In re Platinum Partners Value Arbitrage Fund L.P.
In re Platinum Partners Value Arbitrage Fund L.P.
Opinion of the Court
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. BACKGROUND...805
A. The Platinum Funds...805
B. Procedural History...806
C. The Funds' Relationship with CohnReznick...807
II. APPLICABLE LAW...809 *805A. Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code...809
B. Other Provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and Rules Pertaining to Discovery...810
III. DISCUSSION...811
A. Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code Authorizes the Court to Grant the Relief Sought in the Motion...811
1. There Are No Grounds to Deny the Motion on the Basis of Comity...812
a. CohnReznick Has Not Demonstrated That the Discovery Sought in the Subpoena Is Impermissible under Cayman Law...812
b. Principles of Comity Support Granting the Motion...815
2. CohnReznick's Additional Arguments Are Unavailing...818
B. The Arbitration Provisions of the Engagement Letter Are Not Binding Because There is No "Dispute, Controversy, or Claim" at Issue...819
IV. CONCLUSION...822
Before the Court is the motion (the "Motion") of Margot MacInnis and Nilani Perera (the "International Fund Liquidators"), the foreign representatives of Platinum Partners Venture Arbitrage Fund (International) Limited (in Official Liquidation) (the "International Fund"), for an order pursuant to
The International Fund Liquidators bring the Motion in order to obtain records concerning the International Fund, the Master Fund, and Platinum Partners Value Arbitrage Intermediate Fund Ltd. (the "Intermediate Fund" and collectively with the International Fund and the Master Fund, the "Funds") that are within the possession of CohnReznick, which provided audit services to the Funds for calendar years 2014 and 2015. CohnReznick objects to the Motion and argues that it need not comply with the Subpoena on the grounds that (i) the Subpoena seeks documents that the Liquidators would be unable to obtain under applicable Cayman law and (ii) the Subpoena impermissibly seeks "pre-suit discovery" concerning potential claims that would fall within the scope of the arbitration provisions in the engagement letters between CohnReznick and the Funds. Alternatively, if the Motion were granted, CohnReznick argues that the Subpoena is overly broad and should be narrowed substantially.
For the reasons set forth below, the Court will grant the Motion and require CohnReznick to comply with the Subpoena.
I. BACKGROUND
A. The Platinum Funds
The Master Fund, a multi-strategy hedge fund that invests and trades in U.S. and non-U.S. financial instruments and other funds, assets, and holding companies, is a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership. The Master Fund was established in or about 2003. By 2012, most of its assets were highly illiquid and it was unable to honor numerous redemption requests *806from its investors in a timely manner. In August 2016, following its failure to honor numerous such requests, the Master Fund and its offshore feeder fund, the International Fund, were placed into liquidation by order of the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands (the "Grand Court").
The relationships between the Funds are as follows. The Intermediate Fund, an exempted limited liability company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and a limited partner in the Master Fund, was to invest all of its investable capital in the Master Fund. The International Fund, an exempted limited company under the laws of the Cayman Islands, was to invest all of its capital in the Intermediate Fund. The International Fund offered participating shares to prospective investors; its stated investment objective was to achieve superior capital appreciation through its indirect investment in the Master Fund. As such, the financial position of the International Fund was dependent upon the performance of the Master Fund and, in turn, the value of the assets in which the Master Fund held interests.
Prior to the appointment of the Liquidators, the Funds were managed by Platinum Management (NY) LLC ("Platinum Management"), which is headquartered in New York. Platinum Management administered the Funds' operations and was responsible for managing, trading, investing, and allocating the Funds' assets. Platinum Management maintained records, correspondence, and other information pertaining to the Funds' operations and investments.
On December 14, 2016, shortly after the initiation of the Master Fund Liquidation and the International Fund Liquidation, a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York indicted certain senior executives of Platinum Management on charges of conspiracy, securities fraud, investment advisor fraud, and wire fraud in connection with the operation of the Funds. See United States v. Nordlicht, et al. , Cr. No. 16-640 (E.D.N.Y. Dec. 14, 2016). Five days later, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") filed a civil complaint against Platinum Management and the indicted individuals seeking various forms of relief in connection with the alleged "multi-pronged fraudulent scheme." See Sec. & Exch. Comm'n v. Platinum Mgmt. (NY) LLC, et. al. , Civ. No. 16-06848 (E.D.N.Y. Dec. 19, 2016) (the "SEC Action"). According to the complaint filed in the SEC Action, Mark Nordlicht and David Levy, the co-chief investment officers of Platinum Management, have asserted their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination when questioned by the Litigation Trustee for Black Elk (a Master Fund investment) concerning Platinum related matters.
