O'Brien v. Pearson

The plaintiff, Kevin O’Brien, brought this claim against* John Pearson and Margaret Palm2 (defendants), his fel*378low shareholders in the closely held corporation Summerhill Estates, Inc., for breach of fiduciary duty. The jury concluded by special question that O’Brien was a forty-eight per cent shareholder in the corporation, and awarded him $900,000 on his breach claim. A Superior Court judge denied the defendants’ motions for a directed verdict and judgment notwithstanding the verdict or, in the alternative, for a new trial. The Appeals Court reversed the judgment, O’Brien v. Pearson, 67…