Securities Law Commons^™

Limiting The Plaintiff Class: Rule 10b-5 And The Federal Securities Code, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The Penn Central litigation, involving a large, publicly held corporation, illustrates the need to examine the reach of the federal antifraud provisions. This Note discusses the problem of defining the plaintiff class when the number of past and present shareholders who are potential plaintiffs is very great. Attention will center on the methods courts have used to limit the class of investors compensable under rule 10b-5. Also, the effect that enactment of present drafts of the American Law lnstitute's proposed Federal Securities Code would have on the composition of the plaintiff class in analogous actions will be discussed. Finally, the …

Rule 10b-5:The Disclosure Of Finder's Fees In Connection With The Purchase Or Sale Of Securities, David L. Cocanower

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

How Big A House Of Cards-Private Actions And Insiders Under Rule 10b-5, Steven E. Briggs, Donald Bolles

San Diego Law Review

Today, the federal court interpretation of Rule 10b-5, promulgated by the SEC (under the authority of a federal statute, section 10b of the Securities Exchange Act) have become the cornerstone of a federal common law of corporations. Recently there has been expansive use of the rule to afford a private civil remedy for a "defrauded" buyer or seller of securities. The right to sue for either damages or rescission was not explicitly given by the statute or the rule, rather it has been implied by the courts. The dimensions of this new judicially crated right of action are still developing …

Investment Advice And The Fraud Rules, Robert N. Leavell

Michigan Law Review

Every day thousands of Americans are assaulted by mail, telephone, and personal contact with advice on how to invest their money for capital gains, often with dazzling reminders of the opportunity for great profits. If the advice is good, they may indeed one day have their treasure ship which will send their children to college or provide a round-the-world trip after retirement. If the advice is bad, they will of course learn by experience. But many of them will have to apply their lesson to a second inheritance or twenty years' savings. The quality of investment advice is therefore a …

Proof Of Scienter Necessary In A Private Suit Under Sec Anti-Fraud Rule 10b-5, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Of the vast amounts of statutory and quasi-statutory material governing the securities business, the Securities and Exchange Commission's rule 10b-51 has potentially the greatest direct importance to the largest number of people. While several provisions in the government's regulatory scheme set more or less specific standards of conduct for securities issuers, broker-dealers, or corporate insiders, the anti-fraud provisions of rule 10b-5 apply to all persons directly or indirectly connected with any sale or purchase of securities transacted through a facility of interstate commerce, the mails, or on a national exchange. In its three clauses, rule 10b-5 forbids any person (1) …

New And Comprehensive Duties Of Securities Sellers To Investigate, Disclose, And Have An "Adequate Basis" For Representations, Willoughby C. Johnson

Michigan Law Review

The duties of investigation and disclosure imposed upon securities salesmen have been significantly enlarged by several recent cases generated by the Second Circuit's 1963 decision of Berko v. SEC. In a hearing before the Securities and Exchange Commission it was found that Berko was a salesman working out of an acknowledged "boiler room." His employer had provided its salesmen, including Berko, with fraudulent sales brochures, some of which were subsequently distributed by Berko. The action by the Commission against Berko arose out of the sale of a specific security to a customer who had received fraudulent sales brochures and …

Current Problems In Securities Regulation, Robert N. Dorosin, Ira J. Jaffe, Rolfe A. Worden, James C. Lockwood, Willoughby C. Johnson

Michigan Law Review

This comment analyzes four areas of central significance to adequate protection for the investor: (1) qualifications of those in the securities industry who deal with the public; (2) dissemination of corporate publicity; (3) dissemination of investment advice; and (4) selling practices in the securities industry. The findings and recommendations of the Special Study are given special attention insofar as they bear upon the problems covered. In certain areas, however, recent developments in court and Commission decisions have brought about changes equally as significant as the findings and recommendations of the Special Study. Thus each section covers the background and recent …

A Reappraisal Of The Role Of Disclosure, Robert L. Knauss

Michigan Law Review

The objective of this paper is to assess the current role of disclosure in its various aspects in security regulation. Following a brief description of the current uses of disclosure in securities regulation, there are separate sections describing and evaluating (1) the obligation of disclosure imposed on issuers at the initial sale of securities, (2) the obligation of disclosure resting on issuers if they have securities which are traded, and (3) obligations of disclosure imposed on parties in the securities business other than issuers. This last section includes obligations of insiders, broker-dealers, and investment advisers, as well as duties of …

