Supreme Court of California Justia
Citation 42 Cal.4th 1100 original opinion
Grosset v. Wenaas


Filed 2/14/08

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA

RICHARD GROSSET,
Plaintiff,
S139285
v.
Ct.App.
4/1
D043684
ERIC P. WENAAS et al.,
San
Diego
County
Defendants and Respondents; )
Super. Ct. No. GIC 775153
SIK-LIN HUANG,
Intervener and Appellant.

Richard Grosset originally filed this shareholder’s derivative action on
behalf of JNI Corporation (JNI) against certain of its directors and officers. The
complaint sought redress solely for injuries sustained by JNI as a result of the
defendants’ alleged wrongdoing. No recovery was sought for any direct or
individual harm to JNI stockholders.
After Grosset lost standing to litigate this matter, the trial court permitted
Sik-Lin Huang, another JNI shareholder, to intervene and prosecute the action.
Thereafter, around the time the trial court granted a motion to dismiss the
derivative complaint, JNI merged with another corporation. As part of the merger,
Huang was required to sell his JNI stock to a corporation that became the new sole
stockholder of JNI. We granted review to consider the effect of the corporate
1



merger on Huang’s standing to pursue the appeal of the adverse trial court
judgment.
We hold, as a matter of California law, that Huang lacks standing to
continue litigating this derivative action because he no longer owns stock in JNI as
a result of the merger. Accordingly, we affirm the Court of Appeal’s dismissal of
the appeal.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND1
JNI was incorporated in Delaware and at all relevant times was based in
San Diego. JNI designs, manufactures, and markets hardware and software
products that connect computer servers to data storage devices to form “storage
area networks.”
In late 2000 and early 2001, JNI’s stock price rose steeply and then fell
precipitously. In April 2001, six securities fraud class actions were filed in federal
court against JNI and its officers and directors. The district court consolidated
these actions and appointed David Osher and others as lead plaintiffs. (See Osher
v. JNI Corp. (S.D.Cal. 2004) 308 F.Supp.2d 1168, 1176.) In that action, the
district court granted JNI’s three successive motions to dismiss, finding the Osher
plaintiffs did not allege sufficient facts establishing that defendants knowingly or
recklessly made false or misleading statements. (Id. at p. 1197.) Although the
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently concluded the last dismissal was properly
ordered, it vacated the judgment in part because the district court did not
sufficiently explain its denial of leave to amend. (Osher v. JNI Corp. (9th Cir.
May 12, 2006) 183 Fed.Appx. 604, Fed. Sec. L.Rep. 93, 852 [nonpub. opn.].)

1
These background facts have been taken largely from the Court of Appeal
opinion and from documents appended to the parties’ motions for judicial notice
filed in the Court of the Appeal.
2



Meanwhile, in September 2001, former plaintiff Richard Grosset initiated
the instant derivative action on behalf of JNI against nine JNI directors and
officers. When Grosset subsequently sold his JNI stock, the trial court permitted
Sik-Lin Huang, a JNI stockholder, to intervene and continue this litigation.
Huang’s complaint in intervention alleges causes of action against
defendants for breach of fiduciary duty, waste of corporate assets, gross
mismanagement of JNI, and insider trading in connection with a secondary
offering by JNI. Recovery is sought solely on behalf of JNI, in the form of
compensation for the corporate damages caused by defendants’ conduct, statutory
damages, and an award of costs and disbursements, including reasonable attorney
and expert fees.
In September 2002, JNI’s board of directors (the Board) created a special
litigation committee (the SLC) to investigate the allegations in the derivative
complaint and to determine whether Huang’s derivative action would further JNI’s
best interests. JNI appointed the Honorable Howard Wiener (retired) and Admiral
Leon “Bud” Edney (retired) to the Board and to serve as the members of the SLC.
Justice Wiener and Admiral Edney had no prior relationships with JNI or any of
the defendants, and no prior business dealings with JNI, and owned no JNI stock.
They retained separate counsel to assist the SLC in its investigation.
To fulfill its mission, the SLC reviewed the allegations and causes of action
in the derivative complaint, including the public statements challenged in the
federal securities class action. The SLC researched the applicable law and
conducted over 60 hours of interviews with JNI employees, auditors, and attorneys
knowledgeable about the relevant events. Thousands of pages of documents were
reviewed, including JNI’s press releases in 2000 and 2001, internal corporate
documents, public offering documents, Securities and Exchange Commission
filings, analyst reports, industry reports, and historical stock information for JNI
3

and its competitors. The SLC also heard presentations from each side in this
matter, and reviewed materials provided by Huang’s attorneys in support of the
derivative claims.
Based on its investigation, the SLC issued a 64-page report concluding the
derivative claims lacked merit and would likely not be successful. The SLC
determined, inter alia, that the steep rise and fall of JNI’s stock price was caused
by a confluence of events in the marketplace, and not by a contrived scheme of
false and misleading statements on the part of the directors and management to
promote JNI’s stock solely for personal profit. Thus, pursuing the derivative
action would not be in JNI’s best interests.
Armed with its report, the SLC filed a motion to dismiss the derivative
complaint. After conducting discovery with court leave, Huang filed an
opposition that disputed the independence, adequacy, and reasonableness of the
SLC’s membership, investigation, and conclusions. Ultimately, the trial court
rejected Huang’s challenges to the SLC and its report and dismissed the derivative
complaint with prejudice.
Before Huang filed his appeal of the judgment in defendants’ favor, the
stockholders of JNI voted to approve a merger. Pursuant to the merger, a wholly
owned subsidiary of Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC) merged with
and into JNI, and JNI continued as the surviving company. Upon the merger’s
consummation, AMCC purchased all outstanding shares of JNI stock, and JNI
became a wholly owned subsidiary of AMCC. Defendants subsequently moved to
dismiss Huang’s appeal on the ground he had no standing to pursue the litigation
after selling his JNI stock in the merger.
The Court of Appeal heard defendants’ motion to dismiss in conjunction
with the appeal. Upon finding that Huang lacked standing to continue the action,
the court dismissed the appeal without addressing its merits.
4

We granted Huang’s petition for review.
DISCUSSION
As indicated, Huang lost his JNI stock as a result of a merger transaction.
The central issue is whether Huang’s loss of status as a JNI stockholder deprived
him of standing to pursue this derivative action on JNI’s behalf.
The Court of Appeal determined that the law of the state of incorporation
governs this issue, because the requirements for standing implicate the internal
affairs of a corporation.2 JNI was incorporated in Delaware, where the law
indisputably requires a plaintiff who brings an action on behalf of a corporation to
maintain continuous stock ownership in the corporation throughout the action’s
pendency. Applying Delaware law, the court concluded that Huang’s loss of his
JNI stock as part of the merger resulted in his loss of standing to maintain the
appeal of this action. The court proceeded to find, in the alternative, that because
California law imposes a continuous ownership requirement that parallels
Delaware law, Huang lacks standing in any event.
Huang disputes this reasoning. He claims that California does not have a
continuous stock ownership requirement, and that a former shareholder may
maintain a derivative action in this state so long as the individual satisfies section
800 of the California Corporations Code3 by owning stock in the corporation at

2
The term “internal affairs” refers to matters that involve “the relations inter
se of the corporation, its shareholders, directors, officers or agents.” (Rest.2d
Conf. of Laws, § 302, com. a, p. 307.) A conflict of laws principle known as the
“internal affairs doctrine” posits that only one state — usually the state of
incorporation — should have the authority to regulate a corporation’s internal
affairs. (See Edgar v. MITE Corp. (1982) 457 U.S. 624, 645.)
3
All further statutory references are to this code unless otherwise indicated.
5



the time of the alleged wrongdoing and at the time the action was filed.4 Huang
argues that, given this material conflict between California law and Delaware law,
the former should apply because California has a stronger interest than Delaware
in regulating the matter. In particular, he notes, JNI is headquartered in California,
the defendant officers and directors reside in this state, and all of the acts and
transactions forming the basis of the derivative claims occurred here. Claiming he
satisfies California’s standing requirements, Huang urges reversal of the Court of
Appeal judgment.
As both parties recognize, this case potentially raises a conflict of laws
issue. If we find, however, that the Court of Appeal correctly determined both
Delaware and California require a plaintiff to maintain continuous stock
ownership throughout the litigation of a derivative action, then there is no material
conflict and we must uphold the dismissal of Huang’s appeal. (See Washington
Mutual Bank v. Superior Court (2001) 24 Cal.4th 906, 920.) But if we conclude
that Delaware law imposes this requirement while California law does not, we
must then analyze the governmental interests of the two states, including the effect
of the internal affairs doctrine, to determine which state’s law ought to apply. (See
ibid.)

