Correlated Development Corp. v. United States

556 F.2d 515, 214 Ct. Cl. 106, 1977 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 274
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedMay 18, 1977
DocketNo. 314-72
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 556 F.2d 515 (Correlated Development Corp. 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
Correlated Development Corp. v. United States, 556 F.2d 515, 214 Ct. Cl. 106, 1977 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 274 (cc 1977).

Opinions

Skelton, Senior Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

[108]*108Plaintiff, Correlated Development Corporation and Housing Consultants, Inc., a joint venture, entered into four contracts of sale on June 29, 1970, with four local housing authorities (LHA) in the State of Mississippi for the construction and sale by the plaintiff to the LHA of 240 low-rent housing units for the sum of $4,135,534. These units were to be constructed on an emergency basis to supply low-rent housing to persons in the area whose homes had been destroyed by Hurricane Camille. The LHA were created pursuant to the Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. § 1401, et seq.) in order to be eligible for federal assistance in the construction and development of low-rent housing projects. The four contracts of sale involved here were called Accelerated Turnkey Contracts of Sale. These contracts of sale and the projects covered by them are listed as follows:

(1) Purchaser: Mississippi Regional Housing Authority-No. VIII — an agency of the State of Mississippi. Project: MISS 40-25 — North Gulfport — 50 units (one site location).
Construction Time: 100-day completion.
Sales Price: $889,953.
(2) Purchaser: Mississippi Regional Housing Authority No. VIII — an agency of the State of Mississippi.
Project: MISS 40-24 — D’Iberville—50 units (one site location).
Construction Time: 100-day completion.
Sales Price: $878,846.
(3) Purchaser: The Housing Authority of the Town of Waveland, Mississippi — an agency of the Town of Waveland, Mississippi.
Project: MISS 101-1 75 units (three site locations).
Construction Time: 115-day completion.
Sales Price: $1,290,292.
(4) Purchaser: The Housing Authority of the City of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi — an agency of the City of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Project: MISS 64-3 — 65 units (one site location).
Construction Time: 100-day completion.
Sales Price: $1,067,443.

The opening paragraph of each contract of sale stated:

This agreement made this 29th day of June, 1970, by and between Correlated Development Corporation; Housing Consultants, Inc., a joint venture, hereinafter called the "Seller”, and the * * * Housing Authority of * * *, [109]*109hereinafter called the "Purchaser”, a public body created and organized pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of the laws of the State of Mississippi. WITNESSETH:

Each of the contracts of sale were signed by the parties named in the above opening paragraph. The United States was not a party to the contract, although a representative of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of the United States approved the contracts by signing his name below the signatures of the parties beneath the word "approved.” The purpose of this approval by the government is shown by Article IX in each of the contracts of sale as follows:

ARTICLE IX. Approval by Government. The approval of this Agreement by the Government signifies that the undertaking by the Purchaser of the acquisition of the property constitutes a "project” eligible for financial assistance under the Annual Contributions Contract identified in Exhibit "C”; that said Annual Contributions Contract has been properly authorized; that funds have been reserved by the Government and will be available to effect payment and performance by the Purchaser hereunder; and the Government’s approval of the terms and conditions hereof. [Emphasis supplied.]

Each of the contracts of sale contained Articles XI and XII which provided in pertinent part as follows:

ARTICLE XI. Contract of Sale. The provisions of the Contract of Sale covering the Property are embodied in this Agreement; Exhibit "A” hereto containing the working drawings, specifications and conditions relating to the improvements; Exhibit "B” hereto, containing the description of the land upon which the improvement will be situated; and Exhibit "C” hereto, containing the Annual Contributions Contract, each of which Exhibits has been inscribed with the initials of the parties hereto or otherwsie appropriately identified.
ARTICLE XII. Prohibition Against Transfer of Contract or Property. The Seller agrees that he has not made, and will not make or agree to make, any sale, assignment, conveyance, or transfer in any other form, of this Contract or the Property, or any part thereof or any interest therein, except as follows:
[110]*1101. To an entity to which this Contract has been assigned with the prior written consent of the Purchaser and the Government.
2. To a mortgagee for the purpose of obtaining financing of the completion of the Property.
For the purposes of this Article, a transfer of stock in the Seller, in whole or in part, by a party holding ten percent or more of the stock of the Seller, or a transfer by more than one stockholder of the Seller of ten percent or more of the stock of the Seller, or any other similarly significant change in the ownership of such stock or in the relative distribution thereof, or with respect to the parties in control of the Seller or the degree thereof, by any other method or means, whether by increased capitalization, merger with another corporation, corporate or other amendments, issuance of new or additional stock or classification of stock or otherwise, shall be deemed an assignment or conveyance with respect to this Contract or the Property. With respect to this provision, the Seller and the parties signing this Contract on behalf of the Seller represent that they have the authority of all of its existing stockholders to agree to this provision on their behalf and to bind them with respect thereto. The Seller agrees to notify the Purchaser promptly of any such proposed transfer and to request written approval thereof.

The members of the plaintiff joint venture were not financially able to perform the contracts of sale when the contracts were signed, as they were "shell” corporations. In order to obtain the necessary funds with which to perform the contracts, the members of the joint venture sold all of their capital stock and assigned their interests in the contracts of sale to Gifco Development Company (GIFCO) and First Coastal Corporation (Coastal). This sale and assignment provided in pertinent part as follows:

THIS AGREEMENT made the_day of July, 1970, by and between CORRELATED DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ("Correlated”), a Texas corporation, HOUSING CONSULTANTS, INC. ("Housing”), a Mississippi corporation, and GIFCO/COASTAL, a Joint Venture ("GIFCO/Coastal”), and joined herein for the purposes stated by the below-named governmental agencies,
[111]

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Bluebook (online)
556 F.2d 515, 214 Ct. Cl. 106, 1977 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 274, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/correlated-development-corp-v-united-states-cc-1977.