Chicago Business Litigation Lawyer Blog
The elements of a wrongful removal or freezing out of a partner in a business context include the following:
1. Exclusion of a partner from participation in the business: This implies that a partner is denied the right to participate in the operations and decisions of the business [1]. For instance, actions such as serving a partner with a notice of default, stating that they are no longer a partner, removing their name from partnership tax returns, and refusing to provide them with access to partnership books, records, and information can be seen as a wrongful exclusion.
2. Violation of implicit duty of good faith between partners: Partners owe each other the duty to exercise the highest degree of honesty and good faith in their dealings and in the handling of partnership assets. A genuine issue of material fact that precludes summary judgment on whether expulsion of a partner violated this duty also constitutes an element of a wrongful removal or freeze out.
3. Breach of the right of a partner to a formal accounting: Any partner has the right to a formal accounting in relation to partnership affairs. If this right is breached through a wrongful exclusion, it forms one of the elements.
4. Disregard of the partner’s advice and wishes, irreconcilable differences and personal ill-will between the partners, refusal to keep accounts open to the co-partners, refusal to account at reasonable times, and refusal to pay over profits as agreed: These are also listed as acts and circumstances that can justify a decree of dissolution and therefore can be seen as elements of wrongful removal or freeze-out.