Securities Regulation-Sec Rule 10b-5-Recovery By Corporation Induced By Fraud Of Insider To Issue Shares, Charles K. Dayton

Michigan Law Review

Trustees in reorganization of a corporation brought suit on its behalf to recover damages under section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and rule 10b-5 of the Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging that the corporation had been fraudulently induced by defendant, its comptroller, to issue stock for inadequate consideration. Also named as defendants were the American Stock Exchange and several banks and brokers, whose alleged complicity in the improper public distribution of the shares made them parties to the scheme to defraud the corporation. On a motion by all defendants but the comptroller to dismiss the complaint for …

Securities-Investment Advisers Act Of 1940-Antifraud Provisions Interpreted, Byron Bronston S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Defendant, Capital Gains Research Bureau, Inc., an investment advisory service, published a bulletin entitled "A Capital Gains Report," each issue of which advised approximately 5,000 subscribers as to the investment potential of a particular corporation's stock. On at least five occasions Capital Gains, and its president and sole stockholder, also a defendant, acquired some shares of a stock and, without revealing their interest therein, recommended its purchase in the bulletin. Following each recommendation, trading in the stock increased, the price rose, and, within a few days, defendants sold their shares at a profit. The Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging that …

Securities Regulation-Federal Anti-Fraud Provisions-Applicability Of Insider Responsibility To Broker In Possession Of Inside Corporate Information, John A. Krsul Jr.

Michigan Law Review

During a period of upward movement in the price of Curtiss-Wright common stock, the corporation's board of directors voted to reduce the stock dividend by forty percent, an action certain to have an immediate adverse effect upon the stock's market price. Although the board immediately authorized the transmission of information concerning its action to the New York Stock Exchange, an inadvertent delay of forty-five minutes ensued. Unaware of the delay, C, a director of Curtiss-Wright and a registered representative of Cady, Roberts & Co. (registrant) , a registered broker-dealer, telephoned registrant to inform G, one of its partners, …

Regulation Of Business - Sec Rule X-10b-5 - Recovery By Corporation Fradulently Induced To Issue Shares, William S. Bach

Michigan Law Review

Defendants, Mountain States Securities Corporation and former officers of Consolidated American Industries, Inc., organized a dummy corporation, the Mid-Atlantic Development Company. The defendants drew a formal contract whereby Mid-Atlantic agreed to transfer worthless Cuban insurance company stock and equally valueless Honduran oil exploration rights to Consolidated in exchange for 700,000 shares of Consolidated stock. Consolidated's former secretary falsely certified a corporate resolution authorizing the issuance of the stock, and its former general counsel advised Consolidated's stock transfer agent that the transaction was exempt from SEC regulation. Acting on these representations, the transfer agent issued the Consolidated stock. Since at this …

Securities Regulation-Civil Liability Under Rule X-10b-5 For Fraud In The Purchase Or Sale Of Securities, J. David Voss S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

On May 21, 1942 the Securities and Exchange Commission, pursuant to section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, promulgated rule X-10B-5.2 The purpose of the new rule was apparently to close a loophole in the then existing pattern of regulation of the purchase and sale of securities. The loophole resulted from a gap between section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, which prohibits the use of fraud in the sale of securities by any person, and section 15(c)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which prohibits the use of fraud in the sale or purchase of …

Two-Contract Analysis May Imperil Stock Option Plans, James F. Ward

Michigan Law Review

Stock option plans generally have withstood judicial scrutiny where they have complied with the requirements developed to control the operation of this type of arrangement. It would seem, therefore, that the future of stock options is secure against even the most critical court review-that nothing in the nature of the stock option arrangement would render it vulnerable to a general attack. The writer believes that complacency in this assumption is not now advisable. Recently a view (from a respectable authority) has been introduced unnoticed into this area, and may have gained the acceptance accorded to an unsuspected imposter. This view, …

Securities Legislation - Limitations Upon The Scope Of Rule X-10b-5, Cyril Moscow

Michigan Law Review

A syndicate attempted to acquire all of the outstanding stock in a bridge corporation pursuant to a plan to transfer the stock to a bridge commission and realize substantial returns. The price offered for the stock was well over the market price but the resale plan was not disclosed. After control of 80 percent of the stock was obtained, the syndicate's purchasing agents were installed as officers and directors. They continued to purchase the stock without revealing the plan and the anticipated profits. Upon the completion of the plan, former stockholders in the corporation brought a class action against the …

