524 F.Supp. 866
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION, Plaintiff,
v.
AQUA-SONIC PRODUCTS CORP.,
Ultrasonic Dental Products, Inc., Leon
Schekter, M.
Joshua Aber, Martin Hecht, Dentasonic,
N.V., Inventel Corporation and Melvin
Hersch, Defendants.
No. 80 Civ. 5513(RWS).
United States District Court, S. D. New
York.
Aug. 7, 1981.
OPINION
SWEET, District Judge.
The Securities and Exchange
Commission ("SEC") seeks a declaration
that defendants Martin Hecht ("Hecht")
and Inventel Corporation ("Inventel") have
violated Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the
Securities Act of 1933 ("the Securities
Act"), 15 U.S.C. ss 77e(a) and 77e(c)
("the registration provisions"), and
Sections 17(a) of the Securities Act, 15
U.S.C. s 77q(a), Section 10(b) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("the
Exchange Act"), 15 U.S.C. s 78j(b), and
Rule 10b-5, 17 C.F.R. s 240.10b-5,
promulgated thereunder ("the antifraud
provisions"). The SEC also seeks a
permanent injunction barring the offering
and sale of securities in the form of
investment contracts. The declaration will
be entered in the form of a judgment and
the injunction will be granted as set forth
below.
PRELIMINARY PROCEEDINGS
This action was commenced on
September 30, 1980 by the filing of a
complaint, and a motion for preliminary
injunction was filed on December 19,
1980. The SEC sought to restrain the
defendants, Aqua-Sonic Products Corp.
("Aqua- Sonic"), Ultrasonic Dental
Products, Inc. ("Ultrasonic"), Leon
Schekter ("Schekter"), M. Joshua Aber
("Aber"), Dentasonic, N.V. ("Dentasonic"),
Melvin Hersch ("Hersch"), Hecht and
Inventel from certain conduct about to be
described. Discovery was expedited, the
preliminary injunction motion was
adjourned, and the defendants' motion for
summary judgment seeking dismissal of
the complaint for lack of jurisdiction was
denied on June 3, 1981. Thereafter, all
defendants except Hecht and Inventel
entered into consent decrees and the
SEC discontinued its action against
them.[FN1] From June 10 to June 17,
1981 the SEC motion for preliminary
injunction against Hecht and Inventel, the
remaining defendants, was tried to the
court and consolidated with the trial on the
merits pursuant to F.R.Civ.P. 65(a). What
follows are the court's findings of fact and
conclusions of law.
FN1. Final Judgments of
Permanent Injunction by Consent
were entered against defendants
Aqua-Sonic, Dentasonic, Schekter
and Aber on June 15, 1981,
enjoining them from further
violations of the registration and
anti- fraud provisions in connection
with any securities. Final Orders
Pursuant to Stipulations and
Undertakings ("Orders") were
entered as to defendants Hersch
and Ultrasonic, also on June 15,
1981, in which said defendants,
under penalty of contempt, agreed
not to violate the registration and
anti- fraud provisions as to any
securities in the future. Pursuant
to said Orders, the action was
dismissed as to defendants Hersch
and Ultrasonic with the exception
that the court retained jurisdiction
over them to enforce the
provisions of the Orders.
*868 FINDINGS OF FACT
The Enterprise
Arthur Kuris ("Kuris") and Aber were
neighbors and friends, the former being
an inventor and patent holder and the
latter an attorney. Kuris had obtained
patents applying the principles of
ultrasonic wave propagation to various
fields, one of which was dentistry. A
device under the trade name of Cavitron
was developed and marketed. The
Cavitron gained wide acceptability among
dentists and employed ultrasonic waves to
dislodge plaque in the course of dental
prophylaxis. The operation of the
Cavitron required a coolant which was
provided by a spray of water originating
from the customary sources.[FN2] Kuris
conceived of an improvement of the
Cavitron which would employ sterile water
as the coolant for the ultrasonic process
and would thereby reduce the risk of any
contamination resulting from micro-organisms which might be found in tap
water.
FN2. Indeed, as a discomfort and
coincidence the court received an
extra- judicial demonstration of the
effective operation of a Cavitron
during the course of this
proceeding.
These new products for which Kuris held
patent rights were termed Steri Products.
One of the products, known as the Steri
Prophy Unit, was designed as a complete,
self-contained ultrasonic prophylaxis unit
utilizing pre-packaged sterile water. The
other Steri Product, called the Steri
Satellite Unit, was designed to be affixed
to existing dental equipment to supply pre-packaged sterile water.
After discussions with Aber, in early 1978
Kuris met with Aber's partners Hecht and
Schekter to develop a plan to market and
distribute these Steri Products. The
lawyers had formed a professional
corporation then called Schekter, Aber
and Hecht, P.C. ("SAH"). As a
consequence of these discussions, four
corporations were established by
Schekter, Aber and Hecht: Aqua-Sonic
and Ultrasonic, New York corporations;
Dentasonic, a Netherlands Antilles
corporation; and Inventel, a Delaware
corporation. Schekter, Aber and Hecht
were the original shareholders of
Dentasonic until November, 1978 when
Kuris acquired a 19% interest. The shares
in both Aqua-Sonic and Ultrasonic were
held by sole shareholders, their respective
principal officers. The original
shareholders of Inventel were Schekter,
Aber and Hecht until February of 1979, at
which time the corporation redeemed the
shares of Schekter and Aber, leaving
Hecht the sole shareholder.
Immediately after incorporation,
Dentasonic purchased from Kuris the
patent and other related rights to the Steri
Products for the United States and
Canada for $406,500 payable in
installments. Kuris retained a security
interest in the patent and other rights
conveyed to Dentasonic. Dentasonic sold
only the United States marketing and
manufacturing rights to the Steri Products
to Aqua- Sonic, which had been
incorporated in April 1978, for $26 million
pursuant to an agreement dated June 1,
1978, this sum to be paid not only from a
percentage of the proceeds from the sale
by Aqua-Sonic of licenses to sell the Steri
Products, but also from a percentage of
the profits received by Aqua-Sonic from
actual product sales. Until payment of the
$26 million Dentasonic retained a security
interest in the rights conveyed to Aqua-Sonic, held certain voting rights to all of
Aqua-Sonic's stock and was given a
security interest in certain accounts
receivable and contract rights, certain
inventory and inventory records,
equipment, inventions, patent rights and
trademarks in all products and proceeds
of Aqua-Sonic.
