Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. v. Electric Machinery Enterprises, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
This is an interlocutory appeal in a bankruptcy case. We find that the district court erred when it upheld a bankruptcy court’s denial of a motion to compel arbitration.
BACKGROUND
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company (“Whiting-Turner”) was the general contractor on the construction of certain improvements at Universal City Development Partners’ (“UCDP”) theme park known as “Seuss Landing.”
While Whiting-Turner was pursing these claims against UCDP, Whiting-Turner and EME entered into a Tolling Agreement, which tolled the applicable statute of limitations with respect to an action by EME against Whiting-Turner. The Tolling Agreement also acknowledged that during the course of the project, EME had incurred additional costs for change work and acceleration of contract performance. The Tolling Agreement stated that Whiting-Turner had submitted EME’s claimed costs as part of Whiting-Turner’s claims to UCDP, and Whiting-Turner was continuing to exhaust both Whiting-Turner’s and EME’s claims with UCDP. In the Tolling Agreement, Whiting-Turner and EME agreed “that any issues, claims or defenses between them shall be resolved by binding arbitration under the Construction Industry Rules of the American Arbitration Association and judgment shall be entered upon any award in such proceedings.”
In June 2004, Whiting-Turner entered into a settlement agreement with UCDP in which UCDP paid Whiting-Turner $9,600,000. Following the settlement, Whiting-Turner informed EME that based on the prior payments made to EME, Whiting-Turner considered its subcontract with EME paid in full. Both before and during the Tolling Agreement, Whiting-Turner had previously paid EME $1,845,451.
In May 2003, EME had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida. After Whiting-Turner settled with UCDP, EME filed an adversary proceeding in bankruptcy court against Whiting-Turner alleging that Whiting-Turner owes EME $5,081,286 in principal and $2,328,423 in accrued interest pursuant to a subcontract agreement between the parties. In its complaint, EME claims that the suit is for “turnover” property of the estate. Furthermore, EME claims that Whiting-Turner breached their contract and owed payment to EME based on a payment bond issued by Whiting-Turner.
EME moved for summary judgment, asserting that Whiting-Turner has a duty to “turn over” the undisputed amount of money that it owes EME. Specifically, EME claimed that it is owed a percentage of the settlement proceeds that UCDP paid to Whiting-Turner. Whiting-Turner’s initial cumulative claim against UCDP was for approximately $21 million, which included EME’s claim of approximately $6.2 million. EME stated that this
The bankruptcy court denied EME’s motion for summary judgment and found that this case is not a “turnover” action because it involves a disputed and unliqui-dated claim. The bankruptcy court also found that this case presents a constructive trust situation, because Whiting-Turner collected money in settlement for itself and for EME, and if Whiting-Turner does not distribute the proportion of the settlement owed to EME, Whiting-Turner will be unjustly enriched. However, the bankruptcy court acknowledged that the amount of money that Whiting-Turner owes to EME is a “hotly disputed” factual issue. Having determined that a constructive trust existed, the bankruptcy court determined that it had jurisdiction over the res of the constructive trust, and that the determination of the amount of res in the constructive trust was a “core” bankruptcy proceeding. Therefore, the bankruptcy court found that arbitration under these circumstances was not appropriate and denied Whiting-Turner’s motion to compel arbitration. The district court affirmed, and Whiting-Turner appealed.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
We independently examine the factual and legal determinations of the bankruptcy court under the same standards as the district court. Barrett Dodge Chrysler Plymouth Inc. v. Cranshaw (In re Issac Leaseco, Inc.), 389 F.3d 1205, 1209 (11th Cir. 2004). We review legal determinations de novo. Securities Groups v. Barnett (In re Monetary Group), 2 F.3d 1098, 1103 (11th Cir. 1993). We review the factual findings of the bankruptcy court for clear error. Id.