4
Although not at issue here, section 800 also provides that a complaint in a
derivative action must contain allegations that the plaintiff shareholder first
informed the directors of the ultimate facts of each cause of action and made a
reasonable effort to induce them to commence suit themselves or otherwise
redress the wrong, or allegations establishing that such efforts would have been
futile or useless. (§ 800, subd. (b)(2); see Eggers v. National Radio Co. (1929)
208 Cal. 308, 313-314.)
6



A. Corporation Law and Shareholder Litigation: Basic Principles
Before addressing the stock ownership requirements of Delaware and
California law, we review several basic principles relating to corporation law and
shareholder litigation.
It is fundamental that a corporation is a legal entity that is distinct from its
shareholders. (Merco Constr. Engineers, Inc. v. Municipal Court (1978) 21
Cal.3d 724, 729.) The authority to manage the business and affairs of a
corporation is vested in its board of directors, not in its shareholders. (§ 300, subd.
(a); Granite Gold Min. Co. v. Maginness (1897) 118 Cal. 131, 138.) This includes
the authority to commence, defend, and control actions on behalf of the
corporation. (See generally 2 Ballantine & Sterling, Cal. Corporation Laws (4th
ed. 2007) § 290, p. 14-6 (Ballantine & Sterling); e.g., A. Paladini, Inc. v. Superior
Court (1933) 218 Cal. 114, 121.)
Because a corporation exists as a separate legal entity, the shareholders
have no direct cause of action or right of recovery against those who have harmed
it. The shareholders may, however, bring a derivative suit to enforce the
corporation’s rights and redress its injuries when the board of directors fails or
refuses to do so. When a derivative suit is brought to litigate the rights of the
corporation, the corporation is an indispensable party and must be joined as a
nominal defendant. (See generally Friedman, Cal. Practice Guide: Corporations
(The Rutter Group 2007) §§ 6:602-6:603, 6:611, pp. 6-131, 6-134; 2 Ballantine &
Sterling, supra, § 291.02, pp. 14-7 to 14-8.)
An action is deemed derivative “ ‘if the gravamen of the complaint is injury
to the corporation, or to the whole body of its stock and property without any
severance or distribution among individual holders, or it seeks to recover assets for
7

the corporation or to prevent the dissipation of its assets.’ ” (Jones v. H.F.
Ahmanson & Co. (1969) 1 Cal.3d 93, 106.)5 When a derivative action is
successful, the corporation is the only party that benefits from any recovery; the
shareholders derive no benefit “ ‘except the indirect benefit resulting from a
realization upon the corporation’s assets.’ ” (Jones, at p. 107.)
B. Delaware Law
The parties do not dispute that Delaware imposes two stock ownership
requirements for standing in a derivative action. The Delaware Corporations Code
provides: “In any derivative suit instituted by a stockholder of the corporation, it
shall be averred in the complaint that the plaintiff was a stockholder of the
corporation at the time of the transaction of which such stockholder complains or
that such stockholder’s stock thereafter devolved upon such stockholder by
operation of law.” (Del. Code, tit. 8, § 327.) Delaware Court of Chancery Rules
of Court, rule 23.1 similarly specifies: “In a derivative action . . . the complaint
shall allege that the plaintiff was a shareholder or member at the time of the
transaction of which the plaintiff complains or that the plaintiff’s share or
membership thereafter devolved on the plaintiff by operation of law. . . .” The
purpose of this first requirement for “contemporaneous ownership” is to prevent
so-called strike suits, whereby stock in a corporation is purchased with “purely
litigious motives,” that is, “for the sole purpose of prosecuting a derivative action
to attack transactions” that occurred before the stock purchase. (Alabama By-

5
“Generally, a stockholder may not maintain an action in his own behalf for
a wrong done by a third person to the corporation on the theory that such wrong
devalued his stock and the stock of the other shareholders, for such an action
would authorize multitudinous litigation and ignore the corporate entity.” (Sutter
v. General Petroleum Corp.
(1946) 28 Cal.2d 525, 530; see Anderson v. Derrick
(1934) 220 Cal. 770, 773-774.)
8



Products Corp. v. Cede & Co. (Del. 1995) 657 A.2d 254, 264, fn. 12 (Alabama
By-Products); see Agostino v. Hicks (Del.Ch. 2004) 845 A.2d 1110, 1117, fn. 16.)
The Delaware courts have construed the foregoing legislation and rule as
further requiring that the derivative plaintiff retain stock ownership for the
duration of the litigation. (Lewis v. Anderson (Del. 1984) 477 A.2d 1040, 1046
(Lewis); see Kramer v. Western Pacific Industries, Inc. (Del. 1988) 546 A.2d 348,
354 (Kramer), citing Lewis, supra, 477 A.2d 1040.) This second requirement, for
“continuous ownership” of stock, is consistent with general principles of
corporation law and stems from the recognition that, ordinarily, the decision to
pursue a claim on behalf of a corporation is entrusted to the board of directors as
within the ambit of its authority to manage the corporation’s affairs. (Alabama
By-Products, supra, 657 A.2d at p. 265.) The rationale for permitting a
shareholder to maintain a derivative suit on a corporation’s behalf, and thereby
intrude upon a board’s authority, is that his or her “status as a shareholder provides
an interest and incentive to obtain legal redress for the benefit of the corporation.”
(Ibid.) But “[o]nce the derivative plaintiff ceases to be a stockholder in the
corporation on whose behalf the suit was brought, he no longer has a financial
interest in any recovery pursued for the benefit of the corporation.” (Ibid.) Like
the contemporaneous ownership rule, the continuous ownership rule aims to
“prevent the abuses frequently associated with a derivative suit.” (Id. at p. 264,
relying on Lewis, supra, 477 A.2d at p. 1046.)
Significantly, Delaware views the continuous ownership requirement as
“fully applicable to a question of post-merger standing to carry on a derivative
suit.” (Lewis, supra, 477 A.2d at p. 1046.) Thus, “[a] plaintiff who ceases to be a
shareholder, whether by reason of a merger or for any other reason, loses standing
to continue a derivative suit.” (Id. at p. 1049.)
9

Delaware recognizes two limited exceptions to the requirement of
continuous ownership as applied to mergers. A plaintiff who loses stock in a
corporation as a result of a merger may nonetheless possess standing to pursue a
derivative action: (1) where the merger itself is the subject of a claim of fraud,
perpetrated merely to deprive shareholders of the standing to bring a derivative
action; or (2) where the merger is in reality merely a reorganization that does not
affect the plaintiff’s ownership in the business enterprise. (Lewis v. Ward (Del.
2004) 852 A.2d 896, 902.) Huang does not contend there are facts bringing this
case within either exception.
C. California Law
Like Delaware, California has a statute that imposes stock ownership
requirements for standing to pursue a shareholder’s derivative suit. As relevant
here, section 800, subdivision (b)(1) (section 800(b)(1)) provides: “No action may
be instituted or maintained in right of any domestic or foreign corporation by any
holder of shares . . . unless . . . : [¶] (1) The plaintiff alleges in the complaint that
plaintiff was a shareholder, of record or beneficially . . . at the time of the
transaction or any part thereof of which plaintiff complains or that plaintiff’s
shares . . . thereafter devolved upon plaintiff by operation of law from a holder
who was a holder at the time of the transaction or any part thereof complained of
. . . .”6

6
Section 800(b)(1) provides in full: “No action may be instituted or
maintained in right of any domestic or foreign corporation by any holder of shares
or of voting trust certificates of the corporation unless both of the following
conditions exist: [¶] (1) The plaintiff alleges in the complaint that plaintiff was a
shareholder, of record or beneficially, or the holder of voting trust certificates at
the time of the transaction or any part thereof of which plaintiff complains or that
plaintiff’s shares or voting trust certificates thereafter devolved upon plaintiff by
operation of law from a holder who was a holder at the time of the transaction or

(footnote continued on next page)
10



While section 800(b)(1) is in many ways comparable to Delaware’s section
327, there are some noteworthy differences. One significant difference is that, in
contrast to the Delaware law, section 800(b)(1)’s contemporaneous ownership
requirement will not defeat standing in certain circumstances where the defendant
would otherwise be able to retain a gain from a willful breach of fiduciary duty
and where the plaintiff became a shareholder before disclosure of the alleged
wrongdoing. (Compare § 800(b)(1) with Del. Code, tit. 8, § 327; see 7547
Partners v. Beck (Del. 1996) 682 A.2d 160, 163.)
Another potentially significant difference is that the introductory language
of section 800, subdivision (b) (section 800(b)) states in pertinent part that “[n]o
action may be instituted or maintained in right of any . . . corporation by any
holder of shares . . . of the corporation” unless conditions such as the

(footnote continued from previous page)

any part thereof complained of; provided, that any shareholder who does not meet
these requirements may nevertheless be allowed in the discretion of the court to
maintain the action on a preliminary showing to and determination by the court, by
motion and after a hearing, at which the court shall consider such evidence, by
affidavit or testimony, as it deems material, that (i) there is a strong prima facie
case in favor of the claim asserted on behalf of the corporation, (ii) no other
similar action has been or is likely to be instituted, (iii) the plaintiff acquired the
shares before there was disclosure to the public or to the plaintiff of the
wrongdoing of which plaintiff complains, (iv) unless the action can be maintained
the defendant may retain a gain derived from defendant’s willful breach of a
fiduciary duty, and (v) the requested relief will not result in unjust enrichment of
the corporation or any shareholder of the corporation . . . .” (§ 800(b)(1).)
“The ‘operation of law’ exception to section 800” “implies the absence of
voluntary action and, therefore, courts generally do not regard mergers and
consequent transfers of stock to be ‘by operation of law.’ ” (Note, The Continuous
Ownership Requirement: A Bar to Meritorious Shareholder Derivative Actions?

