Penn Mart Realty Co. v. United States Financial, Inc.

64 F.R.D. 443, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6797
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedSeptember 11, 1974
DocketCiv. Nos. 74-281-T to 74-283-T. MDL No. 161
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 64 F.R.D. 443 (Penn Mart Realty Co. v. United States Financial, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Penn Mart Realty Co. v. United States Financial, Inc., 64 F.R.D. 443, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6797 (S.D. Cal. 1974).

Opinion

TURRENTINE, District Judge.

BACKGROUND

This Order is made in response to requests for class designations in the U.S. Financial Securities Litigation.

U.S. Financial was initially incorporated in 1962 and thereafter engaged directly or through subsidiaries in the business of designing, producing, financing, insuring, and selling residential and commercial land and structures. Its securities were first listed on the New York Stock Exchange in December 1970. In April 1971, U.S.F. made a $35,000,000 public offering of 5%% Convertible Subordinated Debentures due April 1, 1991, underwritten by Goldman, Sachs & Co. Simultaneously certain U.S.F. shareholders made a public offering of 256,171 shares of U.S.F. Common Stock through underwriters represented by Goldman, Sachs & Co.

On October 16, 1972, the N.Y.S.E. halted trading in U.S.F. securities for a two week period after receiving copies of correspondence between U.S.F. and the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the manner in which certain transactions had been accounted for in U.S.F.’s annual report for 1971. On December 5, 1972, the S.E.C. issued an order suspending trading in U.S.F. securities, and on July 23, 1973, U.S.F. filed a petition for an arrangement under Chapter XI of the Federal Bankruptcy Act in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Reorganization proceedings are in progress.

A number of securities fraud actions have been filed. Typically, U.S.F., its officers and directors, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and other underwriters, the accountants Touche, Ross & Co., and Union Bank have been named as defendants. The plaintiffs in these actions allege that U.S.F. engaged in a continuing scheme of creating sham transactions to create sham profits, which were publicly [447]*447reported in registration statements, prospectuses, forms filed with the S.E.C., and press releases. The following description of these transactions has been given:

U.S. Financial held many pieces of real estate. Subsidiary firms were either formed by individuals connected with U.S. Financial, or previously existing firms or individuals were brought into the family of firms associating with U.S. Financial. Pieces of real estate were ‘sold’ to the subsidiary firms and notes were given to U. S. Financial so that U.S. Financial could add an account receivable to its balance sheet. The subsidiaries were actually to only hold the properties until U.S. Financial could sell them. If cash were involved, arrangements were made to supply the ‘buyers’ with enough cash so they could, in turn, transfer the money back to U.S. Financial. Secret agreements were made with the operators of the subsidiary firms to the effect that they would be reimbursed for any losses they incurred while holding the properties for U.S. Financial. If the subsidiary firm was scheduled to make a payment to U.S. Financial on the note, secret loans would be given to the subsidiary either directly by persons at U.S. Financial or indirectly through another subsidiary firm. These loan proceeds would then be fed back to U. S. Financial which would then book the receipt of the payment. A definite, circular flow of money created the illusion that U.S. Financial was selling large pieces of real estate for enormous profits. This illusion was created to obtain bank loans and to increase the value of the stock of U.S. Financial.1

Twelve of the security holder actions have been transferred to the Southern District of California for consolidated pretrial proceedings pursuant to 28 U.S. C. § 1407. Designations as class actions under Rule 23(b)(3) have been requested in two of these actions; Penn Mart Realty v. U.S. Financial, (74-281-T) and Michael Fabrikant and Milton Binswanger v. Robert G. Stewart (74-282-T and 74-283-T).2 The Penn Mart plaintiff proposes to represent a class of common stock purchasers who purchased between January 1, 1970, and December 5, 1972. The Fabrikant plaintiffs propose to represent a class consisting of purchsers of the 5%% Convertible Subordinated Debentures between April 1, 1971, and November 27, 1972.3 The exact number of securities purchasers who fall within the ambit of these classes in unknown. It is alleged that there are “thousands” of debenture purchasers. There are approximately 4,000 holders of the common stock, but the number of persons who purchased common stock during the class period must be appreciably larger. The question of numbers will be clarified shortly because the defendant U.S. F. has consented to the proposed class designations in both actions and has agreed to identify the class members and mail notice, as to the actions against U.S.F. only, on September 20, 1974. No other defendant has consented to the class designations.

The request for a class designation in Penn Mart, which involves claims under Section 10(b) of the 1934 Securities Ex[448]*448change Act and Rule 10b-5, will be considered first. This discussion will apply to the Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 claims in Fabrikcmt as well. It will then be necessary to consider the effect on the class designation of the additional claims raised in the Fabrikant action, particularly the claims under Section 11 of the 1933 Securities and Exchange Act.

PENN MART REALTY

Initially the Court must decide pursuant to Rule 23(b)(3) whether or not a class action is superior to other available methods for the fair and efficient adjudication of the controversy and, pursuant to Rule 23(a)(1), whether the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable. Because the number of common stock shareholders in Penn Mart exceeds 4,000, it appears that a class action is not only the most efficient, but also the only practical way in which the Court can assure representation of all possible plaintiffs.4

The significant question in Penn Mart, therefore, is whether “the questions of law or fact common to the members of the class predominate over any questions affecting only individual members.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(b)(3). Additionally, it must be determined whether the plaintiff is a proper class representative. Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(a)(3) and (4).

1. Common Questions of Law or Fact

The most serious question of commonality of law or fact pertains to reliance,5 which will be discussed below. But first, it should be noted that a “common core” of facts may be provided by the “common nucleus of operative facts” which are necessary to prove a 10b-5 violation. Entin v. Barg, 60 F.R.D. 108, 113 (E.D.Pa.1973), and Green v. Wolf Corp., 406 F.2d 291 (2d Cir. 1968).

The language of Rule 10b-5(a) and (c) makes it unlawful “to employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud” or “to engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon any person.” Under this language the relevant inquiry is the existence of a broad course of fraudulent conduct. Such a course of conduct has been alleged in this action:

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Bluebook (online)
64 F.R.D. 443, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6797, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/penn-mart-realty-co-v-united-states-financial-inc-casd-1974.