Aquiline Capital Partners LLC v. Finarch LLC

861 F. Supp. 2d 378, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69410, 2012 WL 1764218
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMay 17, 2012
DocketNo. 11 Civ. 3684
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 861 F. Supp. 2d 378 (Aquiline Capital Partners LLC v. Finarch LLC) 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
Aquiline Capital Partners LLC v. Finarch LLC, 861 F. Supp. 2d 378, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69410, 2012 WL 1764218 (S.D.N.Y. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION

SWEET, District Judge.

Defendants Financial Architects NV (“Financial Architects”) and NIBC Capital Partners I B.V. (“NIBC Capital”), (collec[382]*382tively, the “Defendants”), have moved to dismiss the complaint brought by the plaintiff Aquiline Capital Partners LLC (“Aquiline” or the “Plaintiff’) for lack of personal jurisdiction pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and on the grounds of forum non conveniens pursuant to Rule 12(b)(3) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Based on the facts and conclusions set forth below, the motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction is granted obviating the need to resolve the alternative motion.

The motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction presents a close question on these facts concerning the formation of the contracts between Aquiline, a New York-based private equity firm investing globally in financial services, Financial Architects, a Belgium company and NIBC Capital, a Netherlands company. On all the facts and circumstances presented, dismissal without prejudice is the appropriate resolution of the issues presented.

I. Prior Proceedings

Aquiline filed its complaint on April 29, 2011 alleging breach of the Defendants’ contractual obligations. (Compl. ¶ 18). Aquiline and the Defendants executed three letter agreements relating to a proposed transaction in which Aquiline would acquire a controlling interest in Financial Architects, a Belgium company. (Compl. ¶¶ 8-9). According to the complaint, the Defendants breached the terms of a September 24, 2010 letter agreement, as supplemented by letter agreements dated November 4, 2010 and December 7, 2010, which provided that in the event that Financial Architects chose not to proceed with the agreements, it would reimburse Aquiline for all of its legal fees and expenses without limitation. (Compl. ¶¶ 9-11). When the Defendants informed Aquiline in writing that they decided not to proceed with the transaction, Aquiline demanded reimbursement for its expenses, which Defendants rejected. (Compl. ¶ 12, 14). Aquiline now seeks damages in the amount of 580,686.24 or at least $855,060.49, based on current exchange rates. (Compl. ¶ 18).

The instant motions were heard and marked fully submitted on October 5, 2011.

II. The Facts

The facts are set forth in the complaint and the affidavits submitted by the parties and are not in dispute except as noted below.

Aquiline is a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, and having its principal place of business in New York, New York. Aquiline is a private equity firm that, through its funds Aquiline Financial Services Fund I and Aquiline Financial Services Fund II, invests exclusively in financial services businesses and makes investments globally across a range of industries, including property and casualty insurance, asset management, banking, securities, life insurance and financial technology.

Defendant Financial Architects is a Belgian corporation headquartered in Merelbeke, Belgium. Financial Architects does not maintain an office or other place of business in New York. It does not have any bank accounts in New York nor does it possess any property, personal or real, in the state.

Financial Architects owns a subsidiary in the U.S., FinArch U.S. Inc., which is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business located in Burlington, Massachusetts. Financial Architects, however, does not manage, fund or control FinArch U.S. Inc.’s daily business operations and activities. FinArch U.S. Inc. maintains its own financial books and files its own U.S. tax returns. The New York [383]*383address in the August 5, 2011 press release, to which the parties have referred, is a residential home office address of an ex-employee of FinArch U.S. Inc.

Defendant NIBC Capital is the largest shareholder of Financial Architects. The company is incorporated under the laws of The Netherlands and headquartered in The Hague. NIBC Capital is a private equity fund manager that solely focuses on companies in the Benelux (Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) and Germany. The company does not maintain an office or place of business in New York or elsewhere in the U.S., but has offices in Brussels, Frankfurt, London and Singapore. NIBC Capital does not maintain a mailing address, telephone listings, any employees, bank accounts or personal property of any kind in the State of New York. It does not market or solicit business or engage in any other persistent course of conduct in New York, and it does not derive substantial revenue from goods used or consumed or services rendered in the state.

On March 11, 2009, Deborah Bernstein (“Bernstein”) of Aquiline contacted Dirk De Beule (“De Beule”), the Chief Executive Officer of Financial Architects, by email in Belgium, expressing interest in De Beule’s company. Bernstein inquired about Financial Architects and whether the company had an immediate need for capital. De Beule responded that Financial Architects did not currently have such a need but that he would be willing to evaluate a future “potential liquidity event” for some of its shareholders. Over the next ten months, Bernstein in New York and De Beule in Belgium exchanged several telephone and email communications concerning Aquiline’s interest in Financial Architects.

During an email exchange on June 25, 2010, Bernstein and De Beule agreed to meet the next time Bernstein was in Belgium to further develop the relationship between the two companies. On July 27, 2010, Bernstein and Mark Rodrigues (“Rodrigues”), a colleague of Bernstein’s from Aquiline, flew from New York to Belgium to meet with De Beule to discuss a potential Aquiline investment in Financial Architects. After the meeting, De Beule emailed Aquiline to express his continued interest in the potential transaction.

Two weeks later, De Beule, Bernstein and Nigel Lee, the Chief Commercial Officer (“Lee”) of Financial Architects, held a call to discuss valuation expectations. During the call, Bernstein requested Financial Architects’ 2011 financial forecast for review by Aquiline’s Investment Committee. Financial Architects provided the requested forecast, and Aquiline’s Investment Committee gave preliminary approval to move forward with the transaction.

Another meeting took place between De Beule and Aquiline representatives on August 24, 2010 in Belgium to discuss the transaction. Aquiline subsequently sent a preliminary due diligence list to Financial Architects. Financial Architects responded with the requested information but asked for a Letter of Intent before September 4, 2010 in advance of their yearly strategic shareholders meeting.

On September 3, 2010, Aquiline prepared and transmitted a signed Letter of Intent to Financial Architects in Belgium. Financial Architects redrafted various revisions to the document in Belgium. Subsequent negotiations concerning the contents and terms of the letter were emailed between the two parties and discussed over several telephone conferences from their respective offices in New York and Merelbeke.

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861 F. Supp. 2d 378, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69410, 2012 WL 1764218, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/aquiline-capital-partners-llc-v-finarch-llc-nysd-2012.