SAH developed certain materials for
Aqua-Sonic describing its proposed
method of doing business ("the
promotional materials") to be set forth
more fully below. In short, Aqua-Sonic
proposed to sell to licensees the right to
sell Steri Products in certain specified
geographical areas. Ultrasonic was
described as an optional sales agent for
the licensees. Inventel, which was not
described, entered into a letter agreement
with Aqua-Sonic by which Aqua- Sonic
agreed to pay Inventel $2.2 million,
ostensibly as a finder's fee for bringing
about the sale of the rights in the Steri
Products from Dentasonic to Aqua-Sonic
*869 and for past and future consulting
services. Under the letter agreement,
Aqua-Sonic agreed to pay Inventel a
portion of the proceeds from the sale of
licenses and the sale of the Steri Products
and related patents or trademarks.
The Promotional Materials
After the corporations were organized, in
the course of the preparation of the
promotional materials, SAH sought an
opinion of another law firm, Messrs. Baer,
Marks & Upham, with respect to the
applicability of the securities law to the
proposed enterprise. SAH received a
memorandum in or about May, 1978 from
an associate of that firm, Barry Mandel, a
prescient lawyer as things have turned
out, to the effect that the license
arrangement might be considered an
investment contract. The partners at SAH
directed one of their associates to
research the issue in the summer of 1978,
and after considerable discussion
concluded otherwise. The promotional
materials were modified as set forth below
and the enterprise proceeded.
A market consultant was retained and for
$500 provided an analysis of the available
market based primarily on the use of
Cavitron, and the marketing practices in
the industry which included the use of so-called dental depots, in effect, wholesale
houses offering dental supplies to all
kinds of dentists, a focal element in the
licensing plan. Also, Kuris obtained and
passed on to Hecht a letter from a Dr.
Henry Goldman, an apparently well-regarded dental authority, which could be
construed as an endorsement of the Steri
Products. The letter was described
succinctly by Hecht in his investigative
testimony, who realized the need to
overcome the resistance of dentists who
were going to be told that their present
machines were unhygenic. Hecht likened
their attitudes to those of the 19th century
surgeons who would say to Pasteur "Get
out of here Louis." In addition, an article
in the Journal of Periodontology entitled
"Microbial Contamination of Dental Units
and Ultrasonic Scalers" was obtained.
Prototype models had been developed,
and Logical Technical Services ("LTS"),
an engineering firm specializing in
electronic applications, was retained in
late 1978 to convert them into finished
marketable products.
With these preparations in hand or in
contemplation, certain documents were
prepared to be used in the enterprise.
During the period from on or about May 1,
1978 through August 31, 1978, these
promotional materials were developed and
used in discussions with potential
licensees or their representatives. These
included:
(a) an Information Memorandum
describing the Steri Products and the
nature of the offering, with exhibits
attached thereto including a tax opinion
letter prepared by SAH and financial
illustrations projecting sales of the
products and revenues.
(b) the Aqua-Sonic license and security
agreement and notes payable to Aqua-
Sonic (prior to inclusion of the so-called
Advertising Fund to be discussed
below), and related instructions.
*870 (c) a document entitled "An Offer
to Act as Sales Agent."
(d) the Ultrasonic sales agency
agreement, security agreements, and
notes payable to Ultrasonic (prior to
inclusion of the Advertising Fund), and
related instructions.
(e) a reprint of the aforementioned
article by Arthur Gross (and others) from
the Journal of Periodontology.
(f) a four-page document entitled
"Confidential for Professional Use Only."
During the period from on or about
September 1, 1978 through October 31,
1978, the following documents were used
in a two-pocketed packet, the second
version of the offering package.
(a) a new Information Memorandum
Relating to Exclusive Rights revised to
reflect, among other things, certain
management changes at Aqua-Sonic,
the tax opinion letter and financial
illustrations.
(b) the Aqua-Sonic license and security
agreement and notes payable to Aqua-
Sonic and related instructions.
(c) a document entitled "An Offer to Act
as Sales Agent."
(d) the Ultrasonic sales agency
agreement, security agreements, and
notes payable to Ultrasonic and related
instructions.
(e) two large professional photographs
of what appeared to be a completed
Steri Prophy Unit and Steri Satellite Unit
such as would be sold.
(f) The Journal of Periodontology article.
(g) a copy of a letter dated September
12, 1978, to Aqua-Sonic from E. A.
Greenlee, President of LTS, concerning
the commercial production of the Steri
Products.
(h) a copy of the letter dated August 22,
1978, to Kuris from Dr. Henry Goldman.
A third and final version of the materials
in use after November 1, 1978, consisted
of the documents contained in the second
version plus the following documents:
(a) a letter dated November 1, 1978
signed by defendant Hersch with
attachments relating to the creation of
the Steri Products, Advertising Fund
and supplemental tax opinion by SAH.
(b) a package of revised closing
documents relating to the license, sales
agency and Advertising Fund, and
(c) a revised summary of the offering
entitled "Confidential for Professional
Use Only-Summary of Revised License
for Steri Products."
Licensees who had entered into the
notes and agreements contained in the
first two versions of the offering materials
were asked to sign revised agreements
and notes which conformed to the third
offering package.
The Information Memorandum
summarized the obligations of the
licensees in the licensing agreement as
follows:
The License Agreement delineates the
relationship between the parties and
imposes specific duties and obligations
on the Licensee. These duties include,
but are not limited to: (a) vigorous
promotion of the distribution and sale of
the Products Parts and Supplies; (b)
maintenance and employment of
sufficient working capital and net worth
to enable Licensee to fulfill all of his
duties, obligations and responsibilities
under the License Agreement; (c)
employment of such agents,
representatives and employees as
Licensee in his sole discretion, may
deem to be necessary to assist him in
the performance of some or all of his
duties and obligations as Licensee; (d)
use and maintenance of an accounting
and reporting system as may be
required by Licensor; and (e) use of
order forms designed by Licensor and (f)
adherence to certain standards for
advertising materials used in connection
with the business.
