Maxx Private Investments, LLC v. Drew/Core Development, LLC

23 Mass. L. Rptr. 29
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedAugust 13, 2007
DocketNo. 072675BLS1
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 23 Mass. L. Rptr. 29 (Maxx Private Investments, LLC v. Drew/Core Development, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maxx Private Investments, LLC v. Drew/Core Development, LLC, 23 Mass. L. Rptr. 29 (Mass. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

van Gestel, Allan, J.

This matter is before the Court on the Plaintiffs renewed Motion for Temporary Restraining Order, Short Order of Notice, and Preliminary Injunction, Paper #3.

The motion was originally filed on June 21, 2007, and scheduled for hearing on June 25, 2007. On, or shortly before, June 25, 2007, the parties entered into an agreement, memorialized in a letter dated June 25, 2007, to the effect that all matters regarding this case would be held in abeyance until July 25, 2007, with all parties reserving all of their rights, “in order to permit further discussions among the Members of the Core Development Group companies concerning [their] pending development project.” Those discussions, apparently, did not resolve the parties’ impasse and thus the motion for injunctive relief has been renewed.

BACKGROUND1

The underlying complaint seeks a declaratoiy judgment and related injunctive relief involving the obligations of the plaintiff, MAXX Private Investments LLC (“MAXX”), with regard to a June 19, 2007, Funding Notice or capital call (“Capital Call #6”) in connection with a joint venture for a major development project known as “Waterside Place/Waterside Crossing” in the Seaport district in South Boston. MAXX is a Delaware limited liability company based in Braintree, Massachusetts. It is owned by J. Leo Barry, Edward A. Fish, Antonio Frias and the Kraft Group, LLC.

The defendant Core Development Group, LLC (“Core I”) is a Massachusetts limited liability company based in Boston. The defendant Core Development Group II, LLC (“Core II”) is also a Massachusetts limited liability company based in Boston. (Core I and Core II are collectively referred to herein as “the Company.”)

The defendant Drew/Core Development, LLC (“Drew”) is a Delaware limited liability company also based in Boston.

The defendant Vornado CDG I, LLC (“Vomado I”) is also a Delaware limited liability company. It is based in Wilmington, Delaware. The defendant Vomado CDG II, LLC (“Vornado II”) is also a Delaware limited liability company based in Wilmington, Delaware. Both Vomado I and Vornado II are wholly owned by Vomado Really, L.P.

Drew is a Member and a Manager of Core I and Core II. Vornado I is a Member and Manager of Core I and Vomado II is a Member and Manager of Core II. MAXX is a Member, but not a Manager, of Core I and Core II.

On August 31, 2006, MAXX, Drew and Vornado I entered into an Amended and Restated Operating Agreement of the Core Development Group, LLC (the “Core I Agreement”). Pursuant to this Agreement, Core I was formed for the purpose of developing, leasing and operating the parcel of land in the Seaport district generally known as the “Core Block.” The Core Block consists of approximately 11.4 acres within a block framed by Congress Street, D Street, Summer Street, Pump House Road and the Massport Haul Road. It is this Core Block development that is also referred to as Waterside Place/Waterside Crossing.

On the next day, September 1, 2006, MAXX, Drew and Vornado II entered into an Operating Agreement of the Core Development Group II, LLC (the “Core II Agreement”). Pursuant to this Agreement, Core II was formed for the purpose of developing, leasing' and operating residential condominiums and a hotel in the same Core Block development.

For purposes of this memorandum the Core I Agreement and the Core II Agreement are essentially identical. The primary difference between the two agreements is that the Core I Agreement addresses the commercial and retail components of the development and the Core II Agreement addresses the residential components. Thus, hereafter the Court will refer to the two agreements collectively as the “Agreement.”

The joint venture is made up of Vomado I and II, MAXX and Drew. At all material times for purposes of this memorandum Vornado I and II, and MAXX, each held a 48.75 funding percentage interest in the joint venture and Drew held a 2.50 percentage.

MAXX resists the June 19, 2007, Capital Call #6 and seeks a declaration from this Court that Capital Call #6 was not authorized under the terms of the parties’ Agreement. MAXX also seeks injunctive relief against the defendants taking action pursuant to the Agreement to dilute MAXX’s interest in the joint venture and to prevent MAXX from voting with regard to major aspects of the development.

Section 3.3(a) of the Agreement provides: “The Members agree that Additional Capital Contributions . . . may be called for . . . in accordance with the applicable Development Budget.” Development Budgets) are defined to mean, “as applicable, the Core Block Retail and Retail Parking Budget, the D-3 Retail & Retail Parking Budget, the Core Block Hotel Budget, [31]*31the Pre-Development Budget and any other Approved Budget in place from time to time.”

The “Applicable Development Budget” specifies that the budget for the Core Block component of the Project, as appearing on Exhibit 4.2 to the Agreement and still as of June 18, 2007, is $601,716,082. Of that amount, $414,109,691 was stated to be for “hard costs.”

As of April 12, 2007, the Managers disclosed to MAXX that the hard costs associated with the Core Block were by then $161,164,739 higher than the costs approved in the Agreement. Thereafter, the Managers worked with the architects to develop additional details that were not included in certain schematic drawings on which the April numbers were based, and to make modifications in some of the details that had been included for the purpose of making the Project more cost effective.

In addition to working on potential cost savings on what was called Scheme A, the Managers also worked on two variants called Scheme B.1.2 and Scheme B.1.3. At a meeting on May 10, 2007, the Managers discussed all three alternatives with MAXX.

On June 15, 2007, the Managers presented to MAXX, by memorandum, a more formal version of the three alternative plans. MAXX claims that none of the three were consistent with the terms of the Development Budget and none of them had, or has since, been approved by MAXX. MAXX insists that the Agreement requires such approval.

The June 19, 2007, Capital Call #6 is in the total amount of $1,483,531.09. The 48.75% share called for from MAXX is $723,221.41.

Section 3.3(a) of the Agreement specifies that Additional Capital Contributions are to be made “within five (5) Business Days” of a Capital Call. A “Business Day” is defined as “any day except Saturday or Sunday on which banks are open for the conduct of business in Boston, Massachusetts.” Thus, MAXXs payment, if the June 19, 2007 Capital Call #6 was valid and but for the abeyance agreement described above, would have been due before the end of banking business on June 26, 2007.

In an earlier June 12, 2007, letter, attached to the Verified Complaint as Exhibit 9, the Managers warned MAXX as follows:

If you fail to fund within five (5) business days of any . . . [Capital Call] requests, your failure will constitute an Event of Default under Section 4.9(d) of the Operating Agreements, which will entitle the Managers to exercise our rights under Section 3.4 of the Operating Agreements to make a Contribution Loan or a Make-up Contribution. In such an event, the Company will be entitled under Section 4.10 of the Operating Agreements to cause you to be a passive Member without voting or approval rights.

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Related

Maxx Private Investments, LLC v. Drew/Core Development, LLC
24 Mass. L. Rptr. 456 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 2008)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
23 Mass. L. Rptr. 29, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maxx-private-investments-llc-v-drewcore-development-llc-masssuperct-2007.