(1986) 43 Wash. & Lee L.Rev. 1013, 1027, fn. 85 (Continuous Ownership
Requirement
).)
11



contemporaneous stock ownership requirement are met. (Italics added.) The
phrase “instituted or maintained” (italics added) appears on its face to be more
restrictive than the sole term “instituted” used in Delaware’s legislation (Del.
Code, tit. 8, § 327), and it seems to imply that only a shareholder may initiate or
maintain a derivative action. (§ 800(b), italics added; see 2 Model Bus. Corp. Act
Ann. (3d ed. with 2005 supp.) com. to § 7.41, pp. 7-332 to 7-333 [Official
comment interpreting “commence or maintain” language in § 7.41 of the Model
Bus. Corp. Act];7 Grace Bros., Ltd. v. Farley Industries, Inc. (Ga. 1994) 450
S.E.2d 814, 816 [interpreting “commenced or maintained” language in Georgia
statute].)
No California decision has construed the “instituted or maintained”
language as requiring a plaintiff to maintain continuous stock ownership
throughout litigation of a derivative action. There are, however, two decisions —

7
Section 7.41 of the American Bar Association’s Model Business
Corporation Act, entitled “Standing,” currently provides: “A shareholder may not
commence or maintain a derivative proceeding unless the shareholder: [¶] (1) was
a shareholder of the corporation at the time of the act or omission complained of
or became a shareholder through transfer by operation of law from one who was a
shareholder at that time; and [¶] (2) fairly and adequately represents the interests
of the corporation in enforcing the right of the corporation.” (Model Bus. Corp.
Act, § 7.41, as amended in 1990, italics added; see 44 Bus. Law. 543 (1989)
[proposing amendment], 45 Bus. Law. 1241 (1990) [adopting amendment].) The
official comment to this section explains in relevant part: “The introductory
language of section 7.41 refers both to the commencement and maintenance of the
proceeding
to make it clear that the proceeding should be dismissed if, after
commencement, the plaintiff ceases to be a shareholder or a fair and adequate
representative. The latter would occur, for example, if the plaintiff were using the
proceeding for personal advantage.” (2 Model Bus. Corp. Act Ann., supra, com.
to § 7.41, p. 7-333, italics added.) As the comment indicates, maintaining
continuous stock ownership is a requirement that is distinct from the fair and
adequate representation requirement.
12



Heckmann v. Ahmanson (1985) 168 Cal.App.3d 119 (Heckmann) and Gaillard v.
Natomas Co. (1985) 173 Cal.App.3d 410 (Gaillard) — that stated opposite
conclusions regarding the matter of continuous ownership.
In Heckmann, supra, 168 Cal.App.3d 119, stockholders in Walt Disney
Productions (Disney) filed a shareholder’s derivative suit against the Disney
directors and a group of former Disney stockholders known collectively as the
Steinberg Group. The plaintiffs alleged that, in the course of a takeover attempt,
the Steinberg Group breached fiduciary duties to Disney and other Disney
stockholders when, among other things, it initiated and then abandoned a
shareholder’s derivative action in federal court in order to obtain a premium price
for the Disney shares it resold to the defendants. Noting the Steinberg Group’s
abandonment of the federal derivative action, Heckmann concluded: “Once a
derivative plaintiff sells its stock, it no longer has standing to prosecute the
derivative claims on behalf of the remaining shareholders. (See Lewis v. Knutson
(5th Cir. 1983) 699 F.2d 230, 238 and cases cited therein; 7A Wright & Miller,
Federal Practice and Procedure (1972) § 1839, p. 437.)” (Heckmann, supra, 168
Cal.App.3d at p. 130.)
Although the Heckmann court acknowledged the continuous stock
ownership requirement, the standing of the plaintiffs in that case was not at issue
and there was no merger-related stock sale like the one here. Instead, the court
made the quoted statement in analyzing whether the defendants had breached a
fiduciary duty by filing and then abandoning the federal derivative action. (See
Heckmann, supra, 168 Cal.App.3d at p. 130.) Given this context, and the brevity
of its discussion, we do not view Heckmann as either convincing or dispositive on
the matter.
Without mentioning the Heckmann decision, Gaillard, supra, 173
Cal.App.3d 410, held that a plaintiff is not required to maintain continuous stock
13

ownership in order to pursue a derivative action in California. In that case, a
common stockholder of Natomas Company (Natomas) challenged “ ‘golden
parachute’ ” agreements and other benefits provided for certain corporate officers
and directors when Natomas merged with Diamond Shamrock Corporation. (Id. at
p. 413.) Although the plaintiff had filed the derivative action before the merger
became effective, she subsequently had to exchange her Natomas stock for
common stock in a third corporation that had been formed for purposes of the
merger. After the merger, the defendants contended the plaintiff lost standing to
proceed with the derivative action because she no longer owned stock in Natomas.
(Ibid.)
Gaillard declined to construe section 800(b)’s “instituted or maintained”
language as requiring continuous ownership of stock throughout a derivative
lawsuit. Instead, it found that the term “ ‘maintained’ ” was intended to “allow
one who, by operation of law, becomes an owner of shares which already are the
basis of a derivative action, to continue that litigation.” (Gaillard, supra, 173
Cal.App.3d at p. 415.) Upon determining that section 800(b) requires only
contemporaneous ownership and ownership at the time the action is filed, Gaillard
held the plaintiff there had standing to proceed with the derivative action because
she had met these particular requirements. (Gaillard, supra, 173 Cal.App.3d at
pp. 414-417.)
Even assuming section 800(b)’s “instituted or maintained” language
reasonably includes a plaintiff whose shares devolved on him or her by operation
of law after the filing of a derivative action, nothing in the statutory language or
history purports to limit its application to that singular circumstance. Indeed, as
indicated above, a comparable provision of section 7.41 of the Model Business
Corporation Act with very similar language (“commence or maintain”) has been
construed as clarifying that dismissal of a derivative action is required “if, after
14

commencement [of the action], the plaintiff ceases to be a shareholder . . . .” (2
Model Bus. Corp. Act Ann., supra, com. to § 7.41, p. 7-333; for full text, see ante,
fn. 7; see also Grace Bros., Ltd. v. Farley Industries, Inc., supra, 450 S.E.2d at p.
816 [same, for Georgia statute].)8
Viewing the statutory terms in context, we observe that paragraphs (1) and
(2) of section 800(b) serve to identify what a plaintiff must allege in a complaint to
establish standing in a shareholder’s derivative action. (See ante, fns. 4, 6.) Given
this circumstance, the failure to explicitly address an issue that might later arise
during the pendency of an action, such as the loss of the plaintiff’s stock, is hardly
surprising. Moreover, we have reviewed the available legislative history of
section 800, and find that nothing in its history, just as nothing in its text, indicates
that the Legislature rejected a continuous ownership requirement, or that
construing the statute to include such a requirement would be contrary to
legislative intent.
Our review of the statutory language and history leads us to conclude that,
while section 800(b) seems to point to a continuous ownership requirement, the
“instituted or maintained” language does not clearly impose it. Nonetheless, other

