Agnew v. Alicanto, S.A.

125 F.R.D. 355, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4077, 1989 WL 40972
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedApril 25, 1989
DocketNo. CV-86-4321
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 125 F.R.D. 355 (Agnew v. Alicanto, S.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Agnew v. Alicanto, S.A., 125 F.R.D. 355, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4077, 1989 WL 40972 (E.D.N.Y. 1989).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

WEINSTEIN, District Judge.

This case illustrates the interplay of preliminary remedies under New York and Federal Practice. More particularly, it presents the issue of the right to counsel fees when a temporary restraining order is issued predicated on a proposed attachment as a provisional rememdy.

Defendants Alicanto, S.A. and William H. Shaw move to recover against plaintiffs’ undertaking, and to obtain an order pursu[357]*357ant to Rule 65.1 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, awarding defendants $302,564.77 plus interest as costs and damages. These damages constitute legal fees claimed to have been sustained by reason of a temporary restraining order granted on December 30, 1986. Fidelity & Deposit Company of Maryland (“F & D”) has cross-moved for an order directing plaintiffs, Spiro T. Agnew and William H. Woolverton, to exonerate F & D from any liability it may have as a consequence of the undertaking, for judgement against plaintiffs in such amount as F & D may be directed to pay to defendants, and for its own legal fees. For the reasons indicated below, the motions in large part must be granted.

FACTS

Plaintiffs by an Order to Show Cause moved for an order of attachment against defendants’ property, including specified bank accounts and cooperative apartment shares, and for an ex parte temporary restraining order to restrain defendants from transferring assets. The court granted a temporary restraining order on December 30, 1986. Pursuant to the order, $342,000 was deposited with the Clerk of the Court.

Plaintiffs were ordered to post a $250,-000 undertaking of which sum $200,000 was

conditioned that the plaintiffs will pay to the defendants all costs and damages, including reasonable attorney’s fees, which may be sustained by reason of this temporary restraining order if the defendnats recover judgment or if it is finally determined that the plaintiffs were not entitled to an attachment of defendants’ property____

(Emphasis added.) A bond on the undertaking from F & D reads, in pertinent part:

[F & D] does hereby, pursuant to the Statute in such case made and provided, undertake that the Plaintiffs will pay to the Defendants Alicante, S.A. and William H. Shaw so enjoined, such damages and costs not exceeding the sum of two hundred fifty thousand dollars as it may sustain by reason of the injunction, if the Court shall finally decide that the Plaintiffs were not entitled thereto; such damages and costs to be ascertained by a reference, or otherwise as the Court shall direct.

(Emphasis added.)

The temporary restraining order was granted without notice because the defendant Alicante, S.A. is a foreign corporation not licensed to do business in the State of New York, the defendant Shaw is a non-domiciliary residing outside the state and the bulk of the property to be attached were liquid funds that easily could be transferred out of New York by wire upon receipt of notice. A temporary restraining order is a form of injunction issued pursuant to what were formerly equitable powers of the court. Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 2741 (1973).

Defendants requested adjournment of the plaintiffs’ attachment motion so that it could be consolidated with defendants’ forthcoming motion for summary judgment. Defendants filed their motion for summary judgment on April 24, 1987. The temporary restraining order was continued in effect by consent until May 14, 1987 when plaintiffs sought an extension of time to oppose the motion for summary judgment.

At the hearing on that date, the court dissolved the temporary restraining order and denied plaintiffs’ motion for an order of attachment. Since the plaintiffs sought the delay and there appeared to be substantial issues on the merits, it was not fair to keep the defendants’ assets tied-up. Plaintiffs requested a rehearing. On May 27, 1987, the court again denied plaintiffs’ motion for an order of attachment on the ground that plaintiffs had not shown sufficient probablity of success on the merits as required by New York Civil Practice Law and Rules 6212, vacated the temporary restraining order and continued in full force plaintiff’s undertaking to “be available to pay to defendants all costs and damages, including reasonable attorney’s fees sustained by reason of the temporary restraining order.” (Emphasis added.)

The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit then stayed the order to vacate the [358]*358temporary restraining order pending appeal by the plaintiffs. Plaintiffs did not succeed on their appeal. Their application for rehearing was denied by the Court of Appeals on February 3, 1988. The Court of Appeals granted a stay of the mandate pending plaintiffs’ petition to the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari. Defendants’ moving affidavit in the Court of Appeals disclosed that as of the date of filing, their attorney’s fees exceeded $265,000. Defendants therefore sought an increase in the security to $350,000 “of which $300,000 should be allocated for costs and damages including reasonable attorney’s fees.” (Emphasis added.) On February 29, 1988, as a condition for staying the mandate, the Court of Appeals granted an order enlarging the plaintiffs’ undertaking to $350,000. By implication the appellate decision indicated that attorney’s fees would be an available component of costs and damages.

In the midst of this appellate litigation on the attachment orders, this court denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment. On May 4, 1988, the Supreme Court denied plaintiffs’ petition for certiorari.

It is now established that plaintiffs were properly denied attachment of defendants’ assets. Defendants consequently seek to recover against plaintiffs’ undertaking. Defendants contend that they are entitled to recover their trial and appellate attorney’s fees incurred as a consequence of the wrongful restraint, including the expenses incurred sustaining the vacatur on appeal, opposing applications for stays, assessing damages against the undertaking, travel expenses, and interest on defendants’ damages from the time the restraining order was vacated.

I.

Defendants’ right to recover their attorney’s fees against plaintiffs’ undertaking is said to turn on whether the temporary restraining order of December 30, 1986 was granted pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65 or pursuant to New York Civil Practice Law and Rules 6210 and 6313. Absent a statutory directive, attorney’s fees are not generally recoverable on a bond posted to secure a temporary restraining order pursuant to Rule 65(c). See Missouri Pac. Ry. v. Larabee, 234 U.S. 459, 34 S.Ct. 979, 58 L.Ed. 1398 (1914); Umeko, Inc. v. New York Coat, Suit, Dress, Rainwear & Allied Workers Union, 484 F.Supp. 210, 211-12 (S.D.N.Y. 1980); 7 Moore’s Federal Practice ¶ 65.10[1]. Under New York’s section 6313, however, liability on an undertaking extends to any attorneys’ fees incurred in vacating the wrongful restraint or injunction. See Olsen v. United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co., 230 N.Y. 31,128 N.E. 908 (1920); Israel Commodity Co., Inc. v.

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Bluebook (online)
125 F.R.D. 355, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4077, 1989 WL 40972, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/agnew-v-alicanto-sa-nyed-1989.