Company Name: Torotel, Inc. (Basil C.)
Public Availability Date: August 29, 2007
Document Sections: Torotel (Basil Caloyeras)
INQUIRY LETTER
INQUIRY LETTER
APPENDIX
STAFF REPLY LETTER
[INQUIRY LETTER]
June 5, 2007
Office of Chief Counsel
Division of Corporation Finance
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549
Re: Omission of Shareholder Proposal of Basil P. Caloyeras
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
This letter is to inform you that it is the intention of our client, Torotel,
Inc. (the "Company"), to omit from its proxy statement and form of proxy for its
2007 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (collectively, the "2007 Proxy Materials")
the Proposal (as defined below) submitted by Basil P. Caloyeras (the
"Proponent"). The letter setting forth such Proposal (the "Proposal Letter") is
attached hereto as Exhibit A.
We hereby notify the Division of Corporation Finance (the "Division") of the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") of the Company's intention
to exclude the Proposal from its 2007 Proxy Materials, and we respectfully
request that the staff of the Division (the "Staff") concur in our view that the
Proposal is excludable because: (a) the Proposal fails to satisfy the technical
requirements of Rule 14a-8(b); (b) the Proposal is improper under state law and,
thus, is in violation of Rule 14a-8(i)(1); (c) the Proposal would, if
implemented, cause the Company to violate state law and, thus, is in violation
of Rule 14a-8(i)(2); and (d) the Proposal is actually one of several proposals
submitted by other shareholders of the Company who the Company believes are the
"alter ego" of the Proponent thereby violating the "one proposal" limit of Rule
14a-8(c). For avoidance of confusion, the capitalized term "Rule" refers to a
rule under Regulation 14A promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended (the "Exchange Act").
Pursuant to Rule 14-8(j)(2), I am enclosing six copies of this letter and all
exhibits thereto. In accordance with Rule 14a-8(j), a copy of this submission is
being sent to the Proponent.
BACKGROUND
This section outlines: (i) the prior shareholder proposal (actually multiple
proposals) submitted by the Proponent for the Company's 2006 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders; (ii) the circumstances surrounding the submission of the Proposal
by the Proponent and the other proposals for the 2007 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders (collectively, the "Caloyeras Group Proposals") submitted by each
of Alexandra Caloyeras, Aliki Caloyeras (collectively with the Proponent and
Alexandra Caloyeras, the "Caloyeras Family"), Daniel Shiffman and Gary and
Shirley Wiglesworth (the Caloyeras Family, Mr. Shiffman and the Wiglesworths are
collectively referred to herein as the "Caloyeras Group"); and (iii) each of the
Caloyeras Group Proposals.
I. Prosposal by the Proponent for the Company's 2006 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders
The Proponent submitted a proposal for inclusion in the proxy materials for the
Company's 2006 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Such proposal actually contained
multiple proposals and, therefore, was in violation of Rule 14a-8(c). The
Company souglit to exclude the proposal under Rule 14a-8(c), and the Commission
concurred that there was some basis to exclude the proposal for this reason. See
Torotel, Inc. (November 1, 2006), which we have attached hereto for your
convenience as Exhibit B. The text of such proposal reads as follows:
RESOLVED, that the shareholders of Torotel, Inc. ("Corporation") approve
amending Articles Six and Nine of the Corporation's Articles of Incorporation to
remove certain provisions of the Corporation's Bylaws that unduly restrict
shareholder rights and decrease shareholder value as follows:
Article Six:
"The number of Directors is five. Directors shall be elected by Shareholders
holding not less than 50% of outstanding shares at each annual meeting of
Shareholders, but if such annual meeting is not held or Directors are not
elected thereat, Directors may be elected at a special meeting of Shareholders.
Directors shall hold office until the next annual meeting and until their
successors are elected and qualified. The declassification effectuated by this
provision shall not affect unexpired terms of Directors previously elected."
Article Nine:
"Only a majority of Shareholders may make, alter, amend, suspend or repeal the
Bylaws. With respect to the Bylaws currently in effect, each of the following
provisions is hereby revoked in its entirety: Article II, Sections 13, 14, and
15; Article III, Section 2, 8, and 10 and Article XIII. Article II, Section 2
shall be amended to read that a special meeting of Shareholders may be called by
the President, Board of Directors or Shareholders holding not less than 15% of
outstanding shares of the Corporation."
As discussed below in greater detail, all of the Caloyeras Group Proposals are
identical to "sub-proposals" contained in the proposal submitted by the
Proponent for the 2006 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The Company concluded at
that time that each of the "sub-proposals" was actually a separate proposal and,
therefore, they were excludable from the proxy materials for the 2006 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders, In light of this argument, the Commission concurred
that we had some basis to exclude the proposal (and the "sub-proposals") because
they violated the "one proposal" rule of Rule 14a-8(c).
II. Circumstances Surrounding the Caloyeras Group Proposals
As noted above, the Company received the Caloyeras Group Proposals from members
of the Caloyeras Family, Daniel Shiffman (husband of Aliki Caloyeras) and Gary
and Shirley Wiglesworth (whom the Company believes are friends of the Caloyeras
Family and also granted a proxy to the Proponent for both the 2005 and 2006
Annual Meetings of Shareholders). The Caloyeras Group Proposals were delivered
to the Company in one delivery by Proponent's counsel, who also served as
counsel to the Proponent in connection with his proposal for the 2006 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders. Shortly after delivery of the Caloyeras Group
Proposals, Proponent's counsel contacted me to ensure the Caloyeras Group
Proposals had been received and to inquire as to whether the Company would seek
to exclude the proposals. At that time, Proponent's counsel did not indicate
that they only represented the Proponent or the Caloyeras Family and that they
did not represent Mr. Shiffman or the Wiglesworths. In fact, during our call,
the attention of Proponent's counsel was focused on all of the Caloyeras Group
Proposals.
