Court Opinion

ID: 9478157
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 06:42:03.809297+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:46:16.779444
License: Public Domain

BRIGHT, Senior Circuit Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I agree that the release dated October 1, 1983, signed by Barker releases the Cooperative. My reasoning is that Barker accepted the benefits of the release and settlement after learning that the Cooperative, through its board of directors, issued a news release which seems to contradict the previously issued letters (exhibits B and C attached to the release). These letters served to compliment Barker’s work and to recommend him to prospective employers.1 By accepting the fruits of the settlement from the Cooperative, he waived whatever claims he had against the Cooperative.
Nevertheless, I disagree that Barker has fully released claims against the directors who issued the news release, which may have contradicted those letters, because the release signed by the parties contained a valid reservation permitting Barker to sue each director individually, if any director contradicted the prior letters.
A reservation in a settlement agreement permitting an injured party to sue remaining individuals is valid if it is expressed clearly and unmistakeably. Liberty v. J.A. Tobin Constr. Co., 512 S.W.2d 886, 890 (Mo.Ct.App.1974). The reservation involved here states that Barker’s release of all claims against individual directors is void “if any employee or director shall seek to contradict any of the matters set forth in the letter labeled Exhibit B and C * * Record at 148. This statement clearly and unmistakenly permits Barker to pursue a cause of action against an individual director if a contradiction is made.
Whether the news release contradicted the prior letters is an issue that Barker properly raised before the district court. He alleged in his complaint that the directors, acting individually and on behalf of the Board, contradicted the prior letters when they issued the news release. Specifically, the news release listed the charges directed against Barker and the evidence presented to support the charges.2 While the Board noted that they did not consider the evidence for purposes of taking action against the management of the Cooperative, it asserted that the charges “had contributed to the divisiveness and low morale *491* * * of the Coop employees.” Record at 129. Moreover, the Board concluded that certain allegations of misconduct by Barker in Board elections had “impaired the Board’s trust and confidence in the manager [Barker].” Id. Additionally, the Board accused Barker of playing “a duplieious [sic] role in the 1982 annual election of Board members * * *.” Id. Finally, the last paragraph contained a statement that the news release had been “approved unanimously by the Board.” Id. The contents of the news release support Barker’s claim of contradiction.
Under Missouri law, an agent or officer of a corporation may be held personally liable for acts done by the corporation if “he had actual or constructive knowledge of the actionable wrong and participated therein.” Wolfersberger v. Miller, 327 Mo. 1150, 39 S.W.2d 758, 764 (1931). See also Patzman v. Howey, 340 Mo. 11, 100 S.W.2d 851, 856 (1936); McKeehan v. Wittels, 508 S.W.2d 277, 282 (Mo.Ct.App.1974); City of St. Louis v. Boos, 503 S.W.2d 133, 135 (Mo.Ct.App.1973); H. Henn & J. Alexander, Laws of Corporations and Other Business Enterprises § 218 (3d ed. 1983). Although the news release bears only the legend "Sac Osage Electric Cooperative, Inc.” and is signed for the Cooperative by Raymond Scholes, who serves as president, that release also recites that “[t]his news release was approved unanimously by the Board.” Record at 129.
Assuming, without deciding on this appeal, that the release represents the individual responses of each member of the Board, it appears that the directors at minimum had knowledge of the contents of the news release and participated in its issue.
It seems very clear to me, for the reasons I have stated, that the district court prematurely granted summary judgment in favor of the individual directors and that the majority has not considered the reservation of rights against the individual directors contained in Barker’s release. With such reservation of rights, the effective date of the release and settlement becomes immaterial and, contrary to the view of the majority, does not control the disposition of this case.3
Thus, while agreeing to affirm the dismissal against the Cooperative, I would reverse the summary dismissal against the individual directors of the Cooperative.

. The first letter referred to Barker's abilities as a manager at the Cooperative and stated:
During your ten years as General Manager, you reversed a deteriorating situation with regard to line and pole maintenance, to the point where the Sac Osage Electric Cooperative is now in excellent condition as far as the equipment goes. And you did the above turn around on the maintenance situation while holding our costs down on behalf of our members.
Record at 150.
The second letter exonerated Barker from any claims of mismanagement, concluded that some charges were without foundation and concluded that, as to other charges, "such violations were technical only, and certainly not intended to defraud.” Record at 152.

. The evidence presented concerned “some employee complaints of offensive or harrassing [sic] conduct toward female employees, discrepancies in the travel expense account of the manager, and failure to provide supervision and job management.” Record at 128.

. Contrary to the implication of n. 2, majority op. at 489, the question of what claims had been released was before the district court and this court on appeal. Appellant in his contentions on appeal summarized the issue of release as follows:
TRIAL COURT ERRED IN GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON ALL COUNTS, AND SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT FOUND THAT THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE RELEASE WAS OCTOBER 24, 1983, RATHER THAN ON OR ABOUT OCTOBER 8, 1983, WHEN THE RELEASE WAS SIGNED BY THE APPELLANT. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN THAT, CLAIMS IN TORT WHICH HAVE NOT MATURED OR WERE NOT KNOWN TO APPELLANT WHEN EXECUTING HIS RELEASE AND WHICH HE DID NOT INTEND TO AFFECT WHEN SETTLEMENT WAS MADE ARE NOT DISCHARGED BY A RELEASE. (Emphasis added.)