Lycoming Engines v. Superior Air Parts, Inc. (In re Superior Air Parts, Inc.)

486 B.R. 728, 2012 WL 5947621, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 5538
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedNovember 28, 2012
DocketBankruptcy No. 08-36705-BJH-11; Adversary No. 12-3035-BJH
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 486 B.R. 728 (Lycoming Engines v. Superior Air Parts, Inc. (In re Superior Air Parts, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lycoming Engines v. Superior Air Parts, Inc. (In re Superior Air Parts, Inc.), 486 B.R. 728, 2012 WL 5947621, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 5538 (Tex. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

BARBARA J. HOUSER, Bankruptcy Judge.

Superior Air Parts, Inc. (the “Debtor” or “Superior”) has moved to dismiss the second amended complaint (the “Live Complaint”) filed by Lycoming Engines (“Ly-coming”), a division of Avco Corporation (“Avco”) and Avco’s parent, Textron Innovations, Inc. (“Textron”) (collectively, the “Plaintiffs”) against Superior (the “Current Motion to Dismiss”). For the reasons set forth below, the Current Motion to Dismiss is granted.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The following factual background appears in the Live Complaint, and appears to be undisputed, except where specifically noted. Superior manufactures after-market replacement parts for certain aircraft engines, including engines originally manufactured by Lycoming. Superior does not design its own products; it designs its own version of parts originally manufactured by others, including Lycoming. Textron holds rights to certain trade secrets and intellectual property related to Lycoming engines and licenses them to Lycoming. The Plaintiffs develop, license and own technical data, specifications, and blueprints that the Plaintiffs allege contain trade secrets not known outside Lycom-ing’s business.

The parties to this adversary proceeding have a very long history of disputes between them. In 1976, Superior sued Ly-coming in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. Lycoming filed counterclaims against Superior in that litigation. The litigation was ultimately settled in 1981, and the parties executed a “Settlement Agreement and Release” (the “1981 Settlement”). The Live Complaint alleges that as part of the 1981 Settlement the parties signed a licensing agreement that provided that Lycoming would license to Superior its proprietary information related to certain airplane engine parts in exchange for royalty payments and Superi- or’s agreement to keep Lycoming’s information confidential and to protect it from disclosure. The 1981 Settlement contained an exhibit that detailed the part numbers for which Superior was granted a license (the “1981 Licensed Parts”).

Another dispute erupted and in 1996 Avco sued Superior in the United States District Court for the Middle Dis[732]*732trict of Pennsylvania1 asserting breach of the 1981 Settlement. In 1999 the parties once again entered into a Settlement Agreement and Release and another licensing agreement and security agreement (collectively, the “1999 Agreements”). Pursuant to the 1999 Agreements, Superi- or obtained a perpetual license “subject to” the terms of the license with respect to eleven enumerated parts (the “1999 Licensed Parts”). The 1999 Agreements revoked all prior licenses for Lycoming data, including any licenses granted by the 1981 Settlement. The 1999 Agreements also required Superior to indemnify Lycoming against any liability resulting from any alleged defect in design of the designated parts. Superior was required to defend any suits against Lycoming at Superior’s expense, and Superior was obligated to get insurance coverage for this obligation to Lycoming.

Superior filed a voluntary petition for relief under chapter 11 on December 81, 2008. Prior to its bankruptcy filing, Superior had entered into an asset purchase agreement with Avco, to be guaranteed by Textron.2 Shortly after its bankruptcy filing, Superior filed a motion for approval of bid procedures and a motion to sell substantially all of Superior’s assets to Avco. In its schedules, Superior did not list the Plaintiffs as creditors; nor did Superior list the 1999 Agreements as executory contracts. As a result, Superior took no action to assume or reject the 1999 Agreements during its bankruptcy case. The deadline for filing proofs of claim in Superior’s bankruptcy case was fixed at February 17, 2009 (the “Bar Date”). The Plain[733]*733tiffs did not file any proofs of claim in the bankruptcy case, despite an appearance by their counsel in the bankruptcy case well before the Bar Date in connection with Superior’s motion to sell. Superior later withdrew its motion to sell, citing antitrust concerns.

The Debtor’s Third Amended Plan of Reorganization, filed jointly by the Debtor and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors (the “Plan”) and which did not discuss the 1999 Agreements at all, was confirmed by Order entered on August 27, 2009 (the “Confirmation Order”). Essentially, creditors were paid, the stock of the reorganized Superior was sold to the Brantly Group, and Superior’s pre-bank-ruptcy equity interests were cancelled. The Plan went effective on September 28, 2009. See Docket No. 432. After a series of claims objections and professional fee applications were determined, Superior filed its application for a final decree, which was granted on September 23, 2010, see Docket No. 654, and Superior’s bankruptcy case was closed.

On March 14, 2012, Superior moved to reopen its bankruptcy ease (the “Motion to Reopen”) in order to remove a state court lawsuit filed by Lycoming and Textron against Superior in January, 2012 in the 236th Judicial District Court of Texas (the “State Court Action”). Lycoming and Textron opposed the motion, and filed a motion in the adversary proceeding seeking remand of the State Court Action (the “Remand Motion”). In addition, Superior filed a motion to dismiss the complaint under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6), 12(b)(3), 12(e) and 9(b) (the “Original Motion to Dismiss”).3 Essentially, Superior argued that its obligations under the 1999 Agreements were discharged when the Plan was confirmed, since the complaint sought damages on a variety of theories and declaratory relief, all premised on the assertion that Superior’s perpetual license was no longer in existence due to Superior’s beach of the 1999 Agreements and Plaintiffs’ termination of the 1999 Agreements due to Superior’s breach.

After a hearing on May 15, 2012, the Motion to Reopen was granted, and the Court ruled that removal was substantively proper because, in the Court’s view, it had jurisdiction over the then-pled claims.4 The Plaintiffs had grounded the Remand Motion principally on this Court’s alleged lack of jurisdiction. However, the Plaintiffs also argued at the hearing that equitable remand was appropriate, although they had not briefed that issue or raised it in their motion. The Court ruled that it had jurisdiction over the Plaintiffs’ claims, but directed the Plaintiffs to file briefing on equitable remand. Of note, also during [734]*734the course of the May 15 hearing, counsel for the Plaintiffs stipulated in open court that the 1999 Agreements were not execu-tory contracts on the date of Superior’s bankruptcy filing. Tr. hearing held 5/15/12, 9: 7-22.

With respect to the Original Motion to Dismiss, Superior argued that the Plaintiffs’ claims for misappropriation of trade secrets, unfair competition, theft and conversion were all barred by the Confirmation Order, as the claims arose pre-petition but the Plaintiffs failed to file a proof of claim in Superior’s bankruptcy case, such that Superior’s obligations under the 1999 Agreements were discharged upon confirmation of the Plan.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
486 B.R. 728, 2012 WL 5947621, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 5538, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lycoming-engines-v-superior-air-parts-inc-in-re-superior-air-parts-txnb-2012.