MF Global Holdings Ltd. v. Allied World Assurance Co. (In re MF Global Holdings Ltd.)

562 B.R. 55, 2017 Bankr. LEXIS 84
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJanuary 12, 2017
DocketCase No. 11-15059 (MG); Adv. Proc. No. 16-01251 (MG)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 562 B.R. 55 (MF Global Holdings Ltd. v. Allied World Assurance Co. (In re MF Global Holdings Ltd.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
MF Global Holdings Ltd. v. Allied World Assurance Co. (In re MF Global Holdings Ltd.), 562 B.R. 55, 2017 Bankr. LEXIS 84 (N.Y. 2017).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

MARTIN GLENN, UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY JUDGE

On December 21, 2016, this Court issued a Memorandum Opinion and Temporary Restraining Order (the “TRO Opinion” or the “TRO,” ECF Doc. # 35),1 enjoining the Bermuda Insurers from taking any action to enforce certain provisions of the Injunc-tive Orders (defined below) issued by the Supreme Court of Bermuda, Civil Jurisdiction (Commercial Court) (the “Bermuda Court”). See MF Global Holdings Lt. v. Allied World Assurance Co. Ltd. (In re MF Global Holdings Ltd.), 561 B.R. 608, 2016 WL 7388546 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Dec. 21, 2016). The TRO was issued for 14 days, with the preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for January 4, 2017, before the TRO expired. At the outset of the January 4, 2017 hearing, the Court extended the TRO for an additional 14 days to permit the Court to decide whether to issue a preliminary injunction. Now pending before the Court is the determination whether there are grounds to issue a preliminary injunction enjoining the Bermuda Insurers from taking any action to enforce these Injunctive Orders.

In connection with the preliminary injunction hearing, Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd. (“Allied”) filed the Memorandum of Law in Support of Defendant Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd.'s Opposition to Memorandum Opinion and Temporary Restraining Order (the “Allied TRO Response,” ECF Doc. # 37). In support of the Allied TRO Response, Allied filed the Affirmation of Erica Ker-stein in Support of Defendant Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd’s Opposition to Memorandum Opinion and Temporary Restraining Order (the “Kerstein Affirmation,” ECF Doc. #38). Attached' as exhibits to the Kerstein Affirmation are Allied’s Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction and Lack of Service of Process, Allied’s Motion to Compel Arbitration, and Allied’s December 7, 2016 Opposition to This Court’s Order to Show Cause, along with the exhibits originally attached to each of these motions.

The Iron-Starr Insurers2 filed the Iron-Starr Defendants’ Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Court’s Sua Sponte Preliminary Injunction (the “Iron-Starr TRO Response,” ECF Doc. #36). MF Global Holdings, Ltd. (“MFGH”), as Plan Administrator, and MF Global Assigned Assets LLC (“MFGAA” and together with MFGH, the “Plaintiffs”), filed the Memorandum of Law on the Bermuda Defendants’ Continued Violation of This Court’s Bar Order (the “Plaintiffs’ TRO Response,” ECF Doc. # [—], filed under seal on December 28, 2016).

For the reasons set forth below, the Court finds that there are sufficient grounds to enter a preliminary injunction enjoining the Bermuda Insurers from taking any action to enforce the Injunctive Orders.

I. BACKGROUND

The facts relevant to the issue currently before the Court are set forth in the TRO [57]*57Opinion and previous opinions and orders issued by this Court. Additional relevant facts are set forth below.

A. The Temporary Restraining Order

As noted above, through the entry of the TRO, this Court restrained and enjoined the Bermuda Insurers from taking any action to enforce the injunctive orders (the “Injunctive Orders,” ECF Doc. ## 7-2, 7-3) issued by the Bermuda Court on November 8, 2016. Specifically, the TRO restrained and enjoined the Bermuda Insurers from taking any action to enforce the following provisions of the Injunctive Orders:

1. [MF Global Holdings, Ltd. (“MFGH”), as Plan Administrator, and MF Global Assigned Assets LLC (“MFGAA,” together with MFGH, the “Plaintiffs” or the “MFG Parties”) ] shall not, whether by themselves or through their employees, servants, agents, representatives, attorneys or otherwise, commence, prosecute or otherwise pursue litigation in the United States insofar as that litigation concerns, arises out of and/or relates to the insurance policy issued to the [Plaintiffs] by the [Bermuda Insurers], Policy No. C007357/005 (“the Policy”) including, for the avoidance of doubt, litigation containing allegations of breach of “good faith and fair dealing” relating to the Policy) and/or otherwise breaches the terms of the valid and binding Bermuda arbitration agreement between the [Plaintiffs and the Bermuda Insurers].
2. The [Plaintiffs] shall not, whether by themselves or through their employees, servants, agents, representatives, attorneys or otherwise, seek and/or obtain an anti-suit injunction and/or an anti-anti-suit injunction and/or a temporary, preliminary or permanent order restraining and/or preventing the [Defendant] from pursuing and/or otherwise enforcing the said valid and binding Bermuda arbitration agreement, until trial or further order.

TRO Opinion, 2016 WL 7388546, at *17.

B. The Skeleton Argument and the December 22, 2016 Bermuda Court Orders

On December 22, 2016, the day after this Court entered the TRO, the Bermuda Insurers filed certain pleadings (the “Skeleton Argument”) and appeared and were heard before the Bermuda Court. In the Skeleton Argument, the Bermuda Insurers expressly requested certain relief from the Bermuda Court, including:

12.1 An Order that the [Bermuda Insurers] be granted leave to amend the Originating Summonses in these proceedings, pursuant to RSC Order 20 rules 5 and'7, to include a further or alternative claim for permanent injunc-tive relief, in the form of a permanent injunction mandating the [Plaintiffs], acting by themselves and/or acting through their employees, servants, agents, representatives, and attorneys, to terminate, discontinue, withdraw and/or to apply forthwith to dismiss (without prejudice) the Adversary Complaint proceedings commenced by the [Plaintiffs] against the [Bermuda Insurers] in the United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, Case No: 11-15059 (MG), Adv. Proc. No: 16-01251 (MG) (“the Adversary Proceedings”);
12.2 An interim injunction mandating the [Plaintiffs], acting by themselves and/or acting through their employees, servants, agents, representatives, and attorneys, to terminate, discontinue, withdraw and/or to apply forthwith (i.e. within the next 28 days) to dismiss (without prejudice) the Adversary Proceedings (as defined above).

[58]*58(Skeleton Argument ¶¶ 12.1, 12.2 (emphasis in original).) The Bermuda Court then entered two orders (the “December 22, 2016 Orders”) in the Bermuda proceedings initiated by (i) Allied and (ii) the Iron-Starr Insurers.3 The December 22, 2016 Orders provide in relevant part that:

1. The [Bermuda Insurers] shall be granted leave to amend the Originating Summons in these proceedings, pursuant to RSC Order 20 rules 5 and 7, in the form of the draft Amended Originating Summons included in Exhibit JEH-3, to include a further or alternative claim for permanent injunctive relief, in the form óf a permanent injunction mandating the [Plaintiffs], acting by themselves and/or acting through their employees, servants, agents, representatives, and attorneys, to terminate, discontinue, withdraw and/or to apply forthwith to dismiss (without prejudice) the adversary proceedings commenced by the [Plaintiffs] against the [Bermuda Insurers] in the United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, Case No: 11-15059 (MG), Adv. Proc.

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Bluebook (online)
562 B.R. 55, 2017 Bankr. LEXIS 84, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mf-global-holdings-ltd-v-allied-world-assurance-co-in-re-mf-global-nysb-2017.