Waxman v. Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.

222 F. Supp. 3d 281, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 168933, 2016 WL 7131545
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedDecember 6, 2016
Docket16 Civ. 1899
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 222 F. Supp. 3d 281 (Waxman v. Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.) 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
Waxman v. Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., 222 F. Supp. 3d 281, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 168933, 2016 WL 7131545 (S.D.N.Y. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION

Sweet, District Judge.

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (“Cliffs” or the “Defendant”) has moved under Rule 12(b)(1), F. R. Civ. P. to dismiss the com[285]*285plaint of plaintiffs Gary Waxman (“Wax-man”) and Leonard Hammerschlag (“Hammerschlag”) (collectively, the “Plaintiffs”) under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1) for lack of Article III standing and under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim. Based upon the conclusions set forth below, the motion of Cliffs is granted, and the complaint of the Plaintiffs is dismissed.

I. Prior Proceedings and Facts

The Plaintiffs filed their putative class action complaint (the “Complaint”) on March 14, 2016 which contained the following allegations.

Cliffs is a publicly traded corporation and a leading mining and natural resource firm. Complaint ¶ 18. As of the end of 2015, Cliffs had $2,898 billion of funded debt. Complaint ¶22. There were seven series of notes outstanding: 3.95% Notes due 2018 ($311.2 million outstanding as of the end of 2015, Complaint ¶ 27); 4.80% Notes due 2020 ($306.7 million, Complaint ¶ 24); 4.875% Notes due 2021 ($412.5 million, Complaint ¶ 23); 5.9% Notes due 2020 ($290.8 million, Complaint ¶¶ 1, 26); 6.25% Notes due 2040 ($492.8 million, Complaint ¶¶ 1, 25); 7.75% Second Lien (“2L”) Notes due 2020 ($544.2 million, Complaint ¶ 29); and 8.25% First Lien (“1L”) Notes due 2020 ($540.0 million, Complaint ¶ 28). Cliffs also had a bank borrowing facility from which it could borrow up to $366 million as of year-end 2015. Complaint ¶ 30.

Waxman owns an unspecified number of 5.9% Notes. Complaint ¶ 15. Hammer-schlag owns an unspecified number of 6.25% Notes, Complaint ¶ 16. The 5.9% Notes and the 6.25% Notes have been termed the “Class Notes.” The Class Notes had a pre-Exchange Offer aggregate outstanding principal of $783.6 million. Complaint ¶¶ 25-26. The 3.95% Notes, the 4.8% Notes, the 4.875% Notes, and the 2L Notes, termed the “Non-Class Notes,” had an aggregate outstanding principal of $1,574 billion. Br. at 11.

The Class Notes, like the Non-Class Notes, are governed by a March 17, 2010 Indenture. Complaint ¶ 1 & Ex. A (the “Base Indenture”). All Notes were registered pursuant to a March 10, 2010 Form S-3. Complaint ¶ 58 & Ex. H (the “Registration Statement”). The 5.9% Notes were issued pursuant to a March 11, 2010 prospectus supplement, Complaint ¶ 58(a) & Ex. I (the “5.9% Prospectus Supplement”), and a supplemental indenture, Complaint ¶60 & Ex. L (the “First Supplemental Indenture”). The 6.25% Notes were issued pursuant to a September 16,2010 Prospectus Supplement, Complaint ¶ 58(b) & Ex. J (the “First 6.25% Prospectus Supplement”), a March 17, 2011 Prospectus Supplement, Complaint ¶ 58(c) & Ex. K (the “Second 6.25% Prospectus Supplement”), and two supplemental indentures, Com-plaintlffl 61-62, Ex. M (the “Third Supplemental Indenture”), & Ex. N (the “Fifth Supplemental Indenture”).

