In re Fin. Oversight & Mgmt. Bd. for P.R.

318 F. Supp. 3d 537
CourtUnited States District Court
DecidedJuly 13, 2018
DocketNo. 17 BK 3283-LTS (Jointly Administered)
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 318 F. Supp. 3d 537 (In re Fin. Oversight & Mgmt. Bd. for P.R.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States District Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Fin. Oversight & Mgmt. Bd. for P.R., 318 F. Supp. 3d 537 (usdistct 2018).

Opinion

LAURA TAYLOR SWAIN, United States District Judge

Before the Court are (I) the Objection and Motion of Aurelius to Dismiss Title III Petition (Docket Entry No.2 913, the "Motion to Dismiss"), and (II) the Motion of Aurelius for Relief from the Automatic Stay (Docket Entry No. 914, the "Lift Stay Motion" and, together with the Motion to Dismiss, the "Motions"). The movants are Aurelius Investment, LLC, Aurelius Opportunities Fund, LLC, and Lex Claims, LLC (collectively, "Aurelius"). Aurelius argues principally that the debt adjustment case filed for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (the "Commonwealth" or "Puerto Rico") under Title III of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act, 48 U.S.C. § 2101 etseq. ("PROMESA"), must be dismissed as unauthorized. Aurelius also argues that further PROMESA-related activity must be enjoined because the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico (the "Oversight Board"), which filed the Title III proceeding on behalf of the Commonwealth, was appointed in a manner inconsistent with the requirements of the Appointments Clause of Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution of the United States (the "Constitution"). A submission supporting the position advanced by Aurelius was filed by the Ad Hoc Group of General Obligation Bondholders. (Docket Entry No. 1627.) Opposition submissions have been filed by the United States of America (the "United States"), the Oversight Board, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Official Committee of Retired Employees of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors (the "Committee"), the COFINA Senior Bondholders' Coalition (the "COFINA Seniors"), and the Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority ("AAFAF"). (Docket Entry Nos. 1610, 1622, 1623, 1629, 1631, 1634, 1638, 1640, 1929.) The Court heard argument on the instant Motions on January 10, 2018 (the "Hearing"), and has considered carefully all of the arguments and submissions made in connection with the Motions.3 For the *542reasons that follow, the Motion to Dismiss is denied in its entirety and the Lift Stay Motion is denied in light of the determinations set forth below, for failure to show cause.

I.

BACKGROUND

The following summary reflects matters that are undisputed in the parties' submissions, or of which the Court may take judicial notice.

As discussed in more detail below, Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States under the Treaty of Paris, following the Spanish American War of 1898. Treaty of Paris art. 9, Dec. 10, 1898, 30 Stat. 1759. In accordance with the Territories Clause of the Constitution, U.S. Const. art. IV, § 3, cl. 2, which provides that Congress "shall have Power to ... make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States," Congress has provided for military, and then civilian, local governance of Puerto Rico. Pursuant to a constitution developed by the people of Puerto Rico and approved by Congress, Puerto Rico's status has been that of a Commonwealth since 1952, led by a popularly elected Governor and Legislature. See Act of July 3, 1952, 66 Stat. 327; P.R. Const. art. I, §§ 1, 2.

In 2016, in response to the longstanding and dire fiscal emergency of the Commonwealth, Congress enacted PROMESA "pursuant to article IV, section 3 of the Constitution of the United States, which provides Congress the power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations for territories." 48 U.S.C.A. § 2121(b)(2) (West 2017). PROMESA established, among other things, federal statutory authority pursuant to which federal territories, including the Commonwealth, may restructure their debts.4 See Id. § 2194(n).

PROMESA created the Oversight Board as "an entity within the territorial government" of Puerto Rico. Id. § 2121(c)(1).5 Funding for the Oversight Board is derived entirely from the Commonwealth's resources. Id. § 2127. The Oversight Board is tasked with developing "a method [for Puerto Rico] to achieve fiscal responsibility and access to the capital markets." Id. § 2121(a). In aid of that purpose, PROMESA empowers the Oversight Board to, among other things, approve the fiscal plans and budgets of the Commonwealth and its instrumentalities, override Commonwealth executive and legislative actions that are inconsistent with approved fiscal plans and budgets, and commence a bankruptcy-type proceeding in federal court on behalf of the Commonwealth or its instrumentalities. Id. §§ 2141-2152; 2175(a). In a Title III proceeding, the Oversight Board acts as the sole representative of the debtor and may "take any action necessary on behalf of the debtor to prosecute the case of the debtor." Id. § 2175(a). The Oversight Board is the only entity empowered to propose a plan of debt adjustment on behalf of the Commonwealth or a debtor instrumentality. Id. § 2172(a). In carrying out its duties under PROMESA, the Oversight Board may hold hearings, take testimony, and receive evidence;

*543obtain data from the federal and territorial governments; obtain creditor information; issue subpoenas; enter into contracts; enforce certain laws of the Commonwealth; and seek judicial enforcement of its authority. Id. § 2124(a), (c)-(d), (f)-(h), (k). While it is created as an entity within the government of Puerto Rico, it is not subject to supervision or control by the Governor of Puerto Rico (the "Governor") or the Legislature of Puerto Rico (the "Legislature"). Id. § 2128(a).

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318 F. Supp. 3d 537, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-fin-oversight-mgmt-bd-for-pr-usdistct-2018.