BLH, Inc. v. United States

34 Cont. Cas. Fed. 75,376, 13 Cl. Ct. 265, 1987 U.S. Claims LEXIS 171
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedSeptember 15, 1987
DocketNos. 333-84C, 352-85C
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 34 Cont. Cas. Fed. 75,376 (BLH, Inc. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
BLH, Inc. v. United States, 34 Cont. Cas. Fed. 75,376, 13 Cl. Ct. 265, 1987 U.S. Claims LEXIS 171 (cc 1987).

Opinion

OPINION

SMITH, Chief Judge.

This case is before the court on cross-motions for summary judgment. The dispute centers upon whether the liability of a defunct corporation can be satisfied against either of its parent companies. For the reasons set forth below, the court grants Plaintiffs’ Cross-Motions for Summary Judgment and accordingly, Defendant’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment is denied.

Facts

On June 26, 1984 (No. 333-84C), and again on June 11, 1985 (No. 352-85C), plaintiffs filed their respective complaints requesting that the court rule that they have no liability under the government’s claim as set forth in the contracting officer’s1 final decisions dated June 27, 1983, and June 25, 1984. In order to properly analyze this case, the court believes it is necessary to begin with a history of the dispute, starting with the precursor case, BLH, Inc. v. United States, 2 Cl.Ct. 463 (1983) (“BLH I”).

On June 24, 1965, Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation (“Baldwin”) the predecessor of plaintiff, BLH, was incorporated un[267]*267der the laws of the State of Delaware.2 The Certificate of Incorporation was amended to change the name to BLH, Inc., on May 1, 1972. From June, 1965, to its dissolution on June 21, 1976, BLH was a wholly-owned subsidiary of plaintiff Armour and Company (“Armour”), which is a nonoperating corporate entity and is wholly-owned by plaintiff, The Greyhound Corporation (“Greyhound”). Greyhound is a holding company owning a number of subsidiaries engaged in various types of business activities.

On April 15, 1968, Baldwin contracted with the Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) for the design, manufacture and delivery of six hydraulic pump-turbines for the Kaysinger Bluff Project. The project was subsequently renamed the Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir Project.3 The contract price was $6,466,541. At the time of the execution of the contract, BLH was the only party to that agreement, other than the government.4

On July 6, 1971, Armour publicly announced that BLH’s manufacturing division would be closed and its assets sold. The hydraulic turbine and valve product line was sold on October 20,1971, and BLH notified the Corps that it would subcontract the domestic manufacturing portion of the contract to Allis-Chalmers Corporation. On April 21, 1972, domestic manufacturing performance obligations under the agreement were subcontracted to Allis Chal-mers. BLH ceased all manufacturing operations on April 30, 1972.

After conferring with the Corps in June of 1972, plaintiff executed three novation agreements with respect to other contracts but failed to agree to a contract novation with the government on this contract. The reason for this is that the Corps demanded an extension of warranty conditions at no cost in exchange for the novation.5 This was unacceptable to BLH.

The pump-turbine units were delivered to the project site between January 1, 1975, and October 21, 1975. These units consisted of several components. The installation of one such component, the vaned intake ring, was performed by the erection contractor, Truman Powerhouse Contractors, pursuant to a separate prime contract with the Corps. BLH’s contract included an obligation to supervise the work of the erecting contractor.

In April of 1975, during the installation of the vaned intake ring, a crack in the foundation concrete for the ring was discovered. Consequently, the contracting officer suspended certain work involving the vaned intake ring supports pending the resolution of the problem. BLH denied liability for any costs related to the foundation concrete cracking problems but agreed to assist in remedying the problem.

Although BLH filed a Certificate of Dissolution with the Delaware Secretary of State on June 21, 1976, it continued to provide the services of an erecting engineer to supervise the erection contractor for more than 3,000 calendar days. After June 21st, BLH maintained an office solely to provide assistance to matters which concerned the contract and was compensated by way of contract modifications for expenses incurred in connection with the maintenance of that office.

The contracting officer issued the first in a series of three adverse final decisions with respect to the contract at issue here on July 15, 1980. It found that BLH was liable to the government in the amount of $4,266,900 due to its defective design of the pump-turbines. This initial claim was [268]*268made more than three years after the June 21st filing of the Certificate of Dissolution. Under Delaware General Corporation law, claims by or against a dissolved corporation must be brought within three years of the filing of the Certificate of Dissolution. Section 278, Continuation of corporation after dissolution for purposes of suit and winding up affairs, provides:

All corporations, whether they expire by their own limitation or are otherwise dissolved, shall nevertheless be continued, for the term of 3 years from such expiration or dissolution or for such longer period as the Court of Chancery shall in its discretion direct, bodies corporate for the purpose of prosecuting and defending suits, whether civil, criminal or administrative, by or against them, and of enabling them gradually to settle and close their business, to dispose of and convey their property, to discharge their liabilities and to distribute to their stockholders any remaining assets, but not for the purpose of continuing the business for which the corporation was organized. With respect to any action, suit or proceeding begun by or against the corporation either prior to or within 3 years after the date of its expiration or dissolution, the corporation shall, for the purpose of such actions, suits or proceedings, be continued bodies corporate beyond the 3-year period and until any judgments, orders or decrees therein shall be fully executed, without the necessity for any special direction to that effect by the Court of Chancery.

Del.Code Ann. tit. 8, § 278 (1978) (citation modified).

This section of the Delaware Code permits the Court of Chancery at its discretion, to continue the entity’s corporate existence for a period of time in excess of three years if such time is necessary to allow a corporation to complete the winding up of its affairs. In re Citadel Industries, Inc., 423 A.2d 500 (Del.Ch.1980).

Thus, the claim was asserted against BLH after the statutory winding up period had expired on June 20, 1979. After that period, BLH no longer had any legal exist-encé as a corporation and, consequently, no longer had the capacity to sue or be sued. That fact notwithstanding, BLH filed a complaint on July 13, 1981, in the United States Court of Claims, invoking one of the procedures of the Contract Disputes Act of 1978 (“CDA”). See generally 41 U.S.C. § 609(a) (1976 and Supp.1981).

In a clear decision by Judge Harkins in 1983, this court dismissed plaintiff’s complaint and defendant’s counterclaim on the basis of plaintiff’s lack of capacity to sue or be sued. The opinion found that:

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Bluebook (online)
34 Cont. Cas. Fed. 75,376, 13 Cl. Ct. 265, 1987 U.S. Claims LEXIS 171, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blh-inc-v-united-states-cc-1987.