Licensee will be an independent
contractor and be solely responsible for
all expenses and costs incurred by him
in the conduct and promotion of his
business. In addition, Licensee will be
required to and be responsible for the
vigorous and satisfactory promotion,
distribution and sale of the Products,
Parts and Supplies for use in his
Territory so as to obtain a reasonable
share of the market ... In the event that
a Licensee does not satisfactorily fulfill
his duties and responsibilities as set
forth in the License Agreement, Licensor
may elect to terminate his License.
Although the Information Memorandum
did not mention an offer by anyone to act
as a sales agent, it did state that a
licensee may retain "agents,
representatives or employees" to assist in
marketing the Steri Products, and added:
The choice as to whether to deal with
Dental Depots and/or to retain agents,
representatives, employees or others is
solely that of the Licensees. The
Licensor takes no position on this
matter, for the most effective means of
achieving satisfactory market
penetration will vary according to the
prior experience of the Licensee, the
amount of time and effort the Licensee
is willing to expend to exploit the
License, and the nature of Licensee's
Territory.
*871 Annexed to the Information
Memorandum as Exhibit H is a set of
financial illustrations designed to
demonstrate the potential profitability of
the licenses. These illustrations assume
that a potential licensee does not retain
the sales agent. (A similar set of
illustrations annexed to the offer by
Ultrasonic to act as sales agent makes
the opposite assumption.)
The Information Memorandum stated
further:
In the event that a Licensee, in his sole
discretion, elects to retain and/or employ
anyone to assist him in the performance
of some or all of his duties, obligations
and responsibilities under the License,
Licensee must undertake to actively
supervise their activities on his behalf to
ensure that they perform their activities
in a manner which will be consistent with
Licensee's activities and responsibilities
to Licensor.
In the event that a Licensee does not
satisfactorily fulfill his duties and
responsibilities as set forth in the
License Agreement, Licensor may elect
to terminate his License.
The Information Memorandum and the
license application indicate that the
license is available to a limited class of
persons who are capable of performing all
their obligations and exercising their rights
under the license agreement, and if they
so chose, the sales agency agreement.
Under the heading "Who Should Apply for
a License," the Memorandum stated:
A License will be granted only to a
person who has considerable
knowledge and experience in financial
and business matters, appreciates and
understands the merits and economic
risks of this business. Experience has
shown that this type of business is not
suitable for and should not be pursued
by persons who lack substantial
assets....
A License will be granted only to an
Applicant in reliance on his
representations and warranties that he
has himself, or together with any
business and financial advisor with who
he may consult, knowledge and
experience in financial and business
matters, that he is capable of evaluating
the merits and risks of this transaction,
and that he is able to bear the economic
risks of this transaction.
The license application provided:
Applicant hereby represents and
warrants as follows:
4. Applicant and/or his designated
representative has such knowledge and
experience in financial and business
matters, and investments in particular,
that he is capable of evaluating the
merits and risks of the Applicant's
acquisition of a License and has
obtained, in Applicant's judgment,
sufficient information from Licensor
relating to the License to evaluate the
merits and risks of the contemplated
transaction.
The "Offer to Act as Sales Agent," if
accepted by the potential licensee, placed
the responsibility for all sales of Steri
Products for the benefit of a particular
licensee in Ultrasonic. Certain rights,
however, were retained by the licensee.
The Ultrasonic sales agency agreement
provided that the licensee has the
absolute "right to cancel this Agreement at
any time upon ninety days' written notice"
and that the agent:
will uniformly maintain the prices
established from time to time by
Principal (licensee) for the Products,
and conform to such terms of sale and
other selling and ordering conditions as
may be determined and required from
time to time as herein provided.
It further provided that:
All orders shall be subject to approval of
items, price and credit by Principal and
shall be confirmed by customers. All
quotations for sales made by Agent to
customers, or prospective customers,
must be made expressly subject to the
approval and confirmation of Principal
and shall not be binding until such
approval is given by Principal. All
Products shall remain the property of
Principal until sold.
and that:
(B)ooks, records and copies of invoices
shall be open at all times during
business *872 hours to the inspection of
any duly authorized representative of
Principal.
The Aqua-Sonic documents described
over 100 geographical territories in the
United States, and each standard territory
was designed to contain approximately
the same number of dentists, although
there were larger territories available.
The fee for a typical license under the
License Agreement was $159,500
payable as follows: $9,150 in cash upon
the granting of the license; $9,150 in the
form of a negotiable promissory note,
bearing interest at 7% per annum and due
January 15, 1979; and, $141,200 by a
non- recourse promissory note, bearing
interest at 6% per annum and due
January 1, 1985, but requiring pre-payment based on a portion of the
proceeds from the sale of the Steri
Products. The initial term of the license
expires on December 31, 1985; however,
an option was included to extend the
license for an additional five-year period.
Under the license agreement Aqua-Sonic
was solely responsible for the
development and manufacture of the Steri
Products.
The typical licensee under the sales
agency agreement paid a $16,600 fee to
defendant Ultrasonic, as follows: $500 in
cash upon acceptance of the offer; $500
by recourse promissory note payable on
January 15, 1979, and $15,600 by non-recourse promissory note due December
1, 1984, but requiring pre-payment based
on a portion of the proceeds from sales of
the Steri Products. In addition, defendant
Ultrasonic was entitled to a commission of
20% of gross sales of Steri Products
under the terms of the sales agency
agreement.
During a later stage of the offering, SAH
created the Advertising Fund to promote
the Steri Products for investors and to
increase the tax benefits available to
them. The Fund was a joint venture to be
administered by two clients of SAH,
Hanson Fassler Associates, Inc. and
Morris Baumstein Associates, Inc.
Investors were required to make the
following contribution to the Advertising
Fund: $400 in cash upon obtaining the
license; a $400 negotiable promissory
note due on January 15, 1979; and a
$13,200 non-recourse promissory note
due December 1, 1984, but requiring pre-payment based on a portion of the
proceeds from sales of Steri Products.
