A Minnesota Appeals Court recently ruled that a father could not terminate his son as the president of the family-owned business because the father did not have authority to do so under the company’s by-laws. Call v. Call, No. A19-0074 (Minn. Ct. App. Sept. 3, 2019). This case involved a dispute between the owners of a manufacturing company, Winco, Inc., that had been in existence since 1927. Ralph Call had been Winco’s sole shareholder for decades. In 2009, Ralph’s son Daniel joined the company with the understanding that Daniel “would eventually own a significant share of Winco.” By 2017, Daniel owned 65% of Winco’s shares as a result of a series of transfers from Ralph. Winco’s board of directors also had appointed Daniel president of the company in 2014, while Ralph remained its CEO.
Continue Reading When Terminating Officers in the Family-Owned Business, Follow the By-Laws