8
Interestingly, Gaillard made the observation that, after the predecessor to
section 800 was adopted, subsequent amendments to the statute were patterned in
part after the Model Business Corporation Act. (Gaillard, supra, 173 Cal.App.3d
at p. 415.) But Gaillard quoted the 1975 version of the model act, which simply
provided: “ ‘No actions shall be brought . . . by a shareholder in the right of a
domestic or foreign corporation unless the plaintiff was a holder of record of
shares . . . at the time of the transaction of which he complains, or his shares . . .
thereafter devolved upon him by operation of law from a person who was a holder
of record at such time.’ ” (Gaillard, supra, 173 Cal.App.3d at p. 415, fn. 5,
original italics deleted, new italics added.) In 1990, the model act was amended to
include the current “commence or maintain” language, which as the official
comment explains, was intended to clarify that continuous stock ownership is a
requirement for standing. (See ante, fn. 7.)
15



considerations ultimately support this interpretation of the statute. Not only does a
requirement for continuous ownership further the statutory purpose to minimize
abuse of the derivative suit, but the basic legal principles pertaining to
corporations and shareholder litigation all but compel it.
To reiterate: the authority to manage a corporation’s affairs generally
resides in its board of directors, not its stockholders. Thus, the decision to pursue
a claim on a corporation’s behalf falls squarely within the authority vested in the
corporate board. The fundamental purpose of a derivative action is to provide a
means by which a stockholder may seek to enforce the rights of a corporation
when the corporate board refuses to do so. (Jones v. H.F. Ahmanson & Co.,
supra, 1 Cal.3d at p. 106; Schilling v. Belcher (5th Cir. 1978) 582 F.2d 995, 1001.)
If successful, a derivative claim will accrue to the direct benefit of the corporation
and not to the stockholder who litigated it. (Jones v. H.F. Ahmanson & Co.,
supra, 1 Cal.3d at pp. 106-107; Alabama By-Products, supra, 657 A.2d at p. 265.)
Because a derivative claim does not belong to the stockholder asserting it,
standing to maintain such a claim is justified only by the stockholder relationship
and the indirect benefits made possible thereby, which furnish the stockholder
with an interest and incentive to seek redress for injury to the corporation. (See
Jones v. H.F. Ahmanson & Co., supra, 1 Cal.3d at p. 107; Klopstock v. Superior
Court (1941) 17 Cal.2d 13, 16 [“the stockholder’s ultimate interest in the
corporation is sufficient to justify the bringing of” a derivative action];
Christopher v. Liberty Oil & Gas Corp. (La.Ct.App. 1995) 665 So.2d 410, 411.)
Once this relationship ceases to exist, the derivative plaintiff lacks standing
because he or she “no longer has a financial interest in any recovery pursued for
the benefit of the corporation.” (Alabama By-Products, supra, 657 A.2d at p. 265;
see Christopher v. Liberty Oil & Gas Corp., supra, 665 So.2d at p. 411; U.S.
Fidelity and Guar. Co. v. Griffin (Ind.Ct.App. 1989) 541 N.E.2d 553, 555.) As
16

one court put it, allowing a plaintiff to retain standing despite the loss of stock
ownership would produce “the anomalous result that a plaintiff with absolutely no
‘dog in the hunt’ is permitted to pursue a right of action that belongs solely to the
corporation.” (Timko v. Triarsi (Fla.Dist.Ct.App. 2005) 898 So.2d 89, 91.)
Notably, the vast majority of other jurisdictions that have considered the
issue require continuous stock ownership for standing to maintain a derivative
lawsuit.9 Contrary to Huang’s suggestion, the widespread recognition of a
continuous ownership requirement cannot be attributed to materially different
legislation. Virtually all of these other jurisdictions have statutes that explicitly
refer only to contemporaneous stock ownership. (E.g., Del. Code, tit. 8, § 327
[General Corporation Law Chapter of Corporations Code]; Fed. Rules Civ. Proc.,

9
(E.g., Timko v. Triarsi, supra, 898 So.2d 89 [Florida law]; Grace Bros.,
Ltd. v. Farley Industries, Inc., supra, 450 S.E.2d 814 [Georgia law]; U.S. Fidelity
& Guar. Co. v. Griffin
, supra, 541 N.E.2d 553 [Indiana law]; A-Plus Janitorial &
Carpet Cleaning v. Employers’ Workers’ Compensation Ass’n
(Okla. 1997) 936
P.2d 916 [Oklahoma law]; Christopher v. Liberty Oil & Gas Corp., supra, 665
So.2d 410 [Louisiana law]; Bronzaft v. Caporali (N.Y.Sup.Ct. 1994) 162 Misc.2d
281 [New York law]; Weil v. Northwest Industries, Inc. (Ill.App.Ct. 1988) 522
N.E.2d 172, 174, fn. 1 [Illinois law]; Kramer, supra, 546 A.2d 348 [Delaware
law]; Metal Tech Corp. v. Metal Teckniques Co. (Or.Ct.App. 1985) 703 P.2d 237
[adopting the contemporaneous and continuous ownership rules in Oregon as a
matter of general principle in the absence of statutory rules so requiring]; Lewis v.
Knutson
, supra, 699 F.2d 230 [Fed. Rules Civ. Proc., rule 23.1, 28 U.S.C.]; Niesz
v. Gorsuch
(9th Cir. 1961) 295 F.2d 909 [Arizona law]; but see Warden v.
McLelland
(3d Cir. 2002) 288 F.3d 105 [Pennsylvania statute expressly excuses
continuous ownership requirement where loss of shares during pendency of
derivative lawsuit results from corporate action in which the holder did not
acquiesce]; Alford v. Shaw (N.C. 1990) 398 S.E.2d 445 [relying on Gaillard,
supra, 173 Cal.App.3d 410, in declining to read continuous ownership
requirement into North Carolina statute, but also observing the facts of that case fit
within the settled fraudulent merger exception that other jurisdictions recognize];
see generally Continuous Ownership Requirement, supra, 43 Wash. & Lee L.Rev.
at p. 1015.)
17



rule 23.1, 28 U.S.C.) That these jurisdictions also require continuous ownership,
despite having legislation that fails to expressly provide for it, confirms our view
that the requirement is sound.10 Consistent with the majority rule, and with the
basic principles that govern corporation law and shareholder litigation, we hold
that section 800(b) is properly construed as containing a continuous ownership
requirement.
Intervener Huang suggests that a rule of continuous ownership is
inappropriate for cases where, as here, the plaintiff’s loss of stock results from a
merger and thus is involuntary. We do not agree. As discussed, standing to assert
a claim on a corporation’s behalf is justified because of the stockholder
relationship, which furnishes the interest and incentive for a stockholder to seek
redress for the claimed corporate injury. (See Jones v. H.F. Ahmanson & Co.,
supra, 1 Cal.3d at p. 107; Christopher v. Liberty Oil & Gas Corp., supra, 665
So.2d at p. 411.) Consequently, when the stockholder relationship is terminated,
either voluntarily or involuntarily, a derivative plaintiff loses standing because he
or she no longer has even an indirect interest in any recovery pursued for the
corporation’s benefit. (Alabama By-Products, supra, 657 A.2d at p. 265.) Put

10
Huang argues the cases involving rule 23.1 of the Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure are inapt because that rule contains a provision requiring a derivative
plaintiff to “fairly and adequately represent” the interests of similarly situated
shareholders (Fed. Rules Civ. Proc., rule 23.1(a), 28 U.S.C.), whereas section 800
does not. While we agree the lack of a proprietary interest logically bears on the
question of fair and adequate representation, we reject the implication that section
800’s failure to expressly state a fair and adequate representation requirement
reflects any intent on the part of our Legislature to secure the standing of a
derivative plaintiff who, for whatever reason, cannot provide fair and adequate
representation. Moreover, as noted previously, maintaining continuous stock
ownership is reasonably viewed as a requirement that is distinct from the fair and
adequate representation requirement. (See ante, fn. 7.)
18



another way, “[p]laintiffs who lose their shares involuntarily have no greater
interest in the continued well-being of a corporation than plaintiffs who willingly
sell their shares. Neither class of plaintiff retains a proprietary interest in the
corporate enterprise.” (Hantz v. Belyew (11th Cir. 2006) 194 Fed.Appx. 897, 899
[nonpub. opn.])
Huang next contends we should construe section 800 consistent with the
analysis in Gollust v. Mendell (1991) 501 U.S. 115 (Gollust). In Gollust, the
United States Supreme Court declined to read a continuous ownership requirement
into section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. § 78p(b)),
which imposes a rule of strict liability on corporate directors, officers, and other
so-called insiders for their short-swing profits.11 Section 16(b) represents a “ ‘flat
rule . . . taking the profits out of a class of transactions in which the possibility of
abuse was believed to be intolerably great.’ ” (Gollust, supra, 501 U.S. at p. 121.)
In reviewing the statutory definitions identifying the class of permissible plaintiffs,
Gollust discerned congressional intent “to grant enforcement standing of
considerable breadth” and a “policy of lenient standing” that allows any security
holder, not just a stockholder, to prosecute an action.12 (Gollust, at pp. 122, 127.)

11
Section 16(b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 provides in
relevant part that a “[s]uit to recover [an insider’s] profit may be instituted . . . by
the issuer, or by the owner of any security of the issuer in the name and in behalf
of the issuer if the issuer shall fail or refuse to bring such suit within sixty days
after request or shall fail diligently to prosecute the same thereafter; but no such
suit shall be brought more than two years after the date such profit was
realized. . . .” (15 U.S.C. § 78p(b).)
12
Thus, section 16(b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 authorizes
any owner of a “security” of the issuer — including a bondholder as well as a
stockholder (see Gollust, supra, 501 U.S. at p. 127) — to enforce the insider
trading ban. In contrast, section 800(b)(1) restricts standing to initiate or maintain
any derivative action to record or beneficial shareholders of a corporation.
19



The opinion observed: “The only textual restrictions on the standing of a party to
bring suit under § 16(b) are that the plaintiff must be the ‘owner of [a] security’ of
the ‘issuer’ at the time the suit is ‘instituted.’ ” (Id. at pp. 122-123.)
Because it could discern no requirement of continuous ownership from
either the text or the history of section 16(b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of
1934, Gollust, supra, 501 U.S. 115, concluded that, once a plaintiff security holder
satisfies the ownership requirement for initiating a suit, the holder must merely
maintain some financial interest in the outcome of the litigation sufficient to
motivate its prosecution and avoid constitutional standing difficulties. (Id. at pp.
124-127.) In that case, the plaintiff satisfied all of these requirements because he
owned a security (stock) of the issuer at the time he instituted the action.
Moreover, he retained standing under article III of the federal Constitution to
maintain the suit after a merger in which he lost his stock in the issuer in exchange
for cash and stock in the issuer’s new parent corporation and sole stockholder,
because he retained a continuing financial interest in the litigation’s outcome
derived from his stock in the parent corporation. (Gollust, supra, 501 U.S. at pp.
127-128.)
Gollust, supra, 501 U.S. 115, does not aid Huang’s position for several
reasons. First, Gollust did not purport to cast doubt on the judicially recognized
continuous ownership requirement for ordinary derivative actions subject to
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, rule 23.1 (28 U.S.C.), which also omits express
reference to continuous ownership. Second, while refusing to read a continuous
ownership requirement into section 16(b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of
1934, the high court explained that a plaintiff must nonetheless maintain a
personal stake in the outcome of the litigation throughout its course to avoid
20

article III jurisdictional problems. Although article III of the federal Constitution
does not apply in state courts,13 Gollust’s concerns over permitting a security
holder to maintain a section 16(b) action after he or she has “lost any financial
interest in its outcome” (Gollust, supra, 501 U.S. at p. 125) are consistent with
those underlying the majority rule depriving a derivative plaintiff of standing
where, as here, his or her interest in the litigation is completely extinguished in a
stock-for-cash merger (see Bronzaft v. Caporali, supra, 162 Misc.2d at pp. 284-
287; U.S. Fidelity and Guar. Co. v. Griffin, supra, 541 N.E.2d at p. 555; see
Alabama By-Products, supra, 657 A.2d at p. 265-266). Finally, nothing in Gollust
supports Huang’s suggestion that a potential attorney fee recovery provides a
plaintiff sufficient financial interest in the outcome of a derivative action for
purposes of standing. Indeed, we remain mindful that stock ownership restrictions
originally developed because “[i]n many instances the interest of the plaintiff was
nominal and the interest of the plaintiff’s attorney substantial,” thus rendering the
derivative suit “susceptible to abuse.” (2 Model Bus. Corp. Act Ann., supra, hist.
background, foll. § 7.40, at p. 7-255.)
Huang’s other arguments also are unavailing. Unlike Huang, we do not
view the Legislature’s lack of a response to Gaillard, supra, 173 Cal.App.3d 410
as signifying rejection of a continuous ownership requirement. As a principle of
statutory construction, legislative inaction is a “slim reed upon which to lean.”

13
Article III of the federal Constitution imposes a “case-or-controversy
limitation on federal court jurisdiction,” requiring “ ‘the party requesting standing
[to allege] “such a personal stake in the outcome of the controversy as to assure
that concrete adverseness which sharpens the presentation of issues.” ’ ” (Gollust,
supra, 501 U.S. at pp. 125-126.) There is no similar requirement in our state
Constitution. (National Paint & Coatings Assn. v. State of California (1997) 58
Cal.App.4th 753, 761.)
21



(Quinn v. State of California (1975) 15 Cal.3d 162, 175.) In any case, we note
Gaillard expended considerable effort in distinguishing the facts before it from the
facts in other cases adhering to the majority rule that loss of stock ownership
ordinarily deprives a derivative plaintiff of standing. (See Gaillard, supra, 173
Cal.App.3d at pp. 417-418, 421.) Because Gaillard cannot be read as rejecting the
majority rule in all its various applications, the Legislature’s inaction is at best
ambiguous.
Huang also argues that requiring continuous ownership would be unfair
where, as here, a stockholder who litigated a derivative action for several years
through the pleading and discovery stages, and who thereby incurred sizeable
monetary obligations, would be precluded from proceeding further because of a
merger. (See Gaillard, supra, 173 Cal.App.3d at p. 414.) We are not persuaded.
The fact remains that a derivative claim belongs to the corporation, not to
the plaintiff asserting the claim on the corporation’s behalf. To ensure that the
corporation’s interests are adequately represented, the derivative plaintiff must
maintain a proprietary interest in the corporation sufficient to motivate the plaintiff
“to engage in a zealous prosecution.” (Continuous Ownership Requirement,
supra, 43 Wash. & Lee L.Rev. at p. 1034.) Although equitable considerations
have prompted courts to disregard a loss of shareholder status when the merger
itself is the subject of a claim of fraud, no such claim is alleged in this case.
As for stockholders who incur monetary obligations when actively
litigating a derivative action, the law is settled that derivative plaintiffs may
recover their expenses upon showing their efforts resulted in a monetary recovery
for the corporation or otherwise conferred a “ ‘substantial benefit’ ” upon the
corporation. (Baker v. Pratt (1986) 176 Cal.App.3d 370, 378; Fletcher v. A.J.
Industries, Inc. (1968) 266 Cal.App.2d 313, 318-323 [affirming an attorney fee
award in favor of plaintiffs where partial settlement of derivative action resulted in
22

immediate changes in the corporate management, while several issues were left to
future arbitration]; accord, Schilling v. Belcher, supra, 582 F.2d at p. 1003
[although plaintiff who sold stock lost derivative standing to litigate corporate
claims, he retained standing to defend on appeal an attorney fees judgment, which
ran directly in his favor, and the judgment that served as the necessary predicate to
the fee award].) Neither type of showing has been made here,14 and we perceive
no inequity in a situation where an ordinary merger cuts off protracted litigation
that has conferred no monetary recovery or substantial benefit to the corporation.
(Accord, Lewis v. Chiles (9th Cir. 1983) 719 F.2d 1044, 1049 [“[w]here a
corporation’s actions vitiating a derivative suit have a legitimate business purpose,
there is no basis for requiring that the shareholders bear a proportion of a
plaintiff’s costs if the suit has not yielded a benefit to the corporation”].)
Finally, Huang argues that to protect the interests of shareholders, and to
prevent unjust enrichment and avoid rewarding wrongdoers, courts faced with a
merger situation in a derivative action may apportion any recovery belonging to
the corporation among deserving stockholders. The authorities Huang cites,
however, do not suggest that former stockholders may receive a pro rata share of a
corporate recovery under the sort of factual scenario presented here. (E.g., Nelson
v. Anderson (1999) 72 Cal.App.4th 111, 127; Rankin v. Frebank Co. (1975) 47
Cal.App.3d 75, 96 [addressing recovery in the context of a corporation’s
involuntary dissolution].)15

14
To the contrary, the trial court dismissed the derivative action with
prejudice after reviewing the 64-page report of the SLC that concluded the
derivative claims lacked merit and would likely not be successful.
15
Huang makes a related argument that the 1988 enactment of section
25502.5, which allows issuers of securities as well as their shareholders in a
derivative action to recover damages in an amount up to three times the amount of

(footnote continued on next page)
23



In sum, we hold that California law, like Delaware law, generally requires a
plaintiff in a shareholder’s derivative suit to maintain continuous stock ownership
throughout the pendency of the litigation. Under this rule, a derivative plaintiff
who ceases to be a stockholder by reason of a merger ordinarily loses standing to
continue the litigation.16 Although equitable considerations may warrant an
exception to the continuous ownership requirement if the merger itself is used to
wrongfully deprive the plaintiff of standing, or if the merger is merely a
reorganization that does not affect the plaintiff’s ownership interest, we need not
address such matters definitively in this case, where no such circumstances appear.
Because dismissal of Huang’s appeal is required under either California law
or Delaware law, we end the analysis here.