B. Procedural History
On October 18, 2016, Christopher Barnett Kennedy and Matthew James Wright,
The Liquidators are officers of the Grand Court who are obligated under Cayman law to "collect, realise, and distribute" the Funds' assets, and they are empowered to investigate the "promotion, business, dealings and affairs" of the Funds, including the causes of their failure.
In August 2017, the International Fund Liquidators, in their capacity as the joint official liquidators of the Intermediate Fund, filed a chapter 15 petition in this Court with respect to the Intermediate Fund Liquidation.
C. The Funds' Relationship with CohnReznick
CohnReznick is a limited liability partnership engaged in the provision of accounting, assurance, tax, and business advisory services. The Funds engaged CohnReznick to provide audit services to the Funds for calendar years 2014 and 2015, the two years preceding the collapse of the Master Fund and the initiation of the Cayman Proceedings. The engagement letters between each Fund and CohnReznick (the "Engagement Letters") contain an arbitration clause which states, in relevant part, that:
Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to the services or the performance or breach of the Agreements (including disputes regarding the *808validity or enforceability of this Agreement) or in any prior services or agreements between the parties shall be finally resolved by arbitration in accordance with the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution ("IICPR") Rules for Non-Administered Arbitrations ... Such arbitration shall be binding and final. In agreeing to arbitration, the parties acknowledge that in the event of any dispute (including a dispute over fees) the parties are giving up the right to have the dispute decided in a court of law before a judge or jury and instead the parties are accepting the use of arbitration for resolution.9
The Engagement Letters are governed by New York law.
CohnReznick issued audit opinions on the Funds' financial statements for the year 2014, but it terminated its engagement with the Funds prior to completing an audit or issuing an audit opinion for the Funds' financial statements for the year 2015.
To assist in their investigation of the Funds, the International Fund Liquidators asked CohnReznick to make available its records concerning the Funds. The Master Fund Liquidators separately made an informal request for documents from CohnReznick. In response, CohnReznick produced copies of original documents that it maintained were the property of the Funds, but it did not provide other documents in its possession concerning the Funds, such as its audit work papers, engagement documents, communications, representations, invoices, and other relevant documents within its audit file.
Accordingly, on August 31, 2017, the International Fund Liquidators served the Subpoena upon CohnReznick, seeking, among other things, "[a]ll documents and communications concerning [CohnReznick's] engagement to perform and/or [its] performance of auditing, accounting, or other services for, on behalf of, or in relation to any Fund" and "[a]ll documents concerning the assets, liabilities, and other financial affairs of [any] Fund, whether provided by the Fund or obtained from other sources."
On October 2, 2017, CohnReznick served written objections to the Subpoena upon the International Fund Liquidators. The parties were unable to resolve the objections consensually. On December 14, 2017, counsel to the International Fund Liquidators filed a pre-motion letter with this Court, requesting a conference and, if necessary, leave to file a motion to compel CohnReznick to comply with the Subpoena (the "Gordon Letter"). On January 2, 2018, counsel to CohnReznick filed a letter in response to the Gordon Letter, expressing CohnReznick's objection to any further production under the Subpoena. After a brief conference with the Court, the parties agreed on a briefing schedule for a motion to compel.
On January 25, 2018, the International Fund Liquidators filed the Motion, together with the Declaration of Christopher Barnett Kennedy (the "Kennedy Declaration") and the Declaration of Jack Gordon in support of the Motion; the Master Fund Liquidators filed the Joinder, together with the Declaration of Warren E. Gluck in Support of the Joinder (the "Gluck Declaration").
