SEC Company Response from Bootie Beer CORP (CIK 0001204853) — Sep 2, 2005
Bootie Beer CORP (CIK 0001204853)
Date: Sept. 2, 2005 · CIK: 0001204853 · Accession: 0001231742-05-000571
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
Referenced dates: August 17, 2005
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Trombly Business Law
1163 Walnut Street, Suite 7
Newton, MA 02461
Telephone (617) 243-0060
Facsimile (309) 406-1426
Amy M. Trombly, Esq.
amy@tromblybusinesslaw.com
September 2, 2005
Delivered by electronic submission via EDGAR
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporation Finance
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, DC 20549
Attn: Ms. Michele M. Anderson
Re: Jane Butel Corporation
Preliminary Information Statement on Schedule 14C
Filed August 1, 2005
File No. 0-50104
Dear Ms. Anderson:
I am securities counsel for Jane Butel Corporation (the "Company"). I enclose
for filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Company's revised
preliminary information statement (the "Information Statement").
The Company's Information Statement contains revisions that have been made in
response to comments received from the staff of the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Staff") in their letter dated August 17, 2005.
Set forth below are the Company's responses to the Staff's comments. The
numbering of the responses corresponds to the numbering of comments in the
letter from the Staff.
Comment 1. Please revise your information statement to provide the
disclosure required by Schedule 14C and Schedule 14A, to the extent applicable.
For example, with regard to Item 1 and its reference to Schedule 14A
requirements, it appears the information statement should contain the
information set forth in Item 6 of Schedule 14A.
Response 1. The Company has revised the Information Statement to comply with
this comment.
Comment 2. According to the various Forms 8-K filed by Jane Butel
Corporation, the company recently sold substantially all of its assets to Mrs.
Jane Butel, went through two changes in control, and completed a reverse stock
split. In your response letter, please explain why, under applicable state law,
the company was not required to obtain shareholder approval for each of these
matters.
Response 2. At March 31, 2005, which was the end of the Company's third
quarter, the Company had a net loss of approximately $1.3 million dollars for
the nine month period. It also had approximately $200 thousand in assets and
approximately $635 thousand in liabilities. Additionally, in March and April of
2005, two lawsuits were filed against the Company. While the Company did not
believe in the merits of these cases, the time and money necessary to defend the
suits threatened to further drain resources from the Company. Finally, in May
2005, the Company received a demand for payment from 21st Century, an investor,
in the amount of $3.1 million. During this time, the Company had taken steps to
reduce its expenses, including reducing its headcount, which further hindered
its ability to raise revenues.
Given that the Company's revenues were only approximately $193 thousand in
the prior quarter, the Company believed it was extremely unlikely that it would
independently raise the funds necessary to keep the business going and to settle
out its debts. The Company approached Dutchess Private Equities Fund II and
other potential investors to raise the funds necessary to maintain the business
and settle its debt. Given the Company's financial situation, it was unable to
raise the capital necessary on any terms to continue the business.
The Company then entered into negotiations with 21st Century and Dutchess
Private Equities Fund II to settle the Company's debts and obligations. As part
of this arrangement, Dutchess Private Equities Fund II agreed to guarantee a
convertible debenture issued to 21st Century in settlement of its claims against
the Company in exchange for other agreements between Jane Butel and Dutchess.
The Company, Jane Butel and Dutchess entered into a series of other agreements,
described in Form 8-Ks filed on EDGAR, that resulted in a full restructuring or
settlement of the Company's other remaining debts and obligations. One of these
agreements provided for a transfer of the remaining assets and certain
liabilities of the Company to Jane Butel, an individual, however that agreement
must be viewed a part of the entire transaction that involved a change of
control and the issuance of approximately a million dollars in debentures while
settling or restructuring over four million dollars in claims against the
Company.
Section 607.1201 of the Florida corporate law provides that the Board of
Directors may "mortgage, pledge, dedicate to the repayment of indebtedness
(whether with or without recourse), create a security interest in, or otherwise
encumber any or all of its property whether or not in the usual course of
business." The statute further states that shareholders are not required to
approve such transactions.
Given that the Company's debts and obligations so substantially outweighed
its assets and it could not use operating capital or external capital to pay its
debts, the Company had only very limited options to negotiate a settlement to
avoid bankruptcy or a potentially devastating lawsuit with 21st Century. As a
result, the Company entered into a series of transactions to use its remaining
assets to settle or restructure its debts. Thus, the Company believes the
above-cited statute permitted the directors to act without shareholder action.
The Company experienced a change in control when the Company's prior Chief
Executive Officer, Jane Butel, sold her Series A Preferred stock to Geneva
Atlantic Capital Corp. Ted Smith is the principal of Geneva Atlantic Capital
and was a director of the Company at the time of the transaction. At the time
of the transaction, the Series A Preferred stock represented a controlling
interest in the Company. As this was a private transaction, it did not require
shareholder approval.
The Company experienced a further change in control when the directors
affiliated with the Jane Butel business resigned. For a short period following
their resignation, two directors remained that were affiliated with Dutchess
Private Equities Fund. Several weeks later, the Board appointed several new
directors associated with a business acquired by the Company. Florida law
permits Directors to resign for any reason. Additionally, Florida law permits
the remaining Board members to fill vacancies left on the Board. Florida law
does not require shareholders to approve such a transaction.
Section 607.10025 of the Florida Statues provides that : (1) A corporation may
effect a division or combination of its shares in the manner as provided in this
section. For purposes of this section, the terms "division" and "combination"
mean dividing or combining shares of any issued and outstanding class or series
into a greater or lesser number of shares of the same class or series.
(2) Unless the articles of incorporation provide otherwise, a division or
combination may be effected solely by the action of the board of directors. In
effecting a share combination or division, the board shall have authority to
amend the articles to:
(a) Increase or decrease the par value of shares;
(b) Increase or decrease the number of authorized shares; or
(c) Make any other changes necessary or appropriate to assure that the rights
or preferences of each holder of outstanding shares of all classes and series
will not be adversely affected by the combination or division.
The board shall not have the authority to amend the articles, and shareholder
approval of any amendment shall be required pursuant to s. 607.1003, if, as a
result of the amendment, the rights or preferences of the holders of any
outstanding class or series will be adversely affected, or the percentage of
authorized shares remaining unissued after the share division or combination
will exceed the percentage of authorized shares that was unissued before the
division or combination.
As part of the series of transactions to restructure the Company, the Company
agreed to affect a reverse stock split. Pursuant to the statute cited above,
the Board could act without the shareholders to affect the reverse if the number
of shares of authorized stock also decreased by the same ratio as the
outstanding shares. Because time was of the essence during the restructuring of
the Company, the Company determined to affect the reverse split solely by Board
action. Currently and at the time of the transaction, insiders of the Company
control a majority of the outstanding shares. Thus, the Company believes
shareholders will vote to restore the number of authorized shares and, at that
time, the Company will file a Schedule 14C.
If you have further questions or comments, please feel free to contact us. We
are happy to cooperate in any way we can.
Regards,
Amy M. Trombly
Counsel for Jane Butel Corporation
cc: Jane Butel Corporation
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