SALTER, J.
Dr. Marc Puleo, a judgment creditor of Yali Golan (also known as Eial Golan), appeals a final judgment denying Puleo's fraudulent transfer claims against Yali Golan and his wife, Leslie Golan. Puleo argues that Yali Golan's transfer of ten million shares of Scorpion Performance, Inc. (Scorpion), titled in Yali Golan's name individually and reported as such in Scorpion's stock transfer register and public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to himself and his wife — at a time when Puleo's substantial
We disagree with the Golans' argument (and the trial court's conclusion of law based on that argument) that Puleo's claim was barred by an unusual "Postnuptual Agreement" [sic] purportedly establishing Leslie Golan's superior rights in the Scorpion shares. We reverse and remand the final judgment for further proceedings allowing Puleo to enforce his judgments against the proceeds of the Golans' sale of the Scorpion shares.
To report that the eleven year-old circuit court lawsuit has had many twists and turns would be a substantial understatement. It began in 2003 as a claim by Yali Golan that Puleo had breached an unwritten agreement with Golan "to share certain compensation, including stock options granted to Puleo by PetMed Express, Inc." (PetMed).
After Yali Golan amended his complaint to add additional theories, a successor judge was equally unpersuaded, finding among other things that "Golan was not able to act as an officer or director of PetMed because its investment bankers believed that [Yali] Golan's prior felony conviction for narcotics distribution conspiracy could impede the ability of the company to secure investment capital."
In its final judgment of July 24, 2007, on the original claims of Yali Golan against Puleo, the court explained that agreements which violate the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are void:
The final judgment reiterated that principle, two pages later:
The final judgment denied any relief to Yali Golan and reserved jurisdiction over Dr. Puleo's claim for attorney's fees and costs.
In a recapitalization in April 2004, Scorpion stock certificate number 1039 for ten million shares was issued to Yali Golan individually. Those shares constituted 32% of the issued and outstanding stock. The Scorpion share transfer records admitted into evidence at trial also showed that no shares were issued to or held by Leslie Golan from that date through November 1, 2007. The other principal shareholders of Scorpion, Robert and Teresa Stopanio, also held ten million shares (and 32% of the issued and outstanding stock), but in their names as joint tenants. Scorpion's October 12, 2007, public filing with the SEC reported that the only Golan shares were the ten million issued to Yali Golan individually.
Meanwhile, on August 21, 2007, Dr. Puleo filed his motion for attorney's fees and costs against Yali Golan. The motion sought over $300,000.00 in attorney's fees and costs. After a series of delays,
But a little over two months after Dr. Puleo filed his motion seeking attorney's fees and costs, on November 2, 2007, the Scorpion stock transfer records indicate that Yali Golan surrendered (and Scorpion cancelled) certificate number 1039 in his individual name for ten million shares, receiving in exchange stock certificate number 2441 issued in the names of Eial Golan and Leslie Golan, joint tenants, for the same number of shares. Puleo's attorneys learned of this as they sought to collect the judgments against Yali Golan. Discovery in the supplemental proceeding to collect those judgments disclosed that Leslie Golan made no payment for that transfer of ownership.
Just as Dr. Puleo filed his motion for attorney's fees and costs, Scorpion was attempting to register its shares with the SEC. As part of those filings, Yali Golan signed a "lock up agreement"
On May 2, 2008, however, Scorpion entered into an addendum to the lock up agreement with both Yali and Leslie Golan, and this was filed with the SEC. The addendum included a statement that "On November 2, 2007, Mr. Golan transferred all of his shares to himself and his spouse, Leslie Golan, as joint tenants." Leslie Golan signed the addendum, thereby confirming the transfer of "his," Yali Golan's, ten million Scorpion shares to Yali and Leslie Golan as joint tenants, as part of a publicly-filed SEC document. On May 2, 2008, the Golans also sold back "their" ten million shares to Scorpion for $500,000.00 in cash and a promissory note and mortgage for $2,000,000.00.
In 2011, after confirming that Yali Golan had no individually-owned assets available for the collection of the judgments obtained by Puleo, Puleo moved to commence proceedings supplementary and to implead Leslie Golan as part of a fraudulent transfer claim. The motion was granted by the fourth circuit judge inheriting the case.
A fifth circuit judge assigned to the case
This appeal followed.
