Many times a lender or creditor will enter into a contract with a corporation or business entity and request that the signer or owner of the business personally guaranty all amounts due. There is a very specific legal way this should be done for the guaranty to be enforceable. When weighing whether a signatory intended…
Legal Articles
Shareholder Oppression, Fiduciary Duties
If a plaintiff in a corporation can demonstrate that there is shareholder oppression, then the plaintiff may be entitled to equitable relief. When does shareholder oppression exist? It typically occurs when an action by the majority suggests burdensome, harsh and wrongful conduct; a lack of honesty and fair dealing in the affairs of the company;…
Nonprofit Corporation Derivative Actions
A corporate derivative action is one in which a shareholder or member sues on behalf of the corporation and against a director — usually for mismanagement, breach of fiduciary duty and/or some other malfeasance. The reasoning is that the injury is to the corporation and that the corporation, not its members/shareholders, must bring the suit…
Corporate Derivative Shareholder Claims, Beneficiary Trust Claims
With corporations, the directors and officers manage the corporation for the benefit of the shareholders. With trusts, the trustees manage the trust for the benefit of the beneficiaries. When a corporate officer/director commits a wrong against the corporation, or causes another injury to the corporation, a shareholder can bring a derivative on behalf of the…
Corporate Dissolution & Discontinuance, Shareholder Disagreement
There are a number of ways a corporation can be dissolved through a lawsuit in Missouri. Some of the methods depend on the nature of the corporation (e.g., close corporation, statutory close corporation). There are a few which further depend on whether the directors, officers and/or shareholders are in a “gridlock” or “stalemate” with respect…
Corporate Director/Officer, Limited Liability Company Manager Liability
Corporate officers and directors, as well as managers of limited liability companies (LLC), are generally protected from discretionary business decisions. Inevitably, when a suit is filed by a shareholder of a corporation or member of a LLC , the director, officer or manager will assert the business judgment rule as a defense to the lawsuit. …
Corporate Officer-Director Duties, Post Employment Responsibilities
Officers and directors of a corporation occupy a fiduciary position in relation to the corporation and its shareholders. The position is one of trust and officer and directors are obligated to act with fidelity and must subordinate their personal interest to the interest of the corporation should there be a conflict. Johnson v. Duensing, 351 S.W.2d…
Business Judgment Rule
In Missouri, the “Business Judgment Rule” is a legal principle which protects directors and officers of a corporation from liability for decisions made within the director’s or officer’s authority that are made in good faith and uninfluenced by any other consideration than the honest belief that the action serves the best interests of the corporation. Betty…
Personal Liability for Corporate Officers and Directors
One of the traditional benefits of a corporation is that it generally shields its shareholders, directors and officers from the liabilities of the corporation. Indeed, merely holding a corporate officer in Missouri does not subject one to personal liability for the misdeeds of the corporation. Grothe v. Helterbrand, 946 S.W.2d 301, 304 (Mo. Ct. App. 1997)….