*809On February 16, 2018, CohnReznick filed the Objection, together with the Declaration of David M. Cheifetz (the "Cheifetz Declaration") and the Declaration of Rachael Reynolds (the "Reynolds Declaration") in support of the Objection. On March 2, 2018, (i) the International Fund Liquidators filed a Reply Memorandum of Law in Support of the Motion (the "Reply") and the Declaration of Mark A. Russell in Support of the Motion (the "Russell Declaration") and (ii) the Master Fund Liquidator filed a Reply in Support of the Motion (the "Master Fund Reply"). Oral argument on the Motion was held on April 5, 2018.
II. APPLICABLE LAW
A. Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code
By commencing an ancillary case under chapter 15 and obtaining recognition of a foreign main proceeding, a foreign representative receives a "[r]ight of direct access" to courts in the United States, subject to any limitations that the court may impose consistent with the policy of chapter 15.
However, the court's power to grant relief under section 1521 is not without restriction; section 1522(a) specifically states that relief under section 1519 or section 1521 may be granted "only if the interests of the creditors and other interested entities, including the debtor, are sufficiently protected."
Comity plays a significant role in cross-border insolvency proceedings. In re Cozumel Caribe S.A. de C.V. ,
B. Other Provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and Rules Pertaining to Discovery
Foreign representatives in chapter 15 cases seeking court-ordered discovery at times seek relief pursuant to section 542(e) of the Bankruptcy Code and/or Rule 2004 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (the "Bankruptcy Rules"), which are either directly applicable to chapter 15 cases or, in the alternative, delineate relief which can be granted by the court pursuant to section 1521(a)(4) or section 1521(a)(7).
Section 542(e) of the Bankruptcy Code provides, in pertinent part, that "[s]ubject to any applicable privilege, after notice and a hearing, the court may order an attorney, accountant, or other person that holds recorded information, including books, documents, records, and papers, relating to the debtor's property or financial affairs, to turn over or disclose such recorded information to the trustee."
Bankruptcy Rule 2004 authorizes a party in interest, such as a foreign representative, to subpoena documents relating "to the acts, conduct, or property or to the liabilities and financial condition of the debtor, or to any matter which may affect the administration of the debtor's estate ...." Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2004(a), 2004(b). Relief sought pursuant to Bankruptcy Rule 2004 may also be available pursuant to sections 1507, 1521(a)(4) or 1521(a)(7). " '[O]ne of the main purposes of chapter 15 is to assist a foreign representative in the administration of the foreign estate," and Rule 2004 proceedings are one of the mechanisms by which bankruptcy courts provide such assistance." Krys v. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP (In re China Med. Techs., Inc.) ,
The language of Rule 2004 is permissive "and in the proper context the Court may authorize the examination of third parties that possess knowledge of the debtor's acts, conduct, liabilities or financial *811condition which relate to the administration of the bankruptcy estate." In re Enron Corp. ,
III. DISCUSSION
A. Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code Authorizes the Court to Grant the Relief Sought in the Motion
The Liquidators argue that the documents subpoenaed from CohnReznick are both relevant and necessary to their ongoing investigation of the Funds' affairs because, as the Funds' outside auditor, CohnReznick has a unique set of documents and analyses concerning the Funds' assets, liabilities, and financial affairs which would assist the Liquidators' investigation and understanding of the Funds' affairs for the two years immediately prior to the Funds' liquidations.
The Liquidators assert that the documents they have requested under the Subpoena plainly concern "information concerning the debtor's assets, affairs, rights, obligations or liabilities" within the meaning of section 1521(a)(4) of the Bankruptcy Code, and pursuant to (i) paragraph 7 of the Recognition Order, (ii) section 1521(a)(4), and (iii) this Court's holding in Millennium Global and other relevant precedent, this Court is expressly authorized to grant the Liquidators the relief sought in the Motion.
CohnReznick does not dispute the significance of the documents the Liquidators seek or the Liquidators' authority to obtain documents pursuant to the terms of the Recognition Order. Instead, it asserts that the Subpoena is not "necessary" or "appropriate," pointing to the plain language in section 1521(a) which states that "appropriate relief" may be granted "where necessary to effectuate the purpose of [chapter 15]."
For the reasons discussed below, the Court finds that the relief sought in the Motion is necessary and appropriate under section 1521(a) of the Bankruptcy Code.
