Tamposi v. Tamposi LLC

23 Mass. L. Rptr. 615
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedJanuary 7, 2008
DocketNo. 200704283
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 23 Mass. L. Rptr. 615 (Tamposi v. Tamposi LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tamposi v. Tamposi LLC, 23 Mass. L. Rptr. 615 (Mass. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

Connolly, Thomas E., J.

Plaintiff Elizabeth M. Tamposi (“Elizabeth”), brought this action for breach of fiduciary duty of utmost good faith and loyalty and seeks, among other actions, to compel Defendant Ballinger Properties, LLC (“Ballinger”), as manager of Defendant Tamposi LLC (“Tamposi”), to exercise a put option agreement for the sale of shares in the Red Sox. Specifically, Elizabeth requests an injunction directing Ballinger to “take all steps reasonably necessary to sell one-sixth of the Class B Units . . . pursuant to the Put Agreement.” Samuel A. Tamposi (“Samuel”) and Stephen A. Tamposi (“Stephen”) are managers of Ballinger. Tamposi, Ballinger, and Samuel (collectively “Defendants”) filed a motion to compel arbitration and stay the proceedings.3 Defendants argue that Ballinger’s Limited Liability Company Agreement (“Ballinger Agreement”) requires arbitration of this dispute. In response, Elizabeth argues that Tamposi’s Operating Agreement, which does not contain an arbitration clause, but contains a forum selection clause, controls. For the reasons discussed below, Defendants’ motion to compel arbitration and stay proceedings is DENIED.

BACKGROUND

Samuel A. Tamposi, Sr. created a 1992 Trust and a 1992 Exempt Trust (“Trusts”). These Trusts consist of twelve subtrusts established for the benefit of his six children, Samuel, Michael, Celina, Stephen, Jr., Elizabeth, and Nicholas. Samuel and Stephen were named Investment Directors of the Trusts and the subtrusts, including the Elizabeth M. Tamposi GST Trust and the Elizabeth M. Tamposi Trust (“Elizabeth M. Tamposi Trusts”).

Ballinger was created on April 11, 1994 to “acquire, hold for investment, manage and dispose of real property investments, and to undertake such other activities as may reasonably be necessary or incidental to the achievement of such purpose.” Samuel, MAT Trust, Elizabeth, NET Trust, Celina Tamposi, and Stephen were named as Members. Management of Ballinger was vested in Stephen and Samuel. Section 7.2 of the Ballinger Agreement gives the Managers the [616]*616“sole and exclusive right to manage the Company.” Section 22.9 of the Ballinger Agreement requires that “[a]ny claim or controversy arising out of or relating to this Agreement or breach hereof shall be submitted to and settled by arbitration in the State of New Hampshire ...”

Tamposi was created on February 8, 2002 to “acquire, own, hold and dispose of interests in the New England Sports Ventures, LLC (“NESV”) . . . and through such acquisition, ownership, holding and disposition participate as the holder of Class B Units in NESV in the ownership of the Boston Red Sox Baseball franchise of Major League Baseball and in the ownership of the New England Sports Network.” The Tamposi Operating Agreement (“Tamposi Agreement”) named Samuel as the Manager and Samuel, the Samuel A. Tamposi, Sr. 1992 Trust, and the Samuel A. Tamposi, Sr. 1992 Exempt Trust as the Members.

Article VI, Section 6.1 of the Tamposi Agreement states that the Managers have “the exclusive right to manage the Company’s business. Accordingly, except as otherwise specifically limited under applicable law, the Managers shall: (i) manage the affairs and business of the Company; (ii) exercise the authority and powers granted to the Company; and (iii) otherwise act in all other matters on behalf of the Company . . . The Managers shall take all actions which shall be neces-saiy or appropriate to accomplish the Company’s purpose.” Article XI, Section 11.1 of the Tamposi Agreement states: “This Agreement embodies the entire understanding among the Members concerning the Company and their relationship as Members and supersedes any and all prior negotiations, understandings or agreements.” Finally, Article XI, Section 11.5 states:

The laws of the State . . . shall govern the construction and application of this Agreement. The Members irrevocably agree that all actions or proceedings, at law or in equity, in any way, manner or respect, arising out of or from or related to this Agreement shall be litigated only in the state or federal courts having sitting [sic] within Suffolk County of the State. Each Member hereby consents and submits to the jurisdiction of such courts, hereby waives any rights it may have to transfer or change the venue of any such action or proceeding, and covenants and agrees not to allege in any such action or proceeding brought in such a court that such a court does not have jurisdiction over the person or property of such Member, or is an inconvenient forum for the adjudication of such action or proceeding.

Samuel acquired a ten percent membership interest in Tamposi and agreed to act as the Manager of Tamposi so as “to expedite the clearance and approval of the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball of Tamposi LLC as the purchaser of an interest in FMBC I, the entity designed to purchase the Boston Red Sox franchise.”

On February 27, 2002, Tamposi became the record and beneficial owner of 50 Class B Units of FMBC LLC.4 Tamposi also acquired the right to require FMBC LLC to purchase up to 50 shares of such Units (“Put Option”) from Tamposi during the “Put Exercise Period.” See Put Option Agreement, Article II, Section 2.01. Article I, Section 1.01 defines the “Put Exercise Period” as “the first 90 days of each calendar year, with the first 90-day period commencing following the first anniversary of the date of the closing of the Acquisition and expiring at 5:00 p.m., New York time on the last day of the 90-day period following the fifth anniversary of the date of the closing of the Acquisition.” Consequently, the Put Option will expire on March 31,2008.

On February 28, 2002, Samuel assigned his ten-percent membership interest in Tamposi to Ballinger. He also withdrew as a Member and resigned as Manager. The Members then selected and elected Ballinger as Manager of Tamposi. The Assignment stated that Ballinger “hereby accepts and adopts all of the provisions of the Operating Agreement of Tamposi LLC.”

In September 2006, the Tamposi siblings entered into a Settlement Agreement. Number 3, Part V(l)(iii) of the Settlement Agreement stated that Samuel and Stephen would resign as Investment Directors of the Elizabeth M. Tamposi Trusts with respect to all of those assets owned by the Trusts, except “Tamposi LLC (interest in Boston Red Sox).”

DISCUSSION

“Where the relevant contract contains a broad arbitration provision, the [Federal Arbitration] Act precludes litigation ‘unless it may be said with positive assurance that the arbitration clause is not susceptible of an interpretation that covers the asserted dispute.’ ” Championsworld, LLC v. United States Soccer Federation, Inc., 487 F.Sup.2d 980, 985 (N.D.Ill. 2007), quoting Welborn Clinic v. MedQuist, Inc., 301 F.3d 634, 639 (7th Cir. 2002); see also Bank Julius Baer & Co. v. Waxfield Ltd., 424 F.3d 278, 284 (2d Cir. 2005) (holding that if there is a reading of the various agreements that permits an arbitration clause to remain in effect, the court has to choose it); Personal Security & Safety Systems, Inc. v. Motorola, Inc., 297 F.3d 388, 392 (5th Cir.

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Related

Tamposi v. Tamposi, LLC
27 Mass. L. Rptr. 233 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 2010)

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Bluebook (online)
23 Mass. L. Rptr. 615, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tamposi-v-tamposi-llc-masssuperct-2008.