Furthermore, I received both a voicemail message and an electronic mail message
on April 30, 2007 from Proponent's counsel asking that we confirm which proposal
was submitted by Alexandra Caloyeras because Proponent's counsel was concerned
that the file copy may have been dropped and reassembled incorrectly. In the
electronic mail message, Proponent's counsel stated:
I am following up on our phone conversation with this e-mail to confirm that the
proposal submitted by Alexandra Caloyeras was with respect to Article II,
Section 14 and the proposal submitted by Mr. Shiffman was with respect to the
one year terms of directors. All other proposals are as received by you in your
packet. I apologize for the confusion, but, again, we are filing a 13D and want
everyone to be on the same page.
On May 4, 2007, on behalf of the Company, we delivered letters to all members of
the Caloyeras Group indicating the various technical failures contained in their
respective proposals and informing each of them that the Company believed they
may be acting as an undisclosed "group" in violation of Section 13(d)(1) of the
Exchange Act. For reasons discussed herein, the Company believed at that time
and still believes today that the other members of the Caloyeras Group are in
fact the "alter egos" of the Proponent. Each of these letters is attached hereto
as Exhibit C (collectively, the "Deficiency Letters"). The Deficiency Letters
contain copies of the Caloyeras Group Proposals. Proponent's counsel received
copies of all of the Deficiency Letters.
Following receipt of the Deficiency Letters, Proponent's counsel contacted me
and said their firm represented the Caloyeras Family and did not represent Mr.
Shiffman or the Wiglesworths. During our conversation, I told Proponent's
counsel that the Company would not pursue the undisclosed "group" issue (under
Section 13(d)(1) of the Exchange Act) as a basis for exclusion of the Caloyeras
Group Proposals; however, I indicated to him and later confirmed by email that
this would not preclude the Company from moving forward with its plans to seek
to exclude the Caloyeras Group Proposals on various other bases, including the
"alter ego" theory under Regulation 14A.
On May 20, 2007, the Company received letters from Proponent's counsel, on
behalf of the Caloyeras Family, and the Wiglesworths (each a "Response Letter").
The Response Letters are attached hereto as Exhibit D. Each of these letters
claimed that there was no "group" for federal securities law purposes, The
Response Letters appear to be inconsistent with the inference from the prior
email and voicemail messages from Proponent's counsel noted above.
III. The Proposal and the Other Caloyeras Group Proposals
The Proposal is as follows:
RESOLVED, that the shareholders of Torotel, Inc. (the "Corporation") approve
amending Article Nine of the Corporation's Articles of Incorporation and adding
a new Article at the end of the Articles of Incorporation, that would have the
effect of removing certain related provisions of the Corporation's Amended and
Restated By-Laws and preventing further amendment that would have adverse
effects on shareholder rights, which will read as follows:
Article Nine as Amended:
"Only a majority of the Shareholders shall have the power to make, alter, amend,
suspend or repeal the By-Laws for the Corporation from time to time."
New Article to be Added at End of Articles of Incorporation:
"With respect to the By-Laws in effect as of the date of this amendment, the
following provision is hereby revoked in its entirety: Article XIII."
The proposal from Alexandra Caloyeras is as follows:
RESOLVED, that the shareholders of Torotel, Inc. (the "Corporation") approve
amending the Corporation's Articles of Incorporation by adding a new Article to
the Articles of Incorporation that would have the effect of removing certain
provisions of the Corporation's Amended and Restated By-Laws, which will read as
follows:
New Article to be Added at End of Articles of Incorporation:
"With respect to the By-Laws in effect as of the date of this amendment, the
following provision is hereby revoked in its entirety: Article II, Section 14."
The proposal from Aliki Caloyeras is as follows:
RESOLVED, that the shareholders of Torotel, Inc. (the "Corporation") approve
amending Article Six of the Corporation's Articles of Incorporation and adding a
new Article at the end of the Articles of Incorporation, that would have the
effect of reducing the number of directors to five and removing certain related
provisions of the Corporation's Amended and Restated By-Laws, which will read as
follows:
Article Six:
"The number of directors for the Corporation who shall be elected from time to
time by a majority of the Shareholders is five."
New Article to be Added at End of Articles of Incorporation:
"With respect to the By-Laws in effect as of the date of this amendment, the
following provision is hereby revoked in its entirety: The first sentence of
Article III, Section 2."
The proposal of Daniel Shiffman is as follows:
RESOLVED, that the shareholders of Torotel, Inc. (the "Corporation") approve
amending Article Six of the Corporation's Articles of Incorporation and adding a
new Article at the end of the Articles of Incorporation, that would have the
effect of requiring each member of the board of directors to be elected annually
and removing certain related provisions of the Corporation's Amended and
Restated By-Laws, which will read as follows:
Article SixAdd after the first sentence of Article Six the following:
"The term for all directors currently serving as directors shall expire at the
Annual Meeting of the Shareholders to be held on September 17, 2007. Thereafter,
each director shall serve a term of one year and until his successor is elected
and qualified."
New Article to be Added at End of Articles of Incorporation:
"With respect to the By-Laws in effect as of the date of this amendment, the
following provisions are hereby revoked in its entirety: All provisions of
Article III, Section 2, except for the first sentence of the same."
The proposal of the Wiglesworths is as follows:
RESOLVED, that the shareholders of Torotel, Inc. (the "Corporation") approve
amending the Corporation's Articles of Incorporation by adding a new Article to
the Articles of Incorporation that would have the effect of removing certain
provisions of the Corporation's Amended and Restated By-Laws, which will read as
follows:
New Article to be Added at End of Articles of Incorporation:
"With respect to the By-Laws in effect as of the date of this amendment, Article
II, Section 2 shall be amended to read that a special meeting of Shareholders
may be called by the President, Board of Directors or shareholders holding not
less than 15% of the outstanding shares of the Corporation."
