Alstom v. General Electric Co.

228 F. Supp. 3d 244, 2017 WL 95277, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3188
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJanuary 10, 2017
Docket16-CV-3568 (JMF)
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 228 F. Supp. 3d 244 (Alstom v. General Electric Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alstom v. General Electric Co., 228 F. Supp. 3d 244, 2017 WL 95277, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3188 (S.D.N.Y. 2017).

Opinion

[246]*246OPINION AND ORDER

JESSE M. FURMAN, United States District Judge:

In 2014, Plaintiffs Alstom and Alstom Transport Holdings B.V. (collectively, “Al-stom”) agreed to purchase a rail-signaling business from Defendant General Electric Company (“GE”) for $800 million, subject to a post-closing purchase price adjustment process. The ultimate question in this case, teed up by cross-motions for summary judgment and cross-motions to compel arbitration, is whether a dispute over the purchase price adjustment should be decided by an independent accounting firm or arbitrators from the International Chamber of Commerce (“ICC”). In light of the plain language of the parties’ agreement, the Court agrees with Alstom that the dispute must be submitted, in the first instance at least, to the independent accounting firm. Accordingly, Alstom’s motions for summary judgment and to compel submission of the parties’ dispute to the independent accounting firm are GRANTED, and GE’s cross-motions for summary judgment and to compel arbitration before the ICC are DENIED.

BACKGROUND

The following facts are taken from the pleadings and the declarations submitted in connection with the parties’ cross-motions. See, e.g., Bensadoun v. Jobe-Riat, 316 F.3d 171, 175 (2d Cir. 2003) (“In the context of motions to compel arbitration ..., the court applies a standard similar to that applicable for a motion for summary judgment.”). The relevant facts are largely, if not entirely, undisputed—but, in any event, all inferences are drawn in GE’s favor. See, e.g., Russell v. Mimeo, Inc., No. 08-CV-5354 (RJS), 2008 WL 6559743, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 29, 2008) (noting that, where a motion to compel is opposed on the ground that the parties did not agree to arbitrate, the court “should give the opposing party the benefit of all reasonable doubts and inferences that may arise”).

A. The Master Purchase Agreement

On November 4, 2014, GE and Alstom entered into a Master Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”) governing the sale of GE’s rail-signaling business to Al-stom for $800 million, to be paid at closing. (Docket No. 42 (“Ascher Decl.”), Ex. C (“GE Req. for Arbit.”) ¶ 15; see also id. Ex. A (“Agmt.”)). Because GE was to continue operating the business until closing, the Agreement also provided for a post-closing purchase price adjustment, defined as the “Final Positive (or Negative) Working Capital Adjustment.” (GE Req. for Ar-bit. ¶ 17; Agmt. § 3.05). Specifically, under Section 3.05 of the Agreement, GE was to provide Alstom a “Proposed Working Capital Statement” and “Proposed Net Debt Statement” within sixty days of the closing date (Agmt. § 3.05(a)), to be prepared in accordance with the “Transaction Accounting Principles” (“TAPs”), agreed-upon principles that were memorialized as an exhibit to the Agreement (Agmt. § 3.07; Docket No. 29 (“Petrovic Decl.”), Ex. 2 (“TAPs”) at 15-16), Alstom then had ninety days to review GE’s proposed statements. (Agmt. § 3.05(b)). If Alstom disputed any item set forth in the proposed statements, Alstom was required to “deliver written notice ... of the same” to GE— defined as “the Dispute Notice”—“specifying in reasonable detail the basis for such dispute” and its proposed modifications. (Id. § 3.05(c)). Upon receipt of the Dispute Notice, the parties had thirty days—defined as the “Resolution Period”—during which to “negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement as to any matters identified” in the dispute notice. (Id.).

Most relevant here, Section 3.05(d) of the Agreement provides that if the parties [247]*247“fail to resolve all such matters in dispute within the Resolution Period, then ... any matters identified in such Dispute Notice that .remain in dispute following the expiration of the Resolution Period shall be finally and conclusively determined by” Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“De-loitte”) (or, if Deloitte is unable or unwilling to serve in such capacity, another globally recognized accounting firm), defined as the “Independent Accounting Firm” (“IAF”). (Id. § 3.05(d)). Section 3.05(e) of the Agreement further provides that the parties “shall instruct” the IAF “to promptly, but no. later than forty (40) days after its acceptance of its appointment, determine (it being understood that in making such determination, the [IAF] shall be functioning as an expert and not as an arbitrator), based solely on written presentations of [the parties] ... and not by independent review, only those matters in dispute.” (Id. § 3.05(e)). Like the parties, the IAF is bound to decide any disputed items in accordance with the TAPs. (Id. § 3.07). The Agreement provides that the IAF’s “written report setting forth its determination as to the disputed matters and the resulting calculation ..will be conclusive and binding upon all [p]arties absent manifest error or gross negligence.” (Id. § 3.05(e)).

Complicating matters, however, the Agreement contains a separate section providing for 'arbitration by the ICC of any dispute not committed to the IAF. Specifically, Section 15.13 of the Agreement states, in relevant part, as follows: “Except as set forth in Section 3.05 with respect to any disputes to be resolved by the [IAF], ... any Transaction Dispute shall be finally resolved under Rules of Arbitration of the [ICC] (the “Rules”) by three (3) arbitrators appointed in accordance with the Rules.” (Id. § 15.13). Section 15.12 of the Agreement defines a “Transaction Dispute” broadly to include “any Action arising out of or relating in any way to [the Agreement], whether in contract, tort, common law, statutory law, equity, or otherwise, including any question regarding its existence, validity, or scope.” (Id. § 15.12).

B. Procedural History

On January 4, 2016, approximately two months after the closing date, GE delivered its Proposed Working Capital and Proposed Net Debt Statements to Alstom. (Petrovic Decl. ¶ 4). Each statement was a single page in length. (Petrovic Decl., Ex. 3 (“Dispute Notice”), Ann. III). On April 4, 2016—within the ninety-day review period—Alstom delivered to GE a 112-page Dispute Notice taking issue with thirty-eight items. (Petrovic Decl. ¶ 5; Dispute Notice). (For present purposes, the specifics of the parties’ positions on the purchase price adjustment—which are subject to a confidentiality agreement between the parties—are irrelevant; it suffices to say that there is a substantial difference between the parties with respect to the size of the adjustment.)

After some back and forth, including negotiations over extending the Resolution Period, GE notified Alstom in writing that it did not believe many of the issues in the Dispute Notice were appropriate for resolution by the IAF. (Docket No. 30 ¶ 4; id., Ex. 1). Specifically, although GE conceded that half of the thirty-eight items were within the scope of Section 3.05 and for the IAF to decide, it asserted that the other half challenged its business and engineering judgments rather than its application of accounting principles and were for the ICC to resolve under Sections 15.12 and 15.13. (Docket No. 41 (“GE Opp’n”) at 3).

A few days later, on May 9, 2016, GE informed Alstom via letter that it had requested arbitration before the ICC pursuant to Section 15.13 of the Agreement. (Petrovic Decl. ¶ 17; id., Ex. 13 (“May 9, [248]*2482016 Letter”)).

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228 F. Supp. 3d 244, 2017 WL 95277, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3188, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alstom-v-general-electric-co-nysd-2017.