Tober v. Charneta, Inc.

58 F.R.D. 74, 17 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1133
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 16, 1973
DocketCiv. No. 71-77
StatusPublished
Cited by55 cases

This text of 58 F.R.D. 74 (Tober v. Charneta, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tober v. Charneta, Inc., 58 F.R.D. 74, 17 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1133 (M.D. Pa. 1973).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

HERMAN, District Judge.

Before the court is plaintiffs’ motion seeking certification of the above action as a class action pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Opposing plaintiffs’ motion, defendants have filed a motion for certification of a non-class action, or to show substantial merit. The defendant, Charnita, Inc., is a real estate development corporation engaged in the sale of land in a subdivision located in Adams County, Pennsylvania. The individual defendants were at the times alleged in the complaint, officers or directors of Charnita, Inc. [77]*77The named plaintiffs seek to represent all purchasers of land from Charnita who purchased before July 1, 1969,1 and who have retained ownership thereof at the time of suit.

The plaintiffs have filed a three-count complaint based upon alleged violations of the Federal Securities acts and common law fraud.

Count I alleges that each sale of land to members of the prospective class constituted a sale of a “security” as that term is defined by § 2(1) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. § 77b(1)),2 in that each transaction consisted of the sale of land plus membership interests in a golf club and swimming club sold as a single indivisible unit allegedly for investment purposes. The plaintiffs contend that these sales were consummated without a registration statement having been approved by the S.E.C. as they allege was required by § 5 of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. § 77e)). It is further alleged that the defendants solicited sales and sold lots by means of the mails and instrumentalities of interstate commerce and thereby defrauded plaintiffs through the utilization of the following misrepresentations and omissions of material facts necessary to make the statements made, in the light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading: (1) failing to disclose that the success of the venture depended upon the ability to build homes on all or most of the land sold but (as known by defendants) because of the lack of a central sewer system and the unsuitability of most of the land for on-lot sewage disposal homes could not be built on most of the property; (2) leading plaintiffs to believe that this investment would appreciate greatly when others bought land and built homes thereon, when in fact defendants knew or should have known that most purchasers intended to leave their land vacant. Plaintiffs charge that this conduct constitutes violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. § 77q(a))3 Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. § 78j(b)) 4 and Securities and Exchange [78]*78Commission Rule 10b-5 (17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5) 5.

Count II alleges that in May of 1969 plaintiffs were advised that they could in the near future exchange their interest in the golf club and swimming club for common stock of the newly incorporated Charnita, Inc. On or about March 1, 1970 plaintiffs exchanged their ownership interests in the golf club and swimming club for voting common stock of Charnita, Inc. It is alleged that this exchange constituted a “sale” of securities, as defined by § 2(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. § 77b(3)).6 The registration statement (filed by Charnita, Inc. and approved by the S.E. C. in November of 1969) in effect with respect to the shares of Charnita, Inc. transferred, is alleged to have contained the assertion that lot owners will construct a well and septic tank on their lots at a total cost of approximately $1,450 but omitted the material fact that the success of the venture depended upon the ability to build homes on most of the land sold and that because of the lack of a central sewer system and the unsuitability of most of the land for on-site sewage disposal systems, homes could not be built on most of the land in the subdivision. By selling the common stock of Charnita, Inc. by means of a registration statement allegedly containing material misrepresentations and omitting material facts necessary in order to make the statements made, in the light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading, defendants are charged with violating § 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, supra, § 10 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, supra, and Rule 10b-5, supra.

Count III is a pendent claim based upon common law fraud alleging that the materials distributed by defendants in promoting the sale of the land and stock in question and certain oral statements made by defendants in conjunction therewith and upon which defendants intended that plaintiffs rely, were false and either known by defendants to be false or made with a reckless disregard for their truth or falsity. By virtue of the above, plaintiffs allege that their land has declined in value; that they have sustained inconvenience and loss of the use of the land; and that their land is becoming contaminated by pollution from adjacent properties.

Plaintiffs seek alternative relief in the form of recision or damages. Additionally, punitive damages plus the costs of litigation, including attorneys’ fees, are sought.

DISCUSSION

Our decision as to whether this cause of action or any part of it will be allowed to proceed as a class action is gov[79]*79erned by Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Rule 23(a) provides that the following prerequisites must be met before one or more persons may sue or be sued as representatives of a class: (1) the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable, (2) there are questions of law or fact common to the class, (3) the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class, and (4) the representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class.

In addition to the four prerequisites of Rule 23(a), at least one of the four situations presented in Rule 23(b) must exist. Plaintiffs contend that certification in the instant case is warranted under either 23(b)(1)(A), or 23(b)(3). Under 23(b)(1)(A) it must affirmatively appear that prosecution of separate actions by or against individual members of the class would create a risk of inconsistent or varying adjudications with respect to individual members of the class which would establish incompatible standards of conduct for the party opposing the class.

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Bluebook (online)
58 F.R.D. 74, 17 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1133, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tober-v-charneta-inc-pamd-1973.