The risk factor in each Prospectus Supplement stated: “The notes are subject to prior claims of any secured creditors and the creditors of our subsidiaries, and if a default occurs we may not have sufficient funds to fulfill our obligations under the notes.” 5.9% Prospectus Supplement at S-7; First 6.25% Prospectus Supplement at S-9 (same); Second 6.25% Prospectus Supplement at S-12 (same). The Supplements further stated that “[t]he indenture governing the notes permits us and our subsidiaries to incur secured debt under specified circumstances.” 5.9% Prospectus Supplement at S-7 (emphasis added); First 6.25% Prospectus Supplement at S-9 (same); Second 6.25% Prospectus Supplement at S-12 (same). The 5.9% Prospectus Supplement at S-ll stated: “The notes will be effectively subordinated to any of our future secured indebtedness to the [286]*286extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness and effectively junior to liabilities of our subsidiaries.” The covenants in the Supplemental Indentures provided that Cliffs and its subsidiaries may, subject to certain restrictions, “without securing the notes [at issue here], incur, issue, assume or guarantee secured Debt.... ” First Supp. Indenture § 3.02; Third Supp. Indenture at § 3.02 (same).

On January 27, 2016, Cliffs announced a voluntary exchange offer in which certain holders of six different classes of bonds were offered new bonds in exchange for their existing bonds (generally, the “Exchange Offer”). Complaint ¶ 31 & Ex. E. The Exchange Offer allowed eligible holders of the Class Notes and the Non-Class Notes to exchange their existing bonds for new bonds that bore an 8% interest rate and ranked between the 1L and 2L Notes in terms of secured priority (the “1.5L Notes”), and, in return, the exchanging holders would take significant haircuts. Id. The exchange rate differed by series, and ranged from $390-$650 in 1.5L Notes per $1000 in original notes exchanged. Exchanging bondholders needed to accept a 35%-61% reduction in principal to receive the new 1.5L Notes. Id., Ex. G. The 5.9% Notes received $400 per $1000 exchanged; the 6.25% Notes received $390 per $1000 exchanged. Id. The Class Notes that were exchanged, therefore, incurred at least a 60% reduction in principal.

The Exchange Offer was open only to qualified institutional buyer's (“QIBs”), as defined by Rule 144A under the Securities Act, and to holders who were not “U.S. persons,” as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act. Id. Plaintiffs fell into neither category, Complaint ¶¶ 15-16, and thus were not eligible to participate.

II. The Applicable Standards

District courts in this Circuit analyze motions to dismiss for lack of standing under Rule 12(b)(1). See Davis v. Kosinsky, No. 16-CV-1750 (JGK), 217 F.Supp.3d 706, 709, 2016 WL 6581300, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 4, 2016); Barnett v. Countrywide Bank, FSB, 60 F.Supp.3d 379, 385 (E.D.N.Y. 2014); Bricklayers & Masons Local Union No. 5 Ohio Pension Fund v. Transocean Ltd., No, 10 Civ. 7498 LTS JCF, 2012 WL 4748151, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 4, 2012). When reviewing a Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss, a court “must accept as true all material factual allegations in the complaint, but [may] not [] draw inferences from the complaint favorable to plaintiffs.” J.S. v. Attica Cent. Sch. 386 F.3d 107, 110 (2d Cir. 2004); see also Davis, 217 F.Supp.3d at 707-08, 2016 WL 6581300, at *1 (noting that in considering a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(1), a court “does not [] draw all reasonable inferences in the plaintiffs favor”).

“In defending against a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(1), the non-moving party bears the burden of proving the court’s subject matter jurisdiction by a preponderance of the evidence.” Sloan v. Michel, No. 15 CIV. 6963 (LGS), 2016 WL 1312769, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 4, 2016); see also Makarova v. United States, 201 F.3d 110, 113 (2d Cir. 2000); Davis, 217 F.Supp.3d at 707, 2016 WL 6581300, at *1. Under Rule 12(b)(1), a court “may refer to evidence outside the pleadings.” Makarova, 201 F.3d at 113; Davis, 217 F.Supp.3d at 708, 2016 WL 6581300, at *1.

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222 F. Supp. 3d 281, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 168933, 2016 WL 7131545, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/waxman-v-cliffs-natural-resources-inc-nysd-2016.