In Re Pittsburgh Corning Corp.

453 B.R. 570, 2011 WL 2433094
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJune 16, 2011
Docket19-20225
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 453 B.R. 570 (In Re Pittsburgh Corning Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Pittsburgh Corning Corp., 453 B.R. 570, 2011 WL 2433094 (Pa. 2011).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION 1

JUDITH K. FITZGERALD, Bankruptcy Judge.

The matter before the court is the confirmation of the Modified Third Amended Plan of Debtor Pittsburgh Corning Corporation (hereinafter, “PCC” or the “Debt- or”). 2 The “Plan Proponents” include, as defined in the Modified Third Amended Plan, “[t]he Debtor, the Committee of Asbestos Creditors, and the Future Claimants’ Representative [hereinafter, the “FCR”].” Modified Third Amended Plan, Doc. No. 7704, at Article 1.1, p. 19. The “Plan Supporters” are PPG Industries, Inc. (hereinafter, “PPG”) and Corning Incorporated (hereinafter, “Corning”). Plan Proponents’ and Plan Supporters’ Post-Trial Brief in Support of Confirmation of Modified Third Amended Plan of Reorganization for Pittsburgh Corning Corporation (hereinafter, “Plan Proponents’ Post-Trial Brief’), Doc. No. 7904, at 1, n.2. For the reasons that follow, we find the Modified Third Amended Plan to be unconfirmable but will provide the Plan Proponents with another opportunity to amend the Plan in accordance with this Memorandum Opinion.

In 2006, this court found that the Second Amended Plan of PCC was not confirma-ble as drafted. In re Pittsburgh Corning Corp., 417 B.R. 289 (Bankr.W.D.Pa.2006). In doing so, we explained that the scope of the Asbestos Permanent Channeling Injunction was overly broad. The Memorandum Opinion denying confirmation of the Second Amended Plan (hereinafter, the “2006 Memorandum Opinion”) found that: (1) PC-Relationship 3 and Non-PC-Relat *576 ionship 4 claims as to PPG that included “conspiracy theory” claims (see definition, infra, at 3) are properly within the scope of § 524(g) and can be channeled as they would be derivative of the Debtor’s conduct, or claims against the Debtor, or demands on the Debtor; (2) PC-Relationship claims and “conspiracy theory” claims against Corning are properly within the scope of § 524(g) and can be channeled; and (3) Corhart 5 claims, which by definition exclude claims based on exposure to Unibestos or any other asbestos containing product manufactured, marketed or sold by PCC, cannot be channeled unless they also include a “conspiracy theory.” In re Pittsburgh Corning, 417 B.R. at 291. After examining the Unibestos, Pyrocal and Corhart claims, and after careful consideration of the Third Circuit’s decision in In re Combustion Engineering, 391 F.3d 190 (3d Cir.2004), we held that:

the ruling of the Court of Appeals in Combustion Engineering does not bar the inclusion of those claims in the proposed channeling injunction to the extent that (1) PCC is alleged to be liable for Unibestos, Pyrocal or Corhart claims, (2) PPG or Corning is alleged to be liable for Unibestos claims as a result of ownership or involvement with PCC, (3) PPG or Corning is alleged to be liable with PCC based on allegations of conspiracy, alter ego, piercing the corporate veil, domination and control, concert of action, common enterprise, aiding and abetting, respondeat superior, negligent provision of services, principal and agent, successor in interest, and other joint and/or several liability theories.

In re Pittsburgh Corning, 417 B.R. at 293. In this Memorandum Opinion, we refer to this last category of claims as “conspiracy theory” claims. Id. at 291.

As previously stated in the 2006 Memorandum Opinion:

As a threshold matter, we find that the standards for imposition of a channeling injunction are met in that under the plan a trust is to be created to assume PCC’s liabilities based on asbestos, § 524(g)(1)(B)(i)(I), the trust is to be funded by PCC’s securities in whole or part, § 524(g)(1)(B)(i)(II),(III), and the trust assets will be used to pay claims and demands, § 524(g)(l)(B)(i)(IV). We also find that PCC is “likely to be subject to substantial future demands for payment arising out of the same or similar conduct or events that give rise to the claims” to be enjoined, § 524(g) (1) (B) (ii) (I), that the actual amounts, numbers and timing of such future demands cannot be determined, § 524(g)(l)(B)(i)(II), pursuit of the claims in the tort system will threaten the plan’s purpose to deal equitably with claims and future demands, § 524(g)(l)(B)(i)(III), and the plan complies with § 524(g)(l)(B)(i)(IV) insofar as it sets forth terms with respect to the injunction to be issued.

In re Pittsburgh Corning, 417 B.R. at 294.

Furthermore, we stated: “[w]e do not recite the evidence regarding the plan’s compliance with § 1129 because those fac *577 tors are not in dispute except as to the insurance assignment and the scope of the § 524(g) channeling injunction. The evidence supports confirmation under § 1129 except as noted regarding the channeling injunction. Further, the plan, disclosure statement, balloting process and classification satisfy all of the requisite provisions of §§ 524(g), 1123, 1124, 1125, 1126,1127, and 1128 of the Bankruptcy Code except as to the scope of the channeling injunction.” Id. at 294-95.

In presenting the Modified Third Amended Plan to the court at the confirmation hearing held in June 2010, the Plan Proponents averred that “the [Modified] [T]hird [A]mended [Pjlan has the same essential elements as already approved in the prior plan.” Transcript of 6/3/2010 Hearing, Doc. No. 7823, at 25:10-12.

The Plan Proponents described the modifications in the Modified Third Amended Plan as threefold: (1) the narrowing of the channeling injunction to “no longer include! ] wholly independent claims against the shareholders having nothing to do with [PCC], or its knowledge, or its actions, or its negligence,” id. at 25:20-23; (2) the removal of insurance assignments; and (3) the addition of Combustion Engineering style insurance neutrality language. Id. at 26:2-6. These modifications will be addressed throughout this Memorandum Opinion.

As was the case with the Second Amended Plan, the Modified Third Amended Plan was accepted by the overwhelming majority of all voting classes, with all impaired classes, including more than 99% of asbestos creditors, voting in favor of confirmation. Plan Proponents’ Posh-Trial Brief, Doc. No. 7904, at 1.

Other than as described in the objections to confirmation, infra, there is no contention that the Modified Third Amended Plan does not meet the requirements of § 1129 or that the § 524(g) injunction is not warranted as to PCC. Our own review of the Modified Third Amended Plan and Plan documents satisfies us that the confirmation standards that are uncontested are met. We will address the objections to §§ 1129, 524(g), 1122 and 1123(a)(4) infra.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
453 B.R. 570, 2011 WL 2433094, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-pittsburgh-corning-corp-pawb-2011.