Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of BankUnited Financial Corp. v. Federal Deposit Insurance (In Re Bank United Financial Corp.)

442 B.R. 49, 22 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. B 613, 2010 Bankr. LEXIS 4987, 54 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 66
United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Florida.·Decided November 15, 2010·No. 17-24021·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART CROSS MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

LAUREL M. ISICOFF, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter came before the Court on cross-motions for summary judgment filed by the Plaintiff, the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of BankUnited Financial Corporation (“Committee or Plaintiff’) (DE # 14) and by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as Receiver for BankUnited, FSB (“FDICR or Defendant”) (DE # 12). The issue in this case is who owns the causes of action against two common former officers of BankUnited, FSB (the “Bank”) and BankUnited Financial Corporation (the “Holding Company” or the “Debtor”). The two proposed defendants are Alfred R. Camner, the former chief executive officer of the Holding Company and of the Bank and the former Chairman of the Board of the Holding Company and of the Bank, and Humberto L. Lopez, the former Chief Financial Officer of the Holding Company and of the Bank (collectively, the “Proposed Defendants”).

The FDICR argues that any claims that the Holding Company seeks to assert against the Proposed Defendants are derivative claims and therefore belong exclusively to the FDICR. The Committee argues that the claims it is asserting against the Proposed Defendants are direct claims which the Holding Company, and there *52 fore the Committee on behalf of the Holding Company 1 , may bring. The Court has considered the Complaint and its attachments, including the proposed complaint attached as Exhibit A to the Complaint (the “Proposed Complaint”), the motions filed by the respective parties, their respective responses, replies, and in the case of the FDICR, its sur-reply. The Court has also considered argument of counsel, as well as applicable statutory and case law. For the reasons set forth below, this Court grants summary judgment in favor of the FDICR with respect to Counts I and III of the Proposed Complaint and grants summary judgment to the Committee with respect to Count II of the Proposed Complaint.

THE FALL OF BANKUNITED

On May 21, 2009, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”) took over the Bank. The Bank’s “good” assets were sold to BankUnited, a newly chartered federal savings bank, and the balance of the assets was transferred to FDICR, including “(b) any interest, right, claim, or judgment against (i) any officer, director, employee, accountant, attorney, or any other Person employed or retained by the Failed Bank or any Subsidiary of the Failed Bank.” (Purchase and Assumption Agreement Among FDICR, FDIC, and BankUnited Dated as of May 21, 2009 (the “Purchase and Assumption Agreement”) at pp. 13-14). 2 The next day, May 22, 2009, the Holding Company and two of its subsidiaries — BankUnited Financial Services, Incorporated and CRE America Corporation — each filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. 3

The Holding Company is the sole shareholder of the Bank. Prior to the FDIC closure of the Bank, the Bank and the Holding Company each had a board of directors. The membership on each of the boards was, apparently, identical. Each member of each of the boards is a named beneficiary under a single Directors’ and Officers’ liability policy (the “D & O Policy”).

On August 31, 2009, the Committee filed its Motion for Derivative Standing to Investigate, Assert and Prosecute Claims Against Officers, Directors, and Prepetition Professionals (DE #228). This Motion was opposed by the FDIC, who argued that the only claims the Debtor could possibly assert against directors and officers were derivative claims, which could only be brought by the FDICR, and therefore, any investigation would be a waste of estate resources (DE # 252). On September 29, 2009, this Court granted the Committee’s Motion, granted the Committee derivative standing and authorized the Committee to investigate potential claims against former officers and directors (DE #279). On November 24, 2009, the FDIC filed its Motion to Enforce the Order Granting, as Modified, Committee’s Motion for Derivative Standing to Investigate, Assert and Prosecute Claims Against Officers, Directors and Prepetition Professionals (DE # 373), arguing that, by virtue of various demand letters sent by the Committee to former officers *53 and directors, it was clear the Committee was pursuing only derivative claims and the Committee should not be allowed to proceed. After considering the FDIC’s motion, the various responses to the motion, and conducting a lengthy hearing, this Court ruled, for the reasons stated on the record, that without the benefit of seeing an actual complaint, the Court was unwilling (and pursuant to case law cited at the hearing, unable) to determine whether any or all claims asserted by the Committee were derivative rather than direct. Thus, the Court denied the FDIC’s motion (DE #426). 4 The Court invited the Committee either to file the actual complaint and let the presiding judge rule on the direct/derivative issue once the complaint was filed, or to file a declaratory action attaching a proposed complaint which proposed complaint would then be considered for purposes of determining whether the Committee could bring the claims asserted therein. The Committee chose the latter option.

The parties agree that the determination of whether the Proposed Complaint sets forth causes of action that only the FDICR can bring is a matter to be determined on summary judgment.

JURISDICTION AND VENUE

This Court has jurisdiction over this adversary proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334. The adversary claim is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2). Venue of this adversary proceeding is proper in this district pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1409.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

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Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of BankUnited Financial Corp. v. Federal Deposit Insurance (In Re Bank United Financial Corp.), 442 B.R. 49, 22 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. B 613, 2010 Bankr. LEXIS 4987, 54 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 66 (Fla. 2010).

442 B.R. 49 (Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of BankUnited Financial Corp. v. Federal Deposit Insurance (In Re Bank United Financial Corp.)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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