In re MF Global Inc.

512 B.R. 757, 71 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1795, 23 Wage & Hour Cas.2d (BNA) 235, 2014 WL 3543475, 2014 Bankr. LEXIS 3068, 59 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 215
United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York·Decided July 17, 2014·No. Case No. 11-02790 (MG) SIPA·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER OVERRULING IN PART AND SUSTAINING IN PART OBJECTION TO VACATION PAY CLAIMS

MARTIN GLENN, UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY JUDGE:

Former employees of MF Global Inc. (“MFGI”) filed a putative class claim for damages under the WARN Act1 and for unpaid accrued vacation time. Those same employees raised identical allegations in adversary proceedings filed against MFGI, as well as against MF Global Holdings Ltd., MF Global Finance USA, Inc., and MF Global Holdings USA, Inc. (collectively, the “chapter 11 Debtors”). In two written opinions, the Court dismissed the WARN Act claims asserted in the adversary proceedings, but declined to decide the issue of liability for unpaid accrued vacation time. See Thielmann v. MF Global Holdings Ltd. (In re MF Global Holdings Ltd.), 481 B.R. 268, 284 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y.2012) (Thielmann I); Thielmann v. MF Global Holdings Ltd. (In re MF Global Holdings Ltd), Nos. 11-15059, 11-15058, Adv. Pro. No. 11-02880, 2018 WL 4511863, at *4 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y. Aug. 23, 2013) (Thielmann II). Familiarity with those opinions is assumed. The SIPA Trustee, however, has conceded liability for the vacation pay claims.

MFGI now objects to the class claim on the grounds that (1) the WARN Act claims are barred by the “law of the case” doctrine and (2) the claim for vacation pay is unnecessary and duplicative and does not meet the requirements for the assertion of a class claim. The class claimants concede that their WARN Act claims are barred by this Court’s prior opinions, and that portion of the Objection is SUSTAINED. As to their claims for unpaid accrued vacation time, the Court finds that the putative class claim satisfies the requirements for class certification. Further, allowing the claim to proceed as a class claim will result in the most expeditious administration of the MFGI estate. Therefore, the Objection to the vacation pay portion of the claim is OVERRULED. The Class Claimants are directed to file a motion seeking class certification as soon as practicable.

I. BACKGROUND

A. The WARN Act Adversary Proceedings

On October 31, 2011 (the “Filing Date”), the Honorable Paul A. Engelmayer, United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York, entered an order commencing the liquidation of MFGI under the provisions of the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (“SIPA”). In November 2011, former employees of MFGI and the chapter 11 Debtors filed three adversary complaints seeking relief under the WARN Act for termination of their employment without the statutorily required advance notice. (See Adv. Pro. No. 11-02880-mg; Adv. Pro. No. 11-02881-mg; and Adv. Pro. No. 11-02882-[761] mg; collectively, the “Adversary Proceedings”).2 Each of the Individual Claimants was a named plaintiff in the Adversary Proceedings. The Court consolidated the Adversary Proceedings on January 30, 2012. On December 12, 2011, the Plaintiffs filed a consolidated Amended Complaint. (Adv. Pro. Doc. # 4.) The Amended Complaint included claims for unpaid accrued vacation time under New York and Illinois wage payment laws.

On October 23, 2012, the Court dismissed with prejudice all WARN Act claims against MFGI, holding that the “liquidating fiduciary” principle immunized MFGI from WARN Act liability. See Thielmann I, 481 B.R. at 284. But the Court specifically declined to rule on the vacation pay portion of the Amended Complaint, stating:

With respect to the claims for unpaid accrued vacation time and unpaid wages and benefits, Plaintiffs’ counsel acknowledged at the hearing that these claims should be asserted in proofs of claim filed in the SIPA and chapter 11 cases, rather than in an adversary complaint. Plaintiffs’ counsel also said they have filed class proofs of claim seeking relief with respect to these claims. Both Trustees’ counsel acknowledged that those claims will be dealt with in the | normal claims allowance process. In dismissing the Amended Complaint, this ruling is without prejudice to the assertion of claims for unpaid accrued vacation or unpaid wages and benefits.

Id. at 272 n. 1 (internal quotation marks omitted).

The time to appeal Thielmann I has passed; that decision is now final.

B. The Class Claim

On June 2, 2012,3 Todd Thielmann, Pierre-Yvan Desparios, Natalia Sivova, Sandy Glover-Bowles, and Arton Sina (collectively, the “Individual Claimants”) filed general creditor claim number 300000720 (the “Thielmann Claim,” attached as Ex. A to the Obj.) on behalf of a putative class of all similarly situated employees (the “MFGI Class Claimants”), asserting claims under the WARN Act and for unpaid accrued vacation time.4 The Thielmann [762] Claim references Adversary Proceeding No. 11-02880 and asserts three distinct claims against MFGI: (1) an administrative claim for an estimated amount of $25 million for alleged violations of the WARN Act; (2) an unliquidated administrative claim for attorneys’ fees under the provisions of the Federal WARN Act; and (8) a wage priority claim for an estimated amount of $5 million for unused employee vacation.

C. The Objection

James W. Giddens (the “Trustee”), as Trustee for the liquidation of MFGI under SIPA, filed the Objection to the General Creditor Claim, of Todd Thielmann, et al. (Claim No. 300000720) (the “Objection,” ECF Doc. # 7818). The Trustee seeks an order disallowing and expunging the Thiel-mann Claim because (1) the WARN Act claims are barred by the “law of the case” doctrine since the Court already held in Thielmann I that MFGI is immune to those claims based on the “liquidating fiduciary” doctrine, and (2) the vacation pay claim is unnecessary and duplicative, and does not meet the requirements for the assertion of a class claim. The Objection is supported by the Declaration of Kenneth Aulet. (Obj. Ex. B.) The Individual Claimants, on behalf of themselves and the MFGI Class Claimants, filed an omnibus response (the “Response,” ECF Doc. # 7880), and the Trustee filed a reply (the “Reply,” ECF Doc. #7991). The Court heard argument on the Objection on June 19, 2014.

The Class Claimants concede (see Resp. ¶ 4), and the Court agrees, that the WARN Act claims are barred by the Court’s decision in Thielmann I.No further discussion on this issue is required; the Court SUSTAINS the Objection to those claims. The remaining issue is whether the Court should allow the vacation pay portion of the Thielmann Claim to proceed as a class claim. As explained below, the answer is yes.

II. DISCUSSION

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In re MF Global Inc., 512 B.R. 757, 71 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1795, 23 Wage & Hour Cas.2d (BNA) 235, 2014 WL 3543475, 2014 Bankr. LEXIS 3068, 59 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 215 (N.Y. 2014).

512 B.R. 757 (In re MF Global Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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