Securities Legislation - Fraud Of Corporation Officers As Violation Of Securities And Exchange Act Of 1934, Douglas Peck S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The plaintiffs brought a stockholders' derivative suit in a federal district court, claiming that defendant directors had violated section 10 (b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 and rule X-10B-5 of the Securities and Exchange Commission. It was alleged that defendants who controlled as majority of the capital stock of the Algoma Coal and Coke Co., had purchased for the Algoma Company stock in two other corporations which they had formed and had manipulated the affairs of the Algoma Company so that business profits were diverted to those other corporations, thereby securing profits to themselves at the expense …

Securities And The Small Corporation, Leonard Lane

Cleveland State Law Review

It is not the purpose of this article to encompass in its entirety the vast field of securities transactions, but rather to examine this field from the position of the small corporation. Only the high points of this limited area are dealt with, and of necessity the treatment is not exhaustive. Wherever possible, an attempt will be made to point out the problems which might beset the small corporation which is not fully cognizant of the importance of state and federal securities legislation. While it is true that the federal legislation was not enacted primarily for the small corporate issuer, …

Corporations-Officers And Directors-Fiduciary Duty Of Officer Purchasing Stock From Shareholder, Walter H. Weiner

Michigan Law Review

Defendant, president of a corporation acquired stock owned by plaintiff and others by falsely representing that the corporation had been sold. After enhancing the value of this stock, defendant sold it. Plaintiff brought suit for fraudulent conversion and the trial court directed a verdict for the defendant. On appeal, held, reversed. An officer negotiating with a shareholder for the purchase of shares must act with scrupulous trust and confidence, and unless the officer acts with the utmost fairness the wronged shareholder may invoke the proper remedy. Blazer v. Black, (10th Cir. 1952) 196 F. (2d) 139.

Corporations-Blue Sky Laws-Liability Of Officers And Directors Of Corporation For Violation, L. W. Larson, Jr.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff sued a corporation and its president to recover money paid for purchase of stock sold in violation of the ''blue sky" laws of Michigan. The president, through correspondence, had induced plaintiff to complete the purchase. Plaintiff had judgment below against both defendants. The president alone appealed, contending among other things that he was not an "agent" within the meaning of the statute. Held, affirmed. The word "agent" in the Michigan statute1 includes officers and directors of the corporation whether they are authorized "agents" or are holding themselves out as "agents" of the corporation. Cleland v. Smart, 321 …

Corporations--Section 16 (B) Of Securities Exchange Act-Short Swing Profits-Statute Of Limitations, Emerson T. Chandler

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiffs brought a shareholders' class action under section 16 (b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 alleging that defendant, an officer, director, and substantial stockholder of the corporation, had realized profits from trading in the corporation's securities within a six-month period and had fraudulently concealed such profits by failing to file the statement required by section 16 (a) of the act until after suit was instituted against him over four years later by the S.E.C., thereby delaying plaintiff's discovery of the facts. Defendant moved for dismissal on the ground that suit was not brought within the two-year period …

Corporations - Pre-Emptive Rights Of Shareholders In Originally Authorized But Unissued Capital Stock, Everett R. Trebilcock

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, a minority stockholder, brought an action to cancel 58,400 shares of originally authorized but unissued stock which the directors had issued to defendant general manager in payment of his services. Plaintiff contended this violated his pre-emptive right to subscribe to the shares and alleged the transaction was fraudulent in that defendant and the directors conspired to gain voting control. Held, the issue was proper because the stock was part of the first offering of original authorized capital stock to which plaintiff's pre-emptive right did not attach, and plaintiff failed to show collusion between directors and defendant to gain …

Taxation - Federal Income Tax - Evasion Through Use Of The Corporate Entity, G. Randall Price

Michigan Law Review

The taxpayer purchased A Company stock from X for $100,000 and later sold it for $7,500, deducting the loss in his tax return for that year. Following the discovery of fraud on the part of X he reacquired the stock for $8,000 and then negotiated a settlement with X providing for a resale to X for $100,000. To avoid high taxes on the resulting profit, the taxpayer organized B corporation and purchased all its stock. He then sold to it the A Company stock and all his claims against X in return for its promise to pay back the $100,000 …

Securities Legislation - Act Of 1933 - Withdrawal Of Registration Statement, Fred C. Newman

