In re B.C.I. Finances Pty Ltd.

583 B.R. 288
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York
DecidedApril 24, 2018
DocketCase No. 17–11266 (SHL) (Jointly Administered)
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 583 B.R. 288 (In re B.C.I. Finances Pty Ltd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re B.C.I. Finances Pty Ltd., 583 B.R. 288 (N.Y. 2018).

Opinion

SEAN H. LANE, UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY JUDGE

Before the Court are the foreign representatives' petitions for recognition under Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code of the Australian liquidation proceedings of debtors B.C.I. Finances Pty Limited, Binqld Finances Pty Limited, E.G.L. Development (Canberra) Pty Limited, and Ligon 268 Pty Limited (the "Debtors"). See Memorandum of Law in Support of Chapter 15 Petition (the "Recognition Motion") [ECF No. 9]. Recognition is objected to by Ligon 158 Pty Limited and Andrew Binetter (the "Objecting Parties"). See Objection to Verified Petitions for Recognition (the "Recognition Objection") [ECF No. 16]. For the reasons that follow, the Court grants recognition.

BACKGROUND

The Debtors were Australian companies that operated primarily as intercompany borrowing and lending entities within a group of companies controlled and operated by the Binetter family. See Decl. of Tobin P. Meagher ("Meagher Petition Decl.") ¶¶ 6, 7 [ECF No. 6]; see also Transcript of Hearing held on June 27, 2017 ("Hr'g Tr.") 62:17-22, 63:15-19 [ECF No. 25]. Andrew, Michael, Margaret, and Gary Binetter each held various director and management positions for the Debtors from as early as the mid-1990's. See App'x To Petition, Tab 1 (decision of Honourable Justice Gleeson of the Federal Court of Australia) ("Australian Decision") ¶¶ 19, 34-36, 46-47, 49, 59, 60 [ECF No. 2]. The Debtors were the subject of extended investigation by the Australian Taxation Office, and received significant tax assessments that they were unable to satisfy. See Hr'g Tr. 63:22-64:6; Australian Decision ¶ 2, 100. The audit also resulted in findings of "fraud or evasion" by the Commissioner of Taxation. Australian Decision ¶ 2. The Debtors are each in liquidation in Australia, are not operating, and have not traded for many years. See Decl. of Chris Ardagna in Support of Objection to Verified Petitions for Recognition ¶ 11 [ECF No. 16-2].

In August 2014, John Sheahan and Ian Russell Lock (together, the "Liquidators") were appointed as joint and several liquidators of the Debtors in the Australian liquidation proceedings. See Meagher Petition Decl. ¶¶ 1, 8. In January 2015, the Liquidators brought a proceeding in the Federal Court of Australia seeking compensation relating to the Debtors' tax assessments, claiming that the actions of the Debtors' directors that caused or contributed to those liabilities constituted a breach of various statutory and fiduciary duties (the "SAD5/2015 Action"). See Australian Decision at PDF 3, and ¶¶ 4-8. Respondents in the SAD5/2015 Action include Andrew Binetter, Michael Binetter, other members of the Binetter family, Milgerd Nominees Pty Limited, Erma *291Nominees Pty Limited, Ligon 159 Pty Limited, Ligon 158 Pty Limited, the Estate of Emil Binetter, and the Estate of Erwin Binetter. See Australian Decision at PDF 3, 216, and ¶¶ 62-77. A trial was held before her Honour Justice Gleeson who issued a judgment finding that (i) most of the respondents, including Andrew and Michael Binetter, breached their duties as directors of one or more of the Debtors and/or was knowingly involved in the breaches; (ii) the breaches caused significant losses; and (iii) each of the respondents was involved in certain breaches relating to the financial and taxation dealings of one or more of the Debtors and thereby caused different elements and amounts of losses suffered by the Debtors. See Hr'g Tr. 70:24-71:5; Australian Decision ¶¶ 870-1028. As of summer 2017, the amount of damages remained to be determined by Justice Gleeson. See Hr'g Tr. 72:3-11. However, Andrew Binetter has admitted that the liability is at least AU $20,000,000.00.1 See id . 89:23-25 (reading a stipulation into the record).2 At some point during the Australian proceedings, members of the Binetter family began to leave Australia.3 Hr'g Tr. 72:17-73:8. Andrew and Michael Binetter currently reside in New York City. Hr'g Tr. 19:22-23, 72:17-73:4; see also Supplemental Memorandum of Law in Further Support of Objection ("Objecting Parties' Suppl. Br.") ¶ 3 [ECF No. 28].

The Liquidators seek recognition of the Debtors' Australian liquidation proceedings as foreign main proceedings under Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code in order to facilitate the administration of the Debtors' estates in Australia. Specifically, the Liquidators seek the assistance of this Court in gaining access to and/or conducting discovery of Andrew and Michael Binetter, and any Debtor assets, documents, or records they may have with them in the United States. See Hr'g Tr. 122:16-123:15; see also In re Platinum Partners Value Arbitrage Fund L.P. (In Official Liquidation), et al. , 2018 WL 1864931, *5-6, 2018 Bankr. LEXIS 1156, *14-*19 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Apr. 17, 2018) (discussing discovery generally as a form of relief available to foreign representatives in Chapter 15 cases pursuant to several different provisions of the Bankruptcy Code). Mr. Sheahan believes that Andrew Binetter will not return to Australia voluntarily, and that Michael Binetter is unable to return due to ill-health. See Hr'g Tr. 122:16-123:15.

The Objecting Parties argue that the Debtors are not eligible for relief under Chapter 15 because they have not satisfied Section 109(a) of the Bankruptcy Code, which dictates that "only a person that resides or has a domicile, a place of business, or property in the United States, or a municipality, may be a debtor under this title." 11 U.S.C. § 109 ; see Recognition Objection ¶¶ 2, 16-17. Before commencing this case, the Debtors each placed retainers of $1,250 in the trust account of the Liquidators' counsel in this case, Nixon Peabody LLP, which they contend satisfies *292the property requirement under Section 109(a). See Hr'g Tr. 91:24-92:2; 104:18-105:8, 110:22-23; Reply ¶ 11. The Liquidators also contend that the Debtors' fiduciary duty claims in the SAD5/2015 Action against Andrew and Michael Binetter (the "Fiduciary Duty Claims") constitute property in the United States. Reply ¶¶ 4, 9. In contrast, the Objecting Parties argue that the attorney retainer account does not satisfy Section 109(a) because the Liquidators improperly manipulated the Debtors' assets by placing funds in the New York account just to comply with the statute. See Recognition Objection ¶¶ 2, 16-17. The Objecting Parties further argue that the situs of the Debtors' other claimed property-the Fiduciary Duty Claims-is in Australia. See Objecting Parties' Suppl. Br. ¶¶ 7-8, 15-16, 28.

A hearing on the Recognition Motion was held on June 27, 2017 (the "Recognition Hearing"). See Hr'g Tr 1:16, 4:2-5. Subsequent to the Recognition Hearing and at the Court's request, the parties submitted additional briefing on the issue of the situs of the Fiduciary Duty Claims, including what law should resolve that question. See Debtors' Suppl. Br.; Objecting Parties' Suppl. Br. Extensive additional briefing was provided by the parties.

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