LLCs Are Found In The Corporations Code But They Are Not Corporations

Allen Matkins
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As one might expect, the California Corporations Code includes California General Corporation Law.  The Corporations Code covers a lot more than corporations, however.  It includes, for example, California's partnership, limited partnership, and limited liability companies.  This doesn't mean that partnerships or LLCs are corporations and it certainly doesn't mean that the General Corporation Law governs their affairs.  

Nonetheless, it is easy to confuse the whole and the part, as did the court in  Petersen-Dean, Inc. v. SolarWorld Ams., Inc., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35721.  That case began in state court, but the defendants removed the action to federal court on the basis of diversity jurisdiction, asserting that SWA LLC, a California company, was fraudulently joined.  The federal court ruled that SWA LLC was not a proper party because it had merged into an Oregon corporation.  In support, the court cited California Corporations Code Section 1107 (""upon merger . . . the separate existence of the disappearing corporations ceases. . . .").  However, SWA LLC was a California limited liability company.  As such, SWA LLC's merger with an Oregon corporation would be subject to California's Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act and not California's General Corporation Law.  Both the RULLCA and the GCL are found in the Corporations Code, but that doesn't mean the GCL governs LLCs.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

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