Ronnett v. American Breeding Herds, Inc.

464 N.E.2d 1201, 124 Ill. App. 3d 842, 80 Ill. Dec. 218, 1984 Ill. App. LEXIS 1904
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 5, 1984
Docket82—2485, 82—2726, 82—2851 cons.
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 464 N.E.2d 1201 (Ronnett v. American Breeding Herds, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ronnett v. American Breeding Herds, Inc., 464 N.E.2d 1201, 124 Ill. App. 3d 842, 80 Ill. Dec. 218, 1984 Ill. App. LEXIS 1904 (Ill. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

PRESIDING JUSTICE HARTMAN

delivered the opinion of the court:

Michael E. Ronnett (Ronnett) brought an action to rescind an alleged investment contract under the Illinois Securities Law of 1953 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1983, ch. 1211/2, par. 137.1 et seq.) (Securities Law) and to recover monies expended under the agreement. Named as defendants were American Breeding Herds, Inc., Irwin Fischman and Tobin C. Carlin (ABH); Investorplan, Inc., and Robert A. Coe (Investorplan); and, John M. Shannon & Associates, Inc., and Bernard A. Levin (Shannon) (collectively defendants). Defendants’ separate motions for summary judgment were granted upon the finding that the agreement was not the purchase of a security under the Securities Law.

Ronnett appeals, raising as the principal issue whether the agreement is an investment contract or security subject to the Securities Law.

Ronnett, a full-time practicing physician, claimed to have received investment advice from Shannon from time to time and was allegedly counseled to invest in a cattle breeding plan offered by ABH. In November 1972, Ronnett entered into a contract with ABH for the purchase of 36 Charoláis cows at $3,000 per head and a one-quarter interest in a Charoláis bull at $5,000, totalling $113,000. The contract allowed Ronnett one breeding privilege for each cow, with the selection of the sire reserved exclusively to ABH. Ronnett paid $50,000 by check to the order of Investorplan and executed a nonrecourse installment promissory note for $74,520, payable over a term of seven years to ABH. Within the same contract and during the same term, Ron-nett also agreed to pay quarterly maintenance fees of $80 per animal. The ABH agreement described itself as a “tax shelter program * * * unlike the purchase of securities such as stocks and bonds.” Upon 90 days’ written notice to ABH, Ronnett was entitled to cancel the maintenance program, with the decision as to whether to sell at public or private auction reserved solely to ABH. From 1972 through 1977, Ronnett paid ABH approximately $204,000. When, in June 1977, Ron-nett requested their sale, the herd was sold at auction together with the cattle owned by others. He received a settlement check from ABH in the amount of $7,016.27. Under the contract, ABH reserved certain other powers exclusively to itself, including: maintenance and fee for the animals; and the choice of location for maintenance of the animals, ABH employees to “maintain complete jurisdiction and control of the animals.”

Pursuant to the agreement, 36 cows were ear-tagged and identified as Ronnett’s. They were shipped to an ABH approved breeding ranch where they were intermingled with those owned by others. He received periodic status reports and, after personally inspecting his herd and the facilities, indicated he was satisfied with the care given to the animals.

In a 1975 meeting with Shannon’s representative to discuss the high cost of herd maintenance, Ronnett was told that although the cattle market was depressed, the high costs would “turn around.” The cattle market did not improve, however, and Ronnett assented to an ABH proposal to join other investors who were selling their cattle at an auction. He was aware that he would incur some loss. Ronnett’s tax returns for 1972-77 indicate tax deductions and credits, in connection with the cattle, of over $190,000.

In 1977, after Ronnett’s attorneys were advised by the Illinois Secretary of State that no report of exemption under the Securities Law was on record regarding the ABH agreement, they filed a complaint against ABH, Investorplan and Shannon, asserting that the ABH agreement was not an exempt transaction under section 4 of the Securities Law (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 1211/2, par. 137.4), no report of sale was filed in accordance with section 4G of the Securities Law (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 1211/2, par. 137.4G) and that that transaction was in violation of section 12 of the Securities Law (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 1211/2, par. 137.12). Ronnett sought rescission of the agreement and a refund of all monies paid. A nine-count second amended complaint, filed in December 1978, added claims for breach of alleged fiduciary duties against Shannon. Shannon’s answer to the second amended complaint denied that the agreement was a security, requested the court to dismiss the complaint and set forth affirmative defenses, including failure to tender the alleged security to the court or defendant and failure to comply with the applicable statute of limitations under the Securities Law. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 1211/2, pars. 137.13A, 137.13B, 137.13D.) Investorplan and ABH filed separate motions to dismiss the second amended complaint. AH motions were denied. Investorplan and ABH subsequently filed answers. Investorplan and Levin filed counterclaims against ABH seeking indemnification. ABH’s answer to the counterclaims denied any such liability, setting forth affirmative defenses. These counterclaims are still pending.

Shannon moved for summary judgment, claiming that Ronnett: suffered no injury because the tax benefits he received offset any loss; cannot tender the security as required by the Securities Law; failed to establish the existence of a fiduciary relationship; failed to prove common law fraud; and, Shannon was not a party to the transaction. Attached to the motion were two affidavits. The first, by Shannon’s attorney, indicated Ronnett realized a tax savings of $118,986. In the second, Levin denied any involvement between himself and ABH, between Shannon and ABH, or between himself and Shannon (other than rental of office space). Ronnett responded that material issues of fact existed and attached his own affidavit averring: he relied on Shannon for financial advice; Shannon recommended that he invest in ABH; the Investment was consummated by Investorplan; and, communications from Levin on a Shannon letterhead listed Levin as its executive-vice-president. The circuit court found that Shannon could not set off Ronnett’s tax benefits against the amount of monies paid and that tender of the agreement constitutes adequate tender under the Securities Law. Summary judgment was denied with respect to Ronnett’s counts for rescission and the counts alleging breach of fiduciary duty. The motion as to the alleged violations of fiduciary obligations under two counts of the second amended complaint was thereafter denied.

Investorplan’s subseqñent motion for summary judgment, claiming the agreement was not a security, was granted. The court found that Ronnett’s ownership, maintenance and control over identifiable cattle, and his right to sell and his sale of the cattle in 1977, removed the agreement from consideration as a security. For the same reasons, ABH’s motion for summary judgment was also granted. Shannon’s summary judgment motion was thereafter reconsidered and allowed on the same grounds.

The principal issue presented in this appeal is whether the transaction between the parties amounted to an investment contract, in which case it would be deemed a security under section 2.1 of the Securities Law (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1983, ch. 1211/2, par. 137.2 — 1) and thereby subject to the provisions of that law.

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Bluebook (online)
464 N.E.2d 1201, 124 Ill. App. 3d 842, 80 Ill. Dec. 218, 1984 Ill. App. LEXIS 1904, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ronnett-v-american-breeding-herds-inc-illappct-1984.