ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Sears' CEO agrees to $40 million settlement of lawsuit that alleged he unfairly enriched himself with the company's 'crown-jewel assets' (SHLD)

Sears CEO Eddie Lampert and his hedge fund are paying $40 million to settle a shareholder lawsuit claiming that Lampert stripped the company of its best assets.

Sears CEO Eddie Lampert and the company's board of directors agreed to a $40 million settlement of a shareholder lawsuit that alleged Lampert had stripped the company of its best assets to benefit himself and his hedge fund.

The suit targets a real-estate investment trust called Seritage Growth Properties, which Lampert created in 2015.

After launching Seritage, Lampert orchestrated a big real-estate deal. Sears sold 235 stores, including many of its most profitable locations, to Seritage in 2015. Sears raised $2.7 billion from the sale and rented back the store space from Seritage.

The deal provided struggling a Sears with much-needed cash at the time, and gave Seritage the right to take over all or half of the square footage of many stores and then rent the empty space to other retailers at sometimes four times the rent.

ADVERTISEMENT

The lawsuit said that the Sears stores were worth far more than $2.7 billion and that Lampert — by standing on both sides of the transaction — stood to benefit regardless.

Seritage and Sears are separate entities, but Lampert, as chairman of Seritage and CEO and chairman of Sears, has a significant stake in both. Lampert and his hedge fund, ESL Investments, own a little more than 43% of Seritage's limited partnership. They also own a little more than 54% of Sears Holdings.

"Eddie Lampert used his position at Sears as its CEO and controlling shareholder to further his and his hedge fund's interests rather than the best interests of the company [by spinning off its] crown-jewel assets to the REIT at an unfair price," Ned Weinberger, a partner at the law firm Labaton Sucharow LLP, which is representing the shareholders, told Business Insider in a previous interview.

The defendants said in court papers that the $40 million settlement was not an admission that the lawsuit's claims are valid.

Sears spokesman Howard Riefs said the lawsuit was settled to avoid protracted litigation.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We have consistently taken the position that all Sears shareholders were free to participate in the Seritage rights offering," Riefs said. "The real estate was not sold to a trust controlled by ESL. All Sears shareholders were free to take a stake in Seritage equivalent to their Sears stake, and 98% did so."

The lawsuit was brought by individual investors against Lampert, ESL, Seritage, and members of Sears' board of directors, which was accused of not properly overseeing the deal to avoid conflicts of interest. The board includes Steven Mnuchin, President Trump's nominee for US Treasury secretary.

The settlement is subject to approval by the Delaware Court of Chancery.

Here are the settlement documents:

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT