Indian Harbor Insurance v. Zucker ex rel. Liquidation Trust of Capitol Bancorp Ltd.

553 B.R. 633, 2016 WL 1253040, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43148
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Michigan
DecidedMarch 31, 2016
DocketCase No. 1:14-cv-1017
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 553 B.R. 633 (Indian Harbor Insurance v. Zucker ex rel. Liquidation Trust of Capitol Bancorp Ltd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Indian Harbor Insurance v. Zucker ex rel. Liquidation Trust of Capitol Bancorp Ltd., 553 B.R. 633, 2016 WL 1253040, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43148 (W.D. Mich. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION

HON. JANET T. NEFF, United States District Judge

Plaintiff Indian Harbor Insurance (“Indian Harbor”) filed this declaratory judgment action against Defendants Clifford Zucker, Joseph D, Reid, Cristin K. Reid and Brian K. English, following the filing of a related action, Zucker v. Reid, et al., 1:14-cv-850 (W.D, Mich. 2014), seeking recovery against the officers and directors of a corporation insured by Indian Harbor. Pending before the Court is Plaintiff Indian Harbor’s Motion for Summary Judgment on Counts I and II of its Complaint and on the Counterclaim filed by the Liquidation Trustee (Dkt 33). Defendant Clifford Zucker, the Liquidation Trustee, has filed a Response in opposition (Dkt 38). Defendants Cristin Reid and Brian English have filed a Response in opposition (Dkt 39), and Defendant Joseph Reid has filed a Response adopting the Reid/English Response (with one brief additional argument) (Dkt 43). Plaintiff has filed' a Reply (Dkt 42). Having fully considered the parties’ submissions, the Court concludes that oral argument would not assist in the disposition of the issues presented. See W.D. Mich. LCivR 7.2(d). For the reasons that follow, Plaintiffs motion is granted.

I. Background

In this insurance coverage dispute, Plaintiff seeks a declaratory judgment that two directors’ and officers’ (“D&O”) liability policies issued to Capitol Bancorp, Ltd. (Capitol Bancorp), a bank holding company, do not provide coverage for a lawsuit [635]*635filed against three officers, Defendants Joseph and Cristin Reid and English, for alleged breaches of fiduciary duties owed by them to the company, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012 and subsequently was reorganized into a Liquidation Trust, represented by Defendant Liquidation Trustee, Clifford Zucker. Plaintiffs Complaint (Dkt 1) alleges three declaratory judgment counts:

Count I: Indian Harbor is entitled to a judgment declaring that the 2010-2011 Policy and the 2011-2014 Policy do not provide coverage for any loss, including defense expenses, in connection with the Liquidation Trust Action because the Insured v. Insured Exclusion in the policies bars coverage for the Liquidation Trust Action in its entirety.

Count II: Indian Harbor is entitled to a judgment declaring that the 2010-2011 Policy does not provide coverage for the Liquidation Trust Action because it is a Claim that was “first made” after the expiration of the Policy Period on September 9, 2011.

Count III: Indian Harbor is entitled to a judgment declaring that other policy provisions contained in the 2010-2011 Policy and/or the 2011-2014 Policy may limit Indian Harbor’s contractual obligations thereunder and/or exclude coverage in connection with the Liquidation Trust Action.

Defendant Zucker has filed a Counterclaim (Dkt 11) seeking a declaratory judgment declaring that:

(i) the 2011-2014 Policy provides coverage for any loss, including defense expenses, in connection with the Liquidation Trust Action;

(ii) the Insured vs. Insured Exclusion does not bar coverage for any loss, including defense expenses, in connection with the Liquidation Trust Action; and

(iii)the Liquidation Trust Action relates to and is covered by the claim Indian Harbor was first put on notice of in May, 2013.

Plaintiff moves for summary judgment on Counts I and II of the Complaint and on the Counterclaim for declaratory relief filed by Zucker.

II, Stipulated Facts

Pursuant to this Court’s dispositive motion procedures, the parties have filed a Joint Statement of Facts Not in Dispute (JSOF, Dkt 35), which sets forth the following facts for purposes of the motion (identified by the corresponding'numbered paragraph in the JSOF).

1. Capitol Bancorp Ltd. (“Capitol Ban-corp”) is a bank holding company that owned individual community banks in several states. Capitol Bancorp is the parent of Financial Commerce Corporation (“FCC”).

3. On August 9, 2012, Capitol Bancorp arid FCC filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”). The bankruptcy cases are jointly administrated under the caption, In re Capitol Bancorp Ltd., No. 12-58409-MBM (Bankr. E.D. Mich.),

4. In the bankruptcy proceedings, no Chapter 11 trustee was appointed for the Debtors. On August 29, 2012, the United States Trustee appointed an Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors (the “Creditors’ Committee”) pursuant to Section 1102(a) and (b) of the Bankruptcy Code to represent the interests of the creditors.

16. Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, the Debtors agreed to amend certain provisions contained in a previously filed Joint Liquidating Plan, and a Liquidating Trust Declaration of Trust attached to the Plan, including, among other things, provisions relating to the [636]*636membership on the Liquidation Trust Oversight Committee, the dissolution of the - Creditors’ Committee, the preservation and transfer of all causes of action belonging to the Debtors, including causes of action against directors, officers and Insiders, the limitation of any recovery on such claims to insurance proceeds,' and the payments of certain fees and expenses of the Creditors’ Committee, its members and their counsel. In exchange, the Creditors’ Committee agreed, among other things, to withdraw its objections to the Liquidating Plan, to cause the individual members of the Creditors’ Committee to withdraw their objections to the Liquidating Plan, and to withdraw various other appeals and motions it had filed in the bankruptcy proceedings.

17. On January 21, 2014, the Bankruptcy Court heard the Settlement Motion and granted approval of the Settlement Agreement between the Debtors and the Creditors’ Committee. On January 27, 2014, the Debtors filed an Amended Joint Liquidating Plan (the “Amended Plan”),

18. On January 29, 2014, the Bankruptcy Court entered its Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order Granting Final Approval of Amended Disclosure Statement and Confirming Amended Joint Liquidating Plan of Capitol' Bancorp Ltd. and Financial Commerce Corporation (the “Confirmation Order”).

27. In the Confirmation Order, the Bankruptcy Court further found that, “[b]ased upon the record before the Court in these Chapter 11 Cases, the Debtors, the Committee and their respective members, officers, directors, agents, financial advisers, attorneys, employees and affiliates and representatives have acted in good faith within the meaning of Bankruptcy Code § 1125(e) and are entitled to the protections afforded by Bankruptcy Code § 1125.”

31. Recital D of the Liquidation Trust Agreement identifies four primary purposes of the Liquidating Trust, which include: (i) to “pursue Causes of Action, including Causes of Action under chapter 5 of the Bankruptcy Code,' for the benefit of the Beneficiaries in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 301.7701-4(d)”; and (iv) to “distribute any proceeds as may be provided in the Plan, including any remaining Proceeds from the Sale Process, and otherwise exercise the duties of a chapter 7 trustee and debt- or in possession.”

20. Article V(D) of the Amended Plan states, with respect to the Liquidating Trust Oversight Committee:

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Bluebook (online)
553 B.R. 633, 2016 WL 1253040, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43148, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/indian-harbor-insurance-v-zucker-ex-rel-liquidation-trust-of-capitol-miwd-2016.