The addition of this mandatory
contribution did not increase the overall
price of a typical investment because the
amount payable to defendant Ultrasonic
under the sales agency agreement was
correspondingly reduced by the amount
payable to the Fund. Moreover, monies
paid by investors prior to the creation of
the Advertising Fund were reallocated
from Ultrasonic to the Fund apparently at
the direction of SAH through Aqua-Sonic.
After November 1, 1978 the Aqua-Sonic,
Ultrasonic and Advertising Fund
Agreements, and the notes relating
thereto, were physically bound together
and offered to licensees in a single
package. The entire cost of the Aqua-Sonic enterprise for the typical licensee,
including the Aqua-Sonic license
agreement, the Ultrasonic sales agency
agreement and the Advertising Fund was:
$10,050 in cash; $10,050 in recourse
promissory notes due January 15, 1979;
and $170,000 in non-recourse notes due
December, 1984 and January, 1985.
The tax opinion letter and supplementary
materials stated that licensees could
include the non-recourse notes, the cash
payments and the recourse notes in their
basis for amortization and that the license
fee could be amortized over eight years.
Licensees were further advised that they
could deduct the full contract price of the
sales agency agreement and Advertising
Fund contributions during 1978 and 1979.
Thus, a typical investor who was
personally liable for $20,100 on his
investment was advised that, assuming
no sales of the products, he could take
tax deductions of $38,400 in 1978 and
$20,000 in 1979. Investors were informed
that they would receive additional tax
benefits by retaining the sales agency. In
addition to the described materials two
letters were sent by Aqua-Sonic to all
licensees instructing them how to treat
their investment on their 1978 and 1979
federal income tax returns.
*873 When an investor retained
Ultrasonic, the sales agency agreements
authorized Ultrasonic to perform all
significant marketing functions, including
finding customers, taking orders,
collecting proceeds, and paying expenses
and taxes. Additionally, the selling price of
the products was to be agreed upon
between Ultrasonic and the investor;
however, Ultrasonic was authorized to
reduce the sales price unilaterally so long
as its commission on the sale was
correspondingly reduced.
The Selling
The Aqua-Sonic licenses were offered
and sold to investors throughout the
United States. Hecht contacted financial
planners, accountants, and attorneys
throughout the country and recruited a
number of individuals as commissioned
salesmen, and with varying, not always
successful, results. These individuals,
some of whom were financial consultants
for some of the licensees, received
commissions for telling potential licensees
about Aqua-Sonic, signing up licensees
and transmitting properly executed
agreements to Aqua-Sonic.
Many offering packages were distributed
to salesmen and purchasers of the Aqua-Sonic offering from the Southern District
of New York by making use of the means,
instruments and instrumentalities of
interstate commerce and of the mails.
Generally, interstate commerce, the mails
and telephones were used in connection
with the Aqua-Sonic offering.
Hecht arranged sales meetings in various
cities including Phoenix, Portland, Los
Angeles, Denver, New York and San
Francisco to recruit salesmen and solicit
licensees and to describe the license and
sales agency agreements and the tax
consequences of the Aqua-Sonic offering.
Kuris demonstrated the prototypes of Steri
Products. In total, between May 1 and
December 31, 1978, Aqua-Sonic
investments were purchased by 50
licensees for approximately $12,100,000
of which $11,200,000 was in the form of
non-recourse promissory notes and
$900,000 in cash and recourse notes.
The testimony of eleven Aqua-Sonic
licensees was taken through depositions
outside the jurisdiction, one of whom, Rex
Zimmerman, was also a salesman of the
offering. Two licensees testified at trial.
These individuals were, for the most part,
well established in full-time careers and
business endeavors or were retired and,
with two or three exceptions, all
possessing some knowledge of finance
and investment and sufficient funds to
employ that knowledge. Pursuant to the
promotional materials the licensees were
required to represent that each possessed
net assets in excess of $100,000 and
income in the 50% bracket.
The licensees included members of SAH,
the wife of one of the principals of the firm
handling the advertising and promotion for
Steri Products, and a number of people
who had engaged in over ten years of
business transactions, a vice-president of
a substantial public corporation with
extensive business experience, the
president of businesses related to the
sale, production and use of asphalt
products, a partner in the restaurant
business, a shareholder of a small
manufacturing corporation, the vice-president of a public service corporation,
and a petroleum jobber, a dentist, a
farmer, a computer analyst, a builder and
seller of private homes, a corporate vice-president of employee relations, a retired
schoolteacher, a school principal, a full-time physical therapist, the president of a
data processing company, and retirees.
None had any experience selling dental
products and for the most part the
territories of the licensees were not close
to the residences of the licensees. Two
or three of the licensees, Dorothy Baxa,
Leonore Haas, and possibly Edward
Abrahamson, did not read the described
documents.
Most licensees testified they were
primarily interested in an income-producing investment and a tax shelter
and did not intend to become actively
involved in the business. Moreover, some
licensees were told or otherwise led to
believe that, after making the initial
payments in 1978 and 1979, they would
have no further responsibilities and that
no additional monies would be required.
The availability of the sales agency to
market the product was an important*874
factor in certain of the licensees' decision
to purchase the Aqua-Sonic license.
Some investors did not distinguish
between Aqua-Sonic and Ultrasonic and
viewed the offering as a single package.
The promotional materials neither offered
nor advised of the existence of any sales
agent other than Ultrasonic and in fact,
although acceptance of Ultrasonic's offer
to act as sales agent was purportedly an
optional feature of the Aqua-Sonic
offering, all Aqua-Sonic licensees
executed the sales agency agreement. A
fair construction of the promotional
materials and the depositions indicate that
Aqua-Sonic was responsible for the
development and production of the
products and Aqua-Sonic, Ultrasonic and
the Advertising Fund for the marketing
and promotion of the products.
The Operation of the Enterprise
David Glasser ("Glasser") became Aqua-Sonic's first president and sole
shareholder primarily at the suggestion of
Kuris and his advisors. Glasser resigned
in or about August 1978 because, among
other reasons, he was advised in an
opinion letter written by his attorney that
the offering might be a security under the
federal securities laws and might involve
violations of other laws, including anti-trust and federal food and drug statutes.
