SentinelC3, Inc. v. Hunt

309 P.3d 582, 176 Wash. App. 152
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedAugust 15, 2013
DocketNos. 30553-8-III; 30592-9-III; 30837-5-III; 30881-2-III
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 309 P.3d 582 (SentinelC3, Inc. v. Hunt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
SentinelC3, Inc. v. Hunt, 309 P.3d 582, 176 Wash. App. 152 (Wash. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Korsmo, C.J.

¶1 Dissenting shareholders appeal from rulings at summary judgment that valued their shares in accordance with the corporation’s offer and imposed penalties and attorney fees for intransigence. We reverse and remand for further proceedings.

FACTS

¶2 SentinelC3 (Sentinel) is a closely held corporation that facilitates transactions between health care providers [156]*156and medical equipment suppliers. It began in 2003 as an Idaho corporation but became a Washington corporation in 2010. Its activities that year triggered the actions that resulted in this appeal.

¶3 At that time, the biggest single shareholder in the corporation was Chris Hunt with 1,000,000 shares, approximately 22 percent of the corporation’s 4,500,000 total shares. Four members of the Owens family owned 3,000,000 shares, while Michael Blood and Ken Moore each owned 250,000 shares (approximately 5.5 percent). Sentinel attempted to buy out Mr. Hunt that April. Its expert, James Kukull, using the corporation’s value on December 31, 2009, valued the shares at $107,200 when using a “minority, nonmarketable basis” or at $195,200 on á “control, marketable basis.” Mr. Kukull explained that a “control, marketable basis” valuation was the same as “fair value” under the dissenters’ rights statute. The company offered the lower value; Mr. Hunt declined to sell.

¶4 On October 8, 2010, the company became a Washington corporation. At the same time, it proposed a reverse stock split of 1.5 million to one; those with less than one new share were required to sell their stock. The shareholders voted 5 to 2, with Mr. Hunt and Mr. Blood1 dissenting, to adopt the reverse stock split on October 28, 2010. After forcing out the two dissenters, the remaining shareholders instituted a forward stock split that issued them the same number of shares of the new stock as they used to own.

¶5 Sentinel paid Mr. Hunt $195,200.00 plus interest in accordance with the greater valuation Mr. Kukull had previously made and paid Mr. Blood $48,956.60 plus interest. Both Hunt and Blood believed Mr. Kukull’s valuation to be out of date. Each made counteroffers to Sentinel based on a valuation from an undisclosed professional, subse[157]*157quently determined to be C&H Group.2 Hunt revised his valuation upwards 20 percent based on the belief that a buyout of Sentinel was imminent. Blood’s valuation was revised upwards based on his view that there were only approximately 3,000,000 shares of Sentinel (rather than the original 4,500,000 shares) because of an alleged agreement for the company to buy the stock of some of the other shareholders. Kukull expressed the view that because of falling earnings before taxes, Sentinel’s value had not significantly changed since his original valuation despite an increase in sales.

¶6 Sentinel instituted an action January 31, 2011, in the Spokane County Superior Court to establish the fair value of the dissenting shares in accordance with RCW 23B.13-.300. Discovery ensued; Mr. Hunt requested that Sentinel provide business records, contracts, and marketing plans going back five years. Sentinel objected on the basis that the records were irrelevant to the valuation process but agreed to disclose if a protective order could be worked out.3 Sentinel filed a proposed protective order on August 5, 2011, and filed a motion for summary judgment four days later. The trial court granted the protective order on September 7. A few weeks later Hunt disclosed Jerry Hecker as his expert witness and also filed an answer to the summary judgment motion.4 Counsel for Mr. Hunt filed a declaration on October 18, 2011, with Mr. Hecker’s valuation report attached; Mr. Hecker, however, had not certified his report.

¶7 The trial court heard the summary judgment motion on October 21. The court found that Hecker’s valuation was not admissible through counsel’s declaration and excluded it while noting that it presented genuine issues of fact that [158]*158would have defeated summary judgment. Both Hunt and Blood had submitted their own affidavits that took issue with some of Kukull’s work and referenced their own original demands. The court granted summary judgment and later awarded Sentinel its attorney fees and costs under RCW 23B.13.310.

¶8 The dissenters sought reconsideration, and Mr. Hunt submitted an admissible copy of Mr. Hecker’s report. The court denied reconsideration, commenting only that there was “not sufficient cause shown to alter” its decision. Both Hunt and Blood timely appealed after the denial of reconsideration.

¶9 The court subsequently entered a judgment in Sentinel’s behalf for attorney fees and costs. Once again, the dissenters individually appealed to this court. The four matters were consolidated.

ANALYSIS

¶10 This appeal challenges the court’s valuation ruling at summary judgment, the decision to exclude Hecker’s valuation, and the award of attorney fees without appropriate findings. We agree with the challenges to the valuation and the attorney fee award; those two matters are discussed in that order. In light of our disposition, we do not address the exclusion of the valuation.

¶11 Summary judgment rulings are reviewed de novo since an appellate court sits in the same position as the trial court. Hubbard v. Spokane County, 146 Wn.2d 699, 706-07, 50 P.3d 602 (2002). Summary judgment is proper when, after viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the opposing party, there are no issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Trimble v. Wash. State Univ., 140 Wn.2d 88, 93, 993 P.2d 259 (2000). All facts and reasonable inferences are construed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Id. Summary judgment should be granted if reason[159]*159able persons could reach but one conclusion based on all of the evidence. Id.

Valuation of Dissenters’ Shares

¶12 The parties strenuously debate the propriety of resolving a dissenters’ rights valuation case at summary judgment, with the appellants contending that the trial court’s obligations under the valuation statute necessitate weighing of evidence and preclude resolution at summary judgment. We need not go that far because we conclude that the appellants did establish material questions of fact that precluded summary judgment.

¶13 In a dissenters’ rights action, a corporation is required to petition a court to determine the “fair value of the shares and accrued interest.” RCW 23B. 13.300(1). “Fair value,” in turn, is defined as

the value of the shares immediately before the effective date of the corporate action to which the dissenter objects, excluding any appreciation or depreciation in anticipation of the corporate action unless exclusion would be inequitable.

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Related

SentinelC3 v. Hunt
Washington Supreme Court, 2014
SentinelC3, Inc. v. Hunt
331 P.3d 40 (Washington Supreme Court, 2014)

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Bluebook (online)
309 P.3d 582, 176 Wash. App. 152, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sentinelc3-inc-v-hunt-washctapp-2013.