Pikor v. Cinerama Productions Corp.

25 F.R.D. 92, 3 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 469, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5184
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedFebruary 3, 1960
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 25 F.R.D. 92 (Pikor v. Cinerama Productions Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pikor v. Cinerama Productions Corp., 25 F.R.D. 92, 3 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 469, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5184 (S.D.N.Y. 1960).

Opinion

DAWSON, District Judge.

This is a motion to dismiss the complaint pursuant to Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A., on the ground that the Court lacks jurisdiction over the subject matter of the action, in that plaintiffs lack capacity to sue, plus a motion to award summary judgment pursuant to Rule 56 on the grounds recited above, and on the further ground that plaintiffs do not have any claim upon which relief can be granted. There is also a cross-motion to permit John W. Pikor, Stella Pikor and Jerome Pikor to intervene as plaintiffs under Rule 24.

Plaintiffs Edward Pikor and Stacia Pikor commenced a derivative stockholders’ suit against the corporate defendant Cinerama Productions Corporation (hereinafter called “Productions”) and others, including the directors of the corporation, to enjoin the consummation of an agreement whereby certain assets of Productions were sold to Stanley Warner Cinerama Corporation for an alleged inadequate consideration in fraud of the corporation, to rescind prior stockholder approval of the sale, and, in the alternative, to recover damages from the defendants on behalf of the corporation.

The undisputed facts indicate that these plaintiffs made timely written objection to the proposed sale of the corporate assets to Stanley Warner Cinerama as provided for under § 20 of the New York Stock Corporation Law. Subsequent to the requisite stockholder approval of the sale, Productions immediately offered these plaintiffs, as dissenting shareholders, payment of $2.68 per share as the fair market value of their stock, pursuant to § 21 of the New York Stock Corporation Law. Plaintiffs rejected this offer and tendered their stock for notation of the demand of payment, again in conformity with § 21, and the said demand was duly noted on their stock certificates as provided for in the statute.

At this point all statutory requirements for appraisal of plaintiffs’ shares as dissenting stockholders had been complied with; but these plaintiffs did not choose to be limited to their appraisal remedy and brought the present derivative suit on behalf of the corporation.

Defendants contend that these plaintiffs, having invoked the statutory appraisal procedure provided for by §§ 20 and 21, thereby lost their status as stockholders for the purpose of prosecuting the instant suit pursuant to the express provisions of subdivision 6 of § 21,1

The issue posed is whether or not plaintiffs Edward Pikor and Stacia Pikor, who invoked § 21 of the New York Stock Corporation Law to secure statutory appraisal of their shares as dissenting stockholders, thereby lost their status as stockholders for the purpose of bringing the instant derivative suit on behalf of the corporation.

The question of who has capacity to maintain a derivative suit is governed by state law. Rule 17(b) provides that the capacity of an individual “acting in a representative capacity to sue or be sued * * * shall be determined by the law of the state in which the district court [94]*94is held.” Also see Bankers Ñat. Corp. v. Barr, D.C.S.D.N.Y.1945, 7 F.R.D. 305.

Since the situs of incorporation of Productions, the corporation on whose behalf this derivative suit is instituted is that of New York, the law of New York is binding on the question presented.

Under well settled New York authorities it is a necessary condition to the maintenance of a derivative and representative stockholders’ suit that the stockholder must be a stockholder “at the time the action is instituted.” Miller v. Miller, 256 App.Div. 846, 9 N.Y.S.2d 448, 449, affirmed per curiam, 280 N.Y. 716, 21 N.E.2d 212. Also see § 61 of the New York General Corporation Law.

Having invoked the provisions of §§ 20 and 21 of the New York Stock Corporation Law, as previously indicated, subdivision 6 of § 21 is accordingly applicable to these plaintiffs. It appears that under the express terms of the statute Edward Pikor and Stacia Pikor ceased to be stockholders in Productions upon making demand for the payment of their shares. They thus would have no standing to prosecute this action against the corporation and the other defendants named in the complaint.

The law is clear that in situations not involving prior institution of a § 20 and § 21 appraisal proceeding, a derivative action must be dismissed as to the instigator of the action where he loses his status as a stockholder. This result followed when the plaintiff sold his shares during the pendency of the suit, Gleicher v. Times-Columbia Distributors, 1st Dep’t 1954, 283 App.Div. 709, 128 N.Y.S.2d 55, and where the plaintiffs’ shares were redeemed by the corporation during the pendency of the action, Hayman v. Morris, Sup.Ct.N.Y.Co.1943, 46 N.Y.S.2d 482. And the New York Court of Appeals has reaffirmed this basic principle in distinguishing the rule of automatic disqualification upon loss of stockholder status from a director’s derivative action where the rule is otherwise.

“ * * * In a very real sense, in modern theory, the standing of the shareholder is based on the fact that, when he sues derivatively, he is defending his own interests as well as those of the corporation. If he disposes of his shares after initiating the derivative action, he destroys the technical foundation of his right to continue to prosecute the suit.” Tenney v. Rosenthal, 1959, 6 N.Y.2d 204, 211, 189 N.Y.S.2d 158, 163, 160 N.E.2d 463.

It seems clear from the express language of the statute and the authorities discussed that plaintiffs Edward Pikor and Stacia Pikor have no status to maintain their action on behalf of the corporation. So far as these plaintiffs are concerned, summary judgment pursuant to Rule 56 is granted holding that these plaintiffs lack capacity to sue on behalf of the corporation.

Does this mean, however, that the cross-motion of John W. Pikor, Stella Pikor and Jerome Pikor to intervene should not be granted so that the action may be continued by these intervening stockholders ?

At the outset, it should be noted that the question of lack of capacity to sue is inapplicable to the intervening plaintiffs. Defendants concede that these individuals made no demand for appraisal as dissenting shareholders pursuant to § 20 so as to invoke the pertinent provisions of subdivision 6 of § 21, on which they rely to dismiss the complaint as to the original parties. Therefore, the applicants for intervention are under no disability to sue on behalf of the corporation so as to preclude intervention on that ground.

The Court obviously has jurisdiction over the subject matter of the action and the fact that it is dismissed as to those stockholders who first brought the motion because they have lost their status as stockholders, does not impair the right of the corporation, or others whose status [95]*95as stockholders has not been terminated, to prosecute the action on its behalf.

In Kantor v. Stendig, 190 Misc. 861, 76 N.Y.S.2d 284, 286 (Sup.Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
25 F.R.D. 92, 3 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 469, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5184, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pikor-v-cinerama-productions-corp-nysd-1960.