OPINION
Following a securities transaction, James Young, Robert Worrall, and Shannon Gustafson (collectively, “Buyers”) sued Valt.X Holdings, Inc. (“Valt.X”), Dennis Meharchand, and Brian Groh (collectively, “Sellers”) based on numerous claims, including conspiracy, common law fraud, fraud in a stock transaction, negligence and gross negligence, violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA), breach of fiduciary duty, declaratory judgment, rescission and restitution, breach of contract, and violations of federal and Texas securities laws, including the Federal Securities Act of 1933,15 U.S.C.A. §§ 77a-77aa (2009), the Federal Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C.A. §§ 78a-78pp (2009), and the Texas Securities Act, Tex.Rev.Civ. Stat. Ann. arts. 581-1 to 581-43 (Vernon 1964 & Supp.2009). Buyers filed their petition in Travis County district court. Sellers filed a motion to dismiss, citing a forum-selection clause that stated that any suits concerning the sale of securities to Buyers must be brought in the courts of Ontariо, Canada. The trial court granted the motion to dismiss. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.
BACKGROUND
In October 2006, Valt.X, an Ontario-based computing company, offered Buyers common stock through Brian Groh, its promoter. In February 2007, Buyers purchased $100,000 in Valt.X stock. The shareholder agreement concerning the sale of the stock included a forum-selection clause, which states, “The parties hereto each hereby agrees to the exclusive jurisdiction оf the Courts of Ontario to adjudicate any and all disputes arising under or relating to this Agreement and/or the sale, purchase or holding of the [Valt.X] Common Shares.” 1
Buyers allege in their pleadings and on appeal that they later discovered that Groh made numerous misrepresentations regarding Valt.X in offering the stock to Buyers, and that Valt.X failed to disclose facts concerning the investment characteristics of the Valt.X stock and the risks assoсiated with the stock.
2
Buyers also
After discovering the alleged misrepresentations regarding the Valt.X stock, Buyers demanded and were allegedly promised a refund. When no refund was forthcoming, Buyers filed suit against Valt.X, Groh, and Dennis Meharchand, the CEO of Valt.X, in Travis County district court. The original petition included causes of action for conspiracy, common-law fraud, fraud in a stock transaction, negligence and gross negligence, DTPA violations, breach of fiduciary duty, declaratory judgment, rescission and restitution, and violations of the' Texas Securities Act. In an amended petition, Buyers added a claim for violations of federal securities laws, and also added a claim for breach of contract that was later dropped.
Sellers filed a motion tо dismiss all of Buyers’ claims based on the forum-selection clause, arguing that any claims relating to the Valt.X stock must, under the shareholder agreement, be brought in the courts of Ontario, Canada. The trial court granted the motion and dismissed Buyers’ claims, and this appeal followed.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
A motion to dismiss is the proper procedural mechanism for enforcing a forum-selection clause that a party to the agreement has violated in filing suit.
Phoenix Network Techs. (Europe) Ltd. v. Neon Sys.,
DISCUSSION
On appeal, Buyers argue that the trial court erred in enforcing the forum-selection clause and dismissing their claims. Specifically, Buyers argue that the clause does not apply to their claims, the antiwaiyer provisions of federal and Texas securities laws prevent enforcement of the forum-selection clause, and the forum-selectiоn clause is invalid because the contract involving the sale of the stock was tainted by fraud. 3
Assuming the party seeking enforcement establishes these prerequisites, the burden shifts to the party opposing enforcement to make a “strong showing” overcoming the prima facie validity of the forum-selection clause.
Id.
at 611 (quoting
The Bremen,
Applicability of Clause to Buyers’ Claims
As a threshold matter, we determine whether the forum-selection clause in this case encompasses the Buyers’ claims.
5
In analyzing the clause, we turn to principles of contract interpretation.
See Southwest Intelecom,
In this case, the clause states, “The parties hereto each hereby agrees to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of Ontario to adjudicate any and all disputes arising under or relating to this Agreement and/or the sale, purchase or holding of the [Valt.X] Common Shares.” The plain language of the clause encompasses each of Buyers’ claims, including the fraud, fiduciary duty, and securities claims that form the basis of this appeal. Each claim “arises under” or “relates to” the stock sale оr the agreement to purchase the stock signed by Buyers.
See Clark v. Power Mktg. Direct, Inc.,
Buyers argue that their claims are broader than the scope of the forum-selection clause. In support of this argument, Buyers point to a federal case decided by the Eighth Circuit,
Farmland Industries, Inc. v. Frazier-Parrott Commodities, Inc.,
which also involved claims of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty relating to the sale of securities.
Antiwaiver Provisions
We turn next to Buyers’ arguments that the forum-seleсtion clause is voided by the antiwaiver provisions of federal and Texas securities laws, and that enforcement of the clause contravenes the public policy embodied in the antiwaiver provisions.
6
See Lyon Fin. Servs.,
Section 14 of the Securities Act of 1933 provides: “Any condition, stipulаtion, or provision binding, any person acquiring
Texas courts have not confronted the issue of whether the antiwaiver provisions of U.S. securities laws bar enforcement of a clause specifying a foreign forum or designating the application of foreign law. However, the Fifth Circuit addressed the interplay of forum-selection/choice-of-law clauses and the antiwaiver provisions of federal and Texas securities laws in
Haynsworth. See id.
at 962-63. The
Haynsworth
court bаsed its analysis on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in
The Bremen,
which set out the framework for analyzing international contracts that specified the forum and the. applicable law governing disputes.
Id.
In
The Bremen,
the Supreme Court stated that courts should enforce choice of law and choice of forum clauses in cases of “freely negotiated private international agreement[s].”