Glasser had also become concerned
when he was asked to sign, on behalf of
Aqua-Sonic a series of documents,
including a note for over $25 million with
Dentasonic. Following Glasser's
resignation, Hecht in the summer of 1978
recruited a friend, defendant Melvin
Hersch, to be president and sole
shareholder of Aqua- Sonic.
Leonard Suroff ("Suroff") was recruited to
be Ultrasonic's president and sole
shareholder. Suroff was a practicing
patent attorney who was recommended
by Kuris and who had had some
experience dealing with the dental supply
depots. During the time Suroff was
associated with Ultrasonic, all checks
were signed by Hecht or one of his law
partners as well as by Suroff. Suroff
never executed any sales agency
agreements. Following Suroff's
resignation in December 1978, as a
consequence of the SEC investigation,
Hecht recruited Melvin Ehrlich, a
professor of physics, to be president of
Ultrasonic. Ehrlich has been president
and sole shareholder since that time.
At the time the Aqua-Sonic licenses were
sold to investors, the Steri Products were
in the prototype stage and required further
development before they could be
manufactured and sold. Aqua-Sonic had
retained LTS to convert them into finished
marketable products, and evidence was
presented that in the summer of 1978
production early in 1979 did not seem
unreasonable. However, the models
given to LTS in late 1978 were incapable
of delivering sterile fluid and required
significant redesign.
LTS did developmental work on the early
models which resulted in the creation of
its first prototype model in late 1979 after
the encountering of difficulties in obtaining
certain of the ultrasonic components.
However, the model was incapable of
delivering sterile water. Various
correspondence and reports from LTS
advised Aqua-Sonic of the progress and
problems in the development of the Steri
Products. At about the time Hecht
severed his relationship with Aqua-Sonic
and became of counsel to SAH, in March
1979, Aqua- Sonic had a bank balance
exceeding $250,000.
As of June, 1981 the units were still not
ready for sale, since final production
models had not been produced and for a
period of one year until the spring of 1981
no work had been performed due to
Aqua-Sonic's instruction that it would no
longer pay LTS. Testimony at trial
established that additional changes are
required to produce the Steri Satellite at
an estimated cost of $8,000 to $10,000
plus the $36,000 and $78,000 required for
hard tooling. The design and tooling will
take an estimated 24 to 32 weeks. Soft
tooling would cost less than hard tooling
but the end product would be of much
lower quality and the life of the tool itself
would be short. In order to make the Steri
Prophy Units into commercially
marketable products, additional design
changes would take approximately three
months to make at an estimated cost of
$15,000 to $20,000, and $61,000 to
$118,000 *875 for hard tooling. No
clinical testing has ever been performed
on either unit. The tooling for production
has not yet begun and approximately
$1,200 remained in Aqua-Sonic's bank
account as of June 16, 1981.
Furthermore, Aqua-Sonic's two-year
agreement with Kuris' Creative
Ultrasonics Corp. has expired and Kuris is
no longer obligated to perform any more
consulting services in connection with his
inventions.
Misrepresentations and Omissions
Hecht and Inventel concede that if the
licenses are held to be investment
contracts, the securities laws were
violated, initially, of course, by the failure
to register the securities. It is also
conceded that other information which
would have been required was left out of
the promotional materials, namely the
interests of the named defendants, the
role of SAH, and financial information
relating to the corporations involved
including the use of proceeds,
commitment, working capital and the
reduced price at which the licenses were
offered to insiders. Of course, given the
view of the license adopted by the
defendants, no financial information was
supplied, and thus the categories of
information just described, required to be
included in offering materials, were
omitted.
The market report upon which the tax
opinion was based was produced within
24 hours on unverified information and
was sufficiently superficial with respect to
market factors, prices and amortization to
make the tax opinion on which it was
based misleading. The financial
projections were similarly empty of
objective support, and the product was
not ready for market as represented. The
absence of any clinical testing of the Steri
Products was not set forth, nor was the
research adequate to permit reference to
the underlying "definite causal
relationship" claimed between the use of
unsterile water and various infections.
The photographs of the Steri Products
carried the implication that they were the
finished product when in fact they were
prototypes incapable of performing their
professed prophylactic function. All these
matters constituted misrepresentations or
omissions of material facts required if the
licenses are considered to be securities.
The Role of Hecht and Inventel
Hecht participated in the discussions
which led to the formation and structure of
the enterprise and the preparation of the
described materials by the law firm of
which he was a member. He attended
meetings at which the enterprise was
discussed in order to explain the
transactions, both to those who would
seek to interest licensees and licensees
themselves. He assisted in the recruiting
of officers of Aqua-Sonic and Ultrasonic.
For services in organizing the selling
effort, Inventel, of which Hecht had been
the sole shareholder since February,
1979, received $200 and has rights to
substantial additional funds to be divided
among Hecht, Schekter and Aber, if the
enterprise goes forward based upon
Hecht's efforts.
In Hecht's own words, "I was trying to sell
the sellers." He did so in significant ways,
including the dissemination of the SAH
opinion letter concerning the application of
the securities laws to the enterprise. He
also participated not only in the selling
and the structuring of the transaction but
SAH, during the time he was a member,
initially served virtually all administrative
functions for Ultrasonic and Aqua-Sonic,
kept the books, bank accounts and
prepared correspondence. Although
Hecht was not an officer, director or
employee of those corporate defendants,
as a partner of SAH he participated in the
administrative activities just described in
addition to his selling and personnel
activities.
The Role of the SEC
In 1978 the SEC initiated inquiries
concerning the enterprise, requested
information and received by September,
1978 certain of the requested documents.
In 1979 investigative examinations were
conducted. Hecht's for example, took
place on August 29, 1979. This action
was commenced in August, 1980 and the
motion for preliminary injunction was
made in December, 1980.
