In re Blatchley

157 F.2d 894, 5 SEC Jud. Dec. 7, 1946 U.S. App. LEXIS 3785, 1946 WL 62874
CourtCourt of Appeals for the First Circuit
DecidedOctober 29, 1946
DocketNo. 4201
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 157 F.2d 894 (In re Blatchley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the First Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Blatchley, 157 F.2d 894, 5 SEC Jud. Dec. 7, 1946 U.S. App. LEXIS 3785, 1946 WL 62874 (1st Cir. 1946).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

This is an application by Harry C. Blatchley for leave to file a petition for a writ of mandamus to be directed to the Honorable John A. Peters, Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maine. On September 11, 1946, the matter was presented to us orally by counsel for petitioner in conjunction with a hearing on sundry motions and applications in related cases, all growing out of a certain proceeding initiated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under § 11(b) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, 49 Stat. 803, 15 U.S.C.A. § 79k(b), in which proceeding New England Public Service Company (“NEPS-CO”), a registered holding company, was one of the respondents. Blatchley is a stockholder of record of 30 shares of NEPSCO’s prior lien preferred cumulative stock.

In the administrative proceeding just referred to, NEPSCO submitted to the Commission, pursuant to § 11(e) of the Act, a proposed plan of reorganization for the purpose of complying with the requirements of § 11(b). The plan in its finally amended form contemplated the sale by NEPSCO of its holdings in various non-utility subsidiary companies to a syndicate composed of the First Boston [895]*895Corporation and Coffin & Burr Incorporated, for the sum of $16,500,000.

• After extensive hearings, the Commission, on October 11, 1945, issued its findings of fact, opinion, and order approving the amended plan. It found that the proposed sale of the non-utility properties was necessary or appropriate to effectuate the provisions of § 11(b) of the Act and that its terms were fair and equitable to the persons affected thereby. In its opinion, the Commission stressed the fact “that representatives of holders of all classes of NEPSCO stock have joined in asking us to approve the plan and that no representatives of security holders now affirmatively oppose it.” Blatchley did not appear in the proceedings before the Commission.

In the Commission’s order of October 11, 1945, the plan was approved subject to the condition “that this order shall not become operative to authorize the consummation of the plan until an appropriate District Court shall have entered an order enforcing the plan.” In compliance with a request duly filed by NEPSCO, the Commission, on October 15, 1945, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Maine its application for an order enforcing and carrying into execution the provisions of the plan, in accordance with §§ 11(e) and 18(f) of the Act, 15 U.S.C.A. §§ 79k(e), 79r(f).

On October 25, 1945, the district court held a hearing on the Commission’s application. All the representatives present of various stockholder groups expressed their approval of the plan.

The only opposition to the plan was voiced on behalf of Allen L. Goldfine, whose counsel arose at' the hearing and stated that Goldfine and a group associated with him had been in communication with officers of NEPSCO in July, 1945, with a view to submitting a bid for the properties to be sold; that had he been permitted or invited to bid, Goldfine would have put in a bid substantially higher than the figure of $16,500,000; and that Goldfine was at that time willing to bid $17,500,000 for the properties. Goldfine did not assert any interest in the proceeding other than as a would-be bidder. He had not participated in the § 11(b) proceeding before the Commission which culminated in the order approving the plan, though he does claim to have been in touch with representatives of the Commission while the proceeding was pending and to have received from them no encouragement of his desire to offer a bid. He made no formal request to be admitted as a party to the court proceeding. The district court refused to take any action in connection with the statement of counsel for Goldfine except to order it placed in the record.

Upon the conclusion of the hearing, and on the same day, October 25, 1945, the district court entered its order enforcing the plan. The court adopted the findings of fact and conclusions of law of the Commission; approved the plan as fair and equitable and as appropriate to effectuate the provisions of § 11 of the Act; took exclusive jurisdiction of NEPSCO and its assets wherever located for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the plan; and directed NEPSCO through its officers to consummate the plan as soon as practicable on and after October 25, 1945. Included also in the district court’s order was the following injunction:

“All creditors and stockholders of New England Public Service Company and all other persons are hereby enjoined and restrained from doing any act or taking any action interfering with, or tending to interfere with, these proceedings,. or with the carrying out of the plan or any part thereof, including the commencement or prosecution of any action, suit or proceeding at law or in equity, or under any statute in any Court, or before any executive or administrative officer, commission or tribunal, other than such proceedings before the Commission or this Court or the Circuit Court of Appeals as may be appropriate under the Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.”

Blatchley had not appeared at the 'hearing before the district court, nor had he in any other way indicated to the court any objection to the plan prior to the entry of the above order by the court enforcing the plan.

[896]*896No stay or supersedeas of the district court’s order of October 25, 1945, having been applied for, NEPSCO proceeded promptly to consummate the plan. It appears that NEPSCO’s holdings in its non-utility subsidiary companies were sold to the purchasing syndicate for $1.6,500,000 cash on or about October 30, 1945, that subsequently there were further transfers to persons not involved in the proceedings, and that a consolidation was had of certain of the properties and a public offering and sale of securities of successor or surviving corporations.

Thereafter, on December 10, 1945, Blatch-ley filed in this court a petition under § 24 (a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act, 15 U.S.C.A. § 79x(a), asking us to review the Commission’s order of October 11, 1945, approving the plan. On the same day Goldfine filed in this court a similar petition. We have dismissed these petitions for review in Blatchley v. Securities & Exchange Com’n et al., 157 F.2d 898, and Goldfine v. Securities & Exchange Com’n et al., 157 F.2d 899.

On January 21, 1946, Blatchley filed a notice of appeal from the district court’s order of October 25, 1945, enforcing the plan. On the same day Goldfine filed a similar notice of appeal. We have dismissed these appeals in Blatchley v. Securities & Exchange Com’n et al., 157 F.2d 900, and Goldfine v. Securities & Exchange Com’n et al., 157 F.2d 900.

On June 13, 1946, Blatchley filed in the district court a petition for leave to file a petition in the nature of a bill of review, and a petition in the nature of a bill of review. The bill of review alleged that the Commission’s and the district court’s approval of the plan for the

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In re United Gas Corp.
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Blatchley v. Securities & Exchange Commission
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Goldfine v. Securities & Exchange Commission
157 F.2d 899 (First Circuit, 1946)

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Bluebook (online)
157 F.2d 894, 5 SEC Jud. Dec. 7, 1946 U.S. App. LEXIS 3785, 1946 WL 62874, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-blatchley-ca1-1946.