As the Staff will note and as we discuss below, all of the Caloyeras Group
Proposals are identical to "sub-proposals" (which were actually individual
proposals in violation of Rule 14a-8(c)) of the proposal made by the Proponent
in 2006. Simply stated, this year the Proponent took his 2006 proposal and
merely allocated one "sub-proposal" among each member of the Caloyeras Family,
Daniel Shiffman and the Wiglesworths in an effort to avoid the "one proposal"
limit of Rule 14a-8(c).
BASES FOR EXCLUDING THE PROPOSAL
I. The Proposal May Be Excluded Pursuant to Rule 14a-8(b) Because the Proponent
Does Not Intend to Hold the Securities Through the Date of the 2007 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders
As you are aware, Rule 14a-8(b) requires that a shareholder provide an
unqualified written statement that it intends to own the securities through the
date of the shareholders meeting. See also Exxon Mobil Corporation (January 23,
2001) and AmVestors Financial Corporation (January 3, 1996). The purpose of this
rule is based on the policy that a company should be able to exclude proposals
from a shareholder who does not have a measured economic stake or investment
interest in the company. See Release No. 34-200091 (August 16, 1983).
The Proponent noted in the Proposal Letter that he intends to hold his shares of
common stock through the 2007 Annual Meeting of Shareholders; however, this
statement is false and the Proponent lacks the ability to make it true. The
Proponent and the other members of the Caloyeras Family have agreed to sell
their shares back to the Company.
On April 17, 2007, the Company and the Caloyeras Family entered into a purchase
option settlement agreement (the "Option Agreement" a copy of which was filed
with the SEC on April 20, 2007 on Form 8-K and is attached hereto as Exhibit E)
pursuant to which the Company has the unilateral option to purchase all of the
shares of common stock of the Company held by the Caloyeras Family. This option
is solely exercisable in the discretion of the Company. The Caloyeras Family has
no legal authority to stop the Company from exercising its option and purchasing
all of the shares held by each member of the Caloyeras Family. The Caloyeras
Family entered into the Option Agreement for the purpose of disposing of all of
their shares. There is no clearer evidence of an absence of commitment on the
Proponent's part to retain the shares through the 2007 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders.
The Company brought this to the attention of the Proponent in the Deficiency
Letter. In response, Proponent's counsel, on behalf of the Proponent, stated on
page 2 of the Caloyeras Response Letter that:
[s]pecifically, to the extent that the Company fails to, or chooses not to,
exercise its option to purchase the shares covered by the option, the Caloyeras
Family Members (and the Caloyeras Family Partnership) have every intention of
holding their shares through the date of the Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
Such a qualified statement is not allowed under Rule 14a-8(b). See Exxon Mobil
Corporation (January 23, 2001) and AmVestors Financial Corporation (January 3,
1996).
The Proponent cannot make such a statement without a qualification (whether
express or implicit) because the Proponent granted a unilateral option to the
Company to buy back all of his shares. Proponent's counsel, on behalf of the
Proponent, further stated that "it is the expectation and the intention of the
Caloyeras Family Members that they will continue to hold the subject shares
through the date of the Annual Meeting of Shareholders." If the Proponent
"intended" to hold the shares, then why did he (and the other members of the
Caloyeras Family) grant a unilateral right to the Company to buy back the
shares? Clearly the intent of the Proponent is to sell the shares and not to
hold them through the 2007 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. For the Proponent to
claim otherwise is disingenuous.
For the foregoing reasons, the Company respectfully submits that the Proposal
may be excluded from the Company's 2007 Proxy Materials.
II. The Proposal May Be Excluded Pursuant to Rule 14a-8(i)(1) Because It Is
Improper Under State Law
As you are aware, the purpose of the basis for exclusion provided under Rule
14a-8(i)(1) is to prevent shareholders from proposing shareholder action on
matters that are not proper subjects for a shareholder vote. According to the
Commission:
proposals by security holders that mandate or direct the board to take certain
action may constitute an unlawful intrusion on the board's discretionary
authority under the typical statute. On the other hand, however, proposals that
merely recommend or request that the board take certain action would not appear
to be contrary to the typical state statute, since such proposals are merely
advisory in nature and would not be binding on the board even if adopted by a
majority of the security holders.
See Release No. 34-12999 (November 22, 1976). As the Commission will note, the
Proposal is structured as a "mandatory" proposal to be submitted directly to a
shareholder vote. The proposal is not "precatory," asking the Board of Directors
to propose such an amendment to the shareholders.
For the reasons discussed below, such a proposal may not be submitted directly
to the shareholders of the Company by another shareholder. Only the Company's
Board of Directors (the "Board of Directors") has the authority to submit the
Proposal to the Company's shareholders for a vote because the Proposal is for an
amendment to the Company's Articles of Incorporation (the "Articles of
Incorporation" a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit F). Under 351.090
of the Missouri General and Business Corporation Law (the "MGBCL"), any
amendment to the Articles of Incorporation may be submitted to the shareholders
for a vote only by the Board of Directors. To rob the Board of Directors of its
ability to decide whether to submit the Proposal to the shareholders for a vote,
or to force the Board of Directors to submit the Proposal to the shareholders
for a vote, is in direct opposition to Missouri law and the intent of the
Missouri legislature.
Pursuant to 351.090 of the MGBCL, any shareholder proposal seeking to amend the
articles of incorporation of a company cannot be submitted directly by one
shareholder to the other shareholders of the company for purposes of voting on
such amendment; it can only be submitted to the shareholders for a vote by the
company's board of directors. MGBCL 351.090.2.(1) states:
[t]he board of directors may adopt a resolution setting forth the proposed
amendment and directing that it be submitted to a vote at a meeting of
shareholders, which may be either an annual or a special meeting, except that
the proposed amendment need not be adopted by the board of directors and may be
directly submitted by the board of directors to any annual or special meeting of
shareholders. (Emphasis added.)
In 2006, Missouri's legislature specifically added clarifying language
(italicized above) in this statute to address a perceived ambiguity as to
whether the board of directors was the exclusive gatekeeper with respect to
proposals to amend the articles of incorporation. There is no reference in MGBCL
351.090 to any power of the shareholders to bypass the board of directors of a
corporation and vote on all articles amendments. The position of the Missouri
legislature is clear - any proposal to amend the articles of incorporation must
first be presented to the board of directors, and the board of directors may
then decide whether to send it to a shareholder vote. There is no case law in
Missouri contravening or seeking to limit this provision. The language of this
provision is clear and unambiguous: the board of directors is the gatekeeper of
amendments to the articles of incorporation and gets to decide whether to submit
amendments of the articles of incorporation to the shareholders for a vote.
If the Board of Directors was not allowed to exercise its discretion with
respect to the submission of the Proposal to the shareholders, or the Board of
Directors was forced to submit the Proposal to the shareholders in the 2007
Proxy Materials, 351.090 of the MGBCL and the clear intent of the Missouri
legislature would be violated. Such action is exactly what Rule 14a-8(i)(1) was
intended to prevent. The Commission has held on numerous occasions that
proposals that are improper under state law may be excluded. See PG&E
Corporation (January 18, 2001) and Badger Paper Mills, Inc. (March 15, 2000).
Although the Company recognizes that the Commission has allowed a proposal to be
submitted so long as the shareholder makes it "precatory," in the present case,
the Company believes that, given Proponent's past inability to comply with
Regulation 14A and for the other reasons discussed herein, the Proponent should
not be allowed a chance to revise the Proposal to make it "precatory."
We have attached hereto as Exhibit G a copy of 351.090 of the MGBCL and an
opinion of counsel supporting the foregoing analysis.
For the foregoing reasons, the Company respectfully submits that the Proposal
may be excluded from the Company's 2007 Proxy Materials.
III. The Proposal May Be Excluded Pursuant to Rule 14a-8(i)(2) Because the
Proposal Would, If Implemented, Cause the Company to Violate State Law
As noted herein, the Proposal provides for the amendment of the Company's
Articles of Incorporation to amend the ways in which the Company's Bylaws (the
"Bylaws" a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit H) may be amended. Also
as noted above, the Proposal is structured as a "mandatory" proposal and not as
a "precatory" proposal.
Pursuant to 351.090 of the MGBCL, any shareholder proposal seeking to amend the
articles of incorporation of a company cannot be submitted directly by one
shareholder to the other shareholders of the company for purposes of voting on
such amendment. It can only be submitted to the shareholders for a vote by the
company's board of directors. The text of MGBCL 351.090.2(1) is quoted above
and is clear on this point. As noted above, the Missouri legislature
specifically clarified the law in 2006 to address this issue. The language of
this provision is clear and unambiguous: the board of directors is the
gatekeeper of amendments to the articles of incorporation and gets to decide
whether to submit amendments of the articles of incorporation to the
shareholders for a vote.
If (i) the Board of Directors was precluded from exercising the discretion
granted to it under Missouri law, (ii) the Company was forced to include the
Proposal in the 2007 Proxy Materials and (iii) the Proposal was approved by the
shareholders, the underlying amendment would be illegal under Missouri law
because the Board of Directors would not have been allowed to exercise its
rights and perform its obligations under Missouri law and the Proposal would not
be duly submitted to the shareholders. The Company respectfully submits that to
allow a shareholder to force the Company to violate Missouri law in such a way
is the exact scenario that Rule 14a-8(i)(2) was intended to prevent. As you are
aware, the Commission has held on numerous occasions that a proposal may be
excluded if the proposal cannot be lawfully implemented under state corporate
law. See Dayton Hudson Corporation (March 25, 1999); International Business
Machines Corporation (January 27, 1999); TRW Inc. (March 6, 2000); Health Risk
Management, Inc. (April 3, 2000).
We have attached hereto as Exhibit I an opinion of counsel supporting the
foregoing analysis.
For the foregoing reasons, the Company respectfully submits that the Proposal
may be excluded from the Company's 2007 Proxy Materials.
IV. The Proposal May Be Excluded Pursuant to Rule 14a-8(c) Because The Proposal
Is One of Several Proposals Submitted by the Proponent and the Other Members of
the Caloveras Group Who Are the Alter Egos of the Proponent
Rule 14a-8(c) (formerly Rule 14a-8(a)(4)) provides that a proponent may submit
no more than one proposal and an accompanying supporting statement to a company
for a particular shareholders' meeting. If a proponent submits more than one
proposal, the registrant is required by Rule 14a-8(f)(1) to provide the
proponent the opportunity to reduce the items submitted to the limit provided by
the rule within 14 calendar days of notification by the registrant to the
proponent of the limitation. In adopting this rule, the Commission noted the
possibility that some proponents would attempt to evade the rule's limitations
through various tactics:
[t]he Commission is aware of the possibility that some proponents may attempt to
evade the new limitations through various maneuvers, such as having other
persons whose securities they control submit two proposals each in their own
names. The Commission wishes to make it clear that such tactics may result in
measures such as the granting of requests by the affected managements for a
"No-Action" letter concerning the omission from their proxy materials of the
proposals at issue.
Release No. 34-12999 (November 22, 1976). See also, Release No. 34-20091 (August
16, 1983).
As you are aware, the Commission has consistently taken a no-action position
pursuant to Rule 14a-8(c) and its predecessor rule when an issuer provides
reasonable evidence of the utilization of maneuvers intended to evade the "one
proposal" limitation. See Drexler Technology Corporation (June 14, 1999) (the
Commission permitted omission of multiple proposals orchestrated and coordinated
by a single individual that were submitted by multiple nominal proponents);
BankAmerica Corporation (February 8, 1996) (different proponents submitted
separate proposals which had same telephone numbers, dates, and format, and the
Commission permitted omission of the proposals); Weyerhaeuser Company (December
20, 1995) (no-action position taken where proponents had same address, were of
same immediate family and were working together); NMR of America, Inc. (May 11,
1993) (the Commission concluded that proposals were excludable where evidence
showed that husband had authored both proposals); Dominion Resources, Inc.
