Ad Hoc Committee of Shareholders v. Allied Nevada Gold Corp. (In re Allied Nevada Gold Corp.)

565 B.R. 75
CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedSeptember 15, 2016
DocketBankr. No. 15-10503-MFW Jointly Administered Civ. No. 15-946-SLR, Civ. No. 15-949-SLR
StatusPublished

This text of 565 B.R. 75 (Ad Hoc Committee of Shareholders v. Allied Nevada Gold Corp. (In re Allied Nevada Gold Corp.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ad Hoc Committee of Shareholders v. Allied Nevada Gold Corp. (In re Allied Nevada Gold Corp.), 565 B.R. 75 (D. Del. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

SUE L. ROBINSON, District Judge

I. INTRODUCTION

Appellants ad hoc. committee of equity security holders (“ad hoc committee”) (con[78]*78sisting of Jordan Darga (“Darga”), Brian Tuttle (“Tuttle”),2 and Stoyan Tachev (“Ta-chev”)) and Tuttle, individually, all appearing pro se, filed these bankruptcy appeals on October 19, 2015 and October 21, 2015, respectively. (Civ. No. 15-946-SLR at D.I. 1; Civ. No. 15-949-SLR at D.I.- 1) The appeal in Civ. No. 15-946-SLR, arises from an order entered in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (“Bankruptcy Court”) in In re Allied Nevada Gold Corp., Bankr. No. 15-10503-MFW (Del.Bankr.) (“Bankr. No. 15-10503-MFW”) on October 8, 2015, that confirmed debtors’ amended joint Chapter 11 plan of reorganization (“confirmation order”).3 (See Bankr. No. 15-10503-MFW at D.I. 1136) The ad hoc committee seeks reversal of the order. The appeal filed by Tuttle in Civ. No. 15-959-SLR, arises from several orders entered in the Bankruptcy Court including the October 8, 2015 confirmation order, an August 28, 2015 order approving the disclosure statement for the amended plan (“disclosure statement order”) (id. at D.I. 940), an order approving debtors’ sale of certain non-core assets (“sale order”) (id. at D.I. 606), and a September 15, 2015 order denying a motion to appoint an examiner in the Chapter 11 cases (“examiner denial order”) (id. at D.I. 995). Tuttle also seeks reversal of the confirmation order. The court has jurisdiction to hear an appeal from the bankruptcy court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 158(a).

II. BACKGROUND

A. Chapter 11 and Restructuring Agreement

Reorganized debtors are a U.S.-based gold and silver producer that operates in the State of Nevada. (See Civ. No. 15-946-SLR, D.I. 16 and Civ. No. 15-949-SLR, D.I. 32 at 6) On March 10, 2015 (“petition date”), debtors filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) in the Bankruptcy Court. As of the petition date, debtors had approximately: (1) $340 million of secured indebtedness in the form of borrowings and issued letters of credit under (a) a secured credit agreement, (b) a term and security deposit loan agreement, (c) capital lease and term loan agreements, (d) swap agreements, and (e) a promissory note; and (2) $350 million of unsecured debt in the form of (a) senior unsecured notes issued pursuant to an indenture, and (b) trade debt, (See Bankr. No. 15-10503-MFW at D.I. 16,12-24)

Prior to the petition date, debtors negotiated the terms of a consensual restructuring transaction with the holders of 100% of debtors’ funded secured debt and approximately 67% of debtors’ unsecured notes. (Id. at D.I. 16, ex. 2) On the petition date, debtors entered into a restructuring support agreement (“RSA”). (See id.)

