Lasker v. Burks, 73 Civ. 552 (HFW.)

Citation404 F. Supp. 1172
Decision Date17 October 1975
Docket NumberNo. 73 Civ. 552 (HFW.),73 Civ. 552 (HFW.)
PartiesHoward M. LASKER and Irving Goldberg, Plaintiffs, v. Harry G. BURKS, Jr., et al., Defendants.
CourtUnited States District Courts. 2nd Circuit. United States District Courts. 2nd Circuit. Southern District of New York

Aranow, Brodsky, Bohlinger, Benetar & Einhorn, New York City, for plaintiffs.

Dewey, Ballantine, Bushby, Palmer & Wood, New York City, for defendants Burks, Hopkins, Kemmerer, Monroney, Phillips & Wade.

Seward & Kissel, New York City, for defendant Fundamental Investors, Inc.

Pollack & Singer, New York City, for defendants Burr, Chalker, Hutchinson, Haire & Anchor Corp.

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER

WERKER, District Judge.

This is a shareholders' derivative action brought by two stockholders on behalf of Fundamental Investors, Inc. ("Fundamental" or the "Fund"), a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, 15 U.S.C. § 80a-1 et seq. The defendants are the Fund's investment adviser, Anchor Corporation ("Anchor"), a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, 15 U.S.C. § 80b-1 et seq., and several former and present members of the Board of Directors of the Fund. The dispute between the parties centers around the Fund's purchase, on Anchor's recommendation, of $20 million in commercial paper of the now bankrupt Penn Central Transportation Company. As described in detail below the complaint charges that in connection with the purchase of the Penn Central paper the defendants violated various sections of the Investment Company Act, the Investment Advisors Act and the common law. The Fund, joined by all defendants, has now moved under Rule 12(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to dismiss this action on the ground that the independent members of the Board of Directors of the Fund have unanimously determined that, in their business judgment, this action is contrary to the best interests of the shareholders of the Fund.

BACKGROUND

The Fund made its purchases of Penn Central 270-day notes from Goldman, Sachs & Co., in lots of $5 million each on November 26, December 2, 4 and 8, 1969. Unfortunately for the Fund and other holders of Penn Central commercial paper, Penn Central, on June 21, 1970, filed a petition for reorganization under section 77 of the Bankruptcy Act with the result that the notes were not paid at maturity or at any time to date. Faced with the possibility of a substantial loss, the Fund and other plaintiffs instituted suit in the Southern District of New York on November 4, 1970 against Goldman, Sachs & Co., for rescission of their purchases of the Penn Central Notes. That action was entitled Welch Foods, Inc. v. Goldman, Sachs & Co., D.C., 398 F.Supp. 1393 (the "Welch" action).

The instant derivative suit was filed on February 5, 1973. Jurisdiction was predicated on section 44 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. § 80a-43), section 214 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. § 80b-14) and pendent jurisdiction. The complaint alleges that in making the purchases of Penn Central commercial paper the Fund and Anchor relied solely and exclusively on Goldman, Sachs & Co., and made no independent investigation of the financial condition of Penn Central or the quality of its commercial paper. By failing to make an independent investigation it is alleged that Anchor failed to meet its responsibility as the Fund's investment adviser and that the Fund's directors knew or should have known of, and acquiesced in, the failure of Anchor to meet its responsibilities and thus failed to meet their responsibilities as members of the Fund's Board of Directors. Had an independent investigation been made it is alleged that a number of material adverse facts concerning the financial condition of the Penn Central and the quality of its commercial paper would have been learned. As a result of their actions, or inactions, the defendants are charged with engaging in acts and practices constituting gross misconduct and a gross abuse of trust in respect of the Fund in violation of section 36 of the Investment Company Act. Anchor is also alleged to have violated section 206, the antifraud section of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940. Plaintiffs also claim that the defendants violated their common law fiduciary duty to the Fund and that Anchor, aided and abetted by the directors, breached its investment advisory contract with the Fund.

