Ina Frankel Abramson, Irving Hellman and Beatrice Hellman v. Pennwood Investment Corp., and Edward Nathan, Intervenor-Appellant, 392 F.2d 759, 2d Cir. (1968)

392 F.
2d 759
Ina Frankel ABRAMSON, Irving Hellman and Beatrice

Hellman,
Plaintiffs-Appellees,
v.
PENNWOOD INVESTMENT CORP. et al., DefendantsAppellees, and
Edward Nathan, Intervenor-Appellant.
No. 277, Docket 31905.
United States Court of Appeals Second Circuit.

Argued Jan. 16, 1968.
Decided April 9, 1968.
Donald N. Ruby, New York City (Wolf, Popper, Ross, Wolf & Jones,
New York City, on the brief), for plaintiffs-appellees.
Leon Gold, New York City (Shea, Gallop, Climenko & Gould, Bruce A.
Hecker, New York City, on the brief), for defendants-appellees.
Edward Nathan, New York City (Herbert Ascher, Jr., New York City, on
the brief), for intervenor-appellant.
Before LUMBARD, Chief Judge, and WATERMAN and FEINBERG,
Circuit judges.
LUMBARD, Chief Judge:
Edward Nathan appeals from an order of the Eastern District of New York,
wherein Judge Mishler denied with prejudice his motion for leave to intervene
as a plaintiff in this stockholder's derivative action. We affirm the order. The
motion was not accompanied by a pleading as required by Rule 24(c) of the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Furthermore, the objections which appellant
seeks to raise in the present action had been litigated by appellant in a related
proceeding in state court, and appellant is bound by the state court's adverse
determination on that issue.
In December 1966 plaintiffs, shareholder's of B. T. Babbitt, Inc., brought a

stockholder's derivative action in the Eastern District, alleging that the
defendants, by transferring controlling shares in Babbitt and by causing Babbitt
to purchase shares in another corporation, had defrauded Babbitt. Count I of the
complaint alleged that the defendants' actions constituted a violation of Section
10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated
thereunder. Count II alleged a breach of fiduciary duty under the law of New
York, jurisdiction being based on the doctrine of pendant jurisdiction.
In January 1967 the same plaintiffs commenced a derivative action in the state
Supreme Court against the same defendants for breach of fiduciary duty. The
action was based on the same transactions involved in the federal suit and the
allegations were virtually identical to those in Count II of the federal complaint.
Following certain pretrial examinations, the parties negotiated a settlement of
the state proceeding. The stipulation of settlement provided for the cancellation
of $500,000 worth of notes given by Babbitt to one of the defendants. It also
provided that Babbitt was to release defendants from all claims embraced in the
state pleadings or in any manner related to the transactions referred to in those
pleadings and that, if the stipulation of settlement were approved by the state
court, the plaintiffs would join in a motion to dismiss the pending federal
action.
The stipulation of settlement was submitted to the Supreme Court, New York
County, and the court appointed a referee to inquire into the fairness of the
settlement. After a hearing, the referee recommended approval of the
settlement. The court directed that notice of the settlement be given to all
Babbitt stockholders. On June 19, 1967, the court held a hearing on the
proposed settlement; appellant filed an affidavit charging that the settlement
was not fair or adequate and he and two other stockholders appeared to object
to the settlement.
On June 30, the court entered judgment ordering 'that the settlement, pursuant
to the stipulation dated April 3, 1967, is in all respects fair and reasonable and
in the best interests of B. T. Babbitt, Inc., and its stockholders, and said
settlement is in all respects affirmed' and dismissing the complaint on the
merits with prejudice against B. T. Babbitt, Inc., its successors and assigns and
its stockholders.
Appellant and the two other objecting stockholders appealed to the Appellate
Division, First Department, which unanimously affirmed the judgment on
December 19, 1967. Abramson v. Eugene Kardon Enterprises, Inc., 286
N.Y.S.2d 455.
7
On June 26, 1967-- after the hearing in Supreme Court but before entry of the
judgment approving the settlement-- appellant moved to intervene in the
present federal action. The motion stated that the settlement in the state court
action was inadequate and that intervention was necessary to protect the
interests of Babbitt and its stockholders by preventing the dismissal of the
federal action pursuant to that settlement. It also stated that appellant was a
stockholder at the time of the transactions complained of and that he wished to
intervene as a plaintiff 'in order to assert the claims set forth in the complaint
filed in this matter, copy of which is attached herein.'
Judge Mishler denied the motion, finding that appellant's failure to file a
pleading along with his motion papers, as required by Rule 24(c), was fatal to
his application. Instead of granting leave to renew the motion upon proper
papers, Judge Mishler denied the motion with prejudice, since he concluded
that the state court judgment constituted an absolute bar to intervention under
Rule 24.1
We agree with Judge Mishler that appellant's reference in his motion papers to
the allegations of the original complaint was insufficient to comply with the
requirement of Rule 24(c). In Pikor v. Cinerama Productions Corp., 25 F.R.D.
92 (S.D.N.Y.1960), the court similarly held that the intervenors' affidavits
stating that they wished to adopt the original complaint were insufficient to
meet this requirement, finding that this was not merely a technical lack of
compliance with the rules. Rule 23(b) requires that the complaint in a
stockholder's derivative action must be verified by oath and must specifically
aver that the plaintiff was a shareholder at the time of the transactions
complained of and that the action is not a collusive one to confer jurisdiction on
the federal court; it also requires that the complaint set forth with particularity
the plaintiff's efforts to secure action by the directors and shareholders or the
reasons for not making such effort. As the court in Pikor stated, 'If the proposed
intervenors are to become plaintiffs in this action there should be a verified
complaint by them setting forth these allegations with respect to them. They
cannot expect that a complaint verified by someone else establishes their
capacity to sue under Rule 23.' 25 F.R.D. at 96. Clearly, the unsworn statement
in appellant's motion papers that he was a stockholder at the time of the
transaction is insufficient to meet the requirement of Rule 23(b).
10
We then reach the question whether it was proper to deny the motion with
prejudice. We think that it was since, in light of the settlement and judgment in
the state court action, intervention by the appellant would be futile.
11
We do not hold that the dismissal of the state claim would be a complete bar to
the federal action on the ground of res judicata. The complaint in the federal
action alleges violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 and Rule 10b-5. This is a different cause of action from a claim for breach
of fiduciary duty, and is one which is cognizable only in federal courts.
Therefore, the dismissal of the state court action cannot bar the claim in Court I
of the federal complaint. Of course, where both the state and federal suits are
based on the same transactions, collateral estoppel would apply with regard to
the facts determined in the state action. However, on the record before us, we
cannot determine what facts were found in the state proceeding and whether
those findings would be sufficient to preclude the maintenance of the federal
action, as the court did in Boothe v. Baker Industries, Inc., 262 F.Supp. 168
(D.Del.1966).
12
Although the federal action would not be barred by the dismissal of the state
action, Babbitt could agree, as part of a settlement agreement or otherwise, to
release the federal claim. The stipulation of settlement in the state action
provided that Babbitt would execute in favor of each of the defendants a
general release as to 'every matter, claim or cause of action, without limitation,
mentioned or alleged or embraced in the pleadings in (the state action) * * * and
any and every matter, claim or cause of action, without limitation, arising out
of, related to, in connection with, or with respect to any matters or transactions
referred to in said pleadings.' The terms of the stipulation make it clear that this
release included the federal claims pending in the present case.
13
Although the state court could not adjudicate the federal claim, it was within its
powers over the corporation and the parties to approve the release of that claim
as a condition of settlement of the state action. This the state court did, finding
that the settlement agreement was fair and reasonable.
14
Appellant's present claim is that he should be permitted to intervene and