On March 19, 2015, the United States Trustee for Region 3 (“U.S. Trustee”) appointed a creditors committee in the Chapter 11 case pursuant to Bankruptcy Code [79]*79§ 1102, and on April 10, 2015, appointed a committee of equity security holders, also pursuant to § 1102 of the Bankruptcy Code. (Id. at D.I, 95, D.I. 157) The equity committee’s membership was reconstituted from time to time subsequent to its formation. (Id. at D.I. 371, D.I. 449) The equity committee and creditors committee were dissolved on the October 22, 2015 effective date (“effective date”) in accordance with the terms of the amended plan and confirmation order. (See Bankr. No. 15-10503-MPW, D.I, 931, at 35, Art. IV, § 4.14)

B. Sale Order

On March 31, 2015, debtors filed a motion seeking Bankruptcy Court approval of a proposed sale of certain non-core exploration properties and related assets (“sale assets”), along with related bidding procedures and entry into a stalking horse purchase agreement with Waterton Global Resource Management (“Waterton”) that secured a $17.5 million cash bid for the sale assets. (Id. at D.I. 133) Debtors’ financial advisor, Barak M. Klein (“Klein”), stated that the sale was “in the best interests of debtors and their estates because the debtors were not able to commit the time and capital to effectively monetize the sale assets through their own operations, and the proceeds from the sale would allow debtors to satisfy, in whole or in part, an obligation under the original RSA. (Id. at D.I. 133, ex. D at ¶ 12)

The Bankruptcy Court approved entry into the stalking horse purchase agreement and the proposed bidding procedures. Thereafter, debtors engaged in a marketing process through their financial advisor, Moelis & Company LLC (“Moel-is”), and contacted 53 different parties. (Id. at D.I. 575 at 7, 12, D.I. 606) Three of the parties signed non-disclosure agreements to participate in the bidding process and were provided with the same materials and information as the stalking horse bidder. (Id. at D.I. 572 at 13, 14) At the close of the bid deadline, debtors received no additional bids for the sale assets. (Id. at D.I. 570)

The equity committee filed an objection to the sale motion (see id. at D.I. 554, D.I. 597), but withdrew the objection after it conducted “extensive fact-finding as to the merits” of the sale, the “value of certain” of the sale assets, and “alternatives” to the sale, concluding that it could not find an alternative transaction that would assure a greater return to debtors. (Id. at D.I. 597) An evidentiary hearing on the matter was held on June 18, 2015, and the Bankruptcy Court approved the sale motion over Tuttle’s objection. (Id. at D.I. 606, 607). Tuttle filed a motion for reconsideration of the order on July 28, 2015, after the sale had been consummated. (Id. at D.I. 643, D.I. 773)

C. Debtors’ Plan and Amendments to the Plan

On April 24, 2015, debtors filed a joint Chapter 11 plan of reorganization and disclosure statement. (Id. at D.I. 251, 252) The plan of reorganization proposed a recovery to holders of canceled common stock, contingent on the class of such holders voting in favor of such plan, in the form of warrants that could convert into 10.0% of the new equity in the reorganized debtors. (Id. at D.I. 251 at § 2.16) The equity committee indicated it intended to object to the plan of reorganization’s proposed treatment of holders of canceled common stock, and sought discovery related thereto. (Id. at D.I. 506 at ¶ 10) Debtors provided discovery to the equity committee. (See D.I. 793, ex. C at 8-12)

Following the filing of the plan of reorganization, debtors’ business was negatively-affected by numerous factors that severely impeded its mining operations in-[80]*80eluding: (1) high employee turnover; (2) refusal by key vendors to contract with debtors on commercially reasonable terms; (3) gold and silver production levels failing to meet expectations; and (4) continuing decline in gold prices. (See id. at 6-7) On July 8, 2015, debtors commenced a plan to suspend mining operations at their sole revenue-generating mine, the Hycroft Mine, and terminated approximately 230 of the remaining 368 employees. (See id. at D.I.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. United States Gypsum Co.
333 U.S. 364 (Supreme Court, 1948)
Stern v. Marshall
131 S. Ct. 2594 (Supreme Court, 2011)
In Re One2One Communications, LLC
805 F.3d 428 (Third Circuit, 2015)
Tribune Media Company v.
799 F.3d 272 (Third Circuit, 2015)
Samson Energy Resources Co. v. Semcrude, L.P.
728 F.3d 314 (Third Circuit, 2013)
Universal Minerals, Inc. v. C. A. Hughes & Co.
669 F.2d 98 (Third Circuit, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
565 B.R. 75, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ad-hoc-committee-of-shareholders-v-allied-nevada-gold-corp-in-re-allied-ded-2016.