Jackson National Life Insurance v. Greycliff Partners, Ltd.

229 B.R. 750, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20242, 1998 WL 906534
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Jackson National Life Insurance v. Greycliff Partners, Ltd.. Read the opinion of the Court — 2 F. Supp. 2d 1164
District Court, E.D. Wisconsin·Decided November 13, 1998·No. No. 96-C-476·Published

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

MYRON L. GORDON, District Judge.

Plaintiff Jackson National Life Insurance Company [“Jackson”] is the court-appointed representative of the bankruptcy estates of Bucyrus-Erie Company and its parent, B-E Holdings, Inc. [collectively, “Bucyrus”]. In that capacity, Jackson alleges claims of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, aiding and abetting the breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment against the defendants. This is the court’s decision on the following three motions filed by the defendants:

1) Motion to dismiss of defendants Alfred C. Eckert III, South Street Corporate Recovery Fund I, L.P., South Street Leveraged Corporate Recovery Fund, L.P. and South Street Corporate Recovery Fund I (International), L.P. [collectively, excluding Mr. Eckert, the “South Street Funds”];
2) Motion to dismiss of defendant Mikael Salovaara; and
3) Motion to dismiss of defendants Grey-cliff Partners, Ltd. and Greycliff Partners.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

This case arises out of the bankruptcy proceedings of Bucyrus and a 1992 financing transaction involving Bucyrus and the defendants that occurred before the bankruptcy filing. Jackson became a creditor of Bucyrus in 1990 when it purchased $60 million in principal amount of “Bucyrus’ 12.5% Resettable Senior Notes due January 1, 1996” [the “Reset Notes”]. Bucyrus’ Second Amended Joint Plan of Reorganization [the “Plan”], which was confirmed by the bankruptcy court, gives Jackson the authority to pursue certain of Bucyrus’ claims as the “representative of the debtors’ estates.” In this capacity, Jackson asserts Bucyrus’ claims against [752]*752the defendants. The facts set forth below are taken from the allegations in Jackson’s complaint, which are accepted as true for the purpose of deciding the defendants’ motions. Zinermon v. Burch, 494 U.S. 113, 118, 110 S.Ct. 975, 108 L.Ed.2d 100 (1990).

Defendants Salovaara and Eckert, both residents of New Jersey, were co-owners of defendant Greycliff Partners, Ltd., a Delaware corporation that provided financial advisory services to Bucyrus. Upon the November 1993 dissolution of Greycliff Partners, Ltd., Mr. Salovaara and Mr. Eckert became partners in defendant Greycliff Partners, also a financial advisory service. Mr. Salo-vaara, Mr. Eckert, and Greycliff Partners managed the South Street investment funds. (Second Amended Complaint [“Compl.”] 1ÍV 6-10.)

At the heart of Jackson’s complaint is its charge that there was a fraudulent scheme among the defendants and the law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy [“Mil-bank”], counsel for the defendants and Bucy-rus, to “plunder Bucyrus for their own gain.” In 1992, the scheme allegedly caused an insolvent Bucyrus to enter into a multi-million dollar fraudulent conveyance of its assets, in the form of a “sale-leaseback” financing transaction [the “sale-leaseback”], to the South Street Funds. The scheme culminated during the subsequent bankruptcy proceedings of Bucyrus, where the defendants fraudulently conspired with Milbank to control the outcome of the bankruptcy ease and ensure that they would profit from the unlawful sale-leaseback. As part of their plan, the defendants failed to disclose, and Mr. Salovaara affirmatively concealed, their relationship with the debtors’ counsel. The plaintiff claims that the scheme succeeded. The bankruptcy court allowed the secured claim of the South Street Funds arising from the sale-leaseback, and it confirmed a plan of reorganization that contained partial releases of the defendants. As a result, Bucyrus sustained damages, including the loss of the companies’ enterprise value and the release of valuable claims that Bucyrus had against the defendants. (See generally Compl. at ¶¶ 2-3, 44-87.)

