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State ex rel. Pillsbury v. Honeywell, Inc.

Minnesota Supreme Court

291 Minn. 322, 191 N.W.2d 406 (Minn. 1971)

Facts

Pillsbury (plaintiff) found out that Honeywell, Inc. (defendant) was engaged in the production of munitions used in the Vietnam War. Pillsbury was against the war and bought 100 shares of Honeywell with the sole purpose of gaining access to Honeywell’s business affairs so he could convince the board of directors and fellow shareholders to stop producing the munitions. To that end, Pillsbury formally demanded from Honeywell access to its original shareholder ledger, current shareholder ledger, and all corporate records dealing with the manufacture of munitions. Honeywell refused to grant Pillsbury access. Pillsbury brought suit, seeking a writ of mandamus compelling Honeywell to produce the documents. The district court denied the writ and Pillsbury appealed.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Kelly, J.)

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