DISCUSSION
A Legal Standard for the Enforcement of a Valid Arbitration Agreement
The parties do not dispute that they entered into a valid arbitration agreement to resolve any and all claims or issues between them. The Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) provides, in pertinent part, that arbitration agreements “shall be valid, irrevocable, and enforceable, save upon grounds as exist at law or in equity for the revocation of any contract.” 9 U.S.C. § 2. The FAA establishes a federal policy favoring arbitration. See Shearson/American Express, Inc. v. McMahon, 482 U.S. 220, 226, 107 S.Ct. 2332, 2337, 96 L.Ed.2d 185 (1987). However, “[l]ike any statutory directive the Arbitration Act’s mandate may be overridden by a contrary congressional command.” Id. “Thus, unless Congress has clearly expressed an intention to preclude arbitration of the statutory claim, a party is bound by its agreement to arbitrate.” Davis v. Southern Energy Homes, Inc., 305 F.3d 1268, 1273 (11th Cir. 2002). The party opposing arbitration has the burden of proving “that Congress intended to preclude a waiver of a judicial remedies for [the particular claim] at issue.” McMahon, 482 U.S. at 227, 107 S.Ct. at 2337.
In McMahon, the United States Supreme Court promulgated a three factor
B. Analysis
The bankruptcy court found that the determination of the res of the constructive trust was a core proceeding over which the bankruptcy court had exclusive jurisdiction. The bankruptcy court relied on the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Tennessee Student Assistance Corp. v. Hood, 541 U.S. 440, 124 S.Ct. 1905, 158 L.Ed.2d 764 (2004), for the proposition that “[a] bankruptcy court’s in rem jurisdiction permits it to ‘determin[e] all claims that anyone, whether named in the action or not, has to the property or thing in question.’ ” Id. at 448, 124 S.Ct. at 1911 (second alteration in original). However, whether or not the bankruptcy court has jurisdiction, even exclusive jurisdiction, over a matter is a separate question from whether enforcing a valid arbitration agreement would pose an inherent conflict with the underlying purposes of the Bankruptcy Code. See McMahon, 482 U.S. at 227-28, 107 S.Ct. at 2338-39 (finding that the plaintiffs’ claim that the defendant violated § 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 was subject to arbitration even though district courts have exclusive jurisdiction over such violations). Therefore, the bankruptcy court’s finding that it had jurisdiction over the matter does not end our inquiry, for a finding of jurisdiction does not in itself demonstrate that the FAA inherently conflicts with the Bankruptcy Code.
Courts addressing the issue of whether arbitration inherently conflicts with the Bankruptcy Code distinguish between core and non-core proceedings. See Hays & Co. v. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc., 885 F.2d 1149, 1156-57 (3d Cir. 1989). In general, bankruptcy courts do not have the discretion to decline to enforce an arbitration agreement relating to a non-core proceeding. See Crysen/Montenay Energy Co. v. Shell Oil Co. (In re Crysen/Montenay Energy Co.), 226 F.3d 160, 166 (2d Cir. 2000). However, even if a proceeding is determined to be a core proceeding, the bankruptcy court must still analyze whether enforcing a valid arbitration agreement would inherently conflict with the underlying purposes of the Bankruptcy Code. See Ins. Co. of N. Am. v. NGC Settlement Trust & Asbestos Claims Mgmt. Corp. (In re National Gypsum), 118 F.3d 1056, 1067 (5th Cir. 1997). As explained below, we find that the proceeding in this case is not a core proceeding. Moreover, and even if it is a core proceeding, there is no evidence that arbitrating EME’s claim against Whiting-Turner would inherently conflict with the un
The Bankruptcy Code provides a non-exclusive list of core proceedings. See 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(A)-(P). The proceeding in this case does not fall within any of the listed proceedings. However, since the list is non-exhaustive, we must inquire as to the nature of a core versus a non-core proceeding. In In re Toledo, we stated that “ ‘[i]f the proceeding involves a right created by the federal bankruptcy law, it is a core proceeding.’ ” Cont’l Nat’l Bank v. Sanchez (In re Toledo), 170 F.3d 1340, 1348 (11th Cir. 1999) (quoting Wood v. Wood (In re Wood), 825 F.2d 90, 97 (5th Cir. 1987)). A proceeding is also considered core “ ‘[i]f the proceeding is one that would arise only in bankruptcy.’ ” Id. A proceeding is not core “ ‘[if] the proceeding does not invoke a substantive right created by the federal bankruptcy law and is one that could exist outside of bankruptcy.’ ” Id.
