Talbott v. Nibert

206 P.2d 131, 167 Kan. 138, 1949 Kan. LEXIS 301
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedMay 7, 1949
DocketNo. 37,215
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 206 P.2d 131 (Talbott v. Nibert) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Talbott v. Nibert, 206 P.2d 131, 167 Kan. 138, 1949 Kan. LEXIS 301 (kan 1949).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Wedell, J.:

This was an equitable action to compel one stockholder to comply with an option contract to sell to another stockholder in the same corporation shares of stock, after the plaintiff had exercised the option to purchase. The action was tried by the court without a jury. Judgment and special findings were all in favor of the plaintiff and the defendant appeals.

The Pabco Drilling Company, issuer of the stock, was made a party defendant for the purpose of giving it notice of the action and in order that a proper transfer of the stock might be effected. It was directed to issue the stock in question to plaintiff. The corporation is not appealing.

We shall hereafter refer to the appellee, W. G. Talbott, and to the appellant, Claude A. Nibert, by name, and to the company as the corporation.

A chronological statement of pertinent facts will'be made first. Other facts, where necessary, will be treated under contentions of the parties. In 1946 the corporation was in bad financial straits. Its sole asset was a $40,000 drilling rig which was subject to a $23,-000 mortgage. The corporation had other debts and could not meet its obligations. At one(time prior to the granting of the option contract in question to Talbott it seems D. J. Briggs, another stockholder, desired to acquire an option to purchase Nibert’s twenty-eight shares of stock. Talbott had learned that certain parties, for whom the corporation had drilled, refused to do further business with it if Nibert was connected with its affairs. Talbott was a geologist and oil operator. He had various business interests and contracts with the oil industry. He refused to invest additional capital in the corporation and to give his time to its development unless he could acquire the majority of the stock and control the business policies of the corporation. The acquisition of Nibert’s stock would give him that control. Under this state of facts Briggs concluded to confer with Nibert for the purpose of getting Nibert to grant Talbott an option to purchase Nibert’s stock.

[140]*140On October 29, 1946, Nibert gave Talbott a written option which read:

“For and in consideration of One Dollar, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, and for other valuable consideration, I hereby grant and give W. G. Talbott, of Wichita, Kansas, an option for one year from this date to purchase the 28 shares of Padco Drilling Company stock which I own for the sum of 85,000.
“This option may be exercised at any time during the following year and if not taken up before October 28, 1947, same shall become null and void.”

The option was witnessed by D. J. Briggs.

In December, 1946, the financial condition of the corporation required it to make a stock assessment. Nibert was unable to meet the assessment. In lieu thereof he surrendered five shares of his stock to the corporation in order to effect a release of the assessment lien on his stock covered by the option. At the time the corporate assessment was made Nibert and Talbott agreed the option price should be proportionately reduced as to Nibert’s remaining twenty-three shares of stock, thereby reducing the option price to $4,107.34. On that basis each share was evaluated at $178.58.

Several conferences were had between Nibert and Talbott in which the value of the remaining twenty-three shares was discussed. At a conference for that purpose in January those present in addition to Nibert and Talbott were Briggs, Van Sickel, secretary of the corporation, and John Blood, a stockholder.

Later in January, 1947, Nibert inquired of Talbott whether Talbott was going to take up the option and not make him wait a year for his money. In the same month Nibert granted Talbott a written proxy to vote the twenty-three shares of stock. The option contract was never revoked by Nibert. It was recognized as being in full force and effect and had been modified by the agreement of the parties to reduce the shares covered by the option from twenty-eight to twenty-three in order to meet the stock assessment made in December, 1946. On June 9,1947, Talbott exercised the option in writing and tendered $4,107.34 to Nibert, that being the value of the remaining twenty-three shares at $178.58 per share according to the agreement when the stock assessment was made.

Talbott’s contacts with oil operators and business concerns had provided profitable drilling contracts for the corporation. He had personally paid off the $23,000 mortgage on the drilling rig. He had also procured drilling work for the corporation on leases in which he had an interest. The twenty-eight shares of stock at the time the [141]*141option was given in October, 1946, were worth $2,520 or $90 per share. Largely, if not entirely, by reason of Talbott’s investment, his business contacts and ability the shares of stock had increased in value somewhat in excess of $7,000 or $250 per share by the time Talbott exercised the option on June 9,1947. That valuation did not include some potential production of wells, the value of which was speculative.

The facts thus far stated do not appear to be disputed but if there was any contrary evidence the conflict was resolved in favor of the plaintiff, Talbott, by the general judgment and also by the special findings of the court, as will presently appear.

Although other defenses were originally pleaded by Nibert it was agreed by his counsel at the trial that only the following three issues remained for trial: (1) Nibert contended that prior to giving Talbott the option contract it was orally agreed that Talbott would not exercise it if Nibert refrained from interfering with the corporate management; (2) Nibert contended he had given the written proxy to Talbott to vote his stock with the previous oral understanding that if he gave it Talbott would not exercise the option; (3) in defense of Nibert’s breach of the option contract he contended he was not compelled to comply with it for the reason that no notice had been given to other stockholders of the corporation concerning the sale of the stock to Talbott, which notice Nibert claimed the bylaws (it is agreed he meant charter) of the corporation required.

In response to an inquiry from the trial court counsel for Nibert conceded the burden of proof on those issues rested on Nibert. He accordingly assumed that burden and adduced his evidence first. Talbott demurred to that evidence. The demurrer was overruled. Talbott adduced his evidence. He had denied the alleged oral contract claimed by Nibert in No. 1 above and had objected to the competency of Nibert’s evidence pertaining thereto. The objection was sustained and that point will be treated later. The trial court admitted evidence touching the alleged oral contract mentioned in No. 2 above. The evidence was conflicting. The trial court expressly resolved that conflict against Nibert. The court made findings of fact and conclusions of law in which all issues were resolved against Nibert, as follows:

“Findings or Fact.
“1. On or about October 29, 1946, defendant Nibert executed and delivered to the plaintiff a written option to purchase Nibert’s 28 shares of stock in the Pabco Drilling Company for $5,000 on or before October 27, 1947.
[142]*142“2. In December, 1946, five of Nibert’s 28 shares of stock were canceled by general corporate assessment.

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Bluebook (online)
206 P.2d 131, 167 Kan. 138, 1949 Kan. LEXIS 301, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/talbott-v-nibert-kan-1949.