Weisfeld v. Spartans Industries, Inc.

58 F.R.D. 570, 17 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 331, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10512
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedDecember 29, 1972
DocketNo. 71 Civ. 781
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 58 F.R.D. 570 (Weisfeld v. Spartans Industries, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Weisfeld v. Spartans Industries, Inc., 58 F.R.D. 570, 17 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 331, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10512 (S.D.N.Y. 1972).

Opinion

OPINION

TENNEY, District Judge.

This action arises out of the integration of the business of Spartans Industries, Inc. (hereinafter “Spartans”) (primarily engaged in the operation of retail stores, including forty-eight Korvette department stores and ninety-eight Spartan department stores) and the real estate development business of Arthur G. Cohen, Marshall Rose, Arthur Levien, Arlen Two Company, Arlen Properties, Inc. and Arlen Shopping Centers, Inc. (hereinafter jointly referred to as the “Arlen Group”) into a newly organized corporation, ARDC. Plaintiff’s complaint, in two counts, asserts claims under §§ 7, 12, 15, 16 and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. §§ 77g, 77Z, 77o, 77p, 77q(a) (1970)) and §§ 10(b), 14 and 18(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. §§ 78j(b), 78n, 78r(a) (1970)) and the rules and regulations thereunder; § 352-c of the New York General Business Law (McKinney’s Consol.Laws, c. 20, 1968); and the common law principles of the State of New York.

Jurisdiction is based upon § 27 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1)934 (15 U. S.C. § 78aa (1970)), § 22(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. § 77v(a) (1970)), the federal question and diversity statutes (28 U.S.C. §§ 1331(a) and 1332(a) (1970)) and principles of pendent jurisdiction.

The case is before this Court on plaintiff’s motion for class determination pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 23, and on defendants’ motion for an order (a) stay[573]*573ing this action pending the determination of an action commenced in the Supreme Court of the State of New York; (b) dismissing Count II of the complaint for failure to state a derivative cause of action pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 23.1; or, in the alternative, (c) staying this action pending the filing by plaintiff of security for expenses, including attorneys’ fees, with respect to plaintiff’s state law claims asserted derivatively, pursuant to N.Y.Bus.Corp.L. § 627 (McKinney’s Consol.Laws, c. 4, Supp.1972); and (d) staying this action pending the filing by plaintiff of (i) security for expenses, including attorneys’ fees, pursuant to § 11(e) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. § 77k(e) (1970)) and § 18(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. § 78r(a) (1970)), and (ii) a bond for costs pursuant to Local Rule 2 of the Civil Rules of this court.

The complaint alleges that plaintiff is a resident of New Jersey and is a record and beneficial owner of fifty shares of Spartans common stock and that Spartans and ARDC are New York corporations. Defendant Bassine was Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive of Spartans and, through corporations and foundations controlled by him, owned 7.-8% of Spartans outstanding shares entitled to vote on the merger. Defendant Cohen is Bassine’s son-in-law, was the principal and dominant partner of Arlen Two Company (hereinafter “Arlen Two”), was in control of Arlen Shopping Centers, Inc. (hereinafter “ASC”) and Arlen Properties, Inc. (hereinafter “Arlen Properties”), and owned 12.5% of Spartans outstanding shares entitled to vote on the merger. Defendants Levien and Rose were partners of Arlen Two, were active in Arlen Two, ASC and Arlen Properties and allegedly were dominated by Cohen. Defendant Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery (hereinafter “Lybrand”) is a partnership of certified public accountants and were the accountants for Arlen Two and Arlen Properties, and are now the accountants of ARDC.

The complaint further alleges that Cohen and Bassine constituted a single control group, and that they decided to increase their control of Spartans to enable Cohen to transform certain of his non-marketable real estate holdings into a more marketable form and to relieve him of certain financial risks. In order to accomplish these results, Cohen and Bassine allegedly agreed: (a) to cause ARDC to be organized; (b) to cause all but the financially most secure or most promising real estate interests owned by Cohen, Arlen Two and Arlen Properties, together with all of Cohen’s liabilities in respect thereof, to be transferred to ARDC in exchange for a majority of outstanding shares of ARDC stock; (c) to cause Spartans, a majority of the outstanding voting stock of which was theretofore owned by the public, to merge into ARDC on a basis which would give Cohen, Bassine, Levien and Rose ownership and control of 53.3% of the outstanding voting shares of ARDC; and (d) by merging Spartans into ARDC, to appropriate for themselves and their associates, including Levien and Rose, substantial liquidation rights and values owned prior to the merger by the public shareholders of Spartans.

On January 22, 1971, a Notice of Special Meeting of Shareholders of Spartans for February 25, 1971, together with a proxy statement, were mailed to all shareholders of record of Spartans as of January 19, 1971. Plaintiff, as a record holder of common stock of Spartans, received this notice and proxy statement on or about January 23, 1971, and filed the within complaint on February 23, 1971.

At the shareholders meeting on February 25, 1971, 3,518,456 common shares and 3,316,614 class A shares of Spartans were voted in favor of the merger, and 141,292 common shares and 78,083 class A shares were voted in opposition; that is, less than 2% of the outstanding [574]*574shares opposed the transaction. The merger has since been consummated according to its terms.

Plaintiff claims that the merger of Spartans into ARDC constitutes a manipulative and deceptive device, that Cohen, Bassine and Lybrand caused misleading and deceptive information concerning Arlen Two and Arlen Properties to be given to the Board of Directors of Spartans and to be included in a false and misleading proxy statement dated January 22, 1971, mailed to Spartans stockholders. Plaintiff alleges more specifically that the proxy statement was false and misleading in the following material respects:

(1) The proxy statement advised Spartans shareholders that the proposed merger was in their best interests, but failed to disclose that the proposed merger was, in reality, for the limited personal objectives of Cohen, Bassine, Levien and Rose, which objectives conflicted with the best interests of Spartans and its public shareholders.

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Bluebook (online)
58 F.R.D. 570, 17 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 331, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10512, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weisfeld-v-spartans-industries-inc-nysd-1972.