(February 24, 1993) (no-action position taken where proposals were coordinated
by single proponent); TPI Enterprises, Inc. (July 15, 1987) (no-action position
taken where several proposals were "masterminded" by single proponent); Texas
Instruments Inc. (proposals submitted by proponent, his daughter, corporation
and foundation were sufficiently related to be considered proposals of a single
proponent). Specifically, the Commission has indicated that multiple proponents
will be treated as one proponent for purposes of Rule 14a-8(c) when an issuer
meets its burden of establishing that one proponent is the "alter ego" of
another proponent, that one proponent possesses "control" over the shares owned
of record, or beneficially, by another proponent, or that one proponent is
acting on behalf of another proponent. See BankAmerica Corporation (February 8,
1996); Stone & Webster, Inc. (March 3, 1995); Banc One Corporation (February 2,
1993).
The Commission has further found that the mere presence of influence over
proponents, even in the absence of explicit control or domination over
cooperating proponents, may be sufficient to justify the omission of multiple
proposals submitted by nominal proponents as part of an orchestrated scheme. See
International Business Machines Corporation (January 26, 1998); Banc One
Corporation (February 2, 1993); TPI Enterprises, Inc. (July 18, 1987). In
addition, there are numerous instances in which the Commission has issued a
no-action opinion based not on the existence of outright "control," but on
evidence that the proponents acted in a coordinated, arranged, or manipulated
manner with the evident purpose of avoiding the "one proposal" rule. See Drexler
Technology Corporation (June 19, 1999); Weyerhauser Company (December 20, 1995);
Dominion Resources, Inc. (February 24, 1993).
In analyzing an "alter ego" claim, the nature of relationships between the
shareholders, similarities relating to the submission and format of the
proposals, past behavior, and evidence of maneuvers by a proponent to try and
avoid the "one proposal" limitation, are among the factors the Commission has
considered in determining that no-action relief is appropriate. In order to
analyze the facts surrounding the Caloyeras Group Proposals, the following
sections summarize critical facts. As the Commission will note, the facts
described below bear an incredibly strong resemblance to the facts found in
Drexler Technology Corporation (June 19, 1999), Dominion Resources, Inc.
(February 24, 1993), TPI Enterprises, Inc. (July 18, 1987), Banc One Corporation
(February 2, 1993), and BankAmerica Corporation (February 8, 1996), as well as
other no action letters identified above, where the Commission has found a basis
for allowing exclusion of the subject shareholder proposals under Rule 14a-8(c).
A. Identical Concepts Involved in 2006 Proposal Submitted by the Proponent and
the Caloyeras Group Proposals
As noted in Torotel, Inc. (November 1, 2006), the proposal submitted by the
Proponent for the 2006 Annual Meeting of Shareholders contained multiple
proposals. These proposals related to amendments of the Articles of
Incorporation and the Bylaws (via amendments to the Articles of Incorporation).
As described in Torotel, Inc. (November 1, 2006); (i) one amendment sought to
reduce the number of directors to five; (ii) a second amendment sought to
provide for majority voting for director elections; (iii) a third amendment
sought to provide for election of directors at annual and special meetings; (iv)
a fourth amendment sought to provide for the Board of Directors to be
declassified; (v) a fifth amendment sought to provide that only a majority of
the shareholders can amend the Bylaws; (vi) a sixth amendment sought to remove
the advance notice Bylaw provisions related to director nominations; (vii) a
seventh amendment sought to remove the advance notice provisions for shareholder
proposals; (viii) an eighth amendment sought to delete the provision that the
Chairman will preside over shareholder meetings; (ix) a ninth amendment sought
to address the filling of director vacancies; and (x) a tenth amendment sought
to provide that shareholders holding at least 15% of the stock of the Company
can call a special meeting.
The concepts covered by each of the Caloyeras Group Proposals are identical to
"sub-proposals" (which were actually separate proposals) included in Mr.
Caloyeras' 2006 proposal. Furthermore, the manner in which they address each
concept and propose resolution is also identical. To summarize; (a) the
Proponent's Proposal seeks to provide that only a majority of the shareholders
can amend the Bylaws (identical to item (v) above); (b) Alexandra Caloyeras'
proposal seeks to delete the advance notice Bylaw requirements for shareholder
proposals (identical to item (vii) above); (c) Aliki Caloyeras' proposal seeks
to reduce the number of directors to five (identical to item (i) above); (d)
Daniel Shiffman's proposal seeks to declassify the Board of Directors (identical
to item (iv) above); and (e) the Wiglesworth's proposal seeks to provide that
shareholders holding at least 15% of the stock of the Company can call a special
meeting (identical to item (x) above).
The current situation bears a strong resemblance to the situations found in
Drexler Technology Corporation (June 19, 1999), Dominion Resources, Inc.
(February 24, 1993), TPI Enterprises, Inc. (July 18, 1987), Banc One Corporation
(February 2, 1993), and BankAmerica Corporation (February 8, 1996), as well as
other no action letters identified above. In all of those instances, the
Commission allowed the company to exclude the proposals on the basis that they
violated Rule 14a-8(c). The Proponent will likely submit that the similarities
are mere coincidence; however, the chance that these closely-related
shareholders "coincidentally" submitted distinct proposals that are all
identical to "sub-proposals" submitted as part of one proposal by the Proponent
in 2006 is very remote. The logical explanation is that the Proponent, having
learned from his prior unsuccessful attempt to get his proposals included in the
proxy materials for the 2006 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, simply allocated
one "sub-proposal" to each member of the Caloyeras Group for submission to the
Company in an effort to evade the "one proposal" rule. The Company believes that
the only reason the other proposals from the Proponent's 2006 proposal were not
submitted for inclusion in the 2007 Proxy Materials is that the Proponent was
unable to find other shareholders sympathetic to his objectives and willing to
submit a proposal.
