American Capital Corp. v. United States

59 Fed. Cl. 563, 2004 U.S. Claims LEXIS 38, 2004 WL 390801
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedFebruary 27, 2004
DocketNo. 95-523C
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 59 Fed. Cl. 563 (American Capital Corp. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Capital Corp. v. United States, 59 Fed. Cl. 563, 2004 U.S. Claims LEXIS 38, 2004 WL 390801 (uscfc 2004).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION REGARDING PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT AS TO DAMAGES

BRADEN, Judge.

Justice Holmes observed, “[W]hen people make contracts, they usually contemplate the performance rather than the breach.” Oliver Wendell Holmes, The Common Law 302 (1881). Accordingly, when a breach does occur, the law allows the courts to award damages to encourage promisees to rely on promisors and thereby shift reasonable business risks to the party promising performance.

Our system of contract remedies is not directed at compulsion of promisors to prevent breach; it is aimed, instead, at relief to promisees to redress breach. Its preoccupation is not with the question: how can promisors be made to keep their promises? Its concern is with a different question: how can people be encouraged to deal with those who make promises?

E. Allan Farnsworth, Farnsworth on Contracts (“Farnsworth”) at § 12.1 (3d ed.2004).

The Supreme Court answered that question in United States v. Winstar, 518 U.S. 839, 881, 116 S.Ct. 2432, 135 L.Ed.2d 964 (1996) explaining that, “The contracts [in this case] have been read as solely risk-shifting agreements and respondents seek nothing more than the benefit of promises by the Government to ensure them against any losses arising from future regulatory change.” Accordingly, the Supreme Court emphatically stated: “[W]e ... reject the suggestion that the Government may simply shift costs of legislation onto its contractual partners who are adversely affected by the change in the law, when the Government has assumed the risk of such change.” Id. at 883, 116 S.Ct. 2432.

The United States Court of Federal Claims concurs. The Federal Home Loan Bank Board (“FHLBB”) and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (“FSLIC”), (collectively hereinafter referred to as “the Government”), having assumed the contractual risk of a breach caused by regulatory change, in this ease, is hable for damages to protect plaintiffs’ reliance interest for the reasons discussed herein. See Restatement (Second) of Contracts (1981) (“Restatement”) at §§ 158(2), 272(2) (providing that a court may “grant relief on such terms as justice requires including protection of the parties’ reliance interests.”).

RELEVANT FACTS1

On August 21, 1986, the FHLBB declared Citizens Federal Savings and Loan Associa[566]*566tion of Cleveland, Ohio (“Citizens”), a federally chartered, FSLIC-insured thrift institution, insolvent. See PI. App on Liability at 14-25. Citizens’ assets were estimated at $430 million with $520 million in liabilities. See Def.App. on Damages II at 74. FSLIC estimated that a liquidation of Citizens would cost the Government $131 million. Id. at 385-86. The same day, the FHLBB also declared Dollar Savings Bank of Columbus, Ohio (“Dollar”), an Ohio chartered FSLIC-insured mutual savings bank, insolvent. See Pl.App. on Liability at 14-25. Dollar’s assets were estimated at $335 million with $375 million in liabilities. See Def-App. on Damages II at 74. The FSLIC estimated that a liquidation of Dollar would cost the Government $52.5 million. Id. at 386.

Transohio Savings Bank, FSB (“Transohio Savings”) was a federally chartered stock savings and loan association insured by FSLIC. See Pl.App. on Liability at 26-203. Transohio Savings was controlled by American Capital Corporation (“AMCAP”), through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Global Investors, Inc., which owned 50.8 percent of the common stock of Transohio Financial Corporation (“TFC”), which in turn owned 100 percent of the stock of Transohio Savings. See Pl.App. on Damages at 518. On June 30,1985, Transohio Savings had $2.9 billion in assets, shareholder equity of $101.4 million, and was the largest savings institution in Ohio, based on total assets. See PLApp. on Liability at 152.