1. There Are No Grounds to Deny the Motion on the Basis of Comity
a. CohnReznick Has Not Demonstrated That the Discovery Sought in the Subpoena Is Impermissible Under Cayman Law
CohnReznick argues that the Court should deny the Motion because the Liquidators would not be permitted to obtain in the Cayman Islands the discovery sought in the Subpoena. As a result, CohnReznick posits that allowing the Liquidators to bypass Cayman law would be a "perversion of the comity concerns that underlie chapter 15 and would just invite forum shopping."
The Liquidators believe that this Court need not even address the issue of what a Cayman court would say about the discoverability *813of the subpoenaed documents. Indeed, in oral argument, counsel for the Master Fund Liquidator argued quite emphatically that the question is irrelevant to this Court's chapter 15 analysis. While that may indeed be so, nonetheless, the Court will examine the question of Cayman law. Specifically, the Liquidators criticize CohnReznick's interpretation of Cayman law, arguing that CohnReznick has failed to introduce any evidence that the Cayman courts have affirmatively prohibited the discovery of evidence of the type sought here. At best, they say, the Reynolds Declaration supports the conclusion that Cayman law on this issue is, as the Liquidators characterize it, "unsettled."
The Reynolds Declaration describes the relief which may be available under section 138 of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands (2016 Revision) (the "Companies Law"). Section 138 states that a Cayman court may require any person that "has in his possession any property or documents to which the company appears to be entitled" to "deliver such property or documents to the official liquidator."
In China Milk , the Cayman liquidators sought assistance from the Grand Court in obtaining discovery of audit work papers from the auditors who had previously been engaged by China Milk, the company in liquidation. While the parties had agreed that the audit work papers at issue were property of the auditors, the auditors acknowledged that information about the assets, liabilities, and transactions of China Milk could not be regarded as exclusively belonging to the auditor simply because the documents containing such information formed part of the audit work papers. The Grand Court permitted certain discovery sought by the China Milk liquidators, reasoning that
the official liquidators are not seeking to obtain information about audit programs and procedures in respect of which [the auditors] claim a proprietary interest. They are seeking information about China Milk's own assets and liabilities and, ... it is not disputed that [the auditor's] audit working papers and files are likely to include copies of documents and information extracted from China Milk's books and records.26
The Grand Court concluded that the liquidators were entitled to obtain audit work papers and files pursuant to section 138 of the Companies Law if such documents were found to contain information from the company's own books and records.
Relying on the Reynolds Declaration, CohnReznick argues that, under Cayman law, insolvency representatives may not obtain audit work papers or materials that are not the debtor's property.
Additionally, although the Reynolds Declaration recognizes the Grand Court's ultimate holding in China Milk, Ms. Reynolds states that subsequent applications by liquidators for production of information pursuant to Cayman law (which have relied on the decision in China Milk ) have proven unsuccessful.
The Liquidators, in contrast, maintain that the Cayman courts have not yet fully addressed whether, in light of certain case law, audit work papers are available to liquidators pursuant to section 138 of the Companies Law, at least where the question of entitlement is governed by Cayman law.
*815[the liquidators] have accepted before the Board that the information which they seek belongs to [its auditors] and was therefore properly excluded from the order made by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. Whether this was correct was not therefore a point argued before the Board. Nonetheless, the Board would not wish to part with this case without expressing their doubts about whether information which PwC acquired solely in their capacity as the company's auditors can be regarded as belonging exclusively to them simply because the documents in which they recorded that information are their working papers and as such their property.35
After considering the evidence presented by the parties on the issue of whether audit work papers sought by liquidators are discoverable under the Companies Law-namely, the decision of the Grand Court in China Milk , the dictum of the Privy Council in Singularis , and the statements by the declarants here that there are no additional decisions by Cayman courts on the issue-the Court finds that it has not been provided with evidence sufficient to enable it to conclude that Cayman law prohibits the discovery sought in the Subpoena. Accordingly, the argument that comity prohibits granting the Motion fails.