The "Postnuptual Agreement" is a remarkable document. It is not notarized or witnessed. Purportedly executed on March 15, 1999, following the Golans' marriage three months earlier, it includes a provision that the Golans' "Individual Income Tax Return) [sic] for years 1998, 1999, are attached to this Agreement as Composite Exhibit `B' which tax returns have been furnished in advance to and reviewed by Wife and her independent legal counsel." This is puzzling, both because no tax returns were attached to the agreement in evidence, and because a 1999 individual income tax return would have been prepared and filed in 2000, not in 1999.
But that is merely a distraction compared to the language of the agreement relied upon by the Golans to prove that any and all of their property, no matter
[Sic; all errors are in the original].
The agreement also includes a paragraph purporting to exempt property titled in the name of one of the Golans (but supposedly actually owned by both Golans by virtue of the "joint tenancy" provisions) from indebtedness or liens incurred by the record titleholder.
Further, the Golans' actions were inconsistent with their supposed intention to hold all property as joint tenants. As already noted, when Yali Golan commenced his lawsuit in 2003 against Puleo relating to his alleged interests in compensation and stock options of PetMed, he neither disclosed a joint interest in such property by his wife under the 1999 "Postnuptual Agreement," nor did he include her as a co-plaintiff. A year later, Yali Golan and Leslie Golan surrendered their certificate for 500 shares of Scorpion stock to the transfer agent in a recapitalization, in return for ten million shares issued to Yali Golan individually. This was followed by the public securities filings in 2007 acknowledging that the shares were his personal property. The securities filings made no mention of the "Postnuptual Agreement" or any property interest by Leslie Golan in the shares.
Finally, when the Golans and Scorpion amended the securities filings in May 2008 to indicate that the shares had been reissued in the names of Yali and Leslie Golan, it is conceded that Leslie Golan made no payment for the transfer and made no legal demand for the reissuance. The amendment confirmed, with Leslie Golan's electronic signature, that the stock was held in Yali Golan's name individually when the final judgment was entered against him in his lawsuit against Puleo, and titled in his sole name when Puleo began actions to recover his attorney's fees and costs in that lawsuit.
"Proceedings supplementary are equitable in nature and should be liberally construed." Mejia v. Ruiz, 985 So.2d 1109, 1112 (Fla. 3d DCA 2008) (citing Ferguson v. State Exch. Bank, 264 So.2d 867 (Fla. 1st DCA 1972)). By returning an unsatisfied writ of execution against Yali Golan and providing an affidavit to that effect — and identifying third persons to be impleaded — Puleo satisfied the requirements of section 56.29, Florida Statutes (2011), for the commencement of the proceedings supplementary against Leslie Golan.
Impleading additional parties under section 56.29 does not, however, "in and of itself imply liability on the part of the impleaded third parties." Mejia, at 1112. The impleaded parties are provided an opportunity to raise their defenses and protect their interests. In the present case, Puleo's substantive claims against Leslie Golan (and for garnishment with respect to sums otherwise payable by Scorpion to Yali Golan or both Golans) are based on Florida's Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, section 726.105, Florida Statutes (2007) (FUFTA). Under section 726.105(1)(b), Yali Golan transferred his ten million Scorpion Performance shares to joint names "[w]ithout receiving a reasonably equivalent value in exchange for the transfer," and Yali Golan was engaged in a business or transaction (the liquidation of attorney's fees and costs following the entry of judgment against him) for which his remaining assets were unreasonably small (here, nonexistent).
Yali Golan's actual intent to hinder, delay, or defraud Puleo regarding the collection of his judgment (section 726.105(1)(a), (2)(a)-(k)) may also be determined following a consideration of the so-called "badges of fraud," whether:
Based on the prima facie case made by Puleo under these provisions of FUFTA, the burden shifted to the Golans to prove that their transfer was not made to delay, hinder or defraud creditors. Jackson-Platts v. Gen. Elec. Capital Corp., 727 F.3d 1127, 1136 (11th Cir.2013); Treated Timber Prods., Inc. v. S & A Assocs., Inc., 488 So.2d 159, 160 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986). Because the Golans failed to provide such proof, Puleo was entitled to: avoid the transfer or obligation to the extent necessary to satisfy his claim; an attachment against the asset transferred or its proceeds; an injunction against further disposition of the Scorpion promissory note and
The Golans' postnuptial agreement may govern their claims against each other, but it is not a protective mantle insulating their public corporate transactions and filings from liability to a judgment creditor for a fraudulent transfer. We reverse and remand for the entry of judgment in favor of Dr. Marc Puleo against Yali Golan and the impleaded defendant Leslie Golan, and for further proceedings granting relief under section 726.108, Florida Statutes, to the extent of the uncollected balance of Puleo's judgments.
Reversed and remanded.