Cox Enterprises, Inc. v. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp; Cox Enterprises, Inc. v. Davidson, et al.

Davidson Directors and PBGC appealed the district court's order to distribute all of News-Journal assets to Cox, a long-time shareholder of the closely-held News-Journal. The court vacated the order, interpreting Florida's election-to-purchase statute to require that any payment made as a result of a corporation's share repurchase decision complied with the distribution requirements of Fla. Stat. 607.06401, which prohibited the distribution of corporate assets to a shareholder if it would render the corporation insolvent. Because the court considered any payment to Cox a distribution to a shareholder within the meaning of the statute, the district court erred when it ordered the distribution of all of News-Journal's assets to Cox without applying the insolvency test contained in the statute. If on remand, the district court finds a distribution to Cox would violate the statute, News-Journal's other creditors should receive payment before any distribution is made to Cox.