b. Principles of Comity Support Granting the Motion
Even assuming arguendo that the discovery of audit work papers in connection with the orderly wind-up of a company was clearly prohibited under Cayman law, which it is not, the scope of discovery available in the foreign jurisdiction is not a valid basis upon which this Court, in the exercise of its discretion, must limit relief available to the Liquidators pursuant to the Bankruptcy Code and Rules. Foreign law does not preclude the availability of additional relief under chapter 15, particularly when granting such relief does not run contrary to the public policy of the foreign jurisdiction. Although the boundaries of the international comity doctrine have been described as "amorphous" and "fuzzy,"
*816The Liquidators submit that CohnReznick has "fail[ed] to introduce any evidence, let alone 'authoritative proof,' that Cayman would be actively hostile to evidence obtained from an auditor under U.S. law, much less that Cayman has affirmatively prohibited such discovery."
[t]hat submission may or may not be well-founded but it misses the point.... The right to take pre-trial deposition testimony ... is a right conferred by U.S. law-it is not a right conferred by, or to be withheld under, Cayman law. The relevant question is not whether [the Cayman litigant] could achieve a similar result in the Cayman Islands but whether (if it could) it is acting oppressively or abusively in seeking to rely on the right which it enjoys under U.S. law. [The Cayman litigant] has taken the view that its interests are best served by seeking to obtain the information which it needs by taking oral depositions in New York ... rather than by proceeding by way of further and better particulars and interrogatories in the Grand Court .... It cannot be said that, in making that choice, it is acting oppressively or unconscionably or that its choice amounts to an abuse of the process of the Cayman Courts.41
So too here. The decision in Lyxor demonstrates that Cayman courts take a permissive, and indeed, solicitous, view of a Cayman litigant's efforts to utilize U.S. discovery procedures when possible, so *817long as such litigant is not acting oppressively or abusing the process of the Cayman courts. Indeed, it is worth noting that this Court and others in the United States routinely preside over Cayman-based chapter 15 cases in which these courts have occasion to observe the active contributions of Cayman jurists and practitioners to the development of international insolvency law and practice and their dedication to principles of comity.
Because Cayman law neither prohibits nor is hostile to the discovery sought here under U.S. law, principles of comity decisively weigh in favor of granting the Motion. The Liquidators argue persuasively that CohnReznick's interpretation of comity would reduce the role of this Court to that of "an avatar" for the foreign court presiding over the foreign main proceeding.
The Court is unpersuaded by CohnReznick's reliance on the decision in Singularis for the proposition that a U.S. court should not be able to compel the disclosure of documents which would not have been obtainable under Cayman law. In Singularis , as previously discussed, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council found that the Bermuda court had no jurisdiction under common law to compel the disclosure of documents from the debtor's auditor, PwC, because such documents would not have been obtainable under the law of the Cayman Islands pursuant to where the winding-up was being carried out.
For all of the foregoing reasons, the Court concludes that application of section 1521 of the Bankruptcy Code to grant the Motion does not offend widely accepted notions comity.
2. CohnReznick's Additional Arguments Are Unavailing
CohnReznick advances a number of additional arguments, all of which are unavailing. First, CohnReznick also argues that the Subpoena is inappropriate because the Liquidators have not attempted to seek discovery in the Caymans from CohnReznick Cayman, which has access to the same working documents.
In fact, CohnReznick readily acknowledges that there is no absolute rule that the Liquidators must exhaust their rights in the Cayman Islands before seeking relief in this Court.
CohnReznick further contends that the Subpoena is unnecessary since it has already turned over a thousand electronic files amounting to nearly one gigabyte of information and the Liquidators have made no showing or suggestion that they are missing any records.
B. The Arbitration Provisions of the Engagement Letter Are Not Binding Because There Is No "Dispute, Controversy, or Claim" at Issue
CohnReznick argues that the Funds are precluded from seeking pre-litigation discovery pursuant to the Bankruptcy Code or Bankruptcy Rule 2004 because the parties are contractually bound by the arbitration clause in the Engagement Letters, which broadly applies to "[a]ny dispute, controversy, or claim" arising out of or related to the rendering of CohnReznick's services and such clause requires that such dispute, controversy, or claim be finally resolved by arbitration and not by a court of law.
