Storage Technology Partners II v. Storage Technology Corp.

117 F.R.D. 675, 56 U.S.L.W. 2325, 9 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 450, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10803
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedNovember 19, 1987
DocketCiv. A. No. 87-K-776
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 117 F.R.D. 675 (Storage Technology Partners II v. Storage Technology Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Storage Technology Partners II v. Storage Technology Corp., 117 F.R.D. 675, 56 U.S.L.W. 2325, 9 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 450, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10803 (D. Colo. 1987).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

KANE, District Judge.

On May 27, 1987, Storage Technology Partners II filed suit in this court against [676]*676Storage Technology Corporation, fourteen named defendants and John Does A to Z. The complaint was one-hundred and seventy-five paragraphs long. It posited seventeen claims for relief.

Federal jurisdiction was predicated upon four of these claims. The twelfth claim for relief asserted violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against all defendants. The thirteenth claim for. relief sought damages from all defendants for alleged violations of the Securities Act of 1933. The fourteenth claim for relief posited against defendant Smith, Barney and Rothschild an allegation of aiding and abetting Federal Securities violations. The fifteenth claim alleged violations of RICO by all defendants.

On May 28, 1987, in accordance with long established practice in securities cases in this District1, I declined to exercise jurisdiction over plaintiff’s pendent state claims. On July 27, 1987, plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the remaining four claims.

On August 19, 1987, defendant Storage Technology filed a motion for sanctions under Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. On October 28, 1987, in accordance with Storage Technology’s request, I held a hearing on this motion. I took the matter under advisement. I now issue this written opinion setting forth my conclusions of law.

I BACKGROUND

Storage Technology Corporation (STC) is well known in Colorado. It is a public, multinational corporation with its principal place of business in Louisville, Colorado. Its main commercial activity is the production of computer data storage systems.

STC is the sole shareholder of defendant Storage Technology Optical Disc Development Corporation (ODDC). It is also the sole shareholder of defendant Storage Technology Computer Finance Corporation (CFC). Defendants six to fifteen are all officers or directors of STC or ODDC.

In 1980, STC decided to enter the high performance, optical storage computer market. It needed a vehicle for entry into this new area of computer development. It also needed a means of financing the necessary research for and perfection of the required technology. To these ends it resolved to establish Storage Technology Partners II (the partnership). The managing general partner of the partnership was to be ODDC. The non-managing general partner was CFC.

Defendant Smith, Barney and Rothschild was engaged as the placement agent to sell the necessary limited partnership units. It distributed throughout the United States a private placement memorandum. This memorandum made a series of representations regarding the partnership and the potential financial return on investments therein. The scheme was successful. A lot of money was invested in the partnership. The research was commenced and appeared to progress as planned.

STC began, however, to experience financial difficulties. On October 31, 1984, it filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. The level of investment in the partnership was, plaintiff alleges, gradually reduced.

The limited partner investors of plaintiff removed ODDC from its position of managing general partner of the partnership.

STC emerged from Chapter 11 on June 18, 1987.

II THE COMPLAINT

The complaint of May 27 posits a series of allegations regarding the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the partnership, the circulation of the private placement memorandum and the relationship between officers and directors of STC, ODDC and CFC.

It alleges intentional omissions of material fact in the placement memorandum. It alleges conflict of interests between STC, ODDC, CFC, their officers and directors on [677]*677the one hand, and the partnership on the other. It alleges breach of fiduciary obligations by the former in relation to the latter. The complaint asserts STC’s act of filing bankruptcy caused STC to be automatically in breach of its obligations to the partnership. . It claims the officers and directors of ODDC knew of STC’s intention to file under Chapter 11 before the date of such filing. It alleges breach of contractual obligations to the partnership by STC. It asserts ODDC presently holds $1,053,855.00 of partnership funds which it allegedly refuses to transfer to the new controllers of the partnership.

The state law claims are levelled against various named defendants. These were for conversion or misappropriation of funds, for breach of fiduciary duty, for negligence, for violation of Colorado Uniform Limited Partnership Act, for breach of contract, for constructive fraud, for non-disclosure or concealment, civil conspiracy, intentional misconduct, and Respondeat Superior. Additional claims purport to ground an action under the Colorado Securities Act of 1981 and the Colorado Organized Crime Act.

The twelfth claim for relief was against all defendants and alleged violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This claim alleged the private placement memorandum contained material omissions of material facts. It purported to state a claim against the defendants for violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. § 78J and Rule 10(b)(5) thereunder. Paragraph 128 of the complaint is important in the context of this claim. It alleges:

As a consequence of the violation of Section 10(b) and Rule 10(b)(5), Plaintiff has been damaged and continues to be damaged in an amount not yet fully determinable, but at least in the amount of the investments of the Limited Partners, which exceeds $40 million.

Paragraph 136 posits a similar allegation, but phrases the $40 million in terms of damage to plaintiff and the limited partners. It furthermore purported to claim for ‘anticipated profits and revenues from the project’ outlined above in section I of this opinion.

The thirteenth claim for relief was also against all defendants. It alleged violation of the Securities Act of 1933. It maintained defendants offered or sold securities by use of the mails or instrumentalities of interstate commerce and the mails. It further alleged these documents contained omissions of material facts. Plaintiff purported to state a claim for violation of Section 12(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C. § 771. There was also mention of a possible claim under Sections 15 and 17 of the 1933 Act. The damage alleged was the same as that outlined in the twelfth claim.

The fourteenth claim is against Smith, Barney and Rothschild. It seeks damages for aiding and abetting the violations of the Securities Acts alleged in the twelfth and thirteenth claims for relief.

The fifteenth claim for relief was against all defendants. It alleged the existence of an enterprise consisting of all named defendants. It further alleged the acts already outlined in the preceding paragraphs of the complaint constituted a pattern of racketeering.

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Bluebook (online)
117 F.R.D. 675, 56 U.S.L.W. 2325, 9 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 450, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10803, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/storage-technology-partners-ii-v-storage-technology-corp-cod-1987.