Quarterly Financial Report as of December 31, 2020 (Unaudited)
Note 6 – Legal Proceedings (continued)
On March 16, 2018, the Joint Administrators of PLC and LBHI2 each made an application to the High Court in England to seek, among other things, its determination of issues of priority in respect of potential distributions to the holders of the subordinated debts. The trial took place in November 2019. The Court gave judgment on July 3, 2020 (see Docket No. 60706). In essence, the Court decided that SLP3 (LBHI) is junior to PLC with respect to the LBHI2 subordinated debt, as PLC had argued, and that LBHI and ECAPS I-III are pari passu with respect to the PLC subordinated debt and that the ECAPS I-III subordinated debt was subject to discounting, as LBHI had argued. The Court also ruled that the LBHI subordinated debt (at the PLC level) was not subject to a release, as LBHI had argued. This ruling has the economic effect of awarding approximately 86% of the cash flows at issue to LBHI and 14% to ECAPS I-III.
On July 24, 2020, at a hearing on consequential matters, Justice Smith gave permission to appeal the ranking issues at both LBHI2 and PLC, but did not give Deutsche Bank permission to appeal the Release and Discounting issues. Justice Smith also granted LBHI a cost award against Deutsche Bank and granted PLC a cost award against LBHI.
For further information please refer to: www.pwc.co.uk/services/business-recovery/administrations/non-lbie-companies/lbh-plc-in-administration.html and www.pwc.co.uk/services/business-recovery/administrations/non-lbie-companies/lbhi2-limited-in-administration.html
(c) | Guarantee Claims For Which LBIE Is The Primary Obligor |
On July 10, 2018, LBHI filed a motion to have the Bankruptcy Court determine whether interest payments made by LBIE pursuant to its scheme should be counted as “consideration” by a Primary Obligor on the Primary Claims underlying the remaining Guarantee Claims held by affiliates of Deutsche Bank A.G. (“DB”) and Attestor Value Master Fund L.P. (“Attestor”) [ECF No. 58381]. On August 14, 2018, the Bankruptcy Court ruled that such payments by LBIE were consideration such that DB’s and Attestor’s claims should be deemed satisfied in full. On August 20, 2018, both DB and Attestor filed notices of appeal to the District Court. On August 16, 2019, the District Court affirmed the Bankruptcy Court’s decision. On September 13 and 16, 2019, Attestor and DB filed an appeal to the United States Court of
Appeals for the Second Circuit. On September 21, 2020, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the District Court’s decision in a Summary Order and these Guarantee Claims have been expunged.
LBHI previously filed an objection to disallow six, LBIE-based, prime-brokerage-related Guarantee Claims seeking $118 million filed by funds related to Maverick Capital Ltd (“Maverick”) [ECF No. 53107]. On March 24, 2017, the Bankruptcy Court granted LBHI’s objection, disallowed Maverick’s claims, and ruled that Maverick could not amend its proofs of claim to assert direct (as opposed to guarantee) liability against LBHI [ECF No. 55346]. Maverick appealed that decision to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. On September 30, 2018, the District Court reversed the Bankruptcy Court’s decision that section 562 of the Bankruptcy Code and certain exculpatory clauses contained in the prime brokerage agreement at issue applied to Maverick’s claims, and remanded the case to the Bankruptcy Court for further proceedings. On July 3, 2019, LBHI filed a motion seeking to reduce Maverick’s claims to $4.3 million. On August 8, 2019, Maverick filed its opposition to that motion. On September 10, 2019, the Court heard argument on the Motion and reserved decision. On September 14, 2020, Maverick filed a supplemental brief in connection with the pending motion. On October 19, 2020, LBHI filed its response to Maverick’s supplemental brief.
The outcome of the following litigation may impact LBHI’s potential indirect recoveries from LBIE:
AG Financial Products Inc.
On November 28, 2011, LBIE sued AG Financial Products Inc. (“AGR”), an affiliate of Assured Guaranty Corp., which in the past had provided credit protection to counterparties under credit default swaps. LBIE’s complaint, which was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York (the “New York Supreme Court”), alleged that AGR improperly terminated nine credit derivative transactions between LBIE and AGR and improperly calculated the termination payment in connection with the termination of 28 other credit derivative transactions between LBIE and AGR. LBIE asserted in the complaint that AGR owes LBIE a termination payment of approximately $1.4 billion.