CohnReznick argues that the language in the relevant arbitration clauses is broad enough to encompass the discovery disputes between the Liquidators and CohnReznick, as such disputes can be considered a "dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or related to the services or the performance or breach of [the Engagement Letters]."
In further support of its argument, CohnReznick relies on In re Daisytek, Inc. ,
The Liquidators submit that the arbitration provisions under the Engagement Letters are irrelevant because the Liquidators have not asserted any claim against CohnReznick at this time; they are merely seeking information "essential to an investigation of the company's affairs and the identification of assets for the benefit of creditors."
The Court agrees. One of the significant objectives of chapter 15 is to provide judicial assistance to foreign representatives in gathering information which will enable them to comply with their duties. It would be at cross purposes with this objective, in the context of a foreign representative's application seeking discovery pursuant to section 1521, to interpret an arbitration clause so broadly that it eliminates this right.
Inasmuch as CohnReznick relies on the holding in Daisytek in support of its position, the Court concludes that the holding in Daisytek does not dictate a different result. Here, the relief sought under Motion derives exclusively from the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code. The discovery sought by the Liquidators from CohnReznick clearly falls within the scope of relief set forth in sections 542(e), 1521(a)(4), and 1521(a)(7) of the Bankruptcy Code and Bankruptcy Rule 2004. Although the holding in Daisytek can be interpreted broadly, the court's decision was predicated on the fact that the Bankruptcy Court did not consider the underlying nature of the proceedings in its decision to overrule the auditor's objection of Rule 2004 examination.
The instant discovery dispute is neither a pending proceeding nor a "dispute, claim, or controversy" that falls within the parameters of the arbitration clauses in the Engagement Letters.
Accordingly, the Court determines that the arbitration clauses under the Engagement *822Letters do not limit the relief available to the Liquidators under the Bankruptcy Code and Rules with respect to the Subpoena.
IV. CONCLUSION
For all of the foregoing reasons, the Motion is granted. Any other arguments made and not specifically addressed in this Decision, including but not limited to the argument that the Subpoena is overly broad and should be narrowed, are hereby overruled.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Each of the Funds is in liquidation pursuant to orders of the Grand Court (cause nos. FSD 131 of 2016 (AJJ) ("Master Fund Liquidation"), 118 of 2016 (AJJ) ("International Fund Liquidation,"), and FSD 30 of 2017 (AJJ) (the "Intermediate Fund Liquidation" and collectively with the Master Fund Liquidation and the International Fund Liquidation, the "Cayman Proceedings").
See Kennedy Declaration in Support of Ch. 15 Petitions for Recognition as Foreign Main Proceedings [ECF No. 2] ¶ 17.
Compl. ¶¶ 182-85, SEC Action.
Messrs. Christopher Barnett Kennedy and Matthew James Wright were originally appointed as the joint official liquidators of the Master Fund and the International Fund. In September 2017, Mr. Wright resigned and Mr. Martin Nicholas John Trott replaced him as the joint official liquidator of the Master Fund.
As a result of the Grand Court's determination on October 23, 2016 that the Master Fund and the International Fund should not have the same official liquidators, the Grand Court appointed Margot MacInnis and Nilani Perara as the joint official liquidators of the International Fund. The International Fund Liquidators are also joint official liquidators of the Intermediate Fund.
See Motion ¶ 3 (citing Declaration of Stephen Leontsinis in Support of Chapter 15 Petitions ¶¶ 37, 40 (citing Sections 102 and 110 of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands) ).
Recognition Order ¶ 7.
Case No. 17-12269, ECF No. 1.
General Terms and Conditions, "Dispute Resolution," Cheifetz Declaration at Exs. 1-4.
Motion at Ex. 3 (Kennedy Declaration) at Ex. 1(Subpoena) at Annex A at pp. 6-7.
Specifically, once recognition is granted pursuant to section 1517 of the Bankruptcy Code, the foreign representative has the capacity to sue and be sued in a court in the United States.
Reply at 1-2; Joinder ¶ 41.
Reply at 1.
Motion ¶ 26.
See generally Motion ¶¶ 30-41.
