Todd Shipyards Corp. v. Marine Vessel Leasing Corp.

456 F. Supp. 1384, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15643
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedSeptember 8, 1978
DocketCiv. A. No. CV 78-0583-AAH
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 456 F. Supp. 1384 (Todd Shipyards Corp. v. Marine Vessel Leasing Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Todd Shipyards Corp. v. Marine Vessel Leasing Corp., 456 F. Supp. 1384, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15643 (C.D. Cal. 1978).

Opinion

456 F.Supp. 1384 (1978)

TODD SHIPYARDS CORPORATION, a corporation, Plaintiff,
v.
MARINE VESSEL LEASING CORPORATION, a corporation, et al., Defendants.

Civ. A. No. CV 78-0583-AAH.

United States District Court, C. D. California.

September 8, 1978.

*1385 FINDINGS OF FACTS AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

HAUK, District Judge.

The private defendants' motions to dismiss the complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure came on for hearing on August 28, 1978, before the Honorable A. Andrew Hauk, United States District Judge. Herbert L. Fenster, Joe G. Hollingsworth, and Jed L. Babbin of Sellers, Conner & Cuneo, and Nowland C. Hong and Richard A. Clark of Parker, Milliken, Clark & O'Hara appeared as counsel for plaintiff. Oliver F. Green, Jr., of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker and Grant B. Hering of Cadwalader, Wickersham *1386 & Taft appeared as counsel for defendants Marine Vessel Leasing Corporation and Irving Trust Company. Marcy Tiffany of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton appeared as counsel for defendant American Road Equity Corporation, an equity participant. George J. Wade of Shearman & Sterling, and Dennis E. Kinnaird of Munger, Tolles & Rickershauser appeared as counsel for defendants Citicorp Leasing, Inc., and the other equity participants. Norbert A. Schlei of Hughes, Hubbard & Reed appeared as counsel for defendant Marine Transport Lines, Inc. Mark S. Evens, of the Department of Justice, appeared as counsel for defendant Secretary of the Navy. Also present was Dudley J. Clapp, Jr., General Counsel, Military Sealift Command, Department of the Navy. Oliver F. Green, Jr., of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker also appeared as counsel for defendants Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company and the bond purchasers. The Court having considered all of the pleadings, memoranda, affidavits, and exhibits submitted by all of the parties, and evidence by affidavits and exhibits having been submitted by all parties and received by the Court, the Court treats the private defendants' motions as motions for summary judgment and disposes of said motions as provided in Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The Court makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law:

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Plaintiff Todd Shipyards Corporation ("Todd") is a New York corporation with its principal place of business in New York, New York.

2. Defendant Marine Vessel Leasing Corporation ("Marine Vessel") is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Wilmington, Delaware.

3. Defendant Marine Transport Lines, Inc. ("MTL") is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in New York, New York.

4. Defendant Irving Trust Company ("Irving Trust") is a New York corporation with its principal place of business in New York, New York. Irving Trust is Owner Trustee for a group of 14 financing institutions ("Equity Participants"), all of which are defendants herein.

5. Defendant Citicorp Leasing, Inc. ("Citicorp") is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in New York, New York.

6. Defendant Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company ("Manufacturers Hanover") is a New York corporation with its principal place of business in New York, New York. Manufacturers Hanover is Indenture Trustee for a group of financing institutions ("Bond Purchasers"), many of which are defendants herein.

7. Several of the defendant Bond Purchasers, including The Bowery Savings Bank and The New York Bank for Savings, are New York corporations with their principal places of business in New York, New York.

8. Defendant Manufacturers National Bank of Detroit is a national bank with its principal office in Detroit, Michigan, and has no branch in California.

9. Defendant The Third National Bank and Trust Company of Dayton, Ohio is a national bank with its principal office in Dayton, Ohio, and has no branch in California.

10. Defendant First Alabama Bank of Montgomery, N.A. is a national bank with its principal office in Montgomery, Alabama and has no branch in California.

11. Defendant The Ohio National Bank of Columbus is a national bank with its principal office in Columbus, Ohio, and has no branch in California.

12. Defendant South Carolina National Bank is a national bank with its principal office in Columbia, South Carolina and has no branch in California.

13. Defendant Virginia National Bank is a national bank with its principal office in Norfolk, Virginia, and has no branch in California.

*1387 14. Defendant First National Bank in Dallas is a national bank with its principal office in Dallas, Texas, and has no branch in California.

15. Defendant First National Bank of Minneapolis is a national bank with its principal office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has no branch in California.

16. Defendant Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago is a national bank with its principal office in Chicago, Illinois, and has no branch in California.

17. Todd and Marine Vessel entered into four identical, written construction contracts ("Construction Contracts") dated as of June 20, 1972 for the construction by Todd of four 25,000 DWT oil tankers. Each of the Construction Contracts contains a broad arbitration agreement in Article XXVIII thereof that "any dispute, disagreement or difference of opinion between Builder [Todd] and Owner [Marine Vessel] arising out of this Contract shall be subject to arbitration. . . ." The arbitration agreements also provide that "any such arbitration shall be conducted in New York, New York in accordance with the laws of the State of New York and the rules of the American Arbitration Association or such other rules as the arbitrators may decide to follow."

18. Also as of June 20, 1972, Marine Vessel and the United States executed the following documents:

a) an Agreement to Construct and Let, in which Marine Vessel undertook to

1) contract for the construction of the four tankers,
2) arrange construction supervisory services for the tankers,
3) charter the tankers to the United States upon their delivery to Marine Vessel, and
4) arrange interim and long-term financing for the construction of the tankers; and

b) for each of the tankers, a Demise Charter between Marine Vessel, as owner, and the United States, as charterer.

19. Marine Vessel issued 7 7/8 % First Preferred Fleet Mortgage Bonds, Series A, to the Bond Purchasers to refinance a portion of the loans theretofore used to pay for the construction of the tankers. These bonds were certificates of indebtedness issued by a private party; they were not bonds required by a federal law to be given by a private party as security. Todd never acquired any interest in the bonds and never had any connection with the bonds.

20. At the delivery of each tanker, Todd executed and delivered a "Certificate of No Liens or Rights In Rem and Release" which provides, inter alia, that "the Vessel is free and clear of any and all Encumbrances in favor of the Builder [Todd], and the Builder hereby expressly waives any and all such Encumbrances. . . ."

21.

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456 F. Supp. 1384, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15643, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/todd-shipyards-corp-v-marine-vessel-leasing-corp-cacd-1978.