Opinion ID: 2231464
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: complaint and district court decision

Text: Aaron's operative complaint, filed on October 27, 2003, against AFSCO, Matthew, and Whitney (collectively the appellees), alleges that a gift was made by Harvey to Aaron in 1995 for 11,764 shares of AFSCO stock. From this allegation, Aaron asserted five claims: (1) a declaratory judgment determining that the stock certificate prepared in his name and the entries made on the books of E & S constituted a completed gift; (2) the creation of a constructive trust in favor of Aaron; (3) a finding of a breach of fiduciary duty against Matthew and Whitney and request for the fair value of his claimed stock interest, distributions with respect to the stock, and other damages; (4) a finding of wrongful registration of the stock in the names of Matthew and Whitney; and (5) unjust enrichment and related remedies. The appellees denied all of the material allegations in Aaron's complaint and alternatively alleged that no gift had occurred for failure of delivery, acceptance, and no donative intent on the part of Harvey; that the gift was also not completed for failure of a condition; and that Aaron's claims are barred by equitable estoppel, laches, the statute of limitations, and unclean hands. The district court found that Harvey's actions did not constitute a completed gift to Aaron. Accordingly, the court determined that neither Matthew nor Whitney had breached his fiduciary duty. The court further concluded that Aaron's claims are barred by the statute of limitations, laches, and equitable estoppel. Aaron appealed.