B. Identical Language Utilized in the Proposals and Related Letters from the
Caloyeras Group
The Proposal and the Proposal Letter are identical in an unusual number of
respects with each of the other Caloyeras Group Proposals and the proposal
letters related thereto. The text of the Proposal Letter is identical to that of
each proposal letter submitted by the other members of the Caloyeras Group. In
fact, it appears that all of the proposals and proposal letters were drafted by
the Proponent or his counsel, who was also involved in the preparation of the
Proponent's 2006 proposal.
Evidence to support this conclusion includes; (a) the text in every proposal
letter is identical in font size and type; (b) the subject line in each proposal
letter states in bold text "RE: Notice of Shareholder Proposal"; (c) the words
are identical in each proposal letter; (d) each proposal letter has the defined
term "Corporation" in bold; (e) each proposal letter has a reference to "Annex
A" on the first line of the first paragraph; (f) each proposal letter ends with
"Respectfully submitted,"; (g) each proposal letter has a signature line for the
sender; (h) most of the proposal letters have lines under the share amounts and
addresses of each sender; (i) the date is centered in the exact location on
every proposal letter; (j) the format of each Caloyeras Group Proposal is
identical; (k) every Caloyeras Group Proposal includes the phrase "[the]
proposal restores to shareholders the power to exercise the full breadth of
their rights under Missouri law" at the end of the supporting statement; (1) the
proposal letters are substantially identical to the proposal letter submitted by
the Proponent in 2006; (m) the format of each Caloyeras Group Proposal is
identical to the format of the proposal submitted by the Proponent in 2006; and
(n) the supporting statement in the Proponent's 2006 proposal contains the
phrase identified in (k) above.
The overwhelming number of similarities, the presence of lines seemingly
symbolizing place holders in which members of the Caloyeras Group should fill in
certain information and the presence on certain proposal letters of identical
document identification numbers, clearly indicate that someone, likely the
Proponent or his counsel, prepared all of the proposal letters and the Caloyeras
Group Proposals. The above noted examples serve to make it clearer that the
current situation bears a strong resemblance to the situations found in Drexler
Technology Corporation (June 19, 1999), Dominion Resources, Inc. (February 24,
1993), TPI Enterprises, Inc. (July 18, 1987), Banc One Corporation (February 2,
1993) and BankAmerica Corporation (February 8, 1996), as well as other no action
letters identified above. As noted above, in all of those instances, the
Commission allowed the company to exclude the proposals on the basis that they
violated Rule 14a-8(c).
The Company believes that the Proponent (or his counsel) (i) prepared all of the
Caloyeras Group Proposals and the related proposal letters, and (ii) delivered
such letters and proposals to each member of the Caloyeras Group in order for
such members to fill in the applicable information, place on separate letterhead
and execute. The Company further believes that the Proponent directed his
counsel to collect all of the Caloyeras Group Proposals and proposal letters and
to deliver such documents to the Company. These beliefs are based on the facts
described herein, including the conversations between us and Proponent's counsel
noted above and the voice mail and electronic mail messages from Proponent's
counsel described above. These facts clearly demonstrate that the present
situation involves an attempt to use "alter egos" to evade the "one proposal"
rule.
C. Coordination of Proposals
The Caloyeras Group Proposals are so closely coordinated that it is apparent
that the Proponent (or his counsel) drafted the Caloyeras Group Proposals. As
described above, several of the proposal letters have identical document
identification numbers as well as other incredible similarities. The fact that
the Caloyeras Group Proposals and proposal letters bear an astonishing
resemblance to the proposal and related proposal letter submitted by the
Proponent in 2006 strongly suggests that the Proponent (or his counsel) drafted
all of the Caloyeras Group Proposals and the proposal letters.
Evidence of coordination beyond mere coincidence is evident in numerous
instances. First, although shareholders have the power to amend the Bylaws, the
Proponent and every other member of the Caloyeras Group sought to bring their
proposals (to effectively amend the Bylaws) as amendments to the Articles of
Incorporation and, thus, attempt to bypass the supermajority voting requirement
for amendments to the Bylaws. It is very strange that they would all employ the
same strategy given a plain reading of the Bylaws outlines that shareholders can
amend the Bylaws (but with a supermajority voting requirement). Furthermore,
this strategy follows the exact same strategy employed by the Proponent in 2006.
Second, the Proponent and every other member of the Caloyeras Group sought to
protect the other Caloyeras Group Proposals in the event the Proponent's
Proposal was successfully excluded or failed to garner enough votes. The
strategy that is being employed is aimed at attempting to amend the Bylaws via
the Articles of Incorporation. By putting the amendment in the Articles of
Incorporation, the only way such amendments can be repealed is through
shareholder vote. If the Proponent's Proposal failed and the other Caloyeras
Group Proposals were for Bylaw amendments instead of amendments to the Articles
of Incorporation, the Board of Directors, in most circumstances, would be able
to amend, alter or repeal such Bylaw amendments without a shareholder vote. This
strategy is identical to the strategy employed by the Proponent in 2006. Once
again, the chance that all of the shareholders would separately employ such a
unique strategy is highly remote.
Third, the proposal from Aliki Caloyeras seeks to amend only the first sentence
of Article III, Section 2 of the Bylaws, while the proposal from Daniel Shiffman
seeks to amend the rest of Article III, Section 2 of the Bylaws. This level of
coordination and the precision of the proposed amendments suggests one person
drafted all of the Caloyeras Group Proposals.