In this case, the bankruptcy court held that the determination of the res of a constructive trust is a core proceeding. The district court, in affirming the bankruptcy court, cited to Canal Corp. v. Finnman (In re Johnson), 960 F.2d 396 (4th Cir. 1992), for the proposition that the finding of a constructive trust and the proper distribution of the res of that trust are core proceedings. However, In re Johnson is distinguishable.
In In re Johnson, the debtor filed bankruptcy following the collapse of an illegal pyramid scheme that the debtor had perpetrated. 960 F.2d at 398. The bankruptcy court permitted a class of plaintiffs to bring a declaratory suit seeking judgment that the bulk of the debtor’s estate should be held in constructive trust. The bankruptcy court determined that the bulk of the funds in the debtor’s estate were to be held in constructive trust for the defrauded investors. The bankruptcy court then determined the proper distribution of the funds in the trust to the class of plaintiffs. The appellants, two of the class plaintiffs, objected. While they did not object to the bankruptcy court’s determination that the funds were to be held in a constructive trust, they argued that the bankruptcy court was without jurisdiction to determine who was entitled to the distribution of the funds. In affirming the district court’s affirmance of the bankruptcy court, the Fourth Circuit noted that “it was necessary for the bankruptcy court to determine the proper beneficiaries [of the trust] concurrent with its finding of a constructive trust.” Id. at 402. The court stated that “the only proper forum for determining whether assets held by a debtor are held in constructive trust is the bankruptcy court .... [A] determination of the proper distribution of that trust [is] intimately tied to the traditional bankruptcy functions and estate, and therefore, [it is a] core matter within the clear jurisdiction of the bankruptcy court.” Id.
In contrast, in this case, the disputed assets are not held by the debtor. Rather, they are held by a third party (Whiting-Turner), and the proceeding between EME and Whiting-Turner does not involve a claim by a bankruptcy creditor against funds held by the bankruptcy debt- or’s estate. In re Johnson involved creditors who made claims against the debtor’s estate in bankruptcy court for liquidation of assets held by the debtor, a proceeding which the Fourth Circuit found to be “core.” Our case does not present the same type of proceeding.
EME argues that Salomon v. Kaiser (In re Kaiser), 722 F.2d 1574 (2d Cir. 1983), supports the proposition that a
Accordingly, we hold that the bankruptcy court erred in finding that a determination of how much money, if any, Whiting-Turner owes EME is a core proceeding.
Furthermore, even if we were to find that EME’s claim against Whiting-Turner constitutes a core proceeding, we find that EME did not sustain its burden under McMahon to demonstrate that Congress intended to limit or prohibit waiver of a judicial forum for the type of claim that EME brought against Whiting-Turner. See McMahon, 482 U.S. at 227, 107 S.Ct. at 2338. The bankruptcy court found that the determination of the res in a
CONCLUSION
The bankruptcy court erred in denying Whiting-Turner’s motion to compel arbitration. Accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the district court, which denied Whiting-Turner’s bankruptcy appeal, and remand this case to the district court for remand to the bankruptcy court with instructions to compel the parties to arbitrate in accordance with the terms of their arbitration agreement.
REVERSED and REMANDED.
. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company ("USF&G”), as the surety, issued the performance bond for the Seuss Landing project. USF&G and Whiting-Turner are the appel
. Since we find that the bankruptcy court erred in finding that this was a core proceeding, and therefore should have directed the parties to arbitration, we make no finding as to whether the bankruptcy court properly concluded that a constructive trust existed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- In Re: ELECTRIC MACHINERY ENTERPRISES, INC., Debtor. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company v. Electric Machinery Enterprises, Inc.
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published