Summary
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Koch v. Koch
This shareholder dispute case involved two businesses three brothers in Minnesota owned. One of the brothers, Jim Koch, had a falling out with the other two, Randy and Dave Koch. A temporary agreement was made among them in 2006, but subsequently the relationship and actions of the parties deteriorated. In particular, an IRS audit of the two businesses triggered a disagreement as to whether required payments under the agreement had to be tax deductible. Certain actions by the defendants breached the 2006 agreement as determined by a jury resulting in a damages award of $12 million. The court then held a bench trial to determine the value of the two businesses for determining the buyout amount for Jim’s interest in both businesses. Experts for each side testified as to value. The opinion provided a good analysis of the various issues in the methodologies each of the experts used.