Michigan Law Review

The right to withdraw, a registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission was involved in a recent case. The plaintiff had filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The statement became effective. Thereafter, the commission instituted proceedings under the stop order provision. There had been no sale of shares to which the registration statement related. After the hearings commenced, plaintiff petitioned the commission for permission to withdraw the registration statement. The commission denied the petition. Thereupon plaintiff filed a bill in equity, praying that the commission be required to permit plaintiff to withdraw its registration …

Torts - Violation Of Penal Statute As Civil Wrong - Bucketing - Intentional Wrong, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A statute prohibited bucketing operations by dealers in securities and commodities, and provided penalties for such offenses. Plaintiff alleges that, acting without knowledge of defendant's illegal operations, he gave the defendant an order for the purchase of stock, which, he says, was not executed, as defendant reported, but "bucketed" in a manner prohibited by statute. Plaintiff sued to recover damages. Defendant demurred on the grounds (1) that the transaction referred to was not bucketing, but (2) that if it was, defendants were not liable to this plaintiff as the latter was not within the class of persons intended to be …

Corporations - Parent's Liability For Subsidiary's Obligations, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A parent corporation owned all the stock of a subsidiary which it had organized to hold real estate, its own business being mercantile. The directors and officers of both corporations were identical. The subsidiary sublet premises for ninety-nine years, in turn leasing them to the parent for ten years. Improvements were made in accordance with the subsidiary's contract, and "leasehold trust certificates" were issued by an assignee of the underlying lease. The parent quit the premises before the expiration of its lease, but paid the rent for the whole period. The subsidiary then defaulted on the ninety-nine year lease, having …

Corporations - Statutes Declaring Watered Stock Void - Effect Upon The Stockholder's Liability To Creditors

Michigan Law Review

Prior to the present era of "blue sky" laws providing for the careful scrutiny by the state of the issuance of stock, the evil of watered stock was sought to be curbed by constitutional and statutory provisions of a prohibitory and often penal nature. These statutes and constitutional provisions very generally take one of two forms.

The Colorado and the Arizona provisions are typical. In practical effect the two types of provisions are indistinguishable. The phrase "bona fide subscribers" in the Arizona form is construed to mean one who actually turns something of value over to the corporation in lieu …

Election Of Remedies - As Between Conversion And Replevin - Measure Of Recovery

Michigan Law Review

Through fraud, defendant received from plaintiff certain shares of stock together with other securities to secure a loan of $300,000 to the plaintiff. Defendant wrongfully hypothecated this stock. Plaintiff, after learning of the conversion, sued for the specific stock in replevin. During the course of the action he changed his demand to one in damages for conversion. The court held that plaintiff may not change the theory of his cause of action from replevin to conversion. Satterwhite v. Harriman Nat. Bank & Trust Co., (D. C. N. Y. 1935) 13 F. Supp. 493.

State "Blue-Sky" Laws And The Federal Securities Acts, Russell A. Smith

Michigan Law Review

With the current revival of business has come increased activity in the securities markets. Corporations are taking advantage of low money rates to refund outstanding issues and, to some extent, to obtain new money for corporate purposes. If the upturn in business proves to be substantial, rather than merely a temporary, government-induced short-time swing, the issuance of securities for the purpose of financing capital improvements will doubtless accelerate. Questions arising under the various laws, federal and state, for the regulation of the sale of securities will become increasingly important. Persons interested in the issuance and disposal of securities desire, of …

Corporations -Liability Of Broker On Misleading Circulars

Michigan Law Review

The possibilities of civil and criminal liability under the recent Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 have caused considerable fear to those business groups which take part in the business of issuing and transferring corporate securities. The federal acts do subject the vendor of securities who induces sales by means of false or misleading prospectuses and circulars to a possibility of civil liability which was not present under the common law. In a recent Michigan case, the court reached substantially the objectives sought by these acts by applying the existing rules of common law in …

Banks And Banking - Bank Stock Holding Company As Fraud On Double Liability Statute

Michigan Law Review

The question as to when, to prevent evasion of a statutory liability, a court will look behind a corporate entity in order to hold individual stockholders liable has been raised in two recent cases. The first, a federal case, involved the Detroit Bankers Company, a Michigan corporation formed for the purpose of holding and investing in bank stocks. Each corporate stock certificate of the holding company contained an "agreement" that the holder of the stock would be liable for his pro rata share of any assessment for which the corporation might become liable as a result of the failure of …