UBS Fin. Servs. Inc. of P.R. v. XL Specialty Ins. Co.

289 F. Supp. 3d 335
CourtUnited States District Court
DecidedFebruary 1, 2018
DocketCivil No. 15–3099 (FAB)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 289 F. Supp. 3d 335 (UBS Fin. Servs. Inc. of P.R. v. XL Specialty Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States District Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
UBS Fin. Servs. Inc. of P.R. v. XL Specialty Ins. Co., 289 F. Supp. 3d 335 (usdistct 2018).

Opinion

BESOSA, District Judge.

*336Before the Court are defendants XL Specialty Insurance Company ("XL"), AXIS Reinsurance Company ("AXIS"), and Hartford Fire Insurance Company ("Hartford") (collectively, "insurers" or "defendants")'s and plaintiffs UBS Financial Services Incorporated of Puerto Rico ("UBS PR") and UBS Trust Company of Puerto Rico ("UBS Trust") (collectively, "UBS" or "plaintiffs")'s cross-motions for summary judgment filed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 (" Rule 56"). (Docket Nos. 89, 94, 98.) For the reasons set forth below, the Court GRANTS defendants' motions (Docket Nos. 89 and 94.) Accordingly, plaintiffs' motion (Docket No. 98) is rendered moot.

I. Factual Background

In this breach of contract case, the parties dispute whether certain claims are covered by their insurance policies. The Court provides facts underlying the various matters in controversy to ascertain the scope of the policies. The following facts are deemed admitted by both parties pursuant to Local Rule 56. Loc. Rule 56(e) ; P.R. Am. Ins. Co. v. Rivera-Vazquez, 603 F.3d 125, 130-31 (1st Cir. 2010).1

A. UBS and the Funds

UBS Trust is a trust company organized pursuant to the laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (Docket No. 37 at p. 2.) UBS Asset Managers, a division of UBS Trust, manages fourteen closed-end funds and co-manages nine additional closed-end funds with Banco Popular (collectively, "funds"). (Docket No. 89, Ex. 1 at p. 19.) UBS Asset Managers is also an investment adviser for the funds. Id. at pp. 28-29.

UBS PR is a subsidiary of UBS Financial Services Incorporated ("UBS Parent"). (Docket No. 89, Ex. 3 at p. 18.) UBS PR is a licensed broker-dealer registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and was an underwriter for the funds, as well as for bonds issued by various Puerto Rico government entities ("PR bonds"). (Docket No. 89, Ex. 1 at pp. 19-21, 25.) UBS PR sold shares of the funds to its brokerage customers. Id. at p. 20.

B. The Prior Matters

From 2009 through 2012, UBS was the subject of several civil and regulatory proceedings concerning the funds (collectively, "prior matters").

*3371. 2009 SEC Investigation and 2012 SEC Order

In August 2009, the SEC ordered an investigation of UBS PR to determine whether UBS PR violated United States securities laws ("2009 SEC investigation"). (Docket No. 89, Ex. 5.) On May 1, 2012, UBS PR settled with the SEC pursuant to an Order Instituting Administrative and Cease-and-Desist Proceedings ("2012 SEC order"). (Docket No. 89, Ex. 13.) The 2012 SEC order stated that UBS PR misrepresented the risks associated with the funds to customers "seeking stable, consistently-priced securities." Id. at p. 4. While "any secondary market sales [that] investors wanted to make depended largely on UBS PR's ability to solicit additional customers or willingness to purchase shares into its inventory," UBS PR failed to inform investors that it "controlled the secondary market." Id. at p. 2.

The 2012 SEC order asserted that UBS PR

knew investor demand [in the funds] was significantly declining relative to supply. For much of 2008, UBS PR purchased millions of dollars of [fund] shares into its own inventory while promoting the appearance of a liquid market with stable prices, without disclosing UBS PR's actions were propping up prices and liquidity.

Id. at p. 2. In sum, the order maintained that UBS PR misrepresented market forces by unilaterally setting prices at artificial levels and purchasing fund shares to disguise the lack of demand. Id. at pp. 4-6.

The 2012 SEC order also stated that in the spring of 2009, UBS Parent "directed UBS PR to substantially reduce its inventory of [fund] shares." Id. at p. 2. "To accomplish the reduction, UBS PR ... executed a plan ... in which UBS PR routinely offered and sold its [fund] shares at prices that undercut pending customer sell orders." Id."During this period, numerous UBS PR customers were also attempting to sell their holdings but UBS PR's actions effectively prevented certain customers from selling their [fund] shares." Id. Moreover, despite its own concerns about the funds, UBS PR persisted to "generate customer demand" for fund shares through promotions. Id. at p. 5. Pursuant to the 2012 SEC order, UBS PR agreed to pay a total of $26,609,739.90 to settle the investigation. (Docket No. 89, Ex. 13 at p. 12.)2

2. Union Litigation

In February 2010, investors commenced an action against UBS in this Court, filing derivatively on behalf of four funds and directly as a putative class of fund investors. Verified Shareholder Derivative Action and Class Action Complaint, Union de Empleados de Muelles de Puerto Rico PRSSA Welfare Plan v. UBS Fin. Servs. Inc. of Puerto Rico, No. 10-1141 (ADC) (D.P.R. March 31, 2011) (Docket No. 1.) The investors alleged that UBS "manipulated the Funds and the bond market to the detriment of the Funds and its unsuspecting investors" by holding conflicting roles "as investment advisor, bond underwriter, and mutual fund manager" in the transactions. Id. at p. 3. The investors claimed that UBS made "material misstatements and fraudulent omissions concerning the nature, purpose, and suitability of the purchases of the [PR] Bonds for the Funds," saturating the funds with "[o]ver $750 million in purchases of the near-junk [PR] Bonds." Id. at pp. 4-5. Additionally, the investors specified that UBS withheld material facts, including "that demand for the [PR] Bonds was falsely created by *338UBS Trust's massive purchases of the [PR] Bonds for the Funds" and "that the stated asset values published for the Funds were overstated, in large part due to the overvaluation of the [PR] Bonds." Id. at p. 22.

According to the investors, UBS "used the Funds as a dumping ground for the toxic [PR] bonds" and "exacerbated [losses] for the Funds' investors as a result of the illiquidity of the market for the Funds, which is in large part controlled by [UBS], and by the fact that the Funds are highly leveraged." Id. at pp. 5-6, 21. The investors claimed that UBS "controlled the buyers and the sellers (and collected fees from both of them)" and "deceiv[ed] investors as to how other market participants have valued a security, thereby sending false signals to the market."Id. at pp. 23-24.

C. The Policies

In 2011, UBS approached the defendants through a broker after having a coverage dispute with its insurance provider. (Docket No. 89, Ex. 22 at p. 34.)3 XL was generally aware that UBS was looking for a new provider due to the coverage dispute.

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289 F. Supp. 3d 335, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ubs-fin-servs-inc-of-pr-v-xl-specialty-ins-co-usdistct-2018.