John McHenry Mee joined McAfee & Taft in 1971 and concentrated his practice in corporate, securities, and financing law for more than 40 years. Over the course of his distinguished career, he served as lead counsel in more than $2 billion of mergers and acquisitions and various forms of financings, including public offerings involving enterprises engaged in the food, energy, environmental, manufacturing and publishing businesses. He also served as lead trial counsel, advisor and consultant in numerous litigation and arbitration matters.
His noteworthy matters include:
- Mergers & Acquisitions:
- 2002 – Sale of 11 retail food stores in Arizona ($34 million)
- 2001 – Purchase of all of the stock of a Midwestern food wholesaler ($10 million)
- 2001 – Purchase of eight Food For Less stores ($30 million)
- 2001 – Sale of 16 Baker’s Food Stores ($72 million)
- 1999 – Purchase of eight Food For Less stores ($56 million)
- 1999 – Sales of El Paso, Texas, product supply center ($26 million)
- 1997 – Sale of Foodbrands, Inc. to IBP ($640 million)
- 1994 – Purchase of Scrivner, Inc. by Fleming Companies, Inc. ($1 billion)
- 1992 – Acquisition of Baker’s Supermarkets, Inc. by Fleming Companies, Inc. ($35 million)
- 1991 – Acquisition of Furr’s Inc. by Fleming Companies, Inc. ($40 million)
- 1988 – Sale of USPCI, Inc. to Union Pacific Corporation ($10.5 million)
- 1988 – Sale of White Swan, Inc. to an investment banking group ($220 million)
- 1988 – Fleming Companies, Inc. acquisition by merger of Malone & Hyde, Inc. ($585 million)
- 1987 – Fleming Companies, Inc. acquisition by merger of Godfrey Company ($161 million)
- 1986 – Sale of The Economy Company to McGraw Hill Inc. ($32 million)
- 1982 – Fleming Companies, Inc. public offering 1,385,000 shares of common stock ($58 million)
- 1981 – Fleming Companies, Inc. acquisition by merger of McClain Grocery Co. ($16 million)
- 1976 – Acquisition by merger of LeeWay Motor Freight by Pepsi Co. Inc. ($50 million)
- 1974 – BDOL 1974 Program Ltd. Drilling Fund ($1 million)
- Ralph William Rent a Car v. Gerald Eason & Harry Hadler, U.S.D.C., W.D. Okla. Lead trial attorney for the defendants in breach of contract and fraud suit in which defendants won a jury verdict on plaintiff’s $2 million complaint and a $500,000 judgment on defendant’s cross-complaint.
- Rooney Pace v. The Economy Co., U.S.D.C., W.D. Okla. Co-counsel for defendant in breach of contract, fraud and fraud on the securities market case. After several depositions, settled for nominal amount.
- Seessel Holdings, Inc., et al. v. Fleming Companies, Inc., et al., U.S.D.C., W.D. Tenn. Consultant and advisor to defendant in action before the court involving defendant’s right of first refusal to purchase supermarket chain.
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. Fleming Companies, Inc., U.S.D.C., W.D. Okla. and U.S. Ct. App. (10th Cir.). Co-counsel in a trial to the U.S.D.C. judge and Tenth Circuit on appeal regarding shareholder rights plans and whether the board of directors or the shareholders have the right to implement such a plan.
- Cauley v. Stauth, et al., U.S.D.C., W.D. of Okla. and Rosenburg v. Stauth, et al., U.S.D.C., W.D. Okla. Advisor and consultant to the client and my law partners on securities law matters in these stockholder derivative actions containing allegations of fraud, RICO, 10b-5 claims, etc.
- City of Philadelphia, et al. v. Fleming Companies, Inc., et al., U.S.D.C., W.D. Okla. Consultant and advisor to defendants and members of my law firm in this class action lawsuit involving deceptive business practices, breach of contract, fraud, RICO, 10b-5 claims, etc. The district court granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment which was appealed to the United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit. The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court’s order dismissing the consolidated shareholder case
John’s achievements earned him inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America (corporate Law) for more than 20 years. He is the co-author of “Specialized Approaches to Outsourcing Legal Work” (Chapter 26) of Successful Partnering Between Inside and Outside Counsel, published by the American Corporate Counsel Association and the WestGroup in September 2000.