Shivers v. Amerco

670 F.2d 826, 1982 U.S. App. LEXIS 21406
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedMarch 1, 1982
DocketNos. 79-3065, 80-5477
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 670 F.2d 826 (Shivers v. Amerco) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shivers v. Amerco, 670 F.2d 826, 1982 U.S. App. LEXIS 21406 (9th Cir. 1982).

Opinion

FLETCHER, Circuit Judge:

These are consolidated appeals from the district court’s judgment dismissing plaintiffs’ claims under Rule 10b-5 and various state blue sky laws, and granting summary judgment for defendants on plaintiffs’ claim of breach of fiduciary duties. We conclude that the claims under Rule 10b-5 and the blue sky laws were properly dismissed, but that summary judgment on the claim of breach of fiduciary duties was improper.

I

FACTS

A. Plaintiffs’ Allegations

Plaintiffs’ complaint and amended complaint allege the following. In May of 1975, plaintiffs were minority shareholders of Amerco, the parent company for the U-Haul businesses conducted across the nation. Amerco stock was freely traded among minority shareholders, most of whom were U-Haul employees. The normal trading price was approximately 120% to 130% of book value. Amerco had an informal policy of repurchasing stock at book value whenever a shareholder requested it.

The individual defendants in this action, mostly members of the Shoen family, were officers and directors of Amerco and together controlled approximately 94% of Amerco’s stock. Some time prior to May 10, 1975, defendants decided to destroy the informal market for Amerco stock so that Amerco could acquire minority shareholders’ stock at a low price. To this end, defendants called a special shareholders’ meeting on May 10, 1975. The individual defendants voted their stock at the meeting so as to cause defendant Amerco to declare a 100-for-l reverse stock split.

Soon after the meeting, Amerco changed its repurchase policy and announced that in the future it would buy back minority shareholders’ stock at only 50% of book value. Amerco also refused to permit plaintiffs to advertise stock sales in Amer-co’s in-house newsletter, Amerco World. Some of the plaintiffs subsequently sold their stock back to Amerco for substantially less than book value.

B. Procedural Posture

Plaintiffs filed suit, alleging violations of section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5, 15 U.S.C. § 78j(b) (1976); 17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5 (1980), violations of various state blue sky laws, and breach of fiduciary duties.1 The district court dismissed under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) the claims made under federal securities and state blue sky laws, and granted summary judgment for defendants on the claim of breach of fiduciary duties. Plaintiffs appeal.

II

FEDERAL SECURITIES VIOLATIONS

Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act makes it unlawful “[t]o use or employ, in connection with the purchase or sale of any security ..., any manipulative or deceptive device or contrivance” in contravention of SEC rules. Rule 10b-5, promulgated by the SEC under section 10(b), requires the disclosure of material information, prohibits material misrepresentations, and prohibits the use of any device to defraud or any acts which operate as a fraud. A cause of action will lie under Rule 10b-5 “only if the conduct alleged can be fairly [829]*829viewed as ‘manipulative or deceptive’ within the meaning of [section 10(b)].” Santa Fe Industries, Inc. v. Green, 430 U.S. 462, 473-74, 97 S.Ct. 1292, 1300-01, 51 L.Ed.2d 480 (1977).

Plaintiffs contend that the district court erred in dismissing their Rule 10b-5 claim for failure to state a claim, Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). They argue that defendants have violated Rule 10b-5 by failing to disclose material facts in connection with plaintiffs’ sale of Amerco stock, and by employing manipulative devices in connection with plaintiffs’ sale of stock.

in reviewing a dismissal under Fed.R. Civ.P. 12(b)(6) we must take the allegations of the complaint as true. On the claim of failure to disclose, the plaintiffs allege that defendants did not reveal certain material facts at the May 10 shareholders’ meeting: first, that defendants’ actions were part of a plan to destroy the market in Amerco stock; second, that defendants’ intent was to acquire the stock at a price below its true and fair value; and third, that defendants’ actions would in fact destroy the market and decrease the value of Amerco stock.

On the claim of manipulation, plaintiffs allege that the reverse stock split and the change in repurchase policy prevented “free and honest balancing of investment supply with investment demand” and therefore constituted manipulation of stock prices. Plaintiffs rely on general statements in several cases to the effect that Rule 10b-5 prohibits “a broad range of manipulative practices.” United States v. Charnay, 537 F.2d 341, 349 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1000, 97 S.Ct. 527, 50 L.Ed.2d 610 (1976); see Herpich v. Wallace, 430 F.2d 792, 802 (5th Cir. 1970); Mutual Shares Corp. v. Genesco, Inc., 384 F.2d 540 (2d Cir. 1967).

We doubt that defendants’ conduct would constitute failure to disclose or manipulation within the meaning of Rule 10b-5. The nature of the reverse stock split and the basic facts surrounding it were fully disclosed at the May 10 meeting. See Vaughn v. Teledyne, Inc., 628 F.2d 1214, 1221 (9th Cir. 1980); Alabama Farm Bureau Mutual Casualty Co. v. American Fidelity Life Insurance Co., 606 F.2d 602, 610-11 (5th Cir. 1979); Selk v. St. Paul Ammonia Products, Inc., 597 F.2d 635, 639 (8th Cir. 1979); Golub v. PPD Corp., 576 F.2d 759, 765 (8th Cir. 1978), Cf. United States v. Margala, 662 F.2d 622 (9th Cir. 1981) (In connection with a reverse stock split, the court found ample evidence to support a jury finding that the defendant, had knowingly misstated and withheld information including providing false addresses to evade a California Corporations Commission investigation.). With respect to Rule 10b-5’s prohibition of manipulative devices, plaintiffs can state a claim for manipulation only by alleging that defendants artifically affected market activity in order to mislead investors. Santa Fe Industries, Inc. v. Green, 430 U.S. 462, 476-77, 97 S.Ct. 1292, 1302-03, 51 L.Ed.2d 480 (1977); see Vaughn, 628 F.2d at 1220.

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Bluebook (online)
670 F.2d 826, 1982 U.S. App. LEXIS 21406, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shivers-v-amerco-ca9-1982.