The complaint goes on to allege that from November 28, 1969 to June 21, 1970, the date Penn Central filed for reorganization, the financial condition of the Penn Central deteriorated. During this period it is alleged that Anchor and the Fund directors failed to commence a thorough and adequate investigation of, and keep under continuous review, the financial condition of Penn Central and the quality and safety of its commercial papers. It is also alleged that during this period the Fund's directors failed in their obligations to make adequate attempts to resell the Penn Central commercial paper it held and that Anchor failed to advise the Fund of the advisability of selling the commercial paper. Plaintiffs again claim that these acts by the defendants violate section 36 of the Investment Company Act; that Anchor violated section 206 of the Investment Advisers Act; that all defendants breached their common law fiduciary duty; and that Anchor, aided and abetted, by the Fund's directors breached its investment advisory contract. Finally, the complaint alleges that the defendants violated section 13 (a)(3) of the Investment Company Act by allowing the Fund to hold more than 10% of the securities of any one issuer (Penn Central) in contravention of the Fund's registration statement filed pursuant to section 8(b) of the Investment Company Act.

Subsequent to the filing of this derivative action, all defendants moved to stay this action pending the resolution of the claims of Fundamental in the Welch action. The stay was granted by Judge Gurfein on November 12, 1973. Fundamental's claims against Goldman, Sachs & Co., in the Welch action were settled on July 9, 1974. The terms of the settlement provided that Goldman, Sachs & Co. would take back the Penn Central notes, pay Fundamental $5,250,000.00 in cash and assign to Fundamental a 73.75% interest in the proceeds of the notes in the reorganization proceedings.

With the settlement of the Welch action, Fundamental had to determine what position to take in this suit. It is necessary to set forth in detail the actions taken by the Fund's Board of Directors since it forms the basis of the defendants' motion to dismiss.

Fundamental's Board of Directors met on July 24, 1974 to review the settlement of the Welch action and to decide what position to take in this derivative action. Since five of the directors are defendants in this action and one is a director of Anchor, the Board determined that the remaining five directors who they considered disinterested would, acting as a quorum pursuant to the bylaws,1 decide what position the Fund should take in this action. The five disinterested directors then decided to retain the Honorable Stanley H. Fuld, former Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, to review the entire Penn Central matter and to report to the Board.

After reviewing the complaint in this derivative action, the proceedings in the Welch action, the files of Anchor and the Fund relating to the purchase of Penn Central paper and after interviewing officers and employees of the Fund and analyzing the facts and the law, Judge Fuld sent a memorandum to the disinterested directors on December 5, 1974 in which he stated his opinion that there was "no violation by Anchor or by the Fund directors of any provision of statute or of any common law or contractual obligation to the Fund, in connection with the acquisition and retention of the Penn Central commercial paper." (Dec. 5, 1974 Memorandum at 2). Judge Fuld went on to discuss in detail each of the claims asserted in this suit. Finally, Judge Fuld defined and discussed three alternative courses of action which the disinterested directors might pursue, i. e., (1) seek realignment so as to become a plaintiff for the purpose of exercising control over and prosecuting the action; (2) conclude that the action is sufficiently lacking in merit and move to have the suit dismissed; and (3) take a neutral position and permit the action to proceed for the Fund's benefit under the auspices of the present plaintiffs.

After the disinterested directors reviewed his report and submitted questions to him, Judge Fuld sent a supplemental memorandum to the disinterested directors on December 18, 1974. In his memorandum Judge Fuld discussed in more detail the possibility that the Board should move to dismiss this suit as not being in the best interests of the Fund and the possible scope of judicial review of such a decision.

The disinterested directors then met in a series of special meetings to consider Judge Fuld's memoranda. The directors met with Judge Fuld; John R. Haire, Chairman and Chief Executive of Anchor; Donald L. Kemmerer and Charles F. Phillips, unaffiliated directors of Fundamental; and Eugene Souther, litigation counsel to Fundamental in this action. Questions were posed by the directors to all of these in attendance concerning the merits of the derivative action and the alternatives open to the Fund's Board. The disinterested directors again met in private and decided to give additional consideration to the problem and convey any questions to the designated Chairman of the disinterested directors, Leon T. Kendall.

A second special meeting of the disinterested directors was held on January 6, 1975. Upon review of the alternatives available, the directors present unanimously determined2 that the prosecution of this action was contrary to the best interests of the shareholders of Fundamental and that counsel should be directed to seek dismissal of the action. The factors...

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