prevent dismissal of the federal action because the settlement agreement was
not fair or adequate. Appellant made this same objection to the settlement,
unsuccessfully, in the state proceedings, both at the hearing in Supreme Court
and on appeal to the Appellate Division. Appellant does not present any reason
to doubt that the state court adjudication on this issue was conducted in a fair
and impartial manner. Having had his day in court on this question, appellant
should not now be permitted to relitigate the issue in federal court.
15
We hold that the state court determination that the settlement was fair and
reasonable is binding on appellant. See Stella v. Kaiser, 218 F.2d 64 (2d Cir.
1954), cert. Denied, 350 U.S. 835, 76 S.Ct. 71, 100 L.Ed. 745 (1955). Since
appellant is thereby precluded from contesting the fairness of the settlement

and since this is the only issue which he presented as the basis for intervention,
it was proper to deny with prejudice the motion to intervene.
16
Of course, since the federal action is a shareholder's derivative suit, the parties
must obtain the approval of the district court before the federal suit may be
dismissed.
17
The order appealed from is affirmed.
The motion stated that leave to intervene was sought under Rules 23 and 24 of
the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. At oral argument of the motion, appellant
addressed the motion to the discretion of the court. Appellees therefore argue
that the motion must be regarded as made only under the Rule 24(b) provision
for permissive intervention and not under the provision of Rule 24(a) for
intervention of right. However, in his supplemental memorandum in the court
below, appellant claimed that he also qualified for intervention as of right under
Rule 24(a), and it appears that the district judge considered the motion under
both provisions. Our reasons for finding the denial of the motion proper are
equally applicable under either provision

Ina Frankel Abramson, Irving Hellman and Beatrice Hellman v. Pennwood Investment Corp., and Edward Nathan, Intervenor-Appellant, 392 F.2d 759, 2d Cir. (1968)

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Ina Frankel Abramson, Irving Hellman and Beatrice Hellman v. Pennwood Investment Corp., and Edward Nathan, Intervenor-Appellant, 392 F.2d 759, 2d Cir. (1968)

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392 F.

Ina Frankel ABRAMSON, Irving Hellman and Beatrice

United States Court of Appeals Second Circuit.

In December 1966 plaintiffs, shareholder's of B. T. Babbitt, Inc., brought a

Appellant's present claim is that he should be permitted to intervene and

appellant is thereby precluded from contesting the fairness of the settlement

The order appealed from is affirmed.

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