Chiang v. Turnbull

43 V.I. 49, 2000 WL 1141067, 2000 V.I. LEXIS 11
CourtSupreme Court of The Virgin Islands
DecidedJune 20, 2000
DocketCivil No. 74/2000
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 43 V.I. 49 (Chiang v. Turnbull) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of The Virgin Islands primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chiang v. Turnbull, 43 V.I. 49, 2000 WL 1141067, 2000 V.I. LEXIS 11 (virginislands 2000).

Opinion

ANDREWS, Judge

MEMORANDUM OPINION

(Filed June 20, 2000)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

FACTS:

1) The Parties

2) RFP Issuance and PFA Funding

3) The Agreements

LEGAL ANALYSIS:

1) RFP Issuance, PFA Funding and Governor’s Order

2) Conflict of Interest

3) Prior Legislative Authorization

4) Prior Public Service Commission Authorization

5) Equal Information Access

6) Breach of Fiduciary Duty

CONCLUSION

[53]*53INTRODUCTION

Since the Schneider administration, the Executive Branch of the Government of the Virgin Islands has considered privatizing the production and distribution of water and electric power. Negotiations have culminated in a Participation Agreement (the Agreement) between the Government and Southern Energy Virgin Islands, LLC, which is an affiliate of defendant Southern Energy, Inc. (Southern), a Georgia-based company. The Governor has submitted the Agreement, along with proposed enabling legislation, to the Legislature for ratification. Members of the community now seek judicial intervention to, among other things, require the Governor to withdraw the Agreement and proposed legislation from legislative consideration, to enjoin further government funding of expenses related to the privatization project, to declare certain contracts related to the project null and void, and to impose conditions on any future negotiations or agreements. They claim the Governor has employed illegal procedures to procure the Agreement by: 1) ordering the issuance of a Request For Proposals (RFP), on behalf of WAP A, to buy contractual services to study the feasibility of privatizing WAP A; and 2) ordering defendant Public Finance Authority (PFA) to pay for the feasibility study, expenses of a governmental task force and legal services associated with the privatization project. They further claim that the Governor and the Governing Board (the Board) of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA): 1) accepted inappropriate gifts from Southern; 2) entered negotiations and agreements without obtaining prior authorization from the Legislature and the Public Service Commission; 3) failed to competitively bid the privatization project and 4) refused to provide the public and competitive bidders equal access to information. Defendants challenge the legal sufficiency and justiciability of these claims via motions to dismiss. Their motions raise the following key issues:

Whether Plaintiffs have alleged legally sufficient claims for relief based on:
1) illegal procurement of the Participation Agreement resulting [*4] from issuance of an RFP, and/or improper PFA funding of expenses related to the privatization project? (Count 1)
2) breach of fiduciary duty by the Board? (Count 6)
[54]*543) violation of the Conflict of Interest Statute due to acceptance of gifts by the Governor and Board? (Count 7)
4) violation of the WAPA Statute due to failure to obtain prior legislative authorization to negotiate the sale of control of WAPA’s property? (Count 8)
5) violation of the Public Utility Statute due to failure to obtain prior authorization from the Public Service Commission to negotiate or agree to sell or transfer control of WAPA? (Count 9) or
6) violation of the competitive bidding, public disclosure, and restraint of trade laws due to refusal to disclose information concerning negotiations for the sale of WAPA? (Count 10)

For the reasons discussed below, this Court concludes that Plaintiffs’ allegations, that the PFA’s expenditure of funds and the Governor’s order directing such expenditure were illegal, present legally sufficient claims for relief. All other allegations do not.

Plaintiffs commenced this action for injunctive relief against Defendants and filed a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) on February 9, 2000. On two separate occasions they amended their complaint. On February 14th and 15th, Defendants filed motions to dismiss. This Court, on February 15th, held a hearing on Defendants’ motions and stayed a hearing on the TRO motion.

On April 14, 2000, this Court granted the motions to dismiss as to Counts 2-5 only, and rescheduled the matter for hearing on Plaintiffs’ motion for a TRO. Subsequently, Defendants filed new motions to dismiss the remaining counts. On May 8, 2000, this Court granted Defendants’ motions to stay the hearing on the TRO motion. On May 17, 2000, this Court held a hearing on the motions to dismiss, granted Defendants ten days to file reply memoranda, and took the matter under advisement.

[55]*55FACTS1

Plaintiffs are residents of the Virgin Islands. They pay income taxes and a rate for use of water and electricity in the Virgin Islands. Plaintiffs Lambert Jerries and Hubert Turnbull are current employees of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA). Defendant Charles Turnbull (the Governor) is the duly-elected governor of the Virgin Islands whose term in office commenced in January 1999. Defendants Ira M. Hobson, Andrew Rutnik, Dean C. Plaskett, J. Arthur Downing and George Cecile Parrott are members of the Governing Board of WAPA (the Board). Defendant Southern Energy Inc. (Southern) is a utility company, organized under the laws of Georgia, that has done business in the Virgin Islands.

On February 6, 1997, former Governor Roy L. Schneider caused a “Request for Proposal” (RFP) to be issued jointly by the Government and WAPA. They sought professional services from qualified firms to provide financial advice to the Government relative to the possible sale of an equity interest in WAPA. According to the RFP, the Government intended to sell or transfer an interest in WAPA to a private investor in exchange for cash or other consideration. Its plan was subject to a determination that the transaction was feasible and on the passage of [56]*56enabling legislation. The financial advice would assist the Government in determining WAPA’s value and evaluating investor proposals. Additionally, the selected advisor would participate in presentations to any appropriate legislative or regulatory body and in the closing of the sale or transfer. The Government selected Price Waterhouse, a financial advisory firm, to perform the feasibility study.

Thereafter, the Government created an interdepartmental task force to negotiate the sale or lease of WAPA’s assets. It hired the law firm of Winston & Strawn to perform legal work to facilitate the sale. Pursuant to Governor Schneider’s directive, the Public Finance Authority funded the Price Waterhouse study, the task force expenses, and Winston & Strawn’s legal services. Plaintiffs claim that the Government has spent, and will continue to spend, millions of dollars in costs related to the privatization project.

Prior to the commencement of Governor Turnbull’s administration, former Governor Roy L. Schneider engaged in exclusive negotiations with Southern to purchase assets of WAPA. Governor Turnbull continued these negotiations.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
43 V.I. 49, 2000 WL 1141067, 2000 V.I. LEXIS 11, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chiang-v-turnbull-virginislands-2000.