Chapel Investments, Inc. v. Cherubim Interests, Inc.

177 F. Supp. 3d 981, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54054, 2016 WL 1552040
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedApril 14, 2016
DocketCivil Action No. 4:16-CV-00172-O
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 177 F. Supp. 3d 981 (Chapel Investments, Inc. v. Cherubim Interests, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chapel Investments, Inc. v. Cherubim Interests, Inc., 177 F. Supp. 3d 981, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54054, 2016 WL 1552040 (N.D. Tex. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER

Reed O’Connor, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

The Joint Motion for Approval of Stipulation of Settlement of All Claims (Doc. 7) (the “Motion”) of Plaintiff Chapel Investments, Inc. (“Plaintiff’) and Cherubim Interests, Inc. (“Defendant”). came on for hearing on April 14, 2016 before the Hon[984]*984orable Reed O’Connor, U.S. District Judge. The Court having been presented with a Stipulation of Settlement of all Claims (the “Stipulation,” Exhibit 1 to the Motion) between Plaintiff and Defendant, considered the Motion and Stipulation, the Declaration of Patrick Johnson (“Johnson Decl.,” Exhibit 2 to the Motion), and arguments of counsel, conducting a hearing on the Motion, and good cause appearing therefor, the Court grants the Motion for the reasons explained below.

Jurisdiction and Venue

This Court has subject matter jurisdiction over this proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)(2) because there is complete diversity of citizenship between Plaintiff, a Belize international business company, and Defendant, a Nevada corporation, and Plaintiff seeks damages in excess of $75,000. Complaint, Doc 1. Venue is proper in this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(1) because Defendant’s headquarters is within this district. Complaint.

Findings of Fact

Plaintiff alleges that defendant Cherubim Interests, Inc. (“Defendant”), a public company, owes Plaintiff a debt in the amount of $100,000.00 plus interest. See Complaint, Doc. 1. Plaintiff and Defendant have reached agreement as to all terms of settlement of this action. See Stipulation for Settlement, Exhibit 1. (the “Stipulation”). Because the parties have agreed to settle Plaintiffs claims against Defendant in exchange for the issuance of unregistered shares of Defendant’s stock to Plaintiff, Court approval is required under Section 3(a)(10) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), 15 U.S.C. § 77c(a)(10).

As discussed below, Section 3(a)(10) is an exception to the securities laws for settlements that are approved by a court. The exception applies if the court determines that the settlement is fair, following a hearing on the terms and conditions of the proposed exchange, at which the person to receive the stock has the right to appear. In this case, the only person to receive shares from the Section 3(a)(10) exchange is Plaintiff, who, together with Defendant, asks the Court for approval of the terms of the Stipulation for Settlement, filed concurrently herewith.

A. The Parties

Plaintiff is a sophisticated offshore institutional investor, highly experienced in the business of buying and selling securities, including multiple transactions such as that proposed here. See Stipulation, Exhibit 1, p.6, ¶ 12(a). Plaintiff is the holder of an outstanding loan to Defendant in the principal amount of $100,000.00 (the “Claim”) plus interest, attorney fees, and costs. See Complaint, Doc. 1. The underlying documentation supporting the Claim is attached as an exhibit to the Complaint. See Complaint, Doc. 1, Exhibit 1. Plaintiff and its U.S. representatives have utilized their knowledge, sophistication, and experience in business and financial matters, and have fully evaluated the merits and risks of entering into the Stipulation. See Stipulation, Exhibit 1, pp.6-7, ¶ 12(b). Plaintiff is able to bear the economic risk of entering into the Stipulation and is able to afford a complete loss of its investment. See Stipulation, Exhibit 1, p.7, ¶ 12(c).

While fully aware of the significant risks of exchanging debt for the common stock of a small public company in financial difficulty, Plaintiff is willing to accept that risk provided that Defendant abides by the terms of the Stipulation. If Defendant is successful and its business performs well, there is the potential for Plaintiff to fully recoup its investment and possibly generate a substantial return.

[985]*985Defendant is a real estate investment company based in Bedford, Texas, that invests in commercial buildings and single and multifamily housing. See Declaration of Patrick Johnson, (“Johnson Decl.”), Exhibit 2, ¶ 3. Defendant’s stock is publicly traded on the OTC Pink marketplace under the ticker symbol “CHIT.” Defendant is a very small company, with a market capitalization well under a million dollars, and a current stock price of only $0.0001 per share. Like many micro-cap public companies whose shares trade on the over-the-counter market, trading in Defendant’s stock is volatile and unpredictable. See Johnson Decl., Exhibit 2, ¶ 8. Over the last year, the trading price and volume for Defendant’s stock have fluctuated substantially. See Johnson Decl., Exhibit 2, Ex. A (chart of Defendant’s trading price and volume over the prior year).

Defendant concedes that the Claim held by Plaintiff is bona fide outstanding, and that Defendant is obligated to pay the full amount of the Claim without counterclaim or right of offset. See Johnson Decl., Exhibit -2, ¶5. Defendant’s board of directors has determined that the terms of the Stipulation are fair to Defendant, and in the best interests of its stockholders. See Johnson Decl., Exhibit 2, ¶ 10.

B. The Terms of the Stipulation

The parties and their attorneys and investment advisors have worked cooperatively together to structure an advantageous settlement. See Motion at 3. The proposed Stipulation has benefits and risks for each party. See id. Because of its low stock price and the relative size of the debt, Defendant may have to issue a large number of its shares to satisfy the Claim. See id. However, the Stipulation will allow Defendant to remove debt from its balance sheet and avoid a judgment it cannot afford by paying Plaintiff in stock instead of cash. See id. at 3-4. Existing shareholders will be better off owning a lower percentage of an entity with an improved chance to continue as a going concern, than their existing percentage of a corporation that may be forced into bankruptcy or out of business. See id. The proposed exchange of debt for equity is therefore highly accretive, and beneficial to the overall enterprise and its stakeholders. See id. at 4.

Plaintiff will bear significant investment risk by agreeing to the Stipulation. Motion at 4. Plaintiff is agreeing to exchange debt, which has a liquidation preference above all equity, for common stock which sits at the bottom of the capitalization table. See id. Plaintiffs ability to recoup cash will be entirely dependent on its ability to sell the shares it receives in an uncertain and illiquid market. See id. However, the Stipulation will provide Plaintiff with at least the opportunity to recoup its full investment and earn a return, possibly even a high return, particularly if Defendant’s stock price increases. See id. Plaintiff will receive a number of shares that are currently priced at more than the Claim amount which, in theory, it should be able to sell for more than the amount of the Claim. See Stipulation, Exhibit 1, ¶ 6.

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177 F. Supp. 3d 981, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54054, 2016 WL 1552040, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chapel-investments-inc-v-cherubim-interests-inc-txnd-2016.