Thomas v. Hemmelgarn

579 N.E.2d 1333, 52 A.L.R. 5th 903, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 1713, 1991 WL 211436
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 21, 1991
Docket71A03-9010-CV-473
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 579 N.E.2d 1333 (Thomas v. Hemmelgarn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thomas v. Hemmelgarn, 579 N.E.2d 1333, 52 A.L.R. 5th 903, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 1713, 1991 WL 211436 (Ind. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

GARRARD, Judge.

This case involves the sale of unregistered stock securities and the purchasers' subsequent successful action to rescind the sales under Indiana Securities Regulations. IC 28-2-1-1 et seq.

The plaintiffs, Louis J. Hemmelgarn (Hemmelgarn), Lewis R. Pickenpaugh (Pickenpaugh), John "Seottie" Stewart (Stewart) and Doc R. Capps (Capps), all purchased stock in Delron Corporation (Delron) in 1981. They sought to recover from Delron and its directors and officers named individually as defendants, Ronald J. Nash (Nash), Mary Nash, Harold Demar-ee (Demaree) and Delrue Thomas (Thomas), the consideration given for the stock plus interest, costs and fees. The individual defendants were officers and directors of Delron when the securities were issued. The stock had not been registered pursuant to Indiana Securities Regulations.

After a bench trial the court found for the plaintiffs 1 The Honorable Jeanne Jourdan entered the following conclusions:

1. Hemmelgarn, Pickenpaugh, Stewart and Capps' transactions and purchases of shares of stock in Delron Corporation are governed by Indiana Securities Regulations. IC 28-2-1-1 et seq.
2. The 1980 amendments of IC 23-2-1-1 et seq. were effective throughout 1981 and govern this case.
3. Delron Corp. failed to comply with IC 23-2-1-1(k) by registering its shares as securities.
4. Delron Corporation failed to qualify its offer or sale of shares under the private offering exemption pursuant to 1980 IC 23-2-1-2(b)(10)(iii).
5. Delron Corporation failed to qualify its offer or sale of shares under the 1983 Amended IC 28-2-1-2(b)(10)(C).
6. Delrue Thomas is liable to the Plaintiffs pursuant to IC 28-2-1-19 as a director. He had facts or could reasonably have had knowledge of the facts giving rise to Plaintiffs' claims.
7. Harold Demaree is liable to the Plaintiffs pursuant to IC 28-2-1-19 as a director from March 5, 1981 to January 1982. He could reasonably have had knowledge of the facts giving rise to Plaintiffs' claims. His reliance on Thomas and Nash may establish good faith, but does not relieve him of liability. Arnold v. Dirrim [Dirrim] ([App.] 1979), — Ind. —, 398 N.E.2d 426.
8. None of the Plaintiffs are in "pari delicto."
9. Delron Corporation and Delrue Thomas and Harold Demaree are jointly and severally liable to Louis Hemmel-garn in the amount of $42,884.92; Lewis Pickenpaugh in the amount of $17,-381.91; John Stewart in the amount of $23,444.82 and Doc Capps in the amount *1336 of $8,397.26 and for attorney fees in the amount of $9,768.45.

and entered the following judgment:

Finding for Plaintiff and against Defendants that Louis Hemmelgarn have and recover $42,884.92; that Lewis Pick-enpaugh have and recover $17,881.91; that John Stewart have and recover $28,-444.82; and that Doc Capps have and recover $8,897.26; and attorney fees in the amount of $9,768.45 and the costs of this action from Defendants Delron, Inc., Harold Demaree and Delrue Thomas.

From this order Delron and Demaree appeal.

The appellants raise four issues in their briefs:

L. The judgment is in error because it appears to be based on an assumption that for in pari delicto to apply, plaintiffs must have been officers or directors or must have voting power within the issuing corporation.
II. The court erred because all plaintiffs were barred from recovery due to their knowledge of the facts that made the sales of stock violations of law.
III. Pickenpaugh's claim against De-maree is barred because he purchased his stock before Demaree became either an officer or director.
IV. The court's enforcement of remedies set forth in 1980 legislation was in error because the legislature overhauled those provisions in 1983.

L.

In Pari Delicto 2 Defense

A purchaser of stock securities is barred from asserting that the sale was invalid, because of a state securities regulation violation, if he is found to be in pari delicto with the seller. A purchaser is generally held to be in part delicto with the seller if he participates in the organization or management of the issuing corporation. Theye v. Bates (1975), 166 Ind.App. 652, 337 N.E.2d 837, 844.

The appellants argue that the trial court committed error by not applying the in pari delicto rule to plaintiffs. They argue that the court must have assumed the rule required for its application that plaintiffs be officers or directors of, or have voting power in, the issuing corporation to apply. We do not agree with that reading. Appellants did establish that Hemmelgarn and Pickenpaugh did some bookkeeping and electrical work, respectively. But that alone does not necessitate a finding that they participated in the organization or management of the issuing corporation.

It clearly was appellants' burden to establish that appellees were in part delicto with them. There was ample evidence from which the trial court might properly conclude that the appellees did not participate in the organization and/or management of Delron. If a party can show that the other actually participated in the organization and/or management of the corporation, it would go quite far in establishing an in part delicto defense. Failing that, the burden is met only by a showing of some conduct that would be on par or equate with participation in organization and/or management. Hemmel-garn's and Pickenpaugh's conduct as bookkeeper and electrician, without more, does not necessarily rise to that level.

Appellants on this issue ask us to review the evidence on a negative judgment. 3 We will not reweigh the evidence or resolve credibility issues. It is only when the evidence is without conflict and points to only one conclusion and the trial court reaches another conclusion that we may reverse the judgment as being contrary to law. Id., 837 N.E.2d 887, 845. As our discussion above indicates, that was not the case here.

*1337 IL.

Purchaser's Knowledge of Statute Violations

The appellants argue that the appellees are barred from recovering under IC 23-2-1-19(f), now IC 23-2-1-19(h), which reads:

No person who had made or engaged in the performance of any contract in violation of any provision of this chapter or any rule or order hereunder, or who has acquired any purported right under any such contract with knowledge of the facts by reason of which its making or performance was in violation, may base any suit on the contract.

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579 N.E.2d 1333, 52 A.L.R. 5th 903, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 1713, 1991 WL 211436, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thomas-v-hemmelgarn-indctapp-1991.