Waddell v. Trostel

41 Pa. D. & C.3d 599, 1982 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 3
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Adams County
DecidedNovember 12, 1982
Docketno. 82-S-505
StatusPublished

This text of 41 Pa. D. & C.3d 599 (Waddell v. Trostel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Adams County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Waddell v. Trostel, 41 Pa. D. & C.3d 599, 1982 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 3 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1982).

Opinion

SPICER, P.J.,

Plaintiff brings this equity action to compel retransfer of corporate stock and to dissolve a closely-held family corporation. Preliminary objections have been filed.

From facts averred in the complaint, the following facts emerge.

Richard B. Trostel is the father of the other individual parties. We have, therefore, a father and two sons as defendants and a daughter as plaintiff. The father owned 1175 shards in the corporation before June 1, 1982, and plaintiff (Jane) owned 604 shares. Donald Trostel (Donald) owned 617 shares and Richard Barry Trostel (Barry) owned 604 shares prior to the June date. No other shares were issued.

The parties executed a shareholders’ agreement March 31, 1975. This agreement referred to the father as the majority shareholder, apparently meaning that he owned more shares than any other single shareholder. Obviously, he did not own more than half, since his holdings were as we have already described.

In the agreement’s recitals, it was stated that “the parties desire that Donald and Jane shall have the right to purchase the interests of father and of Barry in company upon the death of father. ...” Barry was [601]*601described as not “actively participating in” the operation of the corporate business. Both Donald and Jane were described as full-time employees.

There is nothing in the complaint to indicate whether Jane still is a full-time employee or, if not, when the employment ceased.

The agreement provided means by which its stated purpose was to be accomplished. The father assigned a life insurance policy to Jane and Donald. Upon the father’s death, these two children were to collect the insurance proceeds and to use them to purchase the father’s stock. Any surplus was to be used to pay for Barry’s stock. There were provisions establishing means of determining price and financing arrangements.

Jane and Donald were to purchase the stock in equal amounts.

The agreement also provided, in Paragraph 6:

“Each of the shareholders agree not to sell, transfer, pledge, assign or otherwise in any way dispose of any of his or her shares except to another shareholder or other shareholders unless and until he or she shall have offered to.sell his or her shares to the other shareholders at a price to be determined as provided in Paragraph 12. All share certificates registered in the name shareholders or hereafter issued by company shall have the following noted conspicuously thereon:

“ ‘The sale, transfer, pledge, assignment or encumbrance of thé shares represented by this certificate is restricted by and subject to the terms of a shareholders’ agreement dated March 31, 1975, a copy of which agreement is on file in the principal office of the corporation.’ ”

And in Paragraph 13:

“This agreement shall -terminate upon the occurrence of any of the following events:

[602]*602“A. Cessation of company’s business.

“B. Bankruptcy, receivership or dissolution of company.

“C. Failure of Donald and Jane to maintain in force the insurance policy/policies referred to in Paragraph 1, or any exercise of the rights of ownership of said policy/policies which is inconsistent with the terms or purposes of this agreement, provided father serves notice of termination upon them.

“D. Voluntary or involuntary withdrawal of Donald or Jane’s husband from the business of company.”

Another provision gave the father the right to repurchase^ the life insurance policy for the cash surrender value upon termination of the agreement.

Plaintiff avers that her father violated the agreement by transferring, on June 1, 1982, all of his shares 'to Donald without notice and without giving her an opportunity to acquire an equal share. She further states that her father and Donald induced her to assign' the life insurance policy to an unnamed person for no consideration by falsely telling her that papers she was executing “were mere formalities only and did not affect any of her rights.”

Plaintiff and her family enjoyed use of a house and cabin owned by the corporation prior to the transfer by father. Her husband was employed by the. corporation. She made improvements to the house and built a cabin, thinking that she could rely upon the agreement and because of promises made by her father.

After the transfer of stock, she and her family were excluded from the company property and her husband’s employment was involuntarily terminated.

[603]*603Plaintiff contends that she is entitled to the relief she seeks. She argues that her allegations are sufficient to overcome demurrers filed by defendants.

Defendants argue that the father’s rights to transfer as he did are clearly established in Paragraph 6 and that plaintiff has not alleged facts which would justify equity’s involvement in this case.

Plaintiff’s requested relief for specific performance is that this court require Donald to retransfer the stock to the father and to require the father then to offer stock to “each of the shareholders pursuant to Paragraph 9,” and that the insurance policy be reassigned to reinvest her rights therein.

Plaintiff cites the case of Frickert v. Dieter Brothers Fuel Co., Inc., 464 Pa. 596, 347 A.2d 701 (1975), as support for her position. Defendants counter by pointing, out that express language in the contract permitted the action taken in this case. They cite such authority as Robert F. Felte, Inc. v. White, 451 Pa. 137, 302 A.2d 347 (1973),. and the clear-language rule discussed therein.

We think an analysis of Dieter, supra, might be helpful. Two brothers were the sole shareholders of a close corporation. They executed an agreement providing that transfer of stock could only be accomplished in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Upon the death of either, decedent’s shares were to be purchased by the corporation. Upon the death of the survivor, the survivor’s shares were to be sold to three key employees. The court found that intent of the parties was to ultimately vest ownership in the hands of the three employees. The agreement was silent about inter vivos transfers during the lifetime of the survivor. The survivor in that case transferred his shares to his two sons.

The Supreme Court held that the transfer violated the agreement. Two parts of the court’s discus[604]*604sion are pertinent and distinguish that case from the case at bar. The first occurs at 464 Pa. 600 and 601:

“The shareholders’ restrictive agreement was expressly intended to encompass all transfers of Deiter Bros. Fuel Co., Inc., stock. Paragraph 1 states that no transfer of the corporation’s shares may be made ‘except as permitted by this agreement.’ However, the agreement fails to provide expressly for an inter vivos transfer of shares by one stockholder and is therefore subject to more than one possible construction.”

The second occurs at page 602 and reads: -

“The ambiguity in the agreement must be resolved to effectuate the manifest intentions of the parties and to avoid an unreasonable and improbable result which would frustrate a primary objective of the parties.”

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Related

Masinter v. Webco Co.
262 S.E.2d 433 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1980)
Frickert v. Deiter Bros. Fuel Co., Inc.
347 A.2d 701 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1975)
O'FARRELL v. Steel City Piping Co.
403 A.2d 1319 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1978)
Robert F. Felte, Inc. v. White
302 A.2d 347 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1973)
Bowman v. Gum, Incorporated
184 A. 258 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1936)
Tate v. Philadelphia Transportation Co.
190 A.2d 316 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1963)

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Bluebook (online)
41 Pa. D. & C.3d 599, 1982 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/waddell-v-trostel-pactcompladams-1982.