6) Minority Shareholder Remedies Flashcards
MA 3
Directors are responsible for the day-to-day running of the company and have the authority necessary to act on the company’s behalf in this regard.
s21 CA 2006
Certain key decisions require shareholder approval.
Eg Amending the company’s articles
s188 CA 2006
Granting a director a long-term service contract
s197 CA 2006
Making a loan to a director
s168 CA 2006
Removing a director from office
Ordinary Resolution
Over 50% in favour
Special Resolution
75%
Principle of the Majority Rule
Directors and shareholders act by majority rule.
Pervades company law.
CA 2006 - minority shareholders
- Have certain limited remedies where the management of the company causes prejudice and loss
Historically minority shareholders’ only remedy
Petition the court for the company to be wound up as just and equitable to do so
Introduction of action for unfair prejudice
- Sought to provide minority shareholders with a better remedy
- Initially set out in s459 CA 1985
- Now s994 CA 2006
S994(1)
- A member of a company may applyto the court by petition for an order…on the ground:
- Company’s affairs are conducted in a manner unfairly prejudicial to interest of members generally, or some at least.
- Or that would be prejudicial
To succeed with a petition under s 994(1)
Petition must establish
unfairly prejudicial conduct arising from an act or omission of the company.
Or made on the company’s behalf.
* Must be by the company, not individuals
* Relate to affairs of company, not personal
Re Legal Costs Negotiators Ltd 1999
- 4 = shareholders, directors and employees.
- Fourth individual dismissed as employee - resigned as director.
- Petitioned under s 459 to transfer his shares to them
CoA rejected petition, as the majority could prevent any prejudice
Re Home & Office Fire Extinguisher Ltd 2012
- Overlap between the requirement that conduct relates to company affairs and not personal disputes, where disputes make it impossible for parties to continue working together.
- Brother attacked with hammer - ordered to sell his shares in company
Breach that the company would act properly and in good faith
Re City Branch Group Ltd, Gross v Rackind 2005
- Conduct of a subsidiary regarded as falling within the affairs of a company.
- Especially where the directors are the same
Petitioner must prove
That their interests in their capacity as members have been unfairly prejudiced as a result of conduct on the part of the company
Construed widely
De Bovey Hotel Ventures Ltd
Members have an interest in the value of shares
* May be able to bring a claim if can show value has been seriously jeopardies
* by action of company & is unfair
Gamelstaden Fastigheter B Baltic Partner Ltd 2007
- Member had provided a loan to the company
- Issue was whether petition should be struck out where company was insolvent and relief sought.
Interests extend to members who are a creditor - distinction artificial.
Unfair prejudice case
O’Neill v Phillips 1999
O’Neil v Philips
- Petitioner employed by company. Was awarded 25% of company and made director.
- Following decline after sole director, retired director used voting rights to appoint himself MD.
- Petitioner issued a petition for unfair prejudice based on legit expectation of receiving 50% profits.
**HoL held no unfair prejudice, 50% never formalised and relied on petitioner running business((
Hoffmann LJ - O’Neill v Phillips
Fairness for the purposes of s994 must be viewed in context of a commercial relationship - that set out in the articles.
Re Tobian Properties Ltd 2012
Arden LJ
Unfairly prejudicial = two elements
* Unfairness
* prejudice
Cannot be unbound
Following O’Neill v Phillips to establish unfair prejudice against
Petitioner must prove
* Breach of Contract (Articles; or shareholders agreement)
* Breach of some fundamental understanding
How will court address claims of unfair conduct
- Look into conduct in accordance with articles
- Consider scope for “fundamental understandings”
- Unfairness tested - looking whether the majority acting in a manner which equity would have regard as contrary to good faith
Unfairness tested
Majority had acted in a manner equity would regard as contrary to good faith
Is unlawful conduct unfairly prejudicial
- Not necessarily
Examples of unfairly prejudicial conduct
- Exclusion from management
- Mismanagement
- Breach of director’s fiduciary duties
- Excessive renumeration / refusal to pay dividends
Cases re: Exclusion from Management
- Tottenham Hotspur plc 1994
- Re Compound Photonics Group Ltd 2022
Exclusion from Management
- Director may validly be removed from office by an OR under s168 CA 2006
- Not the case that any removal = unfair prejudice
Re Tottenham Hotspur Plc, 1994
Venables CE of football club
Brought a petition claiming unfair prejudice after dismissed from office.
Held that he had no legitimate expectation of remaining in control = failed
Re Compound Photonics Group Ltd 2002
- Two minority shareholders petitioned for unfair prejudice for termination of roles as directors.
- Breached SA: good faith; majority shareholders not to determine commercial strategy.
- CoA rejected the petition - Good Faith clause not so wide.
