DSQ Property Co. v. DeLorean

745 F. Supp. 1234, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11880, 1990 WL 128388
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedAugust 13, 1990
DocketCiv. A. No. 89-CV-70304-DT
StatusPublished

This text of 745 F. Supp. 1234 (DSQ Property Co. v. DeLorean) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
DSQ Property Co. v. DeLorean, 745 F. Supp. 1234, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11880, 1990 WL 128388 (E.D. Mich. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT’S RENEWED MOTION TO VACATE ATTACHMENTS AND INJUNCTIONS AND FOR AWARD OF DAMAGES

ROSEN, District Judge.

This matter is presently before the Court on the Defendant, John Z. DeLorean’s (“DeLorean”) Renewed Motion to Vacate Attachments and Injunctions and for Award of Damages. The Court heard arguments of counsel on August 8, 1990.

I. FACTS

A. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Much of the background of this case was succinctly summarized by the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in its December 4, 1989 opinion in DSQ Property Co., Ltd. v. DeLorean, 891 F.2d 128 (6th Cir.1989):

John DeLorean appeals the district court’s grant of summary judgment against him in his attempt to prevent the enforcement of a judgment rendered against him in the United Kingdom. John DeLorean argues that the district court erred in finding: (1) that he was personally and properly served with process; and (2) that his settlement with the Trustee of the DeLorean Motor Company did not bar recognition of the United Kingdom Judgment.
On October 12,1987, the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division in London, England, awarded a default judgment of $54 million against John DeLorean to plaintiff, DSQ Property, Ltd., formerly DeLorean Motor Cars Ltd. On January 24, 1989, DSQ brought the instant diversity action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to enforce the foreign country money judgment under New York law, N.Y. Civ.Proc.L. & R. Section 5301 et seq. (McKinney 1978). The district court of New York transferred venue to the Eastern District of Michigan under 28 U.S.C. Section 1404(a). Under section 1404(a), the applicable law is the law that would have applied in the Southern District of New York. Van Dusen v. Barrack, 376 U.S. 612, 636, 84 S.Ct. 805, 819, 11 L.Ed.2d 945 (1964).
The plaintiff, DSQ Properties Ltd. [sic], was created as the successor corporation to DeLorean Motor Cars Ltd., which went into receivership in Northern Ireland. DeLorean Motor Cars Ltd. manufactured the “DeLorean” automobile. These cars were distributed in the United States by the DeLorean Motor Company, which owned 75% of DeLorean Motor Cars Ltd. The DeLorean Motor Company was controlled by John DeLo-rean who owned 82% of the capital stock.
Both the United Kingdom judgment and the settlement with the bankruptcy trustee resolved claims arising out of agreements for the design of the “DeLo-rean” automobile. These agreements were entered by John DeLorean on behalf of DeLorean Motor Cars Ltd. and the DeLorean Motor Company with Colin Chapman, the Chairman of Lotus Cars Ltd. and owner of GPD Services, Inc. In these agreements, Chapman committed to undertake the design of the DeLorean automobile through his company, GPD Services, which was closely affiliated with Lotus. DeLorean and Chapman entered into a contract under which DeLo-rean Research Limited Partnership would provide GPD Services with an advance payment of $17,600,000. DeLore-an Motor Cars Ltd. was to pay Lotus, [1236]*1236which would actually perform the engineering work, Lotus’s actual out-of-pocket costs on an ongoing basis.
On October 25, 1982, DeLorean Motor Company filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, and the Unsecured Creditors’ Committee of DeLorean Motor Company was created pursuant to 11 U.S.C. Section 1102(a)(1). DSQ Property was one of the largest creditors of DeLorean Motor Company and a leading member of the Unsecured Creditors’ Committee. The Unsecured Creditors’ Committee sued John DeLore-an on behalf of the DeLorean Motor Company in Detroit and New York for diverting funds in the agreements with Lotus and GPD Services. Later, the bankruptcy proceeding was converted to a Chapter 7 proceeding, and the appointed trustee, David Allard, took over these suits. The suits were transferred to the Eastern District of Michigan for consolidation with the DeLorean Motor Company bankruptcy proceeding. On March 18, 1987, David Allard and John DeLore-an entered into a stipulation whereby the parties agreed to submit to binding arbitration all the disputes and claims between them. The stipulation agreement provided in part that the scope of the arbitrator’s jurisdiction and findings would not have any effect on claims and defenses of third-parties against the Trustee and/or John DeLorean. Before the suits went to arbitration, they were settled on May 28, 1987 in a stipulation approved by the district judge presiding over the bankruptcy litigation.
DSQ Property instituted suit against Lotus and its principals on January 28, 1986 based upon the various agreements for research and development for the manufacture of the “DeLorean” automobile. DSQ Property added John DeLore-an as a defendant on July 24, 1987, alleging that he misappropriated funds from the [sic] DeLorean Motor Cars Ltd. under these agreements. John DeLorean failed to appear in the matter and a default judgment was entered in the London court.
After being transferred from New York, the district court held a hearing in Detroit on February 6 and 7, 1989 on the limited issue of effective service of process on the defendant John DeLorean in the United Kingdom action. The district court found as a matter of fact that John DeLorean had been properly served on August 30, 1987, and that the English court, therefore, did have jurisdiction when issuing the default judgment. John DeLorean filed a motion for reconsideration on the issue of effective service of process, but the district court denied his motion.

Id, at 128-130.

To put the current motion in context, before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York transferred venue in this case to this Court, on January 24, 1989 it entered an “Order to Show Cause, Ex Parte Temporary Restraining Order and Ex Parte Order of Attachment,” which provided, in pertinent part:

... AND, FURTHER, it appearing to the Court that plaintiff will suffer immediate and irreparable injury if defendant is given the chance to sell, transfer, assign any interest in, dispose of, remove or in any way pledge, hypothecate or encumber his property before a hearing on plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction and to confirm an order of attachment can be had and it being shown that Plaintiff is entitled to an attachment against the property of defendant in the sum of $53,705,170.47 plus interest, costs, Sheriff’s fees and expenses against the property of defendant, it is hereby:
ORDERED that the Sheriff of the City of New York levy within his jurisdiction, at any time before final judgment herein, upon any property in which defendant has an interest, including but not limited to JZD’s [Defendant John DeLorean] shares of capital stock in 834 Fifth Avenue Corporation and the proprietary lease representing JZD’s ownership of a cooperative apartment located at 834 Fifth Avenue in New York City, and upon those of its contents and furnish[1237]

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Bluebook (online)
745 F. Supp. 1234, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11880, 1990 WL 128388, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dsq-property-co-v-delorean-mied-1990.