(footnote continued from previous page)

wrongful profits obtained by those trading on insider information, confirms the
legislative intent to broaden, not restrict, the standing of derivative plaintiffs under
section 800. Huang, however, identifies nothing in the terms or history of the
legislation indicating that section 25502.5 is intended to alter section 800’s
requirements for derivative actions in general.
Huang may also be understood as arguing that, whether or not continuous
ownership of shares generally is required to maintain a derivative lawsuit on
behalf of a corporation, his particular claim under section 25502.5 must be
analyzed separately and is not subject to any such requirement. Because Huang
failed to raise this issue in the Court of Appeal, and also failed to petition for its
review in this court, we decline to address it.
16
Gaillard, supra, 173 Cal.App.3d 410, is disapproved to the extent it is
inconsistent with the views expressed herein.
24



DISPOSITION
The judgment of the Court of Appeal is affirmed.

BAXTER, J.
WE CONCUR:

GEORGE, C.J.
KENNARD, J.
WERDEGAR, J.
CHIN, J.
MORENO, J.
CORRIGAN, J.


25



See next page for addresses and telephone numbers for counsel who argued in Supreme Court.

Name of Opinion Grosset v. Wenaas
__________________________________________________________________________________

Unpublished Opinion


Original Appeal
Original Proceeding
Review Granted
XXX 133 Cal.App.4th 710
Rehearing Granted

__________________________________________________________________________________

Opinion No.

S139285
Date Filed: February 14, 2008
__________________________________________________________________________________

Court:

Superior
County: San Diego
Judge: Eugene Mac Amos, Jr.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Attorneys for Appellant:

Kreindler & Kreindler, Gretchen M. Nelson; Federman & Sherwood, William B. Federman, Stuart W.
Emmons; Law Offices of George A. Shohet and George A. Shohet for Intervener and Appellant.

Steven G. Ingram for Consumer Attorneys of California as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Intervener and
Appellant.

Richard M. Buxbaum as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Intervener and Appellant.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Attorneys for Respondent:

Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US, DLA Piper US, Robert W. Brownlie,
Paul A. Reynolds, Kathryn E. Karcher and Stanley J. Panikowski for Defendants and Respondents.

National Chamber Litigation Center, Robin S. Conrad, Amar D. Sarwal; Morrison & Foerster, Beth S.
Brinkman, Seth M. Galanter, Jordan Eth, Judson E. Lobdell and Christopher A. Patz for Chamber of
Commerce of the United States of America as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Respondents.
1



Counsel who argued in Supreme Court (not intended for publication with opinion):

George A. Shohet
Law Offices of George A. Shohet
245 Main Street, Suite 310
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 452-3176

Robert W. Brownlie
DLA Piper US
401 B Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA 92101-4297
(619) 699-2700

2


Petition for review after the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal in a civil action. This case presents the following issues: (1) Does the question of standing to bring a shareholder's derivative action based on share ownership involve the "internal affairs" of a corporation and thus invoke the internal affairs doctrine, under which matters regulating the internal affairs of a corporation are governed by the law of the state of incorporation, here the state of Delaware? (2) If not, did plaintiff retain standing under California law to prosecute a shareholder's derivative action even though he lost his shares in the corporation while the action was pending or does California, like Delaware, require stock ownership throughout the litigation?

Opinion Information
Date:Citation:Docket Number:Category:Status:
Thu, 02/14/200842 Cal.4th 1100 original opinionS139285Review - Civil Appealclosed; remittitur issued

Parties
1Grosset, Richard (Plaintiff)
2Wenaas, Eric P. (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

3Huang, Sik-Lin (Intervener and Appellant)
Represented by George Aaron Shohet
Attorney at Law
245 Main Street, Suite 310
Venice, CA

4Huang, Sik-Lin (Intervener and Appellant)
Represented by Gretchen M. Nelson
Kreindler & Kreindler, LLP
707 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 4100
Los Angeles, CA

5Huang, Sik-Lin (Intervener and Appellant)
Represented by Jeff S. Westerman
Milberg Weiss et al., LLP
355 S. Grand Avenue, Suite 4170
Los Angeles, CA

6Consumer Attorneys Of California (Amicus curiae)
Represented by Steven Gregory Ingram
Consumer Attorneys of California
770 "L" Street, Suite 1200
Sacramento, CA

7Buxbaum, Richard M. (Amicus curiae)
Represented by Richard M Buxbaum
University of California/School of Law
Boalt Hall
Berkeley, CA

8Chamber Of Commerce Of The United States Of America (Amicus curiae)
Represented by Judson Earle Lobdell
Morrison & Foerster, LLP
425 Market Street
San Francisco, CA

9Chamber Of Commerce Of The United States Of America (Amicus curiae)
Represented by Beth S. Brinkmann
Morrison & Foerster, LLP
2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 5500
Washington, DC

10Chamber Of Commerce Of The United States Of America (Amicus curiae)
Represented by Robin S. Conrad
National Chamber Litigation Center, Inc.
1615 "H" Street, N.W.
Washington, DC

11Waddington, Neal (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

12Bolger, John (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

13Flannagan, Terry M. (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

14Fox, Lawrence E. (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

15Stiska, John C. (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

16Purdy, Gloria (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

17Ruple, Scott (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

18Gregory, Thomas K. (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

19Moreland, Cynthia J. (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

20Stern, Russell (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

21Edney, Leon A. (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

22St. Dennis, Tom (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

23Dubrevil, Sylvia Summers (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA

24Wiener, Howard (Defendant and Respondent)
Represented by Robert William Brownlie
DLA Piper U.S., LLP
401 "B" Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA


Disposition
Feb 14 2008Opinion: Affirmed

Dockets
Nov 29 2005Petition for review filed
  Sik-Lin Huang, intervener & appellant George Shohet, Gretchen Nelson; counsel (filed in L.A.)
Dec 1 2005Record requested
 
