First American Development Group/Carib, LLC v. WestLB AG

53 V.I. 107, 2010 V.I. LEXIS 21
CourtSuperior Court of The Virgin Islands
DecidedMarch 30, 2010
DocketCivil No. ST-09-CV-535
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 53 V.I. 107 (First American Development Group/Carib, LLC v. WestLB AG) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior 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
First American Development Group/Carib, LLC v. WestLB AG, 53 V.I. 107, 2010 V.I. LEXIS 21 (visuper 2010).

Opinion

CARROLL, Judge

MEMORANDUM OPINION

(March 30, 2010)

THIS MATTER is before the Court upon Defendant/Counterclaim Plaintiff WestLB AG’s Emergency Motion for the Appointment of Receiver, filed on December 2, 2009. The Court initially granted WestLB AG’s Motion on December 11, 2009, but then vacated the Order on December 18, 2009. The Court heard testimony from the parties on the Motion on January 12, 22, 29 and 30, 2010. The parties presented oral argument on February 10, 2010. The Court also visited the site at issue in [110]*110this matter on January 23, 2010, recording a video of the visit, a copy of which has been filed with the Court. For the reasons stated below, the Court will grant WestLB AG’s Motion. The Court will, however, receive additional briefs from the parties regarding the receiver’s identity and powers.

FACTS

Plaintiff First American Development Group/Carib LLC (“First American”) brought this action against WestLB AG (“WestLB”) for, inter alia, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. WestLB counterclaimed for foreclosure and shortly thereafter filed an Emergency Motion for the Appointment of a Receiver pursuant to the terms of the Mortgage between the parties.

First American owns the property at the heart of this dispute, which is located in Chocolate Hole Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.1 Over the last several years, First American has been engaged in developing a luxury private residential community referred to by the parties as the “Pond Bay Club Project” (the “Project”). In order to fund the Project, First American sought and received a loan from WestLB, a German bank, in the amount of Sixty-One Million Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($61,600,000.00) on March 28, 2007. In addition to WestLB’s loan, First American also received an equity contribution from Arcapita, a Bahraini bank not a party to this case, to fund the remaining costs of the Project.2 In exchange for WestLB’s loan, First American delivered a First Priority Mortgage (the “Mortgage”) to WestLB, giving WestLB a security interest in, inter alia, the property, rents, leases and project permits. The Mortgage and the Loan and Security Agreement (“Loan Agreement”) were produced as exhibits during the course of the testimony on the Motion.

[111]*111A. Financing Troubles

Construction began on the Project in early 2008. By early 2009, the Project began to face financing difficulties.3 On April 1, 2009, Christian Ruehmer (“Ruehmer”), Managing Director of WestLB’s Investment Management/Portfolio Exit Group, met with Bob Emmett, an “Authorized Signatory” and “Managing Member” of First American, to discuss the status of the Project. According to Ruehmer, Emmett told him that the Project was ongoing and would be completed in November 2009.4

On June 26, 2009, WestLB sent a letter to First American stating the “Loan is not In Balance and if Borrower fails to deposit the Shortfall Deposit with [WestLB] within ten (10) Business Days . . . [WestLB] will be entitled to, among other things, declare an Event of Default.” (Defs.’ Ex. B, referencing § 2.2(d) of the Loan Agreement.) According to Ruehmer, WestLB sent the letter because there were insufficient funds to complete the Project.5

From April 2009 until the end of October 2009, WestLB and First American negotiated possible scenarios in which the Project might be completed despite the financing shortfall. At times these discussions also included representatives from Arcapita, Glass Ratner Advisory & Capital Group LLC (“Glass Ratner”) (which Arcapita and First American hired to assist with the restructuring of the Project’s budget and to obtain additional financing), and from Alvarez & Marsal (“A&M”) (which WestLB’s counsel, Sidley Austin LLP, retained to provide financial advice and consulting to WestLB). Some of the proposals advanced by Glass Ratner would have required WestLB to advance Twenty-Five Million Dollars ($25,000,000.00) more than the fully advanced loan. A&M [112]*112Managing Director Richard Morawetz (“Morawetz”) testified that, after visiting the site in early September 2009, he believed the Project required another Thirty-Five Million Dollars ($35,000,000.00) to complete and could not be finished until at least late spring 2010. First American’s project manager, Claude Dupre (“Dupre”), referred to the Project as being “stuck.”

First American and WestLB dispute why the negotiations between them were unsuccessful. Morawetz testified that, during the negotiations, First American’s management maintained that it had no more money to put into the Project, and that it expected WestLB to provide the funding required to complete it. Ruehmer testified that First American never provided a satisfactory answer regarding where the money to complete the Project would come from. WestLB produced a letter it sent to First American dated July 14, 2009 (Def.’s Ex. C), requesting a revised Project budget.6 Ruehmer testified that WestLB never received a response to the letter or a revised Project budget. First American, on the other hand, maintains that WestLB did not negotiate in good faith.

Ultimately, the negotiations were unsuccessful. In July 2009, WestLB notified First American that it had “no further obligations to fund the Remaining Loan Proceeds,” (Def.’s Ex. C), and on November 12, 2009, WestLB sent First American a “Notice of Default” (Def.’s Ex. F).

B. Project Slowdown and Cessation of Construction Activities

On September 25, 2009, Defendant Stone Masonry, Inc., filed the first construction lien on the property.7 Following this development, WestLB advanced a “protective payment” to certain subcontractors in exchange for a commitment that they would continue to work on the Project and withhold filing liens against the property until October 12, 2009. (Def.’s Ex. E.) Ruehmer testified that First American never offered to pay any part of the protective payment.8 Despite WestLB’s payment, [113]*113subcontractors began filing liens. Ruehmer testified that the total amount of the liens filed against the property now exceeds at least Seven Million Dollars ($7,000,000.00). While Emmett and Dupre acknowledged that some of that total reflects legitimate amounts due, they contend that they are unable to validate the totals because they require documents held by Wharton-Smith, Inc. (“WSI”) that WSI has refused to turn over.

WSI’s Vice-President, David Hayes (“Hayes”), testified that he met with Arcapita at the end of August to determine the likelihood that the project would obtain sufficient funding. According to Hayes, Arcapita stated that it was in negotiations with the bank and that funding for the Project would be forthcoming, but that it would not advance any money at that time.

The subcontractor responsible for environmental monitoring, Defendant Bioimpact, Inc. (“Bioimpact”), stopped work on the site in September 2009. WSI began reducing its work level in August and September and finally left the site on November 9, 2009. The subcontractors decreased and then eventually ceased their participation in the Project. Emmett admitted that construction has been suspended for more than sixty (60) days.9

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Related

Hartzog ex rel. Perez v. United Corp.
59 V.I. 58 (Superior Court of The Virgin Islands, 2011)
First American Development Group/Carib, LLC v. WestLB AG
55 V.I. 316 (Superior Court of The Virgin Islands, 2011)

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Bluebook (online)
53 V.I. 107, 2010 V.I. LEXIS 21, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-american-development-groupcarib-llc-v-westlb-ag-visuper-2010.