*876 THE ISSUES
From the outset of this proceeding,
Hecht's skilled counsel has urged that but
two issues have been presented: (1)
whether the court has jurisdiction, and if
so, (2) what relief is appropriate. Both
parties have concentrated primarily on the
first issue, whether or not the Aqua-Sonic
offering of a license, coupled with an offer
by Ultrasonic to act as a sales agent,
constituted the offering and sale of an
"investment contract" under the rules laid
down in SEC v. W. J. Howey Co., 328
U.S. 293, 66 S.Ct. 1100, 90 L.Ed. 1244
(1946). According to Hecht and Inventel,
this is a case of first impression. At the
least, it is one more of a long line of cases
presenting the difficulties of determining
the essential elements of an "investment
contract."
Since the described materials were
drafted to avoid the very issue now raised
by the SEC, an additional threshold issue
is presented by the claim of the SEC that
the evidence relevant to the jurisdiction
issue includes not only the knowledge and
intent of the defendants but also the state
of mind and capacity of the licensees
beyond that which is proclaimed in the
described materials and reflected in the
licensees' answers to the Aqua-Sonic
questionaires. There lies in this issue the
troublesome taint of an ex post facto
determination, a revisionist view of the
transaction, resulting from attitudes
contrary to those expressed on paper at
the time the transactions at issue took
place.
CONCLUSIONS OF LAW
The Relevant Evidence
It is already the law of this case by virtue
of the denial of defendant's motion for
summary judgment that the economic
realities of the transaction are controlling,
not simply the documents which constitute
the formalities of the transaction involved.
The authorities for that proposition were
cited in the court's opinion of June 5 and
need not be reiterated.
(1) The enterprise and the described
materials, by the very nature of the
operation of the securities laws, must be
examined as of the time that the
transaction took place, together with the
knowledge and the objective intentions
and expectations of the parties at that
time. United Housing Foundation, Inc. v.
Forman, 421 U.S. 837, 852-53, 95 S.Ct.
2051, 2060, 44 L.Ed.2d 621 (1975);
Piambino v. Bailey, 610 F.2d 1306, 1320
(5th Cir. 1980), cert. denied, 449 U.S.
1011, 101 S.Ct. 568, 66 L.Ed.2d 469
(1980); SEC v. Int'l Scanning Devices,
(1977-78 Transfer Binder) Fed.Sec.L.Rep.
(CCH) P 96,147 at 92,171-175
(W.D.N.Y.1977). The subjective
intentions or motivations of the investors
are irrelevant. Piambino v. Bailey, supra.
To the extent that subsequent events give
rise to inferences that are relevant to the
economic reality of the transactions at the
time they occurred, they were considered,
but only to that extent. The LTS
discussions, correspondence and
projections in 1980 and 1981 do not give
rise to such inferences though they may
be relevant to the question of relief.[FN3]
Similarly, the SEC's proposed findings
relative to the operation of the dental
supply depots is disregarded beyond that
which was contained in the described
materials. No probative evidence was
offered in this connection, nor could any
findings be made concerning the ability of
the licensees to conduct their proposed
business in the absence of actual
experience which was precluded by the
march of events.
FN3. Even for that purpose, the
testimony is of doubtful use, given
the extent of the consent decrees
already entered into which appear
to preclude Aqua-Sonic's
resumption of business.
In fact, no sales of the products occurred
and no opinion evidence was offered that
such sales could or could not have
occurred in the contemplated manner
even if the products had been available.
Although Mr. Abrahamson might have
intended to retire to Maine where his
franchise is located, and although Mrs.
Baxa and others had purchased
franchises across the country from their
home, there was insufficient evidence
upon which it could be found, as opposed
to surmised, that the licensees were not
capable of vigorously promoting the sale
of Steri Products as they had warranted to
do. It is *877 significant, however, both in
terms of relief and in terms of
contemporaneous construction, to note
that after the defendants received the
Mandel memo, indicating the possible
applicability of the securities laws, the
language casting responsibility on the
licensee was further strengthened and
reinforced while none of the operative
features of the enterprise was altered.
Finally, perhaps the most significant
determination in terms of evidence of
economic reality is the definition of the
enterprise. Hecht and Inventel seek to
limit the evidence-and consequently the
court's consideration-to the promotional
materials, the license to sell the patented
products and the offer of Ultrasonic to
perform that task, subject to the licensees'
control, right to know, and capacity to
cancel the services of Ultrasonic on stated
terms and conditions. In the felicitous
example of counsel for the defendants,
the license is likened to the independent
dealership for the sale of automobiles
which has yet to be termed by the SEC, or
anyone else, an investment contract.
Were the inquiry and the evidence so
limited, perhaps the defense would
prevail, but if all the facts relevant to the
enterprise as it operated in 1978 and early
1979 are considered, including the
capitalization, stage of development of the
Steri Products, tax consequence, and
method of operation, the economic reality
differs materially from the exemplary
automobile dealership. It is those facts,
pressed forward by the SEC under the
criteria set forth in the authorities that
compel the declaration that the license
agreement and sales agency executed by
the licensees constituted an investment
contract.
The Relevant Criteria
(2) Howey is the obvious starting place,
and its three criteria for determining an
investment contract are easily stated: (1)
an investment of money, (2) in a common
enterprise, (3) on an expectation of profit
to be derived solely from the efforts of the
promoter or third parties. Here the input
of money and the common enterprise are
conceded and the profit element is only
slightly in conflict. The principal field of
battle between the parties has been in
their contentions concerning the efforts of
others. The defendants place their chief
reliance on the promotional materials,
which clearly state that the licensee has
the right to sell the Steri Products without
using Ultrasonic as a sales agent, without
reliance upon sole efforts of the promoter
or third parties. They urge further that,
even having contracted for the services of
Ultrasonic, the Aqua-Sonic licensees
retained substantial rights, powers and
duties. The SEC contends to the
contrary, claiming that the economic
reality dictated sole or very substantial
reliance on others.
(3) Early on in the development of this
line of cases, the requirement that the
profits be the result of the sole effort of
the promoter or a third party was modified
to "undeniably significant" efforts of
others. SEC v. Glenn W. Turner
Enterprises, Inc., 474 F.2d 476, 482 (9th
Cir.), cert. denied, 414 U.S. 821, 94 S.Ct.
