Can the shareholders of an S-corporation be sued personally?
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Can the shareholders of an S-corporation be sued personally?
I am a fence contractor; I have an S-corporation. An employee nicked an electric line and now the homeowner is suing us for the cost of repair. I offered to have our electrician fix it but the homeowner chose not to wait the 2 days that our electrician needed to get to it. The lights worked without any interruption. I am a “shareholder” in the S-corporation, as is my wife. He is suing us personally. I was under the impression that shareholders are sheltered from liability and don’t know where to go from here. Does this “shelter” extend to this kind of lawsuit?
Asked on October 30, 2014 under Business Law, Colorado
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 10 years ago | Contributor
A shareholder is not personally liable for the acts of the corporation except in a few cases, such as:
1) the shareholder personally did the act leading to liability--in which case he is sued due to his personal actions or culpability, not as a shareholder;
2) the shareholder guaranteed a debt or obligation;
3) the shareholder was the responsible person for a fiduciary tax (like sales tax) or payroll, and is being sued based on that.
From what you write, you personally--though not your S-corp--should have a good defense based on the fact that you are the wrong party to name.
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