Senior Health Ins. Co. of Pa. v. Beechwood Re Ltd. (In re Platinum-Beechwood Litig.)

378 F. Supp. 3d 318
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedMay 13, 2019
Docket18-cv-6658 (JSR); 19-CV-3211 (JSR)
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 378 F. Supp. 3d 318 (Senior Health Ins. Co. of Pa. v. Beechwood Re Ltd. (In re Platinum-Beechwood Litig.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Senior Health Ins. Co. of Pa. v. Beechwood Re Ltd. (In re Platinum-Beechwood Litig.), 378 F. Supp. 3d 318 (S.D. Ill. 2019).

Opinion

JED S. RAKOFF, U.S.D.J.

Before the Court are two related motions: First is the motion of Beechwood Re Ltd. ("BRE"), B Asset Manager, L.P. ("BAM"), Beechwood Bermuda International Ltd. ("BBIL"), Beechwood Re Investments, LLC ("BRILLC"), Mark Feuer, Scott Taylor, and Dhruv Narain (collectively, the "Beechwood Defendants") for summary judgment on their counterclaim against Senior Health Insurance Company of Pennsylvania ("SHIP") for the immediate advancement of litigation expenses. 18-cv-6658, ECF No. 191. Second is the motion of David Levy for a preliminary injunction against SHIP for the immediate advancement of litigation expenses. 19-cv-3211, ECF No. 5. For the reasons discussed below, the Beechwood Defendants' motion for summary judgment is denied, and Levy's motion for a preliminary injunction is granted in part and denied in part.

Background

The relevant background to this case has been set forth in various Opinions and Orders of this Court. See Senior Health Ins. Co. of Pennsylvania v. Beechwood Re Ltd., 345 F.Supp.3d 515, 520-23 (S.D.N.Y. 2018) ; In re Platinum-Beechwood Litig., No. 18-CV-6658 (JSR), 2019 WL 1759925, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 22, 2019) ; In re Platinum-Beechwood Litig., No. 18-cv-10936 (JSR), 2019 WL 1570808, at *2-7 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 11, 2019).

On March 20, 2019, the Beechwood Defendants filed an Answer to SHIP's Second Amended Complaint in which they asserted, inter alia, a counterclaim for advancement of expenses incurred in connection with Senior Health Insurance Company of Pennsylvania v. Beechwood Re Ltd. et al., 18-cv-6658-JSR (S.D.N.Y.) (the "SHIP action"). See 18-cv-6658, ECF No. 190, at ¶¶ 266-69. On April 10, 2019, Levy filed a separate action against SHIP in which he asserted, inter alia, a claim for advancement of expenses incurred in connection with the SHIP action, and in connection with Trott et al. v. Platinum Management (NY) LLC et al., 18-cv-10936-JSR (S.D.N.Y.) (the "Trott action"); Schmidt v. Nordlicht et al., Case No. 2016-76291 (Dist. Ct., Harris Cty., Tex.) (the "Schmidt action"); United States v. Nordlicht et al., 16-cr-00640-BMC (E.D.N.Y.) (the "criminal action"); and SEC v. Platinum Management (NY) LLC et al., 16-cv-06848-BMC (E.D.N.Y.) (the "SEC action"). See 19-cv-3211, ECF No. 1, at ¶¶ 27-30.

The Beechwood Defendants have moved for summary judgment on their advancement counterclaim, 18-cv-6658, ECF No. 191, and Levy has moved for a preliminary injunction on his advancement claim, 19-cv-3211, ECF No. 5. SHIP opposes both motions. 18-cv-6658, ECF No. 221 ; 19-cv-3211, ECF No. 18.

Analysis

I. The Beechwood Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment

Under Rule 56(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a "court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." "The movant bears the burden of demonstrating the absence of a genuine dispute of fact, and, to award summary judgment, the court must be able to find after drawing all reasonable inferences in favor of a non-movant that no reasonable trier of fact could find in favor of that party."

*322Palmer/Kane LLC v. Rosen Book Works LLC, 204 F.Supp.3d 565, 568 (S.D.N.Y. 2016).1

The Beechwood Defendants argue that they are entitled to advancement of litigation expenses under the investment management agreements ("IMAs") that they executed with SHIP. See Memorandum of Law in Support of the Beechwood Parties' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment for Advancement of Litigation Expenses 3, 18-cv-6658, ECF No. 192. Each of the IMAs contains the following language in Paragraph 18:

(a) Except as required by applicable law, none of the Adviser [i.e., defendant signatory] or its subsidiaries or any sub-advisor engaged by the Adviser or any director, officer, partner, member, stockholder, controlling person, employee or agent of the Adviser or its subsidiaries or any such sub-advisor, or any of their affiliates (all of the foregoing persons and entities being referred to collectively as "Indemnified Parties" and individually as an "Indemnified Party") shall be liable to the Account, any contributor of assets to the Account, the Client [i.e., SHIP] or any of the Client's shareholders for any act or omission suffered or taken by such Indemnified Party in good faith in connection with its or his performance of the Adviser's duties or exercise of the Adviser's powers under this Agreement, including, without limitation, any loss arising out of any investment or act or omission in the execution of transactions for the Account, that is not in material violation of this Agreement and does not constitute fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct, and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, without reasonable cause to believe that his or its conduct was unlawful. None of the Client or any of the Client's shareholders (all of the foregoing persons and entities being referred to collectively as "Client Indemnified Parties" and individually as a "Client Indemnified Party") shall be liable for any liability or loss (including amounts paid in respect of judgments, fines, penalties or settlement of litigation, and legal fees and expenses reasonably incurred in connection with any pending or threatened litigation or proceeding) suffered by such Client Indemnified Party by reason of a material violation by Adviser of this Agreement which violation (i) is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction (in a final non-appealable decision) to constitute fraud, gross negligence or the willful misconduct of the Adviser or (ii) arises as a result of any criminal action or proceeding against the Adviser where it is reasonably demonstrated in such action or proceeding that the Adviser had reasonable cause to believe its conduct was unlawful....
(c) To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, each Indemnified Party shall be fully protected and indemnified by the Client, out of the assets of the Account, against all liabilities and losses (including amounts paid in respect of judgments, fines, penalties or settlement of litigation, and legal fees and expenses reasonably incurred in connection with any pending or threatened litigation or proceeding) suffered by virtue of its or his serving as an Indemnified Party with respect to any action or omission suffered or taken that is not in material violation of this Agreement and does not constitute fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct, and with respect to *323any criminal action or proceeding, without reasonable cause to believe his or its conduct was unlawful.

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Bluebook (online)
378 F. Supp. 3d 318, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/senior-health-ins-co-of-pa-v-beechwood-re-ltd-in-re-ilsd-2019.