Star Corporation v. General Screw Products Co.

501 S.W.2d 374, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2757
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 11, 1973
Docket16153
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 501 S.W.2d 374 (Star Corporation v. General Screw Products Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Star Corporation v. General Screw Products Co., 501 S.W.2d 374, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2757 (Tex. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

COLEMAN, Chief Justice.

This is a suit brought by E. G. Ricketts as the sole stockholder of Star Corporation, a defunct corporation, to recover funds paid by Star Corporation for the benefit of G. S. P. Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Star Corporation. The name of G. S. P. Corporation has been changed to General Screw Products Company. The case was tried to a jury and resulted in a take nothing judgment.

A company founded by W. A. Kenyon as a sole proprietorship was later incorporated under the name General Screw Products Company. In 1965 the business was conducted from a plant located in Houston, Texas, on real estate owned by the Eleanor Realty Company, a corporation owned by W. A. Kenyon, his wife, and a trust for his daughter.

The capital stock of Star Corporation was owned by Edward W. Plodzik and E. G. Ricketts in equal proportions. In 1965 Plodzik, on behalf of Star Corporation, reached an agreement with Kenyon whereby Star Corporation was given an option to purchase General Screw Corporation, Eleanor Realty Company, and certain equipment, supplies and machinery. The agreement recited that Star had paid to Kenyon the sum of $50,000.00, which he was entitled to keep in the event the option was not exercised prior to January 17, 1966. In the event the option was exercised, the money was to be returned to Star or applied on the purchase price as directed by Star.

On January 13, 1966, a contract of purchase was consummated between Star Corporation, on the one hand, and W. A. Kenyon, Eleanor B. Kenyon, and the trustees of a trust for the benefit of Margaret Kenyon for the purchase of the property encompassed by the option agreement. The agreement provided that “Star shall organize prior to the closing a wholly owned subsidiary . . . for the purpose of entering into the transactions contemplated hereby.” It provided that the property would be conveyed to the subsidiary, and that Star would cause the subsidiary to purchase and pay for the property. Star covenanted to cause the subsidiary to maintain its corporate existence until January 1, 1967, and, so long as the indebtedness remained unpaid, to retain ownership of the capital stock of the subsidiary. Star agreed that it would not permit the subsidiary to make any loan to Star or any of its officers, directors, or stockholders, or to pay any dividends.

The agreement further provided that upon the organization of the subsidiary and its ratification of the agreement by resolution, the terms and provisions of the agreement would be binding upon the subsidiary without relieving Star from its obligations thereunder. The total purchase price was the sum of $675,000.00, payable $150,000.00 in cash and the balance in notes secured by the stock and equipment and guaranteed by Star, Plodzik and Rick-etts. In addition there was a provision binding the subsidiary to employ Kenyon as its President, or in other specified capacities, at a stipulated salary for a period of five years.

On the same date an organizational meeting of the subsidiary (G. S. P. Corporation) was held. The initial Board of Directors consisted of W. A. Kenyon, E. G. Ricketts, and Edward W. Plodzik. The officers were W. A. Kenyon, President; Jack W. Cooper, E. G. Ricketts, and Edward W. *376 Plodzik, Vice Presidents; Janice Minter, Secretary and Treasurer; and Jean Hind-man, Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer. The minutes of the meeting reflect that the articles of incorportaion of the corporation had been filed in the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Texas on November 29, 1965. A form of a share certificate was submitted and was adopted as the certificate to be used by the corporation, and the secretary was directed to insert this form in the minute book.

The minutes state that Mr. Kenyon was chairman of the meeting and that he “announced” that Star Corporation had subscribed for 150,000 shares of the corporation’s common stock, par value $1.00 per share, at a price of $1.00 per share. The minutes then recite that “upon motion duly made, seconded and unanimously carried, it was

“Resolved, that upon payment to the Corporation of a total of $150,000.00 cash, the President or any Vice President and Secretary or any Assistant Secretary are hereby authorized to issue to Star Corporation, a Texas Corporation, One Hundred Fifty Thousand (150,000) shares of common stock of the Corporation of a par value of $1 per share.”

A resolution was then adopted approving, ratifying, and adopting the purchase agreement between Star Corporation and the Kenyons, and authorizing the issuance and delivery of the corporation’s notes in the sum of $525,000.00, payable to the Ken-yons as provided in the agreement. Another resolution was adopted authorizing the officers of the corporation to take any and all action necessary to perform and carry out the purchase agreement.

On the same date a special meeting of the Board of Directors was called at which the name of G. S. P. Corporation was changed to General Screw Products Company.

An instrument entitled “Shareholder’s Consent and Delegation,” signed “Star Corporation by E. G. Ricketts, President,” is included in the minute book, and reads:

“The undersigned, being the holder of record and owner of all the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote of G. S. P. Corporation, a Texas Corporation, does hereby consent to, ratify, confirm and adopt all the acts of and resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation at the organization meeting of the Board of Directors held on January 13, 1966, as shown by the foregoing minutes of such meeting.”

Mr. Ricketts testified that on January 10, 1966, he was asked by Mr. Plodzik to attend a meeting on January 13, 1966, to discuss an option to buy General Screw. Gladys Westbury, a director of Star Corporation, was also asked to attend the meeting. At the meeting the purchase agreement was read aloud. For the first time Ricketts learned that Star had deposited $50,000.00. He then asked whether the deposit would be forfeited if Star Corporation failed to purchase General Screw. When he was informed that the deposit would be forfeited, he walked away from the desk and was joined by Mr. Plodzik and Gladys Westbury. He had previously been informed that G. S. P. Corporation was merely a vehicle by the use of which a tax saving could be gained for Mr. Kenyon. He told Plodzik that Star Corporation did not have $150,000.00 “to kick around.” Plodzik told him not to worry because the money would “come right out of G. S. P. back to you.”

Mr. Ricketts also testified that at the suggestion of Mr. Plodzik the minutes of the meeting prepared by the attorneys were not read. He didn’t see anything and was not told anything about a stock subscription, and he had not signed one. There was no discussion about stock.

Mrs. Westbury was an employee of Star Corporation. She owned no stock in the corporation. She was in charge of bookkeeping for the company. She first *377 learned that a $50,000.00 check had been issued on the company funds at the January 13 meeting. At the meeting she stated that Star Corporation could not meet its obligations if $150,000.00 was taken from its account. She stated that it was agreed at the meeting that General Screw Products Company would repay the $150,000.00.

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Bluebook (online)
501 S.W.2d 374, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2757, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/star-corporation-v-general-screw-products-co-texapp-1973.