Les Telecommunications D'Haiti S.A.M. v. Cine

77 F. Supp. 3d 263, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 176038, 2014 WL 7461445
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedDecember 19, 2014
DocketNo. 13-CV-6462
StatusPublished

This text of 77 F. Supp. 3d 263 (Les Telecommunications D'Haiti S.A.M. v. Cine) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Les Telecommunications D'Haiti S.A.M. v. Cine, 77 F. Supp. 3d 263, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 176038, 2014 WL 7461445 (E.D.N.Y. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM, ORDER & JUDGMENT

JACK B. WEINSTEIN, Senior District Judge:

[265]*265Table of Contents

I. Introduction.265

II. Findings of Fact. tO 05 05

A. Launching of Haitel: Haiti’s First Mobile Telephone Company. DO 05 05

B. June 3,1998: Teleco Resolution. tO 05 05

C. June 14,1998: Haitel Collects Subscriptions for Its Shares in -Anticipation of Share Capital Increase. tO 05 05

D. June 25,1998: Teleco and Haitel Sign Licensing Agreement. DO 05 -Cl
E. November 24,1998: Haitel Shareholders Agreement. tO 05 OO

F. March 2007: Parties Disagree About the Manner in which Articles 2 and 5 of the Licensing Agreement Operate and Validity of November 24,1998 Agreement. to -0

G. July 2007: Teleco Files Lawsuit Against Haitel in which Haitel Participates. to I — 1

H. September 2013: Haitel Demands Arbitration. to h-»

III. Standard for Determination of Foreign Law.■... 272

IV. Findings of Haitian Law..'.272

A. Delegating Managing Powers of Boards of Directors Via Mandate .272

B. Confirmation of Contract.273

C. Apparent Mandate.•.273

D. Defense of Nullity in Breach of Contract Action .273

V. Application of Law to Facts.273

VI. Statute of Limitations.274

VII. Waiver.275

VIII. Conclusion.275

I. Introduction

Central to this controversy is the right to payment for control of a valuable radio wave band required in operating Haiti’s mobile telephone system. Plaintiff contends that the dispute should be decided by a Haitian court in a case that has been proceeding for some years. Defendant seeks to have arbitrators decide.

On October 27 and 29, 2014, a bench trial to decide ruling Haitian law was held. (Bench Trial Hr’g Tr. Oct. 27 & 29, 2014 (“Tr.”).) See Fed.R.Civ.P. 44.1; Les Télécommunications d’Haiti S.A.M. v. Cine, No. 13-CV-6462, 2014 WL 2655451, at *7 (E.D.N.Y. June 13, 2014). Two issues under Haitian law were to be decided:

First, whether an agreement entered into by the parties in June 1998, which contained a dispute resolution clause subjecting disputes to the jurisdiction of Haitian courts, governs the litigation rights of the parties; and
Second, whether a November 1998 agreement superseded the June 1998 agreement between plaintiff Les Télé-communications d’Haiti S.A.M. (“Tele-co”) and Haiti Télécommunications In-ternationales S.A. (“Haitel”), which defendant Ciné controls; and if the arbitration provision the latter agreement contains is enforceable against Teleco.

Based on the written and oral evidence in the record, including Haitian law expert opinions supplied by both parties, the November 1998 agreement has no binding effect on plaintiff; plaintiff was never a [266]*266party to it. The arbitration provision contained in that agreement does not bind Haitel.

Plaintiffs motion for an order permanently staying defendant’s demand for arbitration is granted.

The parties have not objected to admission of any evidence. Assuming some form of civil law proof applies, and that this evidence would be given its natural probative force, the findings set out below would be reached. Assuming the Federal Rules of Evidence apply, the same result would be reached. Cf. Shady Grove Orthopedic Assocs., P.A. v. Allstate Ins. Co., 559 U.S. 393, 130 S.Ct. 1431, 176 L.Ed.2d 311 (2010) (finding federal rules of practice apply to cases tried in federal court).

The court’s specific findings of fact and conclusions of law are stated pursuant to Rule 52 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. See infra Parts II-VI. It is assumed that Rule 52 applies in a bench trial finding foreign law. But cf. Fed.R.Civ.P. 52(a)(3) (providing findings of fact and law not required when ruling on a motion for summary judgment under Rule 56).

II. Findings of Fact

A.Launching of Haitel: Haiti’s First Mobile Telephone Company

Franck Ciné, a resident of New York, is the founder of Haitel, the first mobile telephone company in Haiti. Les Télécommunications d’Haiti, 2014 WL 2655451, at *1. He and his immediate family are the majority shareholders of Haitel; he is the chairman of the board of directors and the president of Haitel. (Decl. Ciné ¶ 3, ECF No. 53-1.)

When Haitel was launched in 1998 it needed a radio frequency band with which to operate. Les Telecommunications d’Haiti, 2014 WL 2655451, at *1. Teleco, a telecommunications company in Haiti, owned a. 1.9 GHz frequency band, which it agreed to license to Haitel for fifteen years. (June 25, 1998 Contract art. 2, ECF No. 25 (“Licensing Agreement”).)

B.June 3, 1998: Teleco Resolution

The final version of this licensing agreement was presented to Teleco’s board of directors on June 3, 1998. (Tr. 187:10-Í88:4.) On the same day, Teleco’s board of directors issued a written resolution approving the contract and specifically authorizing the president of the board, Fritz Jean, to sign “The HAITEL S.A. contract” on behalf of Teleco. (June 3, 1998 Teleco Resolution, ECF No. 26 (“Resolution”).) This resolution was attached to the licensing agreement. (Tr. 187:19-188:4.) At trial, the parties stipulated that “on June 3rd, 1998[,] there was a [complete] physical contract, negotiated, and that [, although the contract was actually only signed on June 25, 1998,] ... the contract [attached to the resolution] was .:. authorized by the board on June 3rd, 1998.” {Id. 187:20-24.)

C.June 14, 1998: Haitel Collects Subscriptions for Its Shares in Anticipation of Share Capital Increase

On June 14, 1998, the board of directors of Haitel collected the following subscriptions for its shares:

Frank N. Ciné 287,476 shares

SOCABANK 5,000 shares

SOGED S.A. 4,500 shares

M.C.I. 3,000 shares

Marie Ginette Jacques 12 shares

Erns F. EXCEUS 6 shares

Jehan D. COLIMON 3 shares

Leslie PEAN 3 shares

(Haiti’s Gazette, Le Moniteur (“Le Monit-eur”), P00342, ECF No. 88-6.) Fifteen days later, reflective of the subscriptions collected, Haitel formally decided to increase its share capital to 300,000 shares. (Id.) As stated in the August 30,1999 issue of Le Moniteur, on June 29, 1998, Haitel decided:

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77 F. Supp. 3d 263, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 176038, 2014 WL 7461445, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/les-telecommunications-dhaiti-sam-v-cine-nyed-2014.