Absence of express provision to entrench directors = lack of intention
Mismanagement
- Risk of poor management inherent to share ownership
- Courts will not interfere in business decision making except when CoI.
- When directors have abused their powers may amount to mismangement
Re Elgindata Ltd 1991
Courts will interfere when there is a clear conflict of interest
Mismanagement Cases
- Re Macro (Ipswich) Ltd 1994
Re Macro (Ipswich) Ltd 1994
- Allegation of mismanagement over 40 years resulting in economic loss
- Sole director neglected responsibilities - allowed theft from company by employees.
Successfully argued substantial loss sufferred = unfair prejudice
Breach of directors’ fiduciary duties - cases
- Re London School of Economics 1986
- Re Little Olympian Each Ways ltd (No3) 1995
- Re A Company (No 005287 or 1985) 1986
Re London School of Economics 1986
- Petition for UF succeeded
- Those in control had misappropriated assets by diverting them to another business owned by them
Re Little Olympian Each-Ways No3, 1995
- Directors sold business at substantial undervalue
- Part of a wider transaction; directors received personal benefit.
= UF
Re A Company (No 005287 and 1985) 1986
Petition for UF succeeded as directors made secret profits
Excessive remuneration and refusal to pay dividentds
- Articles provide Directors renumeration should be determined by the GM
- Practice delegated to the board
- Court won’t interfere if honest
Excessive remuneration and refusal to pay dividends
Case
Re a Company No 004415 of 1996
Re a Company No 004415 of 1996
Court held renumeration and dividend
* not justified by “objective commercial criteria”
* UF to shareholders who are not directors
Who may bring a claim for UF?
Unfair prejudice claim can be brought by a “member” of the company
s994(1)
s994(1)
Unfair prejudice claim can be brought by a “member” of the company
S112
Defines a “member” as subscirber to the company’s memorandum; name is entered onto register of members.
- Can be broadly interpreted in some circumstances
Who may bring a claim for unfair prejudice - cases
- Harris v Jones 2011
- Blunt v Jackson 2013
Harris v Jones 2011
- Court held a person whom shares had been transferred
- But had not been registered as a member
- Had the right to bring an s994 petition
Blunt v Jackson 2013
- Judge noted court had power to retrospectively amend register of members.
- Allowed a person agreed to become a 50% shareholder and had worked for low wages - although not registered
- to succeed based on exclusion from management
Where do remedies for UF come from.
s996 (2)
Remedies - s996(1)
Courts make such order has thinks fit for giving relief in respect of matters complained of.
s 996(2)
Remedies list:
* Regulate conduct of company’s affairs in future
* Require company to refrain or do an act
* Authorise civil proceedings
* Require a company not to alter articles
* Provide for purchase of shares by any member of the company
Grace v Bigiolu 2005
Presumption that a court will grant and order for the purchase of the petitioners shares by the company or another shareholder
s99623
Most common remedy for small private companies
Share purchase order
Small private companies have limited options to sell shares.
Court to determine a price that is fair in all circumstances
s755 CA 2006
Private companies are prohibited from offering shares to the public
Re Bird Precision Bellows Ltd 1984
- Unfair to impose a discount on the shares to represent limited voting power since mainly being forced to sell
Why is the valuation of shares difficult
- Value of shares may have changed considerably between when petition to court was made and the date of judgment
- See Abbington Hotel Ltd 2011
Abbington Hotel Ltd 2011
- Starting point for date of valuation of shares is the date of the judgment
- Court is free to choose a date that is most appropriate **Date should be that which best remedies the unfair prejudice held*
O’ Neill v Phillips 1999 - valuation
- If offer is made on expert valuation
- Respondent may be entitled to have petition for UF struck out
McCallum-Toppin 2019
Estate of deceased director succeeded with a UF claim.
Majority
* Deprived dividends; paid large salaries
* Used as personal piggy bank - borrowed in excess of £1 mill.
Majority ordered to buy out at a fair, undiscounted value
Re Sprintroom, 2019
- Breach of duty by a director who incorrectly claimed the IP was vested to him personally rather than company.
- Did not preclude remedy as 40% shareholder for exclusion by management, and undervalued share offer.
Balancing payment ordered
Historically just and equitable winding up….
Was the only remedy available to an aggrieved minority shareholder
s122(1)9g) Insolvency Act 1986
A company may be wound up by the court if the court is of the opinion that it is just and equitable that it be wound up
Remedy of winding up a company comes from….
- Law of partnership
- Courts of equity had jurisdicition to dissolve partnership where relationship between members had broken down
Just and equitable winding up is a….. remedy
- Draconian
- Remedy of last resort
- Where possible will find alternative remedies