Dec 5 2005Received Court of Appeal record
  two doghouses
Dec 19 2005Request for depublication (petition for review pending)
  by Gretchen M. Nelson, et al, counsel for intervener & appellant
Dec 20 2005Answer to petition for review filed
  Eric Wenaas et al, defendants and respondents Robert Brownlie, counsel (timely per CRC 40.1b)
Jan 4 2006Petition for review granted (civil case)
  Votes: George, C.J., Kennard, Baxter, Werdegar, Chin, and Moreno, JJ.
Jan 9 2006Received Court of Appeal record
  one box
Jan 13 2006Certification of interested entities or persons filed
  Eric Wenaas et al, defendants and respondents Robert Brownlie, counsel
Jan 31 2006Request for extension of time filed
  by Sik-Lin Huang, Intervener & Appellant requesting to & including April 4, 2006.
Feb 8 2006Extension of time granted
  to 3-6-06 for appellant Sik-Lin Huang to file the opening brief on the merits.
Feb 27 2006Request for extension of time filed
  appellant, Sik Lin Huang to file opening brief/merits to March 20, 2006.
Mar 2 2006Extension of time granted
  to 3-20-06 for intervener and appellant Sik Lin Huang to file opening brief on the merits.
Mar 17 2006Request for extension of time filed
  Sik Lin Huang, Intervener & Appellant..to file opening brief/merits Requesting to March 27, 2006.
Mar 27 2006Extension of time granted
  Time extended to 3-27-06 for intervener and appellant Sik Lin Huang to file the opening brief on the merits.
Mar 27 2006Request for extension of time filed
  to file opening brief on the merits. Sik Lin Huang, Intervener and Appellant
Mar 28 2006Extension of time granted
  to 3-31-06 for intervener and appellant to file the opening brief on the merits.
Apr 5 2006Received:
  intervener and appellant's opening brief on the merits with request for late filing.
Apr 6 2006Opening brief on the merits filed
  Sik-Lin Huang, intervener and appellant Gretchen Nelson, George Shohet, counsel (filed with court's permission)
Apr 26 2006Request for extension of time filed
  asking for a 14-day extension to and including May 22, 2006 to file Respondents' answer brief on the merits. Eric P. Wenaas et al., Respondents by Paul Reynolds, counsel
Apr 28 2006Extension of time granted
  To May 22, 2006 to file respondents' answer brief on the merits.
May 17 2006Request for extension of time filed
  requesting a 4-day extension to and including May 26, 2006 to file Respondents' Answer Brief on the Merits. Eric P. Wenaas et al., Respondents by Paul A. Reynolds, counsel.
May 24 2006Extension of time granted
  to 5-26-06 for respondents to file the opening brief on the merits.
May 30 2006Answer brief on the merits filed
  Eric Wenaas, et al., respondents Robert Brownlee, counsel (timely CRC 40.1b)
Jun 12 2006Request for extension of time filed
  by Sik-Lin Huang, intervener and appellant. Requesting to & including July 31, 2006 to file reply brief on the merits.
Jun 15 2006Extension of time granted
  The time to file appellant's reply brief on the merits is extended to 7-31-06.
Jul 31 2006Request for extension of time filed
  to 8-4-06 for appellant to file the reply brief on the merits Sik-Lin Huang, intervener and appellant Gretchen Nelson, George Shohet, counsel
Aug 2 2006Extension of time granted
  Time is extended to 8-4-06 for intervener and appellant to file the reply brief on the merits
Aug 3 2006Request for extension of time filed
  to August 11, 2006 for intervener and appellant to file the reply brief on the merits Sik-Lin Huang, Intervener and Appellant Gretchen M. Nelson, counsel
Aug 7 2006Extension of time granted
  to 8-11-06 for intervener and appellant to file the reply brief on the merits
Aug 14 2006Received:
  oversize Reply Brief on the Merits Sik-Lin Huang, intervener and appellant
Aug 17 2006Reply brief filed (case fully briefed)
  Sik-Lin Huang, intervener and appellant Gretchen Nelson, George Shohet, counsel (oversized brief filed with Court's permission)
Sep 7 2006Change of contact information filed for:
  atty. Robert Brownlie (respondents) Change of firm name.
Sep 14 2006Received application to file Amicus Curiae Brief
  in support of intervener and request for extension of time to 9-28-06 to submit the brief. Consumer Attorneys of California, applicant.
Sep 15 2006Extension of time granted
  The application of Consumer Attorneys of California for an extension of time to and including September 28, 2006 in which to submit an application and amicus curiae brief in support of intervener and appellant is hereby granted.
Sep 18 2006Received application to file Amicus Curiae Brief
  Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, in support of respondents Judson Lobdell, Beth Brinkmann, counsel
Sep 18 2006Request for extension of time filed
  to submit application and amicus curiae brief, to 10-18-06 Professor Richard Buxbaum, applicant
Sep 21 2006Extension of time granted
  The application of Prof. Richard Buxbaum for an extension of time to and including 10-18-06 in which to submit an application and amicus curiae brief is hereby granted.
Sep 26 2006Permission to file amicus curiae brief granted
  The application of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America for permission to file an amicus curiae brief in support of respondents is granted. Answers may be filed w/in 20 days.
Sep 26 2006Amicus curiae brief filed
  Chamber of Commerce of the USA in support of respondents Judson Lobdell, Beth Brinkmann, counsel
Sep 28 2006Request for extension of time filed
  Consumer Attorneys of California to submit application and amicus brief in support of intervener and appellant. second extension requested to 10-4-06
Oct 4 2006Extension of time granted
  to 10-4-06 for Consumer Attorneys of California to submit an application and amicus curiae brief.
Oct 5 2006Received application to file Amicus Curiae Brief
  Consumer Attorneys of California, in support of intervener and appellant Steven Ingram, counsel (timely per CRC 40.1b)
Oct 13 2006Request for extension of time filed
  by Sik-Lin Huang, Intervener and Appellant (request to Oct. 23, 2006 to file an answer to a/c briefs)
Oct 13 2006Permission to file amicus curiae brief granted
  The application of Consumer Attorneys of California for permission to file an amicus curiae brief in support of intervener and appellant is hereby granted. An answer thereto may be served and filed by any party within twenty days of the filing of the brief.
Oct 13 2006Amicus curiae brief filed
  by Consumer Attorneys of California in support of intervener and appellant.
Oct 17 2006Extension of time granted
  On application of intervener and appellant and good cause appearing, it is ordered that the time to serve and file the response to the amicus curiae brief of Chamber of Commerce of the United States is extended to and including October 23, 2006.
Oct 18 2006Received application to file Amicus Curiae Brief
  Professor Richard M. Buxbaum, in support of Intervener and appellant Sik-Lin Huang Richard M. Buxbaum, University of California, Berkely School of Law application and brief under seperate covers.
Oct 23 2006Request for extension of time filed
  Intervener and appellant Sik-Lin Huang's Answer to Amicus Brief of The Chamber of Commerce of the USA to 10-25-06
Oct 25 2006Extension of time granted
  On application of intervener and appellant and good cause appearing, it is ordered that the time to serve and file the response to the amicus curiae brief of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States is extended to and including October 25, 2006.
Oct 25 2006Permission to file amicus curiae brief granted
  The application of Professor Richard Buxbaum for permission to file an amicus curiae brief in support of intervener and appellant is hereby granted. An answer thereto may be served and filed by any party within twenty days of the filing of the brief.
Oct 25 2006Amicus curiae brief filed
  Professor Richard Buxbaum in support of intervener and appellant.
Oct 26 2006Response to amicus curiae brief filed
  to amicus brief of Chamber of Commerce of U.S. Sil-Lin Huang, intervener and appellant Gretchen Nelson, George Shohet, counsel (timely per CRC 40.1b)
Nov 1 2006Request for extension of time filed
  for respondents to file the responses to the A/C briefs of Consumer Attorneys of Calif. and Prof. Richard Buxbaum. Extension requested to 11-21-06 to file response to both A/C briefs.
Nov 8 2006Extension of time granted
  On application of respondents and good cause appearing, it is ordered that the time to serve and file the response to the amicus curiae briefs of Consumer Attorneys of California and Richard Buxbaum is extended to and including November 21, 2006.
Nov 27 2006Response to amicus curiae brief filed
  Eric P. Weenas et al., Respondents CRC 40.1(b) by Robert T. Brownlie, counsel
Dec 14 2006Filed:
  Motion to Strike Or To Disregard A Portion Of Respondents' Answer To The Briefs Of Amici Curiae Consumer Attorneys Of California and Richard M. Buxbaum by Sik-Lin Huang, Intervener & Appellant Gretchen M. Nelson and George A. Shohet, counsel
Dec 22 2006Opposition filed
  to motion to strike Eric Wenaas, et al, defendants and respondents Robert Brownlie, counsel
May 9 2007Change of contact information filed for:
  address for counsel Gretchen Nelson, for appellant Huang
Oct 25 2007Case ordered on calendar
  to be argued Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. in Los Angeles.
Nov 19 2007Motion denied
  Intervener and appellant Huang's "Motion to Strike or to Disregard a Portion of Respondents' Answer to the Briefs of Amici Curiae Consumer Attorneys of California and Richard M. Buxbaum," filed on December 14, 2006, is denied.
Nov 21 2007Filed:
  Additional Authorities Appellant Sik Lin Huang Attorney Gretchen M. Nelson
Nov 27 2007Filed:
  Additional authorities Eric Wenaas, et al., defendants and respondents Robert Brownlie, counsel
Dec 3 2007Filed:
  Reply to respondents' supplemental brief discussing newly-decided authorities. Sik-Lin Huang, intervener and appellant Gretchen Nelson, George Shohet, counsel (filed with permission)
Dec 4 2007Cause argued and submitted
 
Feb 14 2008Opinion filed: Judgment affirmed in full
  Opinion by Baxter, J. -----------------joined by George, C.J., Kennard, Werdegar, Chin, Moreno, Corrigan, JJ.
Mar 18 2008Remittitur issued (civil case)
 

Briefs
Apr 6 2006Opening brief on the merits filed
 
May 30 2006Answer brief on the merits filed
 
Aug 17 2006Reply brief filed (case fully briefed)
 
Sep 26 2006Amicus curiae brief filed
 
Oct 13 2006Amicus curiae brief filed
 
Oct 25 2006Amicus curiae brief filed
 
Oct 26 2006Response to amicus curiae brief filed
 
Nov 27 2006Response to amicus curiae brief filed
 
If you'd like to submit a brief document to be included for this opinion, please submit an e-mail to the SCOCAL website
Mar 11, 2009
Annotated by diana teasland

Written by Robert Hayes

Factual Background
JNI Corporation (JNI) was a public company incorporated in Delaware and based in San Diego, California. In September 2001, JNI stockholder Richard Grosset initiated a derivative action against nine JNI directors and officers, alleging breach of fiduciary duty, waste, gross mismanagement, and insider trading. Grosset subsequently sold his JNI shares, but the trial court allowed Sik-Lin Huang to intervene and continue Grosset’s derivative action.
In response to Grosset’s (now Huang’s) suit, JNI’s board of directors formed a Special Litigation Committee (the SLC) to investigate the plaintiff’s allegations. After thoroughly scrutinizing the defendants’ behavior and the relevant law, the SLC concluded that the complaint lacked merit and that the derivative action did not serve JNI’s best interests. Accordingly, the SLC filed a motion to dismiss the derivative complaint.
The trial court granted the SLC’s motion and dismissed the derivative complaint with prejudice. Huang appealed the trial court’s judgment, but not before JNI’s shareholders approved a merger with a wholly owned subsidiary of Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC). Under the plan of merger, AMCC would acquire all outstanding shares of JNI stock, including those belonging to Huang.
Upon consummation of the merger between JNI and AMCC, Huang was compelled to sell all of his JNI shares to AMCC. Since Huang ceased to be a JNI shareholder, defendants moved to dismiss his appeal on the grounds that Huang did not have standing to maintain a derivative action on behalf of JNI.

