Brown v. Knowles
Annotate this CaseAn unpaid employee of a closely-held corporation sued the corporation and its president for back wages. The day after the employee filed suit, the corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The bankruptcy court discharged the corporation's debts, and the superior court dismissed the corporation, but the superior court allowed trial to proceed against the president on a veil-piercing theory. A jury found that the corporation was a mere instrumentality of the president, and that the president owed the former employee wages under a bonus agreement. The president appealed the superior court's decision. Upon review, the Supreme Court concluded that the superior court did not err in holding the president liable, and affirmed the superior court's judgment.
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