Tanzer v. Warner Co.

9 Pa. D. & C.3d 534
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County
DecidedJanuary 27, 1978
Docketno. 3773
StatusPublished

This text of 9 Pa. D. & C.3d 534 (Tanzer v. Warner Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tanzer v. Warner Co., 9 Pa. D. & C.3d 534 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1978).

Opinion

GREENBERG, J.,

This matter is before the court on defendants’, Warner Company (hereinafter Warner) and Waste Resources Corporation (hereinafter Waste), preliminary objections to plaintiffs’ complaint in equity.

This action arises from the merger of two publicly traded corporations, defendant Waste, a Texas corporation, into defendant Warner, a Delaware corporation. Prior to the merger, both corporations had their principal places of business in Philadelphia, Pa., and Warner still maintains its principal place of business here. Pursuant to the terms of the merger, the shareholders of Waste received 0.65 shares of Warner stock for each share of their Waste stock.

This action was commenced against Warner and Waste and their directors by the alleged owners of an unstated amount of Waste stock purchased at some time prior to 1976. Plaintiffs sought an injunction rescinding the merger of the two companies or if the merger is permitted to stand, damages, reflecting the difference between the value of what plaintiffs have received as a result of the merger and what they believe was the “real” value of their stock. In this class action plaintiffs seek to represent themselves and all persons other than [536]*536Warner Company who now own or owned Waste stock at anytime between December 17, 1976, and the effective date of the merger, July 6, 1977.

The first count of plaintiffs’ complaint in equity alleges that the terms of the merger are so grossly unfair to Waste shareholders that it constitutes a fraud upon them and an illegal appropriation of their assets for the benefit of defendants other than Waste. In addition, the first count alleges that the merger served no legitimate business interest of Waste, but its sole purpose was to divest Waste’s shareholders of their holdings in the corporation.

The second count of the complaint alleges that the proxy statement distributed to the shareholders of Waste, for obtaining shareholder approval of the merger, was deceptive and, by distributing the proxy material, defendants perpetrated a fraud upon the shareholders of Waste and misled them into approving the merger.

The third count is brought derivatively in behalf of Waste. It alleges that the merger provides no benefit to Waste, and constitutes a purchase by Warner of the business and assets of Waste for grossly inadequate consideration and is, therefore, a gift and waste of the assets of Waste.

Defendants’ preliminary objections raise the issue that this court lacks jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter because plaintiffs seek to rescind, after consummation, a merger between two foreign corporations and Pennsylvania courts will not interfere in the internal management of foreign corporations. They argue that equity should not act because plaintiffs’ sole and exclusive remedy for dissenting shareholders is provided in the Texas Appraisal Statute, Articles 5.11 and 5.12 of the Texas Business Corporation Act.

[537]*537Defendants also contend that an action for deceit is available to plaintiffs; thus a full, complete and adequate, nonstatutory remedy at law exists and equity should not act.

Defendants argue, finally, that plaintiffs have failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted because neither Waste nor plaintiffs allegedly on its behalf can assert any claim arising out of plaintiffs’ exchange of their Waste common stock for Warner common stock.

We believe that the first prehminary objection covering jurisdiction should be sustained and the complaint in equity dismissed because of the well-established principle that Pennsylvania courts will not interfere in the internal management of foreign corporations.

The internal affairs of a foreign corporation are interfered with where the suit is predicated upon rights derived from some status within the corporate association, and where the suit is brought by or against persons in their capacities as shareholders, officers and directors: Madden v. Penn. Electric Light, 181 Pa. 617, 37 Atl. 817 (1897).

The rights on which plaintiffs base their suit are derived exclusively from the fact that plaintiffs are shareholders in defendant corporations and are suing directors of defendant corporations in their capacity as directors.

This principle is predicated on a rule of discretion; it rests, not on an actual lack of jurisdiction, but rather on policy which dictates a recognition of the want of power to enforce decrees made in such proceedings where, under the facts of any particular case, the power is lacking: Wettengel v. Robinson, 288 Pa. 362, 136 Atl. 673 (1927).

The basis for the policy was addressed by the [538]*538Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the case of Moore v. N.A.A.C.P., 425 Pa. 204, 229 A. 2d 477 (1967), where it said: “ ‘[TJhe Pennsylvania resident has no right to call upon the courts of his own state to protect him from the consequences of a voluntary membership in a foreign corporation. By the very act of membership he intrusted his money to the control of an organization owing its existence to and governed by the laws of another state.’ ”

Plaintiffs would have this court declare the merger between Warner and Waste void according to the law applicable to its consummation. To do this, properly, we would have, inter alia, to construe the Texas merger statute. When the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania was called upon to construe the corporate statutes of a foreign state, it refused to do so, saying:

“ ‘[0]ur construction might not be in full accord with the views of the courts of that jurisdiction, in which event there would be presented to corporations there created, and doing business here, the anomalous and confusing situation that management in their home state is regulated in one way and here in another.’ ” Thompson v. Southern Connellsville Coke Co., 269 Pa. 500, 112 Atl. 533 (1921).

Plaintiffs call on us to review the actions of the board of directors to determine whether or not the merger had a valid “business purpose.” Such a review is held in disfavor by Pennsylvania courts since we are dealing with a foreign corporation; it being better left to the courts of the state of incorporation.

Plaintiffs believe that the merger was consummated at the wrong time and based on misinformation, as a result of which the exchange ratio was not [539]*539as high as it should have been. Plaintiffs argue that merger constituted a purchase by Warner of the business and assets of Waste for grossly inadequate consideration and is, therefore, a gift and waste of the assets of Waste. They note that Waste’s earnings have increased every year, that a Federal statute called the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of October 21,1976, 90 Stat. 2796, 42 U.S.C.A. §6901 et seq., would have created new business for Waste and that as a result Waste’s earnings justified a higher price. What this amounts to basically is a difference of views and judgment between the complainants as individual or minority stockholders and the constituted board of management of the corporate affairs as to the value of the shares. This is an insufficient basis upon which this court of common pleas should interfere with the internal affairs of a foreign corporation: McCloskey v. Snowden, 212 Pa. 249, 61 Atl. 796 (1905).

Plaintiffs maintained that defendants owned property and were doing business in Pennsylvania, and on this basis the “internal affairs” doctrine is inapplicable.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Colvin v. Somat Corp.
326 A.2d 590 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1974)
Plum v. Tampax, Inc.
160 A.2d 549 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1960)
Wettengel v. Robinson
136 A. 673 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1927)
Deviney v. J. H. France Fire Brick Co.
16 A.2d 45 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1940)
Schumacher v. Reading Transportation Co.
178 A. 670 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1935)
Kelly v. Brackenridge B. Co., Inc.
178 A. 487 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1935)
Madden v. Penn Electric Light Co.
37 A. 817 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1897)
McCloskey v. Snowden
61 A. 796 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1905)
Kelly v. Thomas
83 A. 307 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1912)
Hogue v. American Steel Foundries
92 A. 1073 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1915)
Thompson v. Southern Connellsville Coke Co.
112 A. 533 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1921)
Cunliffe v. Consumers Ass'n of America
124 A. 501 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1924)
Moore v. National Ass'n for the Advancement of Colored People
229 A.2d 477 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1967)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
9 Pa. D. & C.3d 534, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tanzer-v-warner-co-pactcomplphilad-1978.