Hopkins v. Nakamoto (In re Hoku Corp.)

554 B.R. 901, 2016 Bankr. LEXIS 2797
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Idaho
DecidedAugust 2, 2016
DocketBankruptcy Case No. 13-40838-JDP; Adv. Proceeding No. 15-08183-JDP
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 554 B.R. 901 (Hopkins v. Nakamoto (In re Hoku Corp.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Idaho primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hopkins v. Nakamoto (In re Hoku Corp.), 554 B.R. 901, 2016 Bankr. LEXIS 2797 (Idaho 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND RULE 90331 PROPOSED FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND RECOMMENDATION TO DISTRICT COURT RE DEFENDANTS’ MOTIONS TO DISMISS PLAINTIFF’S AMENDED COMPLAINT AND NOTICE TO THE PARTIES

Honorable Jim D. Pappas, United States Bankruptcy Judge

I. Introduction

A. Short Summary

This decision examines the legal adequacy of a bankruptcy trustee’s second attempt to sue the directors of a debtor [907]*907corporation for damages based upon their decisions as members of the board. Pursuant to the request of some of the defendants/directors, the Court determines and will recommend to the District Court that the amended complaint, like the trustee’s original complaint, when measured against the applicable legal standard, fails to contain sufficient factual allegations about the directors’ actions to support any cognizable claim for relief against them. Because the trustee has had ample time and opportunity to pursue this matter, and after two attempts, has been unable to frame any proper claims for relief, the amended complaint against the directors should be dismissed with prejudice.

B. Procedural Background

On April 22, 2016, the chapter 7 trustee for Hoku Corporation (“Corporation”), Plaintiff R. Sam Hopkins (“Trustee”), filed an amended complaint in this adversary proceeding against Defendants Darryl Na-kamoto, Jeremy Xiaoming Yin, Jerrod Schreck, Scott Paul, Tao (Mike) Zhang, Dean Hirata, Karl Stahlkopf, Yi Zheng,2 Wei Xia, Gao Zheñgfei, and Tianwei New Energy Holdings Co., Ltd. Dkt. No. 74.3 Among other claims, the amended complaint alleged that, while acting as directors of Corporation, the individual defendants breached the fiduciary duties they owed to Corporation and its creditors entitling Trustee to a money judgment in an unspecified amount equal to the “vast debt incurred [by Corporation] through these poor decisions.” See Id., Counts One and Three, Id. at ¶¶ 102-103.

In response to the claims in the amended complaint, two motions to dismiss were filed: one by defendants Yin, Zhang, and Zheng (“Yin Defendants”), Dkt. No. 77; the other by defendants Paul, Hirata, Stahlkopf, Nakamoto, and Schreck (“Hawaii Defendants”) (collectively “Defendants”), Dkt. No. 80.4 Trustee filed an objection to the motions, Dkt. No. 86, and Defendants filed replies. Dkt. Nos. 89, 90. The Court conducted a hearing concerning the motions to dismiss on July 7, 2016, at which the parties appeared; the Court took the issues under advisement after the hearing. See Minute Entry, Dkt. No. 91.

Having considered the pleadings and record, the parties’ briefs and arguments, as well as the applicable law, this Memorandum sets forth the Court’s proposed findings of fact, conclusions of law, reasons for its decision, and its recommendation to the District Court for disposing of the motions. Rules 7052; 9033.5

[908]*908 II. Factual Allegations

According to the allegations in Trustee’s amended complaint, Corporation, then known as Hoku Scientific, Inc., was originally incorporated in 2001, and then reincorporated in Delaware in 2004. Am. Compl. at ¶ 17, Dkt. No. 74. At first, the company focused primarily upon the development of fuel cell technology and products. By 2005, Corporation completed an initial public offering with its shares traded on NASDAQ. Id. at ¶¶ 18, 20.

In 2006, Corporation’s management decided that it should begin to manufacture polysilicon, a raw material used to make solar panels. Id. at ¶ 26. To achieve this, in February 2007, Corporation incorporated Hoku Materials, Inc. (“Materials”) as a wholly-owned subsidiary. Id. at ¶ 30.

It was determined that Materials would construct facilities to manufacture polysili-con (“the Plant”). Id. at ¶ 31. The initial estimate for the .cost to build the Plant was approximately $250 million. Id. To raise these funds, Corporation issued debt and equity securities, and Materials contracted with several customers to prepay for the purchase of polysilicon to be delivered after the Plant was completed. Id.

The original construction cost estimate proved unrealistically low, and significant additional funding was to be required to complete the Plant. Id. Eventually, in September 2009, to raise more capital, Corporation entered into a stock purchase agreement (“the Agreement”) with Tian-wei, the parent company of one of Materials’s prepay customers. Id. at ¶¶ 35-36. Under the Agreement, Tianwei committed to use its assets as collateral to support a $50 million loan to Corporation from a Chinese bank, and to cause its subsidiary, Tianwei Wafer, to cancel $50 million in prepayment debt owed by Materials. Id. at ¶ 36. In return, Tianwei effectively acquired a controlling interest (ie., 60%) of Corporation’s common stock, together with the “right to nominate” four of the seven directors for Corporation. Id. at ¶¶ 36-37. In short, through this deal, Corporation obtained both debt-forgiveness and access to much-needed credit and cash. For its part, Tianwei acquired control of Corporation, and hopefully, the prospect that the Plant would be completed so that Corporation could fulfill its polysilicon production commitments to its customers, including Tianwei.

Upon closing of the Agreement, Tianwei appointed6 four directors to manage Corporation (and indirectly, Materials) each of whom, per Trustee’s amended complaint, had “strong ties” to Tianwei. Id. at ¶ 38. Indeed, two of the four new directors, [909]*909Zhang and Zhengfei, were employed by Tianwei. Id. at ¶¶ 9,15.

On January 21, 2010, Corporation, Materials, and Tianwei entered into three other agreements. Id. at ¶¶ 39-42. First, Materials guaranteed Corporation’s perform; anee of its various obligations to Tianwei and its agent banks for the cash loans Corporation was receiving. Id. at ¶39. Second, Materials and Corporation granted Tianwei a security interest in, and lien upon, certain of their assets as collateral for the expected financing. Id. at ¶40. And third, Materials granted Tianwei a security interest in the real property on which the Plant was being built. Id. at ¶41. Following these agreements, acting through its board, Corporation was able to renegotiate Materials’s other supply agreements with its non-Tianwei customers, and any security interests held by the other customers in Materials’s assets were subordinated to those of Tianwei. Id. at ¶ 42.

In the months and years that followed, more and more funding was needed by Corporation and Materials to operate and •to continue construction of the Plant. Between May 2010 and May 2012, through many individual secured and unsecured loans, Corporation borrowed approximately $339 million from several Chinese lenders. Id. at ¶¶43-65.7 According to the amended complaint, the bulk of these funds were used to pay Materials’s vendors and suppliers, and other costs associated with building the Plant. Id. at ¶ 66.

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554 B.R. 901, 2016 Bankr. LEXIS 2797, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hopkins-v-nakamoto-in-re-hoku-corp-idb-2016.