Zold v. Zold’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

5 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 5 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “When a corporation has more than one shareholder, an officer/shareholder has a fiduciary duty to all shareholders. The corporation is not the personal piggy bank for any one shareholder simply because that shareholder may have a controlling interest in the corporation and is also the chief executive officer. Financial responsibilities to creditors and employees must be satisfied before distributions to shareholders take place if a corporation is to remain viable. Once the distributions are found to be possible, the distributions must be pro-rata in accordance with the percentage ownership of the capital stock of the corporation. Court ordered obligations in marital litigation should not place an ex-marital partner in the position of having to breach a corporate fiduciary obligation in order to avoid the possibility of a court finding that partner contemptuous.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 911 So. 2d 1222 - Zold v. Zold · 933 So. 2d 542 - Kusterer v. Kusterer

2. “distribution of cash to shareholders equal to the total corporate earnings should not be made because cash is required to be retained as working capital to maintain business operations of the corporation and to avoid bankruptcy.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 911 So. 2d 1222 - Zold v. Zold

3. “record does not support the trial court's determination that [the amounts on Tri Tech's balance sheet] could be distributed by the corporation to the shareholders without jeopardizing corporate operations.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 911 So. 2d 1222 - Zold v. Zold