Villeneuve v. Advanced Business Concepts Corporation

698 F.2d 1121
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
DecidedApril 6, 1983
Docket81-5975
StatusPublished

This text of 698 F.2d 1121 (Villeneuve v. Advanced Business Concepts Corporation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Villeneuve v. Advanced Business Concepts Corporation, 698 F.2d 1121 (11th Cir. 1983).

Opinion

698 F.2d 1121

Fed. Sec. L. Rep. P 99,099
Mark VILLENEUVE, individually and on behalf of all other
persons similarly situated, Plaintiffs-Appellants,
v.
ADVANCED BUSINESS CONCEPTS CORPORATION, et al., Defendants-Appellees.

No. 81-5975.

United States Court of Appeals,
Eleventh Circuit.

Feb. 22, 1983.
Opinion on Granting of Rehearing En Banc April 6, 1983.

Carl H. Hoffman, Coral Gables, Fla., for plaintiffs-appellants.

Lanny E. Perkins, Dallas, Tex., Vernon W. Haas, Atty. pro se, Monterey, Cal., for defendants-appellees.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Before KRAVITCH, HATCHETT and CLARK, Circuit Judges.

HATCHETT, Circuit Judge:

Under the unique facts of this case, we hold that an "area purchaser agreement," i.e., a distributorship, is not an investment contract which constitutes a "security" under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. We affirm.

BACKGROUND

Advanced Business Concepts Corp. (ABC) offers to the general public, "area purchaser agreements," i.e., distributorships for the sale of self-watering planters. ABC advertises in local newspapers and utilizes booths at various business opportunity shows. Through the use of advertisements, prospects are invited to call ABC at a toll-free number for further information. Upon being contacted by a prospect, ABC explains its business opportunities and schedules appointments with a regional manager. The regional manager contacts the prospect and explains in detail, according to a standardized script, the business opportunities of ABC.

For an initial investment, ABC provides the purchaser with a supply of self-watering planters, display merchandise, and a display rack. Additionally, ABC acquires a particular display location which, in most cases, is an established store premise, and assigns the display location to the purchaser. The purchaser is expected to periodically check and restock the displays by reordering self-watering planters from ABC. Moreover, the purchaser's profit is derived from one-half of the proceeds received for the self-watering planters sold by the store; the remaining profits belong to the store. The rights and obligations of the parties are stated in the area purchaser agreement. The agreement provides that the area purchaser is "not [to rely] on any oral or written expressions, promises, or warranties made by anyone to consummate this transaction except those expressly stated herein." Stated in the area purchaser agreement are the following duties of ABC:

1. Shipment will be scheduled as soon as possible, but in no case later than forty-five (45) days from approval of agreement.

2. To warrant all merchandise and to offer processing of warranty claims in a prompt manner.

3. Company agrees to provide Area Purchaser with necessary business forms and other promotional items at no additional cost, such as T.V., radio and newspaper advertising.

4. To provide from time to time, at no additional cost, information and bulletins regarding the operation and management of his (her) business.5. To provide protected accounts in the general area assigned to the Area Purchaser.

6. To provide, when available and properly marketable, as determined by the Company, the projected product term NATURE-MATIC, an automatic self-watering liner for the NATURE-MATIC planter.

7. To provide, as per Addendum "B", one hundred percent (100%) return of initial investment.

8. To provide a unique correspondence training program for the benefit of the newly appointed Area Purchaser.

9. To offer Area Purchaser first right of refusal on all new products.

10. To provide all expense paid 7 day training for Area Purchaser (2 people) with 50 or more accounts, to be held in Dallas, Texas.

The duty of the area purchaser is enumerated as follows:

1. To regularly and properly call on each of his (her) outlets, restock displays and make cash settlement.

2. To maintain a sufficient inventory of Company's products with each of his (her) retail outlets to assure maximum sales potential for the Company and Area Purchaser.

3. Area Purchaser agrees that any failure by the Company to make shipments under this Agreement, if caused by floods, strikes, fires, shortages of raw materials or conditions beyond the control of the Company shall not constitute either a default or the basis of a suit for damages.

4. To provide Company a monthly Progress Report due no later than the 5th day of each month following acceptance and approval of this Agreement, to determine gross movement of product.

Villeneuve, among others, signed such an agreement. After entering into the purchaser agreement, many of the area purchasers failed to realize the expected profits and returns on their investments.

Individually, and on behalf of the class of purchasers, Villeneuve brought this suit seeking restitution of $622,372.46. The complaint alleges that the purchaser agreement is a security as defined by section 2(1) of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 3(a)(10) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. According to Villeneuve, if the purchaser agreement is a security, ABC has violated the provisions of sections 12(1) and 12(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 by selling unregistered securities, and that relief for the class exists under the securities law. If the purchaser agreement does not constitute a security, Villeneuve's relief is limited to whatever common law causes of action may be available. The district court granted ABC's motion for partial summary judgment by finding that the purchaser agreement was not a security as defined by section 2(1) of the Securities Act of 1933, nor a security under section 3(a)(10) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.1

The crucial issue presented by this case is whether the purchaser exercised such control over the profit potential that the agreement fails to satisfy the definition of an investment contract.

Under the Securities Act of 1933, a "security" is defined as:

[A]ny note, stock, treasury stock, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, preorganization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting-trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a "security," or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guarantee of, or warranty or right to subscribe to or purchase, any of the foregoing.

15 U.S.C.A. Sec. 77b(1). A security is similarly defined in section 3(a)(10) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C.A. 78c(a)(10)).

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