Suess v. United States

74 Fed. Cl. 510, 98 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 8212, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 389, 2006 WL 3703119
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedDecember 13, 2006
DocketNo. 90-981 C
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 74 Fed. Cl. 510 (Suess v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Suess v. United States, 74 Fed. Cl. 510, 98 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 8212, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 389, 2006 WL 3703119 (uscfc 2006).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

SMITH, Senior Judge.

I. Introduction

Before the Court is Plaintiffs’ second Motion for Reconsideration and Defendant’s Motion for Reconsideration. In their motion, Plaintiffs request that the Court amend its damages award to include a 50-percent control premium, an adjustment for informational leakage, a gross up for taxes expected to be paid on the damages award, and a gross up for taxes incurred while in receivership. Defendant’s motion, however, requests that the Court set aside or reduce its damages award for several reasons. For the reasons set forth below, Plaintiffs’ motion is GRANTED-in part and DENIED-in part, and Defendant’s motion is DENIED.

II. Procedural Background

This case is currently before the Court after trial and the entry of judgment in favor of Plaintiffs. In the Court’s April 1, 2002, decision, the Court denied Plaintiffs’ expectancy-damages claim for lost profits and their restitution claim. The Court determined, however, that Plaintiffs were nonetheless “entitled to recover the lost franchise value of the thrift ...” which the Court determined was equal to the market capitalization of Benjamin Franklin Federal Savings and Loan Association’s (“Franklin”) stock on the last business day prior to the enactment of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (“FIRREA”). Suess v. United States, 52 Fed.Cl. 221, 232 (2002). On June 6, 2002, the Court entered judgment in the amount of $34,672,500 in favor of Plaintiffs.

Shortly thereafter, both parties filed motions for reconsideration. After holding oral argument on November 21, 2002, the Court denied Plaintiffs’ motion and withheld ruling on Defendant’s motion until the receivership’s income tax liability was determined. Suess v. United States, 54 Fed.Cl. 606, 607 (2002). The receivership’s tax liability has since been resolved recently through a structured settlement.

On May 24, 2006, Plaintiffs filed their second Motion for Reconsideration stating that “[t]he primary impetus for this motion is the Court’s recent damages decision in Slattery v. United States, 69 Fed.Cl. 573 (2006) ...,” wherein the Court awarded a 50-pereent control premium, adjusted for informational leakage, and indicated the possibility of grossing up the damages award to compensate plaintiffs for taxes paid on the award. Pis.’ Sec. Mot. at 1-2. Accordingly, Plaintiffs request that the Court amend its April 1, 2002, damages decision by: (1) adding a 50% control premium; (2) adjusting for informational leakage by measuring the thrift’s mar[512]*512ket value on the day after former President Bush proposed FIRREA (February 24, 1989) rather than the day before FIRREA was enacted (August 8, 1989); (3) grossing up for taxes expected to be paid on the award; and (4) grossing up for taxes incurred while in receivership. Id.

III. Discussion

A. Legal Standard for Reconsideration

In their motions for reconsideration, Plaintiffs and Defendant request reconsideration of the Court’s April 1, 2002, decision pursuant to Rules 52(b), 59(a)(1), and 60(b)(6) of the Rules of the Court of Federal Claims (“RCFC”). Def.’s Mot. at 1; Pis.’ See. Mot. at 2, n. 1 (quoting language from RCFC 60(b)(6)). The decision of whether to grant a motion for reconsideration rests within a court’s sound discretion. Yuba Natural Res., Inc. v. United States, 904 F.2d 1577, 1583 (Fed.Cir.1990). Rules 52 and 59 allow a court to amend a judgment so long as the motion for reconsideration is filed within 10 days after the “judgment” is entered. RCFC 52(b), 59(b).

Rule 60(b)(6) allows a court to amend a judgment “upon such terms as are just” and for “any other reason justifying relief from the operation of the judgment.” To be timely, “the motion shall be made within a reasonable time.” RCFC 60(b). Although Rule 60(b)(6) is the “catch-all” provision, it is only available in “extraordinary circumstances and only when the basis for relief does not fall within any of the other subsections of Rule 60(b).” Fiskars, Inc. v. Hunt Mfg. Co., 279 F.3d 1378, 1382 (Fed.Cir.2002). As will be discussed below, to the extent the Court finds reconsideration appropriate under the circumstances presented, Rule 60(b)(6) is the proper vehicle. The Court now shifts its attention to the specific grounds of the parties’ motions.

B. Plaintiffs’ Second Motion for Reconsideration

1. Control Premium

In Plaintiffs’ second Motion for Reconsideration, Plaintiffs argue that the Court should add a 50-percent control premium to the damages award for the same reasons recognized by the Court in Slattery. Pis.’ Sec. Mot. at 1. Defendant opposes Plaintiffs’ request for a control premium based on the evidence presented. Def.’s Resp. at 10-13. In essence, Defendant asserts that Plaintiffs failed to offer evidence demonstrating that Franklin “would have commanded an acquisition per share equal to 1.5 times the market price of its stock.” Id. at 10.

Slattery, like Suess, is a derivative action brought by shareholders of a failed financial institution (Meritor Savings Bank) seeking damages for the Government’s breach of contract. In Slattery, Plaintiffs argued that control premiums are “ ‘almost always’ paid in sales of a majority interest of a firm.” Slat-tery v. United States, 69 Fed.Cl. 573, 584 (2006). To support this assertion, Slattery’s expert witness, Dr. Finnerty, offered several persuasive reasons why control premiums are paid. Id. at 584-85 (stating that control premiums are paid for many reasons including: (1) synergy between firms; (2) belief that an acquirer can do better; (3) elimination of competition; and (4) market share). Dr. Finnerty offered evidence of comparable bank transactions in the 1988 time-frame where control premiums were paid. Id. at 585. Plaintiffs also offered evidence demonstrating that under-performing institutions command higher than average control premiums and further confirmed that firms with strong franchise values command higher control premiums. Id. at 584.

After finding that the Slattery plaintiffs were entitled to expectancy damages based on the market capitalization of Meritor, the Court awarded a 50-pereent control premium. Id. at 585 (stating that “the Court finds that the control premium used by Dr. Fin-nerty justified”). In so doing, the Court rejected Defendant’s argument “that control premiums are used only in an acquisition context.” Id. at 584. The Court stated:

This seems illogical. A control premium is used in an acquisition because if one were to buy a company, one would then have control of the company. The stock price reflects only equity in a small portion of the company, but to value the whole com[513]*513pany, it is logical to price in the control premium, which would amount to its total value.

Id. at 585.

In the instant matter, Plaintiffs requested expectancy damages based on lost profits, but did not request damages based on the market capitalization of Franklin as the Plaintiffs in

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Anchor Savings Bank, FSB v. United States
123 Fed. Cl. 180 (Federal Claims, 2015)
Ambase Corp. v. United States
100 Fed. Cl. 548 (Federal Claims, 2011)
Suess v. United States
535 F.3d 1348 (Federal Circuit, 2008)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
74 Fed. Cl. 510, 98 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 8212, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 389, 2006 WL 3703119, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/suess-v-united-states-uscfc-2006.