The Haynsworth court also looked to Second Circuit precedent analyzing the practical consequences of failing to enforce international forum-selection clauses:
It defíes reason to suggest that a plaintiff may circumvent forum selection and arbitration clauses merеly by stating claims under laws not recognized by the forum selected in the agreement. A plaintiff simply would have to allege violations of his country’s tort law or his country’s statutory law or his country’s property law in order to render nugatory any forum selection clause that implicitly or explicitly required the application of the law of another jurisdiction. We refuse to allow a party’s solemn promise to be defeated by artful pleading.
Id.
at 969 (quoting
Roby v. Corporation of Lloyd’s,
In this case, Buyers nonetheless argue that the statutory language of the anti-waiver provisions voids any contraсt that would have the effect of waiving enforcement of U.S. securities laws. However, Buyers’ argument not only conflicts with the result in
Haynsworth
and the Supreme Court precedents in
The Bremen
and
Scherk
that underpin that decision, but also relies primarily on a single Ninth Circuit opinion that has been withdrawn.
8
See Govett Am. Endeavor Fund v. Trueger,
Buyers also argue that enforcement of forum-selection clauses like the one at issue here would “deny [Buyers] and future Texans the protections afforded by” federal and Texas securities laws, thereby contravening public policy. However, federal and Texas courts have explained that public policy “strongly” favors enforcement of forum-selection clauses.
See Haynsworth,
Based on this analysis, we are persuaded by the Fifth Circuit’s reasoning in
Haynsworth,
especially in light of the fact that Texas courts have adopted federal standards for analyzing forum-selection clauses.
See AIU Ins. Co.,
Fraud or Overreaching
Buyers next argue that the forum-selection clause is unenforceable because the clause is invalid for reasons of fraud or overreaching.
See Lyon Fin. Servs.,
Federal courts haye held that the fraud or overreaching in question must involve the negotiation of the forum-selection clause itself: “Fraud and overreaching must be specific to a forum selection clause in order to invalidate it.”
Haynsworth,
Buyers do not argue that the alleged fraud was specific to the forum-selection clause, but rather that the agreement and the stock transaction as a whole involved fraud. As discussed above, this argument conflicts with federal and Texas precedent in this area. While Buyers rely on the
Farmland
case for the proposition that the alleged fraud need not bе specific to the forum-selection clause to invalidate it,
see
Based on our analysis, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in dismissing Buyers’ claims pursuant to the forum-selection clause.
CONCLUSION
We affirm the judgment of the trial court.
Notes
. The shareholder agreement also included a choice-of-law provision, entitled "Governing Law,” whiсh states, “This Agreement is governed by and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the laws of Canada applicable therein.”
. Specifically, Buyers allege that Groh stated that Valt.X stock was guaranteed to generate a return of ten times Buyers’ initial investment, the stock was guaranteed to return all of Buyers’ initial investment, the stock was worth no less than $1 per share, Valt.X was profitable at the time of the sale of stock, the technology developed by Valt.X would be in-
. Buyers also argue that Sellers consented to suit in Texas, thereby waiving enforcement of the forum-selection clause, by filing a Uniform Consent to Service of Process designating an officer for Valt.X in Texas. However, while a copy of this consent form was attached to Buyers’ brief, it was not included in the trial record. Further, Buyers did not invoke any authority in support of their argument that the forum-selection clause had been waived by the filing of the form.
See
Tex. R.App.,P- 38.l(i) (appellant’s brief "must contain a clear and concise argument for the contentions made, with appropriate citations
. While
The Bremen
is an admiralty case, two years after it was decided the Supreme Court “implicitly extended
The Bremen's
holding beyond the realm of admiralty by applying it to a claim brought under the federal securities laws” in
Scherk v. Alberto-Culver Co.,
. Buyers do not challenge the validity of the shareholder agreement or its designation of an exclusive forum.
See Phoenix Network Techs. (Europe) Ltd. v. Neon Sys.,
. While Buyers only challenge the applicability of the forum-selection clause of the shareholder agreement, many of their arguments conсern the law that would be applied to their claims in Ontario courts. To the extent that Buyers’ arguments implicate the agreement’s choice-of-law provision specifying "the laws of the Province of Ontario and the laws of Canada applicable therein,” we note that our analysis of the forum-selection clause applies equally to the applicability of the choice- ■ of-law provision.
See generally Haynsworth,
. Section 29(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 states, "Any condition, stipulation, or provision binding any person to waive compliance with any provision of this title or of any rule or regulation thereunder, or of any rule of a self-regulatory organization, shall be void.” 15 U.S.C.A. § 78cc(a) (2009). The antiwaiver provision of the Texas Securities Act states, "A condition, stipulation, or provision binding a buyer or seller of a security or a purchaser of services rendered by an investment adviser or investment adviser representative to waive compliance with a provision of this Act or a -rule or order or requirement hereunder is void.” Tex.Rev.Civ. Stat. Ann. art. 581-33L (West Supp.2009).
. Buyers also cite to
SEC v. Ross,
. Buyers also argue that, as Canada has no jurisdiction to hear cases involving U.S. securities laws, Buyers have "no effective venue to prosecute their claims." To the extent- that this argument can be construed to allege that the forum-selection clause is "unreasonable or unjust" because it deprives Buyers of a remedy,
see Haynsworth,
.As explained in
Haynsworth,
"[U]ncertainty as to the forum for disputes and applicable law will almost inevitably exist with respect to any contract touching two or more countries. That is, the elimination of all such uncertainties by agreeing in advance on a forum acceptable to both parties is an indispensable element in international trade, commerce, and contracting.”
