Harthman v. Texaco, Inc.

30 V.I. 308, 157 F.R.D. 367, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21238
CourtDistrict Court, Virgin Islands
DecidedAugust 11, 1994
DocketMaster Docket File No. 1989-107; Civil No. 89-220; Civil No. 89-224
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 30 V.I. 308 (Harthman v. Texaco, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, Virgin Islands primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harthman v. Texaco, Inc., 30 V.I. 308, 157 F.R.D. 367, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21238 (vid 1994).

Opinion

BROTMAN, Judge (Sitting by Designation):

MEMORANDUM OPINION

This matter is before the court on the application of the Movants, the Esso Defendants, the Virgin Islands Department of Education, L'Henri, Inc., Ramsay Motors, Inc., Texaco Caribbean, Inc., Vernon Morgan and Western Auto for an Order enjoining Panex Industries, Inc., Paul Lazare, The Panex Industries, Inc. Shareholders Liquidating Trust (the "Trust") and the Trustees of the Panex Industries Inc. Shareholders Liquidating Trust from disbursing assets from the trust, from proceeding with a Petition For Instruction Regarding Disbursement of Assets in the Chancery Court in Delaware, and for limited relief from the Fourth Case Management Order to conduct expedited discovery of the assets of Panex, the Trust and the former Shareholders of Panex. On August 1,1994, the court noticed a telephonic hearing on this motion for August 3, 1994. Respondents (collectively referred to as the Laga Defendants) entered their objections on the record. Upon completion of oral argument, the Court reserved on the motion, and encouraged the parties to reach an amicable resolution. Respondents remained intractable in their position and no understanding was reached. For reasons stated below, the application for a stay and expedited discovery will be granted.

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

Familiarity with the underlying facts of this litigation as set forth in an Opinion dated August 13, 1993, published at 846 F. Supp. [313]*3131243 (D.V.I. 1993) is assumed, and the court will only repeat those facts relevant to the current dispute. When granting an injunction the court is required by Rules 52 and 65(d), Fed. R. Civ. R, to set forth with particular specificity its findings of fact and the acts or act to be restrained. Accordingly, the court's opinion is organized as follows: Part One briefly recites the relationship of the Laga defendants, outlines the procedural background of the instant proceeding and places it in the context of the underlying litigation; Part Two addresses the court's jurisdiction to enjoin the respondents; and Part Three discusses the merits of the application.

I. THE LAGA DEFENDANTS

A. Respondents

The parties referred to in the underlying litigation as the Laga Defendants are Duplan Corp., ("Duplan"), and Panex Industries, Inc. ("Panex Inc."), Laga Industries Ltd., ("Laga Ltd."), and Panex Co. and their officers, directors, principal shareholders or general partners Paul Lazare and Andreas Gal. Duplan was incorporated in Delaware with its principal place of business in New York. In 1970, Duplan became the 100% shareholder of Laga Ltd. which was incorporated in 1968 under the laws of the Virgin Islands, and was dissolved in 1981 for failure to pay corporate franchise taxes. Laga Ltd. owned and operated a textile manufacturing business in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands.

On August 31, 1976, Duplan filed for Chapter XI reorganization. By court order dated October 5, 1976, the bankruptcy proceeding was converted to a proceeding under Chapter X. On August 28, 1979, Duplan obtained authorization from the bankruptcy court to sell the Laga Ltd. site. By deed, from Duplan's trustee in bankruptcy, dated December 12, 1979, Panex Co. purchased the Laga Ltd. building site, now occupied by the Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE). Panex Co., is a New York partnership in which Paul Lazare and Andreas Gal were allegedly the only partners. In 1981 Duplan emerged from bankruptcy under the name of Panex Industries, Inc., another Delaware corporation. On September 21, 1984, the stockholders voted to liquidate Panex Inc., at which time its total capital was reported as approximately $61,000,000.00. Lazare and Gal were listed in the 1984 Proxy state-[314]*314merit as being the beneficial owners of 27.0% each of Panex common stock for a combined ownership of 54 percent of the shares.1

In April 1985, Panex filed a Certificate of Dissolution with the Delaware Secretary of State. In September 1985, on behalf of its stockholders, Panex formed the Panex Industries Stockholders Liquidating Trust Agreement (the "Trust") to administer, among other matters, the contingent liabilities of Panex and its shareholders. Panex initially funded the Trust with $6,000,000.00 (six million dollars). Andreas Gal, a named party to this action and the then Chairman of the Board of Panex, and Daniel Rosenbloom were named as trustees of the liquidating Trust. Sometime subsequent, Paul La-zare, another party to the main litigation, replaced Gal as trustee. No party named the Trust as a party to the underlying action.

1. The Trust

In July of 1984, Panex Industries, Inc., the successor corporation of Duplan, of which Laga Ltd. had been a wholly owned subsidiary, had total capital of approximately $61,000,000.00. Gal and La-zare, directors and/or officers of Panex Inc., purchased the Laga site in bankruptcy from Duplan through their partnership entity, Panex Co. In September 1984, the stockholders of Panex voted to liquidate the corporation. The Proxy for the Plan of Liquidation provided for the creation of a liquidating trust, as follows:

Panex intends to deposit in a liquidating trust (the "Liquidating Trust") approximately $6 million on behalf of the stockholders as a reserve for possible contingent and other liabilities of Panex which may arise during or after the liquidation period. ... If the amount held in the Liquidating trust is insufficient to discharge fully all liabilities which may arise, or if liabilities arise after the Liquidating Trust is terminated, each Panex stockholder may be liable for any unpaid portion of such liabilities to the extent of the liquidating distributions paid to him, including, if applicable, the value of any Wundies stock distributed to him pursuant to the Plan of Liquidation. See "The PLAN OF LIQUIDATION — the Liquidation Trust."

[315]*315In April 1985, Panex filed a Certificate of Dissolution, and in September of 1985, the Panex Industries Stockholders Liquidating Trust was created. The initial trustees were Daniel Rosenbloom, Chairman of the Board of Panex from shortly after Duplan emerged from bankruptcy under the name Panex until the corporation filed its Certificate of Dissolution on April 15,1985. The broad purpose of the Trust was to "satisfy all liabilities of the Company which were not paid or discharged." The trustees were expressly authorized to "continue to indemnify the officers, directors, employees and agents of Panex, as provided in its Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws and the Laws of the State of Delaware, and to obtain such insurance covering Panex's obligations to indemnify as they, in their discretion deem necessary, desirable or appropriate." The trust agreement provides that the Trust "shall terminate three years from the date of this Trust Agreement or upon the payment to the Beneficiaries of all of the Trust property, whichever is earlier: . . . however,. . . but in no event beyond 12 years from the date thereof."

B. Procedural Background

In July 1987, the odor of gasoline was detected in a well in the Tutu section of Estate Anna's Retreat within the Turpentine Run Aquifer on St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. (the "Tutu Aquifer").

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Bluebook (online)
30 V.I. 308, 157 F.R.D. 367, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21238, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harthman-v-texaco-inc-vid-1994.