See e.g. , Gluck Declaration, Exs. C-E (attaching orders permitting foreign representative to seek discovery in In re Transfield ER Cape Ltd. (BVI) , No. 10-16270 (MG) (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Jan. 13, 2011); In re Saad Invs. Fin. Co. (No. 5) Ltd. , No. 09-13985 (KG) (Bankr. D. Del. August 14, 2014); In re ICP Strategic Credit Income Fund Ltd. , et al., No. 13-12116 (REG) (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. November 14, 2013); and In re The International Banking Corporation B.S.C. (c) , No. 09-17318 (SMB) (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. January 15, 2010 and December 30, 2015) ).
Objection at 8.
See generally Objection at 5-13.
Objection at 6.
See Objection at 6 ("As more fully set forth in the accompanying declaration of Rachael Reynolds ..., under Cayman law, insolvency representatives may not obtain audit workpapers or materials that are not the debtor's property." (citing to Reynolds Declaration ¶¶ 13-28) ).
See Reply at n.2 (citing Russell Declaration ¶ 11).
Reynolds Declaration ¶ 21.
See
See Reynolds Declaration at Ex. 3 (China Milk Products Group Limited (In Liquidation) (FSD 83 of 2011 (AJJ), 20 May 2015).
As previously noted, the CohnReznick Engagement Letters are governed by New York law, not Cayman law, a fact which CohnReznick elects to ignore in its arguments and observations concerning Cayman law.
Objection at 6 (citing to Reynolds Declaration ¶¶ 13-28).
Reynolds Declaration ¶ 25.
See
See Reply at 4 n.2; Russell Declaration ¶¶ 11, 13.
See Russell Declaration ¶ 13 (citing Singularis ¶ 30).
See Reynolds Declaration at Ex. 9 (Singularis Holdings Ltd. v. PricewaterhouseCoopers, [2014] UKPC 36 ¶ 30).
See In re Nat'l Bank of Anguilla (Private Banking Tr.) Ltd. ,
See In re Vitro S.A.B. de CV ,
Intel Corp. v. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc .,
Although the Liquidators inconsistently reject and embrace the applicability of section 1782 in their pleadings, see Motion ¶ 42; Gordon Letter at 2, the Court accepts CohnReznick's arguments that section 1782 is analogous to seeking discovery assistance under section 1521 and that courts routinely read the discovery provisions of section 1521 (or former section 304) in concert with section 1782. See Objection at 10 (citing In re Barnet ,
Reply at 5.
See Russell Declaration at Ex. 1 (Lyxor Asset Management S.A. v. Phoenix Meridian Equity Limited , 2009 CILR 553).
Id. ¶¶ 57-58.
See Master Fund Reply ¶ 8.
See id. ¶ 5. Citing In re Condor Ins. Ltd. ,
See Master Fund Reply ¶ 5.
See Reynolds Declaration ¶¶ 33-36.
See Reynolds Declaration ¶ 35.
See Objection at 5-6.
See Objection at 7-8, 9.
Hopewell ,
See Objection at 7.
See Objection at 8.
See General Terms and Conditions, "Dispute Resolution," Cheifetz Declaration at Exs. 1-4.
See Objection at 17 (citing Cheifetz Declaration).
See Objection at 17 (citing Mitsubishi Motors Corp. v. Soler Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc. ,
Objection at 18.
See id. at 16-17.
Id. at 188.
Id. at 187.
Id. at 186-87 (citations omitted).
Id. at 187 (citations omitted).
Motion ¶ 8.
See Reply at 8-11. The Liquidators also argue that the decision in Daisytek was wrongly decided and point to three subsequent decisions that have rejected its finding. See Reply at 11-14 (citing In re Millennium Lab Holdings II, LLC ,
Daisytek ,
As explicitly stated by the court in Daisytek , a "proceeding" is more than a discovery device, "it is a procedural mechanism that enables one to obtain some form of remedy or other relief."
See In re Hughes , 281 B.R. at 229 ("The issues concerning the insolvency of [the debtor], and when [the debtor] became insolvent requires the Joint Liquidators to understand as much as possible about the financial affairs of [the debtor]. The information and knowledge which the [auditor's] employees are likely to have is essential to this investigation.").
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN RE PLATINUM PARTNERS VALUE ARBITRAGE FUND L.P. (In Official Liquidation), Debtors in Foreign Proceedings.
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published