The relationship between the defendants, Bucyrus and Milbank began in 1986, when Mr. Salovaara and Mr. Eckert were employed at Goldman Sachs & Co. [“Goldman”], which acted as financial advisor to Bucyrus. Bucyrus was represented at that time by attorney Lawrence Lederman. Mr. Leder-man was a senior partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz [“Wachtell”], but he later joined Milbank in late 1991, bringing with him, as clients, Bucyrus and all of the defendants. Bucyrus was never told that Milbank concurrently represented the defendants. (CompLIffl 14-15.)

In 1988, Goldman and a management group from Bucyrus’ predecessor corporation undertook a leveraged buy-out [“LBO”] of that company, which became Bucyrus after consummation of the LBO. Mr. Salovaara and Mr. Lederman were heavily involved in the transaction. Goldman and Wachtell received substantial fees from the LBO, and Goldman received 49.9% of the stock of B-E Holdings. Bucyrus, on the other hand, incurred millions of dollars of debt that it could not pay and therefore became insolvent. (Compl.lffl 18-23.)

Mr. Salovaara and Mr. Lederman advised Bucyrus to enter into other financing transactions in order to service its LBO debt. In 1989, Bucyrus used an “exchange offer” to restructure its LBO debt, and in 1990 it issued the Reset Notes to Jackson in the principal amount of $60 million. Both transactions drove Bucyrus deeper into insolvency. Goldman and Wachtell profited from the transactions by collecting . substantial fees and, in Goldman’s case, by trading in Bucy-rus’ public debt securities prior to the exchange offer. (Compilé 24-29.) As a result of a settlement agreement between Jackson and Goldman, Jackson does not assert claims here based on these transactions and seeks relief “solely for acts and omissions occurring after November 25, 1991.” (Compl. ¶ 11.) On that date, Mr. Eckert and Mr. Salovaara left Goldman to form Greycliff Partners, Ltd. Mr. Eckert, Mr. Salovaara, Greycliff Partners, Ltd. and, after 1993, Greycliff Partners managed the South Street Funds. (CompLV 37.)

[753]*753In 1992, Bucyrus entered into the sale-leaseback. Mr. Salovaara advised senior management that Bucyrus should enter into this transaction with the South Street Funds, despite his knowledge that filing for bankruptcy was in Bucyrus’ best interests. Mr. Lederman also advised Bucyrus to enter the transaction. Thus, in July, 1992, Mr. Salo-vaara structured the sale of all of Bucyrus’ manufacturing equipment to the South Street Funds for $18.3 million. Then, Mr. Salo-vaara arranged for Bucyrus to lease the equipment back at a rate of 23%. At the same time, the South Street Funds purchased $16.75 million of Bucyrus’ Senior Secured Notes. (Compile 44-48.) After the closing of the sale-leaseback, to increase its control over Bucyrus, the South Street Funds purchased large amounts of Bucyrus’ debt securities in the open market. (Compl.lffl 61-62.)

Mr. Salovaara, Mr. Eckert, and Greycliff Partners, Ltd. knew or should have known that the sale-leaseback would deepen Bucy-rus’ insolvency and diminish its enterprise value. Nevertheless, the defendants reaped large profits from the transaction, knowing that the sale-leaseback would give the South Street Funds the status of Bucyrus’ dominant senior secured creditor in the inevitable financial restructuring of Bucyrus. (Compl.lffi 51-57.)

In 1993, Bucyrus announced that it would default on its debt obligations, and it retained Milbank to handle the legal side of its financial restructuring. (Comply 63.) Bucyrus underwent chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the eastern district of Wisconsin in 1993 and 1994.

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Jackson National Life Insurance v. Greycliff Partners, Ltd., 229 B.R. 750, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20242, 1998 WL 906534 (E.D. Wis. 1998).

229 B.R. 750 (Jackson National Life Insurance v. Greycliff Partners, Ltd.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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