On or about May 2, 1986, AMCAP’s 1985 Annual Report was filed reporting:

In June 1985, the Company received net proceeds of approximately $75 million through the issuance of Units consisting of an aggregate of $80 million principal amount of Notes and 14,960,000 Warrants in a public offering____As a condition to incurring the indebtedness relating to the Units offering, the Company agreed not to use the proceeds of the Units offering without the approval of the [FHLBB], The Company invested $20 million of the proceeds of the Units offering in 13% Convertible Subordinated Notes of Transohio. The Company intends to invest approximately $15 million of the remaining proceeds in subordinated notes and additional Transohio common stock to be issued in connection with a proposed rights offering by Transohio.

PLApp. on Damages at 537 (emphasis added).

On May 30, 1986, the FHLBB Office of Supervisory Agent in Cincinnati provided the FHLBB Assistant Director for Regional Operations in Washington, D.C. with an analysis of the proposed acquisition of Citizens and Dollar by AMCAP and TFC (hereinafter “plaintiffs”) and related companies. See PL App. on Liability at 302-11. Approval of the proposed acquisition was recommended, but it was suggested the FHLBB’s approval be made contingent upon several conditions being fulfilled, first among which was: “[Plaintiffs] shall stipulate to the FSLIC that it will cause the net worth of the surviving insured institution to be maintained at a level consistent with the requirements of Section 563.13(b) of the Rules and Regulations for Insurance of Accounts,2 as now or hereafter in effect, and, as necessary, will infuse sufficient additional equity capital, in a form satisfactory to the Supervisory Agent, to effect compliance with such requirement.” PL App. on Liability at 310 (emphasis added).

On June 19, 1986, the FHLBB again was advised of plaintiffs’ intent to provide $45 million to Transohio Savings from a Trans-ohio Rights Offering, which was planned to be in place at the time the requisite regulatory approvals were completed, but prior to the closing of the Transohio merger with Citizens and Dollar. See PLApp. on Damages at 641; Pl. P.H.App. at 857-58 (Exhibit 6 to Aug. 23, 2000 Dep. of Lawrence B. Muldoon, [567]*567FHLBB Supervisory Agent-June 19, 1986 letter from Jack D. Burstein, CEO of TFC to Laurence Muldoon). Mr. Muldoon’s deposition testimony and the June 19, 1986 letter indicate that there had been extensive prior communications between plaintiffs and the FHLBB about the terms of the proposed $45 million “Transohio Rights Offering,” prior to June 19, 1986, and that TFC was frustrated by the pace of regulatory review and how it was adversely impacting implementation of the Citizens/Dollar closing and the rights offering. See PI. P.HApp. at 857-58. Because of the import of this document to the court’s rulings, TFC’s CEO’s letter to the FHLBB is set forth herein in its entirety:

June 19,1986
Mr. Lawrence B. Muldoon
Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati
2000 Atrium II
221 East Fourth Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45201
Dear Larry:

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

Related

SUFI Network Services, Inc. v. United States
108 Fed. Cl. 287 (Federal Claims, 2012)
Stovall v. United States
94 Fed. Cl. 336 (Federal Claims, 2010)
In Re Transcapital Financial Corp.
433 B.R. 900 (S.D. Florida, 2010)
Charter Federal Savings Bank v. United States
67 Fed. Cl. 759 (Federal Claims, 2005)
Caroline Hunt Trust Estate v. United States
65 Fed. Cl. 271 (Federal Claims, 2005)
Old Stone Corp. v. United States
63 Fed. Cl. 65 (Federal Claims, 2004)
Franconia Associates v. United States
61 Fed. Cl. 718 (Federal Claims, 2004)
American Capital Corp. v. United States
60 Fed. Cl. 294 (Federal Claims, 2004)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
59 Fed. Cl. 563, 2004 U.S. Claims LEXIS 38, 2004 WL 390801, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-capital-corp-v-united-states-uscfc-2004.