on multiple

occasions concerning the possibility of Mr. Krishna lending money to Asura. During these

meetings, Mr. Hoekstra spoke at length about Asura’s finances, including Asura’s existing

capital and debt structure and Asura’s ability to repay its debts. Mr. Hoekstra also discussed and

provided Mr. Krishna with materials concerning Asura’s recent merger with a Japanese

company. Specifically, Mr. Hoekstra provided Mr. Krishna with Asura’s annual statements and

SEC filings, all of which discussed the merger with the Japanese company. Mr. Krishna shared

1 Unless otherwise indicated, the following are the Relevant Facts as alleged in the Amended Complaints. For purposes of the Motions, the Court must view all well-pleaded facts alleged in the Amended Complaints as admitted and in a light most favorable to Mr. Krishna and Mr. Oshidar. See, e.g., Desert Equities, Inc. v. Morgan Stanley Leveraged Equity Fund, II, L.P., 624 A.2d 1199, 1205 (Del. 1993); see also Warner Commc’ns, Inc. v. Chris–Craft Indus., Inc., 583 A.2d 962, 965 (Del. Super.), aff’d without opinion, 567 A.2d 419 (Del. 1989).

2 the financial information with Mr. Oshidar. Based on the information and statements made to

Mr. Krishna by Mr. Hoekstra, Mr. Oshidar expressed an interest in also lending money to Asura.

On February 16, 2011, February 17, 2011, February 22, 2011, and March 24, 2011, Asura

and Mr. Hoekstra executed and delivered to Mr. Krishna four separate Subscription Agreements,

Term Sheets, and Senior Convertible Promissory Notes (the “Krishna Notes”), each in the

amount of $50,000. Under the terms of the Krishna Notes, Asura would repay the Krishna

Notes, plus interest, one year after execution.

On February 18, 2011, Asura and Mr. Hoekstra executed and delivered to Mr. Oshidar a

Subscription Agreement, Term Sheet, and Senior Convertible Promissory Note (the “Oshidar

Note”) in the amount of $250,000. Under the terms of the Oshidar Note, Asura would repay the

Oshidar Note, plus interest, one year after execution.

Asura defaulted on its obligations under the Oshidar Note and the Krishna Notes by

failing to remit payment on the maturity date. Mr. Oshidar and Mr. Krishna allege that Asura’s

failure to remit payment constitutes a material breach of the Notes.

After Asura defaulted, Mr. Oshidar and Mr. Krishna learned that Asura never finalized

the critical merger with the Japanese company. Additionally, Mr. Oshidar and Mr. Krishna

discovered that Mr. Hoekstra’s representations concerning Asura’s finances and its capital and

debt structure were false. Finally, Mr. Oshidar and Mr. Krishna discovered that the information

set forth in the SEC filings, including the information about the merger, were incorrect.

On September 18, 2014, Mr. Krishna filed a Complaint against Asura for breach of its

obligations under the Krishna Notes. Mr. Krishna amended the Complaint on April 17, 2015 to

include a fraud claim against Mr. Hoekstra. Mr. Hoekstra then filed a motion to dismiss,

alleging that the Court lacked personal jurisdiction. The Court granted the motion, but allowed

3 Mr. Krishna to amend the Complaint to include information about Mr. Hoekstra’s role as CEO of

Asura. Mr. Krishna filed the Second Amended Complaint on September 4, 2015. Mr. Hoekstra

again filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. This time, the Court found that

it possessed personal jurisdiction because the claims against Mr. Hoekstra involve conduct taken

in Mr. Hoekstra’s official corporate capacity for Asura, a Delaware corporation.

The procedural history of Mr. Oshidar’s civil action is identical to Mr. Krishna’s civil

action. On December 23, 2014, Mr. Oshidar filed a Complaint against Asura for breach of its

obligations under the Oshidar Note. Mr. Oshidar amended the Complaint on April 1, 2015 to

include a fraud claim against Mr. Hoekstra. Mr. Hoekstra then filed a motion to dismiss,

alleging that the Court lacked personal jurisdiction. The Court granted the motion, but allowed

Mr. Oshidar to amend the Complaint to include information about Mr. Hoekstra’s role as CEO of

Asura. Mr. Oshidar filed the Second Amended Complaint on September 4, 2015.2 Mr. Hoekstra

again filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. This time, the Court found that

it possessed personal jurisdiction because the claims against Mr. Hoekstra involve conduct taken

in Mr. Hoekstra’s official corporate capacity for Asura, a Delaware corporation.

On May 4, 2016, Mr. Hoekstra filed an Answer in both civil actions. On May 10, 2016,

Mr. Hoekstra filed the Motions. The facts and legal arguments presented in the Motions are

identical. On July 12, 2016, Mr. Krishna and Mr. Oshidar filed the Oppositions. Subsequent to

the filing of the Oppositions, the Court granted the request of Mr. Oshidar’s attorneys to

withdraw from representation on November 18, 2016. The Court then gave Mr. Oshidar thirty

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Related

Warner Communications Inc. v. Chris-Craft Industries, Inc.
583 A.2d 962 (Court of Chancery of Delaware, 1989)

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