Defendant, who was a director, shareholder and former employee of the corporate plaintiff, moved to disqualify the corporate plaintiff’s counsel. He argued that he reasonably believed that the law firm had represented him with regard to the agreements at issue and a guaranty agreement. He also argued that disqualification was appropriate because the corporation’s lawyers had "responsibilities" to him as a shareholder and director of the company.

The Court denied the motion. It found that although the law firm had represented defendant with regard to the guaranty agreement, the former representation was not substantially related to the claims before the Court so as to warrant disqualification under Rule 1.9 of the Rules of Professional Conduct. The Court also found that the law firm had not obtained any information in the course of that representation that would advance its defense of the corporation in the case before it.

Considering multiple factors, it determined that defendant could not have reasonably believed that the law firm was representing him in his individual capacity. On the argument regarding "responsibilities," the Court held that a corporation can be represented by its regular corporate counsel when the corporation is adverse to one of its constituents.

The Court dismissed the defendant’s counterclaim that the Stockholders Agreement requiring him to tender his shares back to the corporation was unconscionable, finding that the claim failed under either North Carolina or Delaware law.

Before reaching this issue, the Court expressed doubt about whether the choice of law provision specifying North Carolina law in the Agreement was enforceable, given that the corporation was a Delaware corporation and in consideration of the internal affairs doctrine.

The Court expressly refused to apply North Carolina law to plaintiff’s claim for dissolution, "because a claim for judicial dissolution goes to the very core of a corporation’s internal affairs [so] it is properly governed by the law of the state of incorporation." If North Carolina law had been applicable, however, the Court held that dissolution would not be appropriate.

Defendant’s claim that he had reasonable expectations of continued employment was belied by the terms of his employment agreement, which provided for termination at any time after twelve months, without cause.

Full Opinion