United Resources Equity Partners I, L.P. v. National Energetics Co.

989 F. Supp. 479, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21127, 1997 WL 815496
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedDecember 19, 1997
DocketNo. 92 Civ. 8994(CBM)
StatusPublished

This text of 989 F. Supp. 479 (United Resources Equity Partners I, L.P. v. National Energetics Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United Resources Equity Partners I, L.P. v. National Energetics Co., 989 F. Supp. 479, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21127, 1997 WL 815496 (S.D.N.Y. 1997).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

MOTLEY, District Judge.

Plaintiffs, United Resources Equity Partners I, L.P., LIRO Group, L.P., and United Resources Energy Partners Series II, L.P., allege that they were defrauded in their purchase of National Energetics Company stock under § 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. § 78j(b) and S.E.C. Rule 10B-5 promulgated thereunder, § 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. § 78t, § 12(2) of the Securities Act of 1933,15 U.S.C. § 77 1(2), § 15 of the Securities Act of 1933,15 U.S.C. § 77v, the Massachusetts Securities Act, Mass.Gen.Laws Ann. Chap. 110A, the Texas Securities Act, Tex. Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. Articles 579 et seq., Section 27.01 of the Texas Bus. & Com.Code Ann. (West 1987), and common law.

Defendants deny the allegation that they materially misled plaintiffs in their purchase of National Energetics Company stock. Additionally, defendants argue that plaintiffs case fails because plaintiffs have not met the [480]*480requirements of the applicable statute of limitations in this case.

A bench trial was held before the court on November 21, 22, 25 and 26,1996. Based on the stipulations of facts between the parties, the trial testimony, and the exhibits, the court makes the following Findings of Facts and Conclusions of Law in favor of defendants.

FINDINGS OF FACTS

I.THE PARTIES

1. Plaintiffs, United Resources Equity Partners I, L.P., LIRO Group, L.P., and United Resources Energy Partners Series II, L.P., are all limited partnerships organized under the laws of the State of Delaware. Plaintiffs’ managing general partner is United Resources Capital Management, Inc. (URCM), a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware. Dennis M. Quirk is president and chief executive officer of URCM. Mr. Quirk formed the plaintiff partnerships for the purpose of investing in certain companies. (Tr. at 21-22).1

2. Defendant, National Energetics Company (NECO), is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware. The remaining defendants, Randall T. Boyd, Bruce C. Boyd, Owen E. Boyd, Eugene P. Bergemann, John W. Sim, Frank P. Nagor-ney, and the Estate of E. Eugene Mahon, are all individuals who were associated with NECO at various times.

II. THE DISPUTE

3. In 1987, 1988 and 1989, NECO was marketing a process called “trigeneration”, which was developed by Randall T. Boyd. Trigener-ation is a process which extracts carbon dioxide from the waste gases of a cogenerator. (Tr. at 316-317, 341-342).

4. In 1987 and 1988, NECO attempted to sell its trigeneration process to potential buyers, including Coca-Cola and Anheuiser Busch. (Tr. at 353).

5. In June, 1989, NECO entered into a lease regarding a cogeneration facility in Bellingham, Massachusetts where NECO was to install its trigeneration processes. (Exhibit 1). Under the terms of the lease, NECO was primarily responsible for maintaining and operating the facility. The lease also gave NECO permission to sell resulting carbon dioxide to any purchaser. (Exhibits I, 9, 11). The lease also stipulated that NECO was to enter into agreements for the sale of carbon dioxide in a manner often referred to as “milestones”: 50 tons must be sold by September, 1989,100 tons by December, 1989,150 tons by March, 1990, etc. (Tr. at 73-74). Under the terms of the lease, if the milestones were not met the lease could be terminated. (Exhibit 1).

6. During this time, NECO was extensively researching the carbon dioxide market in the northeastern United States. (Tr. at 371).

7. Based on its research, NECO decided that it could sell all the carbon dioxide it could produce at the facility in Bellingham, (Tr. at 406), and that a reasonable price for the carbon dioxide would be $75/ton wholesale and $125/ton retail. (Tr. at 372).

8. During mid-1989, NECO arranged to sell 150 tons of carbon dioxide to American Carbonation, a company which distributed carbon dioxide. This arrangement covered the first three milestones outlined in the lease. (Tr. at 405-406,408-409).

9. Towards the end of 1989, NECO investigated the possibility of a joint venture with Areher Daniels Midland (“ADM”), a strong competitor in the carbon dioxide industry. (Tr. at 408-410).

10. NECO had a competitive advantage over other large carbon dioxide producers because the Bellingham facility was the only large-scale carbon dioxide production facility in the northeast. (Tr. at 401).

II. Due to the progress of the discussions between NECO and ADM, defendants believed that NECO would be quite successful as of January 1, 1990, after plaintiffs had agreed to purchase NECO stock. (Tr. at 406-10).

12.In mid-January, 1990, NECO met with a company named IEC and the bank which was financing the Bellingham facility for [481]*481IEC. (Tr. at 410-411). At this meeting, the bank told NECO for the first time that it would not allow IEC to accept the American Carbonation agreement. (Tr. at 411). However, the bank told NECO that the potential partnership between NECO and ADM was a good idea. (Tr. at 411). Additionally, at this meeting IEC told NECO that it would waive the milestones in the lease. (Tr. at 412-413).

13. In March, 1990, a . board of directors meeting and a shareholders meeting were held. (Tr. at 413). At the shareholders meeting, which Mr. Quirk attended, it was announced that IEC had given NECO unwritten waivers for the milestones. (Tr. at 416-417).

14. IEC did not subsequently mention the milestones to NECO. (Tr. at 413). IEC never told NECO that NECO was in default of its lease due to failure to meet the milestones. (Tr. at 410).

15. In September, 1990, the dealings with ADM fell apart. (Tr. at 418-423). Subsequently, NECO entered into an amended lease which substituted a $100,000 annual payment for NECO’s right to sell the carbon dioxide. (Tr. at 426-427; Exhibit 8).

16. Thereafter, NECO tried to arrange oth-. er projects, but none of them worked out due to continued delays at the Bellingham facility. (Tr. at 427-429). At this point, NECO was short on cash and sought other investors without much success. (Tr. at 214-215, 428-430). In 1991, NECO sold the carbon dioxide that it produced at the Bellingham facility before the facility was officially certified, as it was entitled to do under its lease.- (Tr. at 428). Also, Lee Cotten loaned NECO $200,-000. (Tr. at 429). Mr. Cotten subsequently agreed to invest money in NECO, if the shareholders would agree to restructure the company’s equity in exchange. (Tr. at 429). All of the shareholders agreed, except for Mr. Quirk. Thereafter, NECO was sold at auction to Mr. Cotten, and then ceased to function. (Tr. at 429-430).

17. In 1989, Mr. Quirk was a registered investment advisor who represented partnerships about potential investments. (Tr. at 21,137).

18. Mr. Quirk investigated NECO for about a year, starting in early 1989.

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989 F. Supp. 479, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21127, 1997 WL 815496, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-resources-equity-partners-i-lp-v-national-energetics-co-nysd-1997.