Permafill Corp. of Louisiana v. Atiyeh

710 So. 2d 1098, 97 La.App. 1 Cir. 0099, 1998 La. App. LEXIS 317, 1998 WL 80628
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 20, 1998
DocketNo. 97 CA 0099
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 710 So. 2d 1098 (Permafill Corp. of Louisiana v. Atiyeh) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Permafill Corp. of Louisiana v. Atiyeh, 710 So. 2d 1098, 97 La.App. 1 Cir. 0099, 1998 La. App. LEXIS 317, 1998 WL 80628 (La. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

KUHN, Judge.

This appeal involves a dispute between a corporation and an individual who claims ownership of two hundred shares of the corporation’s no par value common stock. [1099]*1099Plaintiff, Permafill Corporation of Louisiana (“PCLA”)1, filed suit against defendant, Joe Atiyeh, seeking a declaratory judgment recognizing PCLA as the true owner of the stock. Alternatively, PCLA asserted that Atiyeh had breached a contract between himself and PCLA, which obligated him to pay $500,000.00 to PCLA.

Atiyeh filed a reconventional demand against PCLA alleging that a building owned by Atiyeh and used as an office by PCLA was damaged by a fire caused by the negligence of William C. Smith, a shareholder of PCLA. The reconventional demand asserted PCLA is hable for property damages resulting from the fire pursuant to the doctrine of respondeat superior. Upon PCLA’s motion, the trial court ordered the severance of the principal and reconventional demands. Ati-yeh’s reconventional demand did not include a prayer that he be declared owner of the PCLA stock.

The trial court determined Atiyeh was the rightful owner of the two hundred shares of stock, but ordered defendant to pay the sum of $50.00 per share within thirty days of the September 3, 1996 judgment. On November 5, 1996, the trial court signed a judgment which denied plaintiffs motion for a new trial, but also amended the original judgment to provide that defendant was the rightful owner of the two hundred shares of PCLA stock on the condition that he pay plaintiff the sum of $150.00 per share within thirty days of the judgment. Atiyeh 13appealed and PCLA has answered the appeal. We reverse the trial court’s September 3,1996 judgment and render a judgment dismissing PCLA’s suit.2

On appeal, Atiyeh asserts the trial court erred: 1) in modifying the original judgment after denying plaintiffs motion for a new trial; and 2) in finding that he must pay any amount for the stock. Atiyeh urges he is the rightful owner of the stock for which he has paid consideration. In its answer, PCLA asserts that although the judgment in its favor ordering Atiyeh to pay a sum for each share is correct, the court erred in placing an abusively low value on the stock. PCLA contends the trial court should have ordered Atiyeh to pay $500.00 for each share of stock.

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

William Smith invented and patented a “permafill” pothole repair process whereby a mixture of gravel and plastic material is used to fill potholes in concrete streets. During December of 1991, Smith’s stepson, Eric Moll, traveled from Texas to Louisiana to meet with Atiyeh to discuss marketing the process in Louisiana. Atiyeh was interested in the process and contacted Pete Clements.3 In February of 1992, Clements set up a pothole repair demonstration for officials of the City of Baton Rouge and the State of Louisiana. Moll returned to Houston, Texas, to discuss with Smith the idea of establishing a Louisiana corporation for the purpose of using the patented process to engage in the pothole repair business in Louisiana. Ati-yeh, Clements, Moll and Smith were interested in the venture. 14Puring February and April of 1992, Moll and Smith returned to Louisiana to meet with Atiyeh and Clements to discuss the funding of the corporation, equipment that would be needed for the corporation, salaries to be paid to Moll and Smith, and other details regarding the incorporation of PCLA.

[1100]*1100Clements arranged for Richard Mary, an attorney, to prepare documents for the incorporation of PCLA. Mary met with Clements, Atiyeh, Moll and Smith to discuss the details of the incorporation. In Mary’s deposition testimony, he explained that Smith was not willing to transfer the patent “without being guaranteed some compensation.” Clements and Atiyeh were not willing to guarantee a large payment without knowing whether the venture would be feasible. Mary attempted to create a corporate structure to accommodate these concerns.

On May 31, 1992, Permafill, Inc. (“Perma-fill”) 4, a Texas corporation, and PCLA executed a license agreement, whereby PCLA was granted a license5 to market the pothole-filling process statewide in Louisiana. Pursuant to the terms of the license agreement, Permafill was to receive fifty percent of the common stock of PCLA as consideration for the granting of the license. PCLA was incorporated on that same day.

Pursuant to the articles of incorporation, the corporation had the authority to issue one thousand shares of common stock with no par value and ten thousand shares of preferred stock with a par value of one thousand ($1,000.00) dollars per |sshare. The minutes of the first meeting of incorporators of PCLA, dated May 31, 1992, provided in part:

That One thousand (1,000) shares of common stock (Class A) of the corporation shall be issued to the stockholders in consideration of the receipt of One Thousand and No/100 ($1,000.00) Dollars, cash or notes or one and no/100 ($1.00) Dollar per share.

The minutes also provided that Clements, Atiyeh, Smith, and Moll were elected as directors of the corporation and that the following shares were issued for the following consideration:

The Clements Corporation -250 shares for the sum of $250.00 (cash)
Joseph Atiyeh -250 shares for the sum of $250.00 (cash)
Permafill, Inc. -250 shares for the sum of $250.00 (cash)
Eric Moll -250 shares for the sum of ,$250.00 (cash)

Mary explained he was directed that half of the shares that were to be issued to Per-mafill pursuant to the terms of the license agreement were to be issued instead to Moll. Stock certificates representing the two hundred fifty shares were issued to each owner. Smith testified that none of the shareholders actually paid the $250.00 at the time of incorporation. However, Smith stated he had incurred expenses of “a couple of hundred dollars” on behalf of PCLA while trying to form the corporation. Moll testified he and Smith did not put up any money for the incorporation of PCLA. Mary testified that Atiyeh and Clements each paid $1,250.00 for the incorporation fees. Prior to the incorporation of PCLA, Atiyeh spent $259.00 to rent a generator which was used for the “perma-fill” process demonstration to the State and City officials. After the incorporation of PCLA, Atiyeh spent $705.00 for Permafill signs, $718.69 for hotel lodging for people of the corporation and provided a rent-free, furnished office space for the corporation for approximately two years. According to Moll’s ^testimony, some time around January of 1993, Atiyeh also deposited approximately $5,000.00 in a bank account for PCLA’s use.

Employment contracts were executed on May 31, 1992. Pursuant to these agreements, PCLA hired Smith to serve as president of PCLA for a three year term at a salary of $4,500.00 per month, and PCLA hired Moll to serve as the field superintendent for a one-year term at a salary of $3,900.00 per month. The agreement between Smith and PCLA provided that if PCLA defaulted on its obligation to pay the designated salary, Smith had the right to [1101]*1101cancel the license granted to PCLA pursuant to the license agreement.

Permafill USA, Inc.

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710 So. 2d 1098, 97 La.App. 1 Cir. 0099, 1998 La. App. LEXIS 317, 1998 WL 80628, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/permafill-corp-of-louisiana-v-atiyeh-lactapp-1998.