Fourth, the Caloyeras Group Proposals were all delivered in one package at the
same time by Proponent's counsel and such counsel contacted me regarding all of
the proposals. Furthermore, Proponent's counsel on April 30, 2007, delivered
email and voice mail messages to me that strongly suggest that Proponent's
counsel assembled (and may have prepared) all of the proposal letters. This is
further evidence that the Proponent controlled the development and delivery of
the Caloyeras Group Proposals through his counsel.
The above noted examples serve to make it clearer that the current situation
bears a strong resemblance to the situations found in Drexler Technology
Corporation (June 19, 1999), Dominion Resources, Inc. (February 24, 1993), TPI
Enterprises, Inc. (July 18, 1987), Banc One Corporation (February 2, 1993) and
BankAmerica Corporation (February 8, 1996), as well as other no action letters
identified above. As noted above, in all of those instances, the Commission
allowed the company to exclude the proposals on the basis that they violated
Rule 14a-8(c).
D. The Proponent Is the Leader.
The Proponent is the uncontested leader of the Caloyeras Family and has been the
lead representative and manager of the Caloyeras Family's business as it relates
to the Company. The Proponent runs the family's other business interests as
well. Since before the 2006 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the Proponent has
been the only one of the Caloyeras children to meet with Company officials or
represent Caloyeras Family interests with management of the Company. To our
knowledge, neither Aliki Caloyeras nor Alexandra Caloyeras has attended a
shareholders meeting of the Company; in fact, the Caloyeras Family members grant
their proxies to the Proponent. Furthermore, the Proponent was the sole family
negotiator with respect to the Option Agreement. Based on these facts and the
Company's experience with the Proponent, the Company believes that the Proponent
is the leader of the Caloyeras Family and exercises control over Alexandra and
Aliki Caloyeras with respect to Company issues. In fact, he has always
represented himself as the leader of the Caloyeras Family.
Mr. Shiffman is the husband of Aliki Caloyeras. Given the fact that (i) the
Company believes he was not a shareholder prior to the start of his relationship
with Aliki Caloyeras, (ii) Mr. Shiffman holds a nominal number of shares (1,400
shares out of more than 5.3 million shares outstanding) of the Company, (iii) he
granted a proxy to the Proponent for both the 2005 and 2006 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders and (iv) he has never sought to bring proposals in his individual
capacity at other shareholders meetings for the Company, along with the other
facts described above, it is reasonable to assume that Mr. Shiffman is a pawn of
the Proponent with respect to issues related to the Company.
With respect to the Wiglesworths, the Company has reason to believe they are
friends of the Caloyeras Family. As with Mr. Shiffman, given the fact that (i)
the Wiglesworths hold a nominal number of shares (5,000 shares out of over 5.3
million shares outstanding) of the Company, (ii) they granted a proxy to the
Proponent for both the 2005 and 2006 Annual Meeting of Sharcholders and (iii)
they have never previously communicated shareholder proposals to the Company,
along with the other facts described above, it is reasonable to assume that the
Wiglesworths are acting at the direction or on behalf of the Proponent.
As noted above, the current situation bears a strong resemblance to the
situations found in Drexler Technology Corporation (June 19, 1999), Dominion
Resources, Inc. (February 24, 1993), TPI Enterprises, Inc. (July 18, 1987), Banc
One Corporation (February 2, 1993) and BankAmerica Corporation (February 8,
1996), as well as other no action letters identified above. As also noted above,
in all of those instances, the Commission allowed the company to exclude the
proposals on the basis that they violated Rule 14a-8(c).
E. Conclusion
As noted above, in 2006, the Proponent sought to include shareholder proposals
in the Company's proxy materials, but failed due to his violation of the "one
proposal" rule. This latest attempt is nothing more than an attempt to bypass
the "one proposal" rule by having the proposals separately submitted by
different people. The facts outlined above illustrate exactly the type of
behavior the Commission seeks to prohibit. The facts set forth above are
substantially similar to a number of the factual situations outlined in the no
action letter precedent cited herein. These facts and the precedent established
by the Commission mandate that the Company be allowed to exclude the Proposal
from the 2007 Proxy Materials.
For the foregoing reasons, the Company respectfully submits that the Proposal
may be excluded from the Company's 2007 Proxy Materials.
UNDISCLOSED "GROUP" IN VIOLATION OF SECTION 13(d)(1)
Although the Company does not seek to exclude the Proposal on the basis that the
Caloyeras Group is an undisclosed "group" in violation of Section 13(d)(i) of
the Exchange Act, the Company believes it is necessary to alert the Commission
that it believes that an undisclosed "group" may be present. As we have noted
above, the Company believes this "group" is led by the Proponent.
As you are aware, Section 13(d)(1) of the Exchange Act requires any person who
acquires beneficial ownership (directly or indirectly) of more than 5% of any
Section 12 registered class of securities to file a Schedule 13D with the
issuing company and the Commission within 10 days after such acquisition. Under
Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act, a "person" includes two or more persons
acting as a partnership, syndicate, or other group "for the purpose of
acquiring, holding or disposing of the securities of an issuer." The Commission
promulgated Rule 13d-5(b) to expand the purpose provision of Section 13(d)(3):
When two or more persons agree to act together for the purpose of acquiring,
holding, voting or disposing of equity securities of an issuer, the group formed
thereby shall be deemed to have acquired beneficial ownership, for purposes of
sections 13(d) and (g) of the [Exchange] Act, as of the date of such agreement,
of all equity securities of that issuer beneficially owned by any such persons.
Release Nos. 33-5925, 34-14692 (April 21, 1978) (emphasis added.)
Most courts have held that a Section 13(d) group "'need not be committed to
acquiring, holding, voting, or disposing of securities on a specific set of
terms. All that is required is that the members of the group have combined to
further a common objective with regard to one of those activities.'" Schaffer v.
