Clarex Ltd. v. Natixis Securities Americas LLC

988 F. Supp. 2d 381, 2013 WL 6768067, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 180076
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedDecember 20, 2013
DocketNo. 12 Civ. 7908(PAE)
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 988 F. Supp. 2d 381 (Clarex Ltd. v. Natixis Securities Americas 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
Clarex Ltd. v. Natixis Securities Americas LLC, 988 F. Supp. 2d 381, 2013 WL 6768067, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 180076 (S.D.N.Y. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

PAUL A. ENGELMAYER, District Judge:

Plaintiffs Clarex Limited (“Clarex”) and Betax Limited (“Betax”) (collectively, “Clarex”), companies operating in Nassau, Bahamas allege in this action that defendants Natixis Securities America LLC and its predecessors (collectively, “Natixis”), Delaware corporations operating in New York, New York, violated a contractual duty to deliver 46,000 Warrants. Clarex purchased these Warrants, along with Nigerian Bonds, in five separate transactions— on February 11, 2000, August 22, 2001, August 28, 2001, September 5, 2001, and September 10, 2001. Natixis now moves for partial summary judgment pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 on two grounds: that (1) the statute of limitations bars Clarex’s claim for the 5,000 Warrants purchased on February 11, 2000; and (2) the doctrine of impossibility excuses Natixis’s non-performance as to all five transactions.

For the reasons that follow, the motion is denied.

I. Background1

A. Evidence Considered

At the outset, the Court must resolve what evidence is properly considered in deciding this motion. In its reply brief, responding to certain arguments made by Clarex, Natixis submitted a letter agreement signed by it and Clarex on March 25, 2008. See Levine Rep. Decl. Ex. X (“Letter Agreement”). The Letter Agreement states, in pertinent part, that “no statement made, no document prepared, nor any action taken or not taken, since August 21, 2007 ... may be offered in evidence or otherwise used for any purpose in any action or proceeding arising from or relating to any claim allegedly arising from any transaction prior to August 21, 2007” between the parties. Id. Natixis argues, based on the' Letter Agreement, that the Court may not consider any document created, action taken, or statement made after August 21, 2007. See Def. Rep. Br. 1-2.

On November 11, 2013, more than a month after Natixis raised this argument, Clarex submitted a three-page letter. Dkt. 64. Clarex argued that, notwithstanding the Letter Agreement, the Court should consider post-August 21, 20072 evidence: specifically, the reinstatement by Natixis of instructions to Euroclear to deliver the 46,000 Warrants at issue, and the written demands Natixis made to JPMorgan for payments on these Warrants. See id. at 2. On November 12, 2013, Natixis submitted a letter, which argued that the Court should disregard Clarex’s letter as an untimely sur-reply.

[384]*384As to this issue, the Court agrees with Natixis. Clarex was on notice of the Letter AgreemenNClarex executed it in 2008. To the extent Clarex relied on post — August 21, 2007 evidence in its opposition brief, it was on notice that Natixis might move to exclude such evidence pursuant to the Letter Agreement. Clarex nevertheless failed to brief this issue in its opposition. And, after Natixis raised the issue in reply, Clarex, even more inexplicably, waited more than a month to submit a letter concerning this ostensible new issue to the Court. Such delay is unacceptable and inexcusable. For purposes of this motion, the Court will heed the plain language of the parties’ Letter Agreement, and exclude all evidence of documents created, actions taken, or statements made after August 21, 2007.

The Court recognizes, however, that in light of its decision to deny summary judgment, this issue of whether the post-August 21, 2007 evidence is admissible may arise in connection with the upcoming trial of this matter. As discussed in the Conclusion, the Court is directing that a compíete Joint Pretrial Order be submitted by January 31, 2014. Should either party wish to file any motions in limine on any subject, including a motion by Natixis to exclude post-August 21, 2007 evidence from trial, such motions are due by January 31, 2014, along with the Joint Pretrial Order. An opposition brief is due February 7, 2014; replies are not invited. In other words, the Court’s ruling precluding consideration of such evidence on this motion is without prejudice to Clarex’s right to argue against excluding such evidence at trial.

B. Facts3

The Court has previously issued several decisions in this matter. See Clarex Ltd. v. Natixis Sec. America LLC, No. 12 Civ. 722(PAE), 2012 WL 4849146 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 12, 2012) (“Clarex I ”) (dismissing Clarex’s original Complaint without prejudice for lack of standing); Clarex Ltd. v. Natixis Sec. America LLC, No. 12 Civ. 7908(PAE), 2013 WL 2631043 (S.D.N.Y. June 11, 2013) (“Clarex II”) (granting in [385]*385part and denying in part Natixis’s motion to dismiss Clarex’s second Complaint); Clarex Ltd. v. Natixis Sec. Americas LLC, No. 12 Civ. 7908(PAE), 2013 WL 3892898 (S.D.N.Y. July 29, 2013) (“Clarex III”) (granting reconsideration as to the dismissal of Clarex’s contract claim for the 5,000Warrants purchased on February 11, 2000). Familiarity with those decisions is assumed. The Court recites facts here solely as relevant to the pending motion.

1. Nigeria Issues Bonds and Warrants

In 1991, Nigeria, in exchange for defaulted commercial bank loans, issued Fixed Rate Bonds due in 2020 (“Bonds”). Def. 56.1 ¶ 9; Levine Decl. Ex. G (EMTA’s Primer on Nigeria Payment Adjustment Warrants (“EMTA Primer”)).4 These Bonds were issued with Payment Adjustment Warrants (“Warrants”), which were “designed to provide a partial recovery of value lost as a result of the debt-service reduction ... in the event of a significant increase in [Nigeria’s] capacity to service its external debt.” EMTA Primer at 1; Def. 56.1 ¶ 9. Specifically, the Warrants “provide[d] for the possibility of semi-annual payments, beginning in 1996, based upon certain increases in the price of oik” EMTA Primer at 1. The Warrants, issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, were guaranteed by the Republic of Nigeria. Id.

Although the Warrants were initially attached to the Bonds, they “were detachable, and therefore transferable, at any time and, accordingly, were assigned their own unique [ISIN Security Number] upon initial issuance.” Id.; Def. 56.1 ¶ 10. From their issuance-until October 2002, however, the market practice was for the Bonds to trade together with the Warrants. Def. 56.1 ¶ 11; see EMTA Primer at 2 (on September 30, 1992, EMTA recommended that, “unless otherwise specified,” the Nigerian Bonds “should trade with the[ir corresponding] rights or warrants”). On October 21, 2002, EMTA changed this market practice. Effective for all trades entered into on or after November 1, 2002, Nigerian Bonds would, unless otherwise agreed, trade “without their related Warrants.” EMTA Primer at 3.

2. Clarex Orders Nigerian Bonds and Warrants

Between February 8, 2000 and September 10, 2001, in a series of five transactions, Clarex and Betax ordered, through Natixis, $46 million in Nigerian Bonds and 46,000corresponding Nigerian Warrants. Def. 56.1 ¶¶ 31-36.5

• On February 8, 2000, Clarex ordered $5 million in Nigerian Bonds and 5.000 corresponding Nigerian Warrants. Id. ¶ 31. The settlement date for this transaction was February 11, 2000. Id.

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988 F. Supp. 2d 381, 2013 WL 6768067, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 180076, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clarex-ltd-v-natixis-securities-americas-llc-nysd-2013.