117, 38 L.Ed.2d 53 (1973). The Court of
Appeals for our circuit has cited Turner
with approval in Glen-Arden Commodities,
Inc. v. Costanino, 493 F.2d 1027, 1035
(2d Cir. 1974) and affirmed Judge Neaher
when he employed the Turner
modification in SEC v. Galaxy Foods, Inc.,
417 F.Supp. 1225, 1239 (E.D.N.Y.1976),
aff'd mem. 556 F.2d 559 (2d Cir.), cert.
denied, 434 U.S. 895, 98 S.Ct. 175, 54
L.Ed.2d 127 (1977). See also Williamson
v. Tucker, 645 F.2d 404, 418-19 (5th Cir.
1981). I conclude therefore that Hecht
and Inventel do not escape the "efforts of
others" criterion by reliance on the word
"solely." It is the significance of the efforts
of others to produce the profits that must
be established.
Even under the narrow interpretation of
the enterprise urged by defendants,
namely, the conduct of the business of the
licenses to sell Steri Products, viewed
realistically, any profits would have
resulted from the efforts of others. All
licensees signed the Ultrasonic sales
agency agreement and all thus retained
Ultrasonic to sell the Steri Products.
Whether or not certain licensees might
also have exerted efforts to sell will never
be known, given the terms of the *878
consent decrees. The sales agency
agreement itself, and the showing as to its
actual centrality to the entire scheme,
constitutes significant evidence, in the
absence of contrary testimony, that the
efforts of others would be "undeniably
significant." However, the enterprise in its
totality consisted of far more than the
sales agency. No sales could be
achieved absent the product to be sold,
and for that-the development of the Steri
Products from the rough prototype stage-the licensees were entirely dependent on
Aqua-Sonic, a dependence which could
not be relieved from any other source.
See Galaxy Foods, supra, 417 F.Supp. at
1241-42.
There is a series of cases cited by the
SEC where the sale of a franchise or a
commodity with the offer of services have
been held to be investment contracts.
Glen-Arden Commodities v. Costantino,
supra; Continental Marketing Corp. v.
SEC, 387 F.2d 466 (10th Cir. 1967), cert.
denied, 391 U.S. 905, 88 S.Ct. 1655, 20
L.Ed.2d 419 (1968); SEC v. Brigadoon
Scotch Distributors, Inc., 388 F.Supp.
1288 (S.D.N.Y.1975); SEC v. Galaxy
Foods, supra; see also SEC v. W. J.
Howey Co., supra. Hecht and Inventel
cite cases where a sale of a franchise or
land together with the offer of services
has been held not to constitute an
investment contract where purchasers
have retained non-illusory rights or
powers. Schultz v. Dain Corp., 568 F.2d
612 (8th Cir. 1978); Fargo Partners v.
Dain Corp., 540 F.2d 912 (8th Cir. 1976);
Mr. Steak, Inc. v. River City Steak, Inc.,
460 F.2d 666 (10th Cir. 1972), affirming
324 F.Supp. 640 (D.Colo.1970); Chapman
v. Rudd Paint & Varnish Co., 409 F.2d
635, 641 (9th Cir. 1969); Wieboldt v.
Metz, 355 F.Supp. 255 (S.D.N.Y.1973);
see generally Williamson v. Tucker,
supra, 419-21, 424- 25.
The criterion by which these two lines of
cases can be reconciled has been stated
to be passivity, Galaxy Foods, supra, 417
F.Supp. at 1241, dependence, or latent
investor control, Williamson, supra at 421.
Because of the nature of the products
being offered, the character of the sales
agency and the nature of the industry to
be served, the Aqua-Sonic licensees were
dependent, passive and incapable of
latent investor control, or, in other words,
unable to exercise whatever powers over
the enterprise they formally retained.
Another criterion has been advanced by
the SEC, then tentatively withdrawn, the
so-called "risk capital" basis which has
evolved under the California and Hawaii
Securities laws, see Stanley v.
Commercial Courier Service, Inc., 411
F.Supp. 818, 821-22 (D.Ore.1975);
Wiebolt v. Metz, supra, at 259-61; Mr.
Steak, supra, 324 F.Supp. at 646, and
has been the subject of considerable
commentary, see Forman, supra, 421
U.S. at 857 n.24, 95 S.Ct. at 2063. While
this approach has not been accepted in
the federal courts as a substitute for the
classic Howey test, nor is it so embraced
here, in my view such a theory can be
subsumed under the "efforts of others"
test of Howey, or as an extension or
further definition of passivity or
dependence. See Stanley, supra, at 823;
Wiebolt v. Metz, supra, at 260-61. What
is really at issue in this formulation is
whether the enterprise more closely
resembles a traditional offer to invest, to
put money at risk dependent on the efforts
of others, or the purchase of a right to
conduct a business whose resources are
or practically can be controlled by the
purchaser, not by the seller. Here, the
cash used to purchase the license, some
$900,000, was, on the basis of this
record, the only cash in the enterprise.
True, Aqua-Sonic possessed some know-
how and patent rights, but the only
operating capital, as the term is commonly
understood, came from the payments of
licensees. There were no bank loans,
stock issues, notes or any other financing
made available to Aqua-Sonic. On this
record I am not reluctant to conclude that
a risk capital approach is helpful, and that
under such a criterion, the described
materials constituted an investment
contract. However, such a conclusion
merely buttresses the conclusions already
set forth; perhaps consideration of the risk
capital concept merely casts the criteria of
passivity and dependence in somewhat
more traditional terms, traditional at least
in the commercial, if not the legal, world.
*879 The economic reality here is that the
fuel which drove this enterprise as far as
it went was the concept characterized by
Hecht as a TABA:
I don't like to use the term "investment":
This year (1979) I call what I do a TABA
which is a tax advantage business
acquisition, because, literally, the
individual is still acquiring a business
and it is only through the method of his
acquisition that he obtains tax benefits.
In this particular case (Pool Patrol) the
structure of the acquisition of the license
gives tax benefits (Hecht Investigative
Transcript at 102).