CC Investments, LDC, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24511, *13 (S.D.N.Y. 2002), further
proceedings at Schaffer v. CC Investments, LDC, 280 F. Supp.2d 128 (S.D.N.Y.
2003), Schaffer v. CC Investments, LDC, 286 F. Supp.2d 279 (S.D.N.Y. 2003),
Schaffer v. CC Investments, LDC, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19521 (S.D.N.Y. 2003)
(citing Morales v. Freund,
163 F.3d 763, 767 n.5 (2d Cir. 1999); Morales v.
Quintel Entertainment, Inc.,
249 F.3d 115, 124 (2d Cir. 2001); Wellman v.
Dickinson,
682 F.2d 355, 363 (2nd Cir. 1982)).
We have inquired with Proponent's counsel regarding the presence of a "group";
however, in the face of the facts and circumstances, Proponent's counsel claims
that a "group" does not currently exist.
CONCLUSION
Based on the foregoing, the Company requests that the Staff not recommend any
enforcement action if the Proposal is excluded from the 2007 Proxy Materials. We
request that the Staff deliver its response to this letter via U.S. mail and
facsimile to the facsimile number on the first page of this letter (for the
Company and its counsel) and to the facsimile number on the first page of the
Response Letter (for the Proponent and his counsel). We hereby agree to promptly
forward to the Proponent any Staff response to this no-action request that the
Staff transmits by facsimile to us only.
Consistent with the provisions of Rule 14a-8(j), we are concurrently providing
copies of this correspondence to the Proponent. We recognize that the Staff has
not interpreted Rule 14a-8 to require proponents to provide the Company and its
counsel a copy of any correspondence that the proponent submits to the Staff.
Therefore, in the interest of a fair and balanced process, we request that the
Staff notify the undersigned if it receives any correspondence on the Proposal
from the Proponent or other persons, unless that correspondence has specifically
confirmed to the Staff that the Company or its counsel have timely been provided
with a copy of the correspondence. If we can provide additional correspondence
to address any questions that the Staff may have with respect to this no-action
request, please do not hesitate to call me at the number listed on the first
page of this letter.
Sincerely,
STINSON MORRISON HECKER LLP
/s/
Victoria R. Westerhaus
Enclosures
cc: H. James Serrone
Basil P. Caloyeras
[INQUIRY LETTER]
April 20, 2007
Torotel, Inc.
620 North Lindenwood Drive
Olathe, Kansas 66062
Attn.: Secretary
RE: Notice of Shareholder Proposal
To the Secretary of Torotel, Inc.:
I hereby submit the shareholder proposal attached hereto as Annex A to be voted
upon at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Torotel, Inc. (the "Corporation")
to be held on September 17, 2007. I am the record and beneficial owner of 986066
shares of the Corporation's common stock, which I have held for more than one
year and will continue to hold through the date of the Annual Meeting of
Shareholders. My record address is 2041 West 139\th/ Street, Gardena, CA 90249.
I do not have a material interest in the business set forth in this proposal
other than as a greater than 10% shareholder of the Corporation.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/
Basil P. Caloyeras
[APPENDIX]
Annex A
RESOLVED, that the shareholders of Torotel, Inc. (the "Corporation") approve
amending Article Nine of the Corporation's Articles of Incorporation and adding
a new Article at the end of the Articles of Incorporation, that would have the
effect of removing certain related provisions of the Corporation's Amended and
Restated By-Laws and preventing further amendment that would have adverse
effects on shareholder rights, which will read as follows:
Article Nine, as Amended:
"Only a majority of the Shareholders shall have the power to make, alter, amend,
suspend or repeal the By-Laws for the Corporation from time to time."
New Article to be Added at End of Articles of Incorporation:
"With respect to the By-Laws in effect as of the date of this amendment, the
following provision is hereby revoked in its entirety: Article XIII."
Supporting Statement
Limiting the ability of shareholders to take governance actions granted to them
by law unduly restricts their rights and decreases shareholder value by
preventing shareholders from legally protecting their investment in the
Corporation.
On June 30, 2006, the Board amended and restated the By-Laws to restrict
shareholders from properly presenting and acting upon matters at shareholder
meetings. The amendments increased to two-thirds the shareholder vote required
to amend the By-Laws. These new By-Laws are part of an overall plan by the
current Board and management to retain excessive control of the Corporation at
the expense of shareholders.
The proposal restores to shareholders the power to exercise the full breadth of
their rights under Missouri law.
Please vote FOR this proposal.
[STAFF REPLY LETTER]
August 29, 2007
Response of the Office of Chief Counsel Division of Corporation Finance
Re: Torotel, Inc.
Incoming letter dated June 5, 2007
The proposal calls for the articles of incorporation to be amended to permit
only shareholders to make, alter, amend, suspend or repeal the by-laws.
We are unable to concur in your view that Torotel may exclude the proposal under
rules 14a-8(b) and 14a-8(f). Accordingly, we do not believe that Torotel may
omit the proposal from its proxy materials in reliance on rules 14a-8(b) and
14a-8(f).
We are unable to concur in your view that Torotel may exclude the proposal under
rule 14a-8(c). Accordingly, we do not believe that Torotel may omit the proposal
from its proxy materials in reliance on rule 14a-8(c).
There appears to be some basis for your view that Torotel may exclude the
proposal under rule 14a-8(i)(1) as an improper subject for shareholder action
under applicable state law or rule 14a-8(i)(2) because it would, if implemented,
cause Torotel to violate state law. It appears that this defect could be cured,
however, if the proposal were recast as a recommendation or request that the
board of directors take the steps necessary to implement the proposal.
Accordingly, unless the proponent provides Torotel with a proposal revised in
this manner, within seven calendar days after receiving this letter, we will not
recommend any enforcement action to the Commission if Torotel omits the proposal
from its proxy materials in reliance on rules 14a-8(i)(1) or 14a-8(i)(2).
Sincerely,
/s/
Ted Yu
Special Counsel
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