Relevant Statutes & Precedent
• California Corporations Code §800(b): “No Action may be instituted or maintained in right of any domestic or foreign corporation by any holder of shares or of voting trust certificates of the corporation unless . . . [t]he plaintiff alleges in the complaint that plaintiff was a shareholder, of record or beneficially, or the holder of voting trust certificates at the time of the transaction or any part thereof of which plaintiff complains or that plaintiff’s shares or voting trust certificates thereafter devolved upon plaintiff by operation of law from a holder who was a holder at the time of the transaction or any part thereof complained of . . . .”

o Heckmann v. Ahmanson, 168 Cal. App. 3d 119 (1985) – Although standing was not at issue in the case, the California Court of Appeal suggested that a derivative plaintiff no longer had standing to prosecute a derivative claim on behalf of a corporation after the derivative plaintiff sold his or her stock.

o Gaillard v. Natomas, 173 Cal. App. 3d 410 (1985) – The California Court of Appeal held that a plaintiff was not required to maintain continuous stock ownership in order to pursue a derivative action.
• Delaware General Corporation Law §327 – “In any derivative suit instituted by a stockholder of a corporation, it shall be averred in the complaint that the plaintiff was a stockholder of the corporation at the time of the transaction of which such stockholder complains or that such stockholder’s stock thereafter devolved upon such stockholder by operation of law.”

o Lewis v. Anderson, 477 A.2d 1040 (Del. 1984) – The Delaware Supreme Court held that §327 required a derivative plaintiff to retain stock ownership for the duration of the litigation. The court further held that this “continuous ownership requirement” remained applicable even when the plaintiff lost ownership because of a merger.
• Model Business Corporation Act §7.41 – “A shareholder may not commence or maintain a derivative proceeding unless the shareholder . . . was a shareholder of the corporation at the time of the act or omission complained of or became a shareholder through transfer by operation of law from one who was a shareholder at that time”

Procedural History
The Court of Appeal granted the defendant’s motion to dismiss (see Grosset v. Wenaas, 35 Cal. Rptr. 3d 58 (2005)). The Court of Appeal reasoned that under conflicts of laws principles, the law of JNI’s state of incorporation (Delaware) governed the suit. Looking to Delaware law, the court concluded that Huang lost standing to maintain a derivative action when he ceased to be a JNI shareholder. Not satisfied to rest there, the Court of Appeal further noted that, even if California law governed the suit, California similarly predicated standing upon continuous JNI stock ownership. Accordingly, the court held that under both Delaware and California law, Huang’s sale of his shares to AMCC eliminated his standing to prosecute a derivative suit.
The Supreme Court granted Huang’s petition for review (see Grosset v. Wennas, 127 P.3d 27, 38 Cal.Rptr.3d 609).

Rule of the Case
Continuous Ownership Requirement: Under California Corporations Code §800(b), a plaintiff in a shareholder’s derivative suit must maintain continuous stock ownership throughout the pendency of the litigation. When a derivative plaintiff ceases to be a stockholder, even if by reason of a merger, the plaintiff loses standing to continue derivative litigation on behalf of the corporation. To the extent Gaillard v. Natomas held otherwise, it is overruled.

Holding
As a matter of California law, Huang lacked standing to continue litigating a derivative action on behalf of JNI because, as a result of the merger between JNI and AMCC, Huang no longer owned stock in JNI.

Disposition
The judgment of the Court of Appeal dismissing Huang’s appeal was affirmed.

Analysis
The Court began its analysis by noting that the case raised a potential conflict of laws issue, since JNI was incorporated in Delaware but operated in California. The Court concluded, however, that it would only need to apply conflicts of laws principles if California law differed from Delaware law.
Accordingly, the Court turned to the issue of standing in derivative actions. It first performed a general review of the basic principles governing shareholder litigation. The Court observed that because a corporation is a separate legal entity, shareholders normally may not recover for injuries to the corporation. Instead, the corporation itself must seek redress, a decision that falls within the purview of the corporation’s board of directors. When the board fails to seek redress, however, shareholders are empowered to bring a derivative action to enforce the corporation’s rights. Since this action belongs to the corporation, only the corporation may recover—the derivative plaintiff may not. Thus the only benefit that the derivative plaintiff receives from a derivative action is the indirect benefit that arises by virtue of the plaintiff’s ownership interest in the corporation.

The Court then turned to Delaware law. It noted that the Delaware Supreme Court had interpreted Delaware General Corporation Law §327 to create two separate standing requirements for a derivative action. First, a plaintiff needed to have ownership of stock at the time of the alleged injury to the corporation (the contemporaneous ownership requirement). Second, and at issue in this case, the derivative plaintiff needed to maintain stock ownership for the duration of the litigation (the continuous ownership requirement). With respect to this latter requirement, the Delaware Supreme Court had clearly indicated that loss of stock due to a merger violated the continuous ownership requirement and compromised standing. Thus, the Court suggested, Huang had clearly lost standing to prosecute a derivative action under Delaware law.

Having reached an answer under Delaware law, the Court turned its attention to California law. In order to determine whether California law imposed a continuous ownership requirement, the Court first reviewed California Corporations Code §800(b), which governed standing in derivative actions. The Court observed that there were notable differences between the California Code and the Delaware Code. Most important in this case, the California Code indicated that no derivative action could be “instituted or maintained” unless the plaintiff met the statute’s requirements, while the Delaware Code indicated only that no action could be “instituted.” From the Court’s perspective, the language in the California Code provided an even stronger basis for a continuous ownership requirement than the Delaware code: the word “maintained” seemed to imply that a plaintiff needed to retain stock ownership after he had “instituted” an action. In support of this conclusion, the Court also noted the similarity between §800(b) and ABA Model Business Act §7.41, which used the terms “commence or maintain” and had been drafted specifically to impose a continuous ownership requirement.

The Court next examined the case law interpreting §800(b). It noted that no case had interpreted the words “instituted or maintained,” but found two California Court of Appeal decisions that reached contradictory conclusions regarding the existence of a continuous ownership requirement. The Court first examined Heckman v. Ahmanson, which suggested that a continuous ownership requirement did exist. The Court noted that the standing of the plaintiffs had not been at issue in the case, and thus concluded that the case was not dispositive. The Court then turned to Gaillard v. Natomas, which rejected the existence of a continuous ownership requirement. The Gaillard court had suggested that the sole function of the term “maintained” was to allow an individual who obtained stock by operation of law to continue a derivative action begun by his predecessor. The Court found this argument unconvincing, finding no reason to limit the statute’s language to this circumstance.

Having found the case law unenlightening, the Court looked to §800(b)’s legislative history for guidance. Without substantial elaboration, the Court concluded that nothing in the legislative history indicated that the legislature rejected a continuous ownership requirement.

The Court next assessed whether a continuous ownership requirement would accord with the principles underlying derivative actions. Reiterating that a plaintiff benefits from a derivative action only to the extent that the litigation benefits the corporation and thereby preserves the value of the plaintiff’s shares, the Court concluded that only an existing stockholder has the proper interest and incentive to seek redress for injury to the corporation. Accordingly, a continuous ownership requirement was appropriate to ensure that the plaintiff had a financial interest in pursuing litigation that would actually benefit the corporation.

Finally, the Court examined the law of other states and noted that the vast majority of the jurisdictions that had examined the issue had adopted a continuous ownership requirement. Given the language of the California Code and the basic principles of shareholder litigation, the Court decided to follow this majority rule and adopt a continuous ownership requirement.

Having concluded that California law imposed a continuous ownership requirement, the Court briefly addressed whether an exception to this requirement existed for involuntary loss of ownership through a merger. It noted that a derivative plaintiff who lost his shares involuntarily, like a plaintiff who sold his shares voluntarily, ceased to have an interest in the suit. Concerned with the abusive litigation that could arise in such circumstances, the Court held that no exception applied. Thus a plaintiff who lost his shares involuntarily due to a merger would violate the continuous ownership requirement and lose standing to sue the corporation.

Because the Court concluded that both Delaware law and California law imposed a continuous ownership requirement, it found no need to apply conflicts of laws principles. Instead, it simply concluded that Huang lost standing to sue JNI when he ceased to be a JNI shareholder, and affirmed dismissal of Huang’s appeal.