Karaha Bodas Co. v. Perusahaan Pertambangan Minyak Dan Gas Bumi Negara

500 F.3d 111, 2007 A.M.C. 2333, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 21458, 2007 WL 2537466
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedSeptember 7, 2007
DocketDocket 07-0065-cv
StatusPublished
Cited by57 cases

This text of 500 F.3d 111 (Karaha Bodas Co. v. Perusahaan Pertambangan Minyak Dan Gas Bumi Negara) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Karaha Bodas Co. v. Perusahaan Pertambangan Minyak Dan Gas Bumi Negara, 500 F.3d 111, 2007 A.M.C. 2333, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 21458, 2007 WL 2537466 (2d Cir. 2007).

Opinion

JOSÉ A. CABRANES, Circuit Judge:

This case requires us to consider the circumstances under which a federal court may enjoin foreign judicial proceedings that threaten to undermine federal judgments confirming and enforcing a foreign arbitral award. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Thomas P. Griesa, Judge) enjoined appellant Perusahaan Pertamban-gan Minyak Dan Gas Bumi Negara (“Per-tamina”) from pursuing foreign litigation that would undermine federal judgments enforcing a foreign arbitral award that *113 appellee Karaha Bodas Company, L.L.C. (“KBC”) had obtained in Switzerland and enforced in the United States pursuant to the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, opened for signature June 10, 1958, 21 U.S.T. 2517, 330 U.N.T.S. 38 (“New York Convention” or “Convention”), implemented at 9 U.S.C. §§ 201-208. See Karaha Bodas Co. v. Perusahaan Pertambangan Minyak Dan Gas Bumi Negara, 465 P.Supp.2d 283 (S.D.N.Y.2006) (“District Court Opinion”). The District Court issued the anti-foreign-suit injunction upon learning that Pertamina had initiated a suit in the Cayman Islands that sought, inter alia, to “vitiate” the foreign arbitral award and obtain return of funds that had been paid over pursuant to the award.

Pertamina argues on appeal that the District Court used the wrong legal standard to determine whether an anti-foreign-suit injunction should issue against it and that, under the proper legal standard, the injunction should not have been granted. Pertamina also argues that, in any event, the District Court lacked jurisdiction to maintain the injunction once the federal money judgment against it was satisfied.

Although we find that the District Court did not apply the correct legal standard, we affirm its judgment with minor modifications. We conclude that: (1) the test set forth in China Trade & Development Corp. v. M.V. Choong Yong, 837 F.2d 33 (2d Cir.1987), applies to the anti-suit injunction; (2) the injunction was justified under the China Trade test; and (3) the District Court maintains jurisdiction to protect the federal judgments even after the money judgment against appellant was satisfied. We also modify the scope of the injunction to clarify that the injunction does not prohibit foreign confirmation proceedings contemplated by the New York Convention.

Background

The dispute between the parties has been litigated extensively in several countries and two federal circuits for almost ten years. We set forth only those facts relevant to the disposition of the appeal.

A. The Project and Arbitration Award

In 1994, KBC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company owned by American power companies and other investors, and Per-tamina, an oil and gas company owned and controlled by the Republic of Indonesia, entered into a joint venture for a project to explore and develop certain geothermal energy resources in Indonesia (the “Project”). See District Court Opinion, 465 F.Supp.2d at 284. The parties agreed to settle any disputes between them by binding arbitration in Geneva, Switzerland, under the Arbitration Rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (“UNCITRAL”). The parties further agreed that their contractual relationship would be governed by Indonesian law.

By 1998, the Indonesian government had suspended the Project. In 1998, KBC initiated arbitration proceedings in Switzerland in which it contended that the Indonesian government’s actions caused it over $600 million in damages and lost profits. During the arbitration, the parties contested the potential yield of the geothermal resources KBC had contracted to develop with Pertamina and the validity of KBC’s projections concerning the facilities it could develop to tap those resources. Pertamina contended that the geothermal resource and development estimates put forward by KBC when entering into the Project were “sham[s],” and that KBC had “no bona fide intention” to develop the energy-generating facilities proposed in its documents. The Swiss arbitral tribunal *114 rejected Pertamina’s allegations “about the genuineness” of the information provided by KBC in support of its claims, but acknowledged the possibility that KBC’s projections may have been “overestimate^].” On December 18, 2000, the arbitral panel issued a final decision (the “Award”) awarding KBC more than $261 million in damages, lost profits, and costs of arbitration, plus 4% interest per annum from January 1, 2001, until the date of full payment. In February 2001, Pertamina filed a petition challenging the Award in the Supreme Court of Switzerland. This challenge was dismissed in April 2001 because Pertamina failed to pay court fees on a timely basis. District Court Opinion, 465 F.Supp.2d at 284-85. The dismissal became final in August 2001 when the Supreme Court of Switzerland denied Perta-mina’s request for reconsideration.

B. Fifth Circuit Litigation

In early 2001, KBC initiated proceedings in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (“Texas District Court”) to confirm the Award pursuant to the New York Convention. The Texas District Court entered a judgment in December 2001 confirming the Award in the amount of $261 million plus interest. See Karaha Bodas Co. v. Perusahaan Pertambangan Minyak Dan Gas Bumi Negara, 190 F.Supp.2d 986 (S.D.Tex.2001) {“Texas Confirmation Opinion ”).

While the Texas District Court judgment confirming the Award was on appeal to the Fifth Circuit, Pertamina filed an action in a Jakarta, Indonesia, trial court in March 2002 seeking to collaterally attack the Award and enjoin KBC from enforcing the Award. KBC obtained a temporary restraining order from the Texas District Court prohibiting Pertamina from pursuing injunctive relief against KBC in Indonesia while the Texas District Court considered whether the Indonesian action impinged on its judgment and “upon KBC’s legitimate efforts to enforce [KBC’s] rights thereunder.” Karaha Bodas Co. v. Perusahaan Pertambangan Minyak Dan Gas Bumi Nebara, 264 F.Supp.2d 470, 474 (S.D.Tex.2002) (“Texas Injunction Opinion”), rev’d, 335 F.3d 357 (5th Cir.2003) {“Fifth Circuit Injunction Opinion”). Despite the Texas District Court’s temporary restraining order, Per-tamina obtained an injunction from the Indonesian trial court prohibiting KBC from enforcing the Award and imposing on KBC “the obligation to pay enforcement money in the amount of US$500,000.00 for each day this order is contravened, which amount must be paid promptly and fully to ... Pertamina.” Texas Injunction Opinion, 264 F.Supp.2d at 474 n. 3 (quoting Indonesian injunction). The Indonesian trial court also issued an order annulling the Award. See Fifth Circuit Injunction Opinion, 335 F.3d at 363.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
500 F.3d 111, 2007 A.M.C. 2333, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 21458, 2007 WL 2537466, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/karaha-bodas-co-v-perusahaan-pertambangan-minyak-dan-gas-bumi-negara-ca2-2007.