The defendants offered a tax shelter and
sought to make it possible for the
licensees to take advantage of the tax
provisions described in the tax opinion
contained in the described material. This
tax treatment was the emphasis of the
selling effort and the questionnaire, and
apparently the underlying motivation of
the licensees. The year-end discussions
between Mr. Abrahamson, on the way to
the opera, and his accountant, placed in
clear outline the principal feature of the
enterprise-its tax effect. The defendants
sought by the form of the transaction to
make the enterprise a business and not
an investment contract, a TABA and not a
security. The economic reality was
otherwise.
The defendants, perhaps perceiving the
drift of the authorities, urged this case be
treated as one of first impression with
unique facts. When pressed for the
authorities closest on the facts defendants
cited Williamson and Mr. Steak. To the
same inquiry, the SEC responded Galaxy
Foods. The difference in the factual
setting of each of the cases cited seems
to this court to reinforce the conclusions
reached above. A restaurant franchise or
an undivided interest in realty could be
managed as an independent business
and possessed features other than those
identified with a traditional investment.
The franchised sale of groceries
depended much more heavily on the
ability of others to obtain and deliver the
goods. Here, as it in fact turned out, the
licensees were totally dependent on
defendants not only for the merchandising
of Steri Products, in which arguably the
licensees could have been involved,
either practically or as a matter of right,
but also upon Aqua-Sonic for the products
to be sold. Finally, the only source for
funds for such production was the
payment by the licensees. Although
structured as a TABA, it turned out to be
an investment in which the licensees were
at risk and where in reality there was no
latent investor control of the enterprise
nor any evidence of the existence or
exercise of such control other than the
nominal right to sell the products without
Ultrasonic, a right which I conclude failed
to constitute control.
The Relief
Defendants have urged that the relief to
be granted, if any, for the violations-conceded and found-must meet the
strictures of SEC v. Commonwealth
Chemical Securities, Inc., 574 F.2d 90 (2d
Cir. 1978), affirming 410 F.Supp. 1002
(S.D.N.Y.1977), a proposition not
seriously challenged by the SEC. In
determining whether or not to issue a
permanent injunction the Honorable Lloyd
F. MacMahon in Commonwealth listed the
factors to be considered. 410 F.Supp. at
1020, a listing which was quoted with
approval by the Court of Appeals, 594
F.2d at 100. These included a finding of
liability for illegal conduct, the degree of
scienter, whether the occurrence was an
isolated one or not, contrition, and
whether, because of his professional
occupation, the defendant might be in a
position where future violations could be
anticipated.
(4) Obviously, the liability has been found
although Hecht and Inventel are expected
to continue their assertions that the
licenses were not investment
contracts.[FN4] At the same time, the
defendants throughout have been
straightforward and candid in their
acknowledgment that no attempt was
made to comply with the securities law
and *880 have consistently conceded a
violation of those laws by way of a failure
to register, for example, if it is concluded,
contrary to their contention, that the
enterprise involved an investment
contract. Of course, that concentrates the
issue on the heart of Judge Friendly's
opinion in Commonwealth, scienter and
the likelihood of similar future conduct.
FN4. The issue here is not that of
a good faith defense, which was
held wanting by the Honorable
Edward R. Neaher in Galaxy
Foods, but rather the closely
related scienter and future intent.
On three occasions Hecht was made
aware that other members of the bar
viewed the enterprise as one that might
be required to comply with the securities
laws. The memo of the associate of the
Baer Marks firm was rendered to SAH
specifically with respect to this issue.
Glasser and Suroff, the first presidents of
Aqua-Sonic and Ultrasonic, resigned,
stating that their counsel had raised
questions concerning the applicability of
the securities laws and a letter was shown
to Hecht to that effect. Finally, of course,
the inquiries of the SEC itself constituted
notice of the possibility of the impending
litigation. However, the unfavorable
memorandum by the Baer Marks
associate was reviewed by a SAH
associate, the authorities were apparently
discussed and the SAH partners reached
a different conclusion. Whatever their
secret convictions may have been, there
is no direct evidence of a knowing
violation.
Nevertheless, in the context of this case,
under the law of this circuit, recklessness
would amount to scienter. See Oleck v.
Fischer, 623 F.2d 791, 794 (2d Cir. 1980).
Here two outside firms rendered opinions
contrary to the final SAH conclusion. The
SAH conclusion was bottomed on
research and analysis by an associate
who, it must be inferred, knew the details
of the enterprise including the financial
interests of his employer partners. Not to
have obtained another outside opinion
and to rely on the opinion of financially
interested attorneys must be considered
reckless under these circumstances, so
reckless as to constitute scienter.
What then remains is the most significant
of the factors, the likelihood of future
violations by Hecht, who through his
counsel, professes an abandonment of
the practice of law. (As far as his
relationship with SAH, this has been
established.) Hecht seems equally
adamant in his intent to continue the
offering of TABA's, whether those known
to the SEC as a consequence of this
investigation-the sale of the pool alarm
system or the ultrasonic toothbrush-or
other similar enterprises. A reading of
Hecht's investigative transcript reveals a
man who has obtained new knowledge of
an area of opportunity-The TABA-including an identification of others who
participate in the merchandising of such
acquisitions. The blurring of definitions of
these acquisitions and investment
contracts is amply demonstrated by this
litigation. It can therefore be inferred that
there is a likelihood that Hecht could
again err, to view it charitably, in the same
fashion as he has done here. Therefore
the requirements of Commonwealth have
been met and a permanent injunction will
issue.
What really is at stake, one suspects, is
not the opprobrium attached to District
Court determination of a securities act
violation in a difficult and evolving area of
the law but rather the procedural
consequences which would flow from a
permanent injunction and a contempt
citation which might flow from the
injunction, were the SEC and Hecht to
differ in the future on the essential
character of a TABA which he might seek
to sell. Obviously, every effort should be
made to fit the terms of any injunctive
relief to the violation found to have been
committed, particularly here, where the
argument has been advanced with some
force that even the SEC took over a year,
or almost two, depending on when one
starts counting, to conclude that Hecht
and the other defendants had acted in
violation of the securities acts. It is to be
hoped that the SEC will help the court to
clarify, or at least characterize, the
conduct to be enjoined, by a description of
the prohibited conduct in specific rather
than general terms.
A judgment will be submitted on notice
within ten (10) days.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
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