Presidential Life Insurance Company, Tlc Beatrice International Holdings, Inc., Movant-Appellant v. Michael R. Milken Roy Abbott Paul Abecassis Jack Ackerman Peter Ackerman Joseph P. Adams Steven Andreder Joel Asen Andrew Astrachan Mark Attanasio Eileen Austen Herbert Bachelor Stanley Bailowitz Jeffrey Balash Donald Balser Dan Bathon Jeffrey P. Beck Joseph Bencivenga Richard A. Bergman David W. Bergmann Martin L. Berman Robert D. Beyer Paul Biddelman Arthur H. Bilger Leon Black Jay Bloom Frederick Borden Thomas Boudakian Gerald Brodsky William Bron Bruce Brown Michael D. Brown E. Alan Brumberger Gerard M. Bucci Jon E. Budish Dort A. Cameron, III Thomas Cauchois John Cavalier Jeffrey Chanin Mark Chasin Franklin Chu John Chulick Thomas P. Clerkin Craig M. Cogut Thomas Connors Richard Crowell Lorraine D'Ambrosio James Dahl Charles Dargan Robert Davidow Marshall Davidson Logan D. Delany, Jr. Carl Deremer Dennis Dolan Scott Douglas Richard Dunler David Dupont Maurits Edersheim William Eng D
Presidential Life Insurance Company, Tlc Beatrice International Holdings, Inc., Movant-Appellant v. Michael R. Milken Roy Abbott Paul Abecassis Jack Ackerman Peter Ackerman Joseph P. Adams Steven Andreder Joel Asen Andrew Astrachan Mark Attanasio Eileen Austen Herbert Bachelor Stanley Bailowitz Jeffrey Balash Donald Balser Dan Bathon Jeffrey P. Beck Joseph Bencivenga Richard A. Bergman David W. Bergmann Martin L. Berman Robert D. Beyer Paul Biddelman Arthur H. Bilger Leon Black Jay Bloom Frederick Borden Thomas Boudakian Gerald Brodsky William Bron Bruce Brown Michael D. Brown E. Alan Brumberger Gerard M. Bucci Jon E. Budish Dort A. Cameron, III Thomas Cauchois John Cavalier Jeffrey Chanin Mark Chasin Franklin Chu John Chulick Thomas P. Clerkin Craig M. Cogut Thomas Connors Richard Crowell Lorraine D'Ambrosio James Dahl Charles Dargan Robert Davidow Marshall Davidson Logan D. Delany, Jr. Carl Deremer Dennis Dolan Scott Douglas Richard Dunler David Dupont Maurits Edersheim William Eng D
Presidential Life Insurance Company, Tlc Beatrice International Holdings, Inc., Movant-Appellant v. Michael R. Milken Roy Abbott Paul Abecassis Jack Ackerman Peter Ackerman Joseph P. Adams Steven Andreder Joel Asen Andrew Astrachan Mark Attanasio Eileen Austen Herbert Bachelor Stanley Bailowitz Jeffrey Balash Donald Balser Dan Bathon Jeffrey P. Beck Joseph Bencivenga Richard A. Bergman David W. Bergmann Martin L. Berman Robert D. Beyer Paul Biddelman Arthur H. Bilger Leon Black Jay Bloom Frederick Borden Thomas Boudakian Gerald Brodsky William Bron Bruce Brown Michael D. Brown E. Alan Brumberger Gerard M. Bucci Jon E. Budish Dort A. Cameron, III Thomas Cauchois John Cavalier Jeffrey Chanin Mark Chasin Franklin Chu John Chulick Thomas P. Clerkin Craig M. Cogut Thomas Connors Richard Crowell Lorraine D'Ambrosio James Dahl Charles Dargan Robert Davidow Marshall Davidson Logan D. Delany, Jr. Carl Deremer Dennis Dolan Scott Douglas Richard Dunler David Dupont Maurits Edersheim William Eng D
3d 65
This appeal arises out of a so-called "settlement class action." TLC Beatrice
International Holdings, Inc. ("TLC Beatrice") appeals from Judge Pollack's
denials of its motions seeking intervention as of right under Rule 24(a),
Fed.R.Civ.P., and for relief under Rule 60(b) from the district court's July 1992
final judgment approving the settlement. The district court denied the motions
as moot. Although the parties agree that the district court was in error with
regard to mootness, they urge us to resolve this appeal on the merits. We
believe, however, that we would benefit from the views of the district court and
remand.
We briefly sketch the background of this appeal. It arises from the bankruptcy
of Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. ("Drexel") and from various activities of
Michael Milken and others affiliated with Drexel that have generated a
considerable volume of litigation arising under federal securities law. See In re
Michael Milken and Associates Securities Litigation, 150 F.R.D. 57
(S.D.N.Y.1993). In February 1992, negotiations resulted in an agreed
framework for the settlement of all such claims ("Milken Global Settlement")
from a $1.3 billion settlement fund. As a condition of the Milken Global
Settlement, Milken and the other defendants insisted on their release from all
liability to anyone arising from their Drexel-related activities. The parties, with
the participation of the district court, appear to have agreed that this condition
could be met by bringing and settling a class action on behalf of all persons or
firms who might have Drexel-related claims against the defendants and who
were not then involved in the Drexel bankruptcy proceedings or in civil
litigation against the defendants. The instant matter is that class action,
appropriately described as "the Global Class Action."
3
The complaint was filed on February 18, 1992. A settlement agreement was
reached three weeks later. After approving the settlement, the district court
entered an injunction that provided:
4 members of the Global Class ... are hereby permanently enjoined from
All
commencing or prosecuting in any court (federal or state) or any other forum against
any of the Identified Settling Parties any claim that has been or could have been
asserted in the Global Class Action. Further, all members of the Global Class Action
... are hereby permanently enjoined from commencing or prosecuting in any court
(federal or state) or any other forum other than this Court, any claim, action or
proceeding that challenges or seeks review of or relief from any act, decision, order,
judgment or any other ruling of this Court in connection with the Global Class
Action.... Any violation of the foregoing injunctions may be punishable as contempt
of court, in addition to all other available remedies.
5
Of the $1.3 billion in the Milken Global Settlement fund, $50 million was
allocated for the settlement of the Global Class Action.
In July 1995, Carlton filed a contempt motion against TLC Beatrice in the
present action. It claimed that the affirmative defenses were barred by the
judgment and that TLC Beatrice's challenge to the validity of the Global Class
Action settlement in the state court action violated the injunction. TLC Beatrice
argued in response that the affirmative defenses were not "claims" covered by
the final judgment in the Global Class Action. In addition, TLC Beatrice filed
two motions that are the subject of the instant appeal. The first motion sought
leave to intervene under Rule 24 and to assert counterclaims for money
damages--in addition to the assertion of affirmative defenses--against Carlton in
the state court action. The counterclaims were based on essentially the same
conduct underlying the affirmative defenses. The second motion sought, under
Rule 60(b), to void the judgment in the Global Class Action as against TLC
Beatrice. It claimed that the district court lacked personal and subject matter
jurisdiction and that the settlement violated TLC Beatrice's due process rights.
At the district court's request, TLC Beatrice filed an explication of its state court
affirmative defenses, stating that "the only relief sought by the Affirmative
Defenses is the denial of Carlton's requested monetary recovery against TLC
Beatrice for its alleged breach of the Stockholders' Agreement. TLC Beatrice is
not seeking any money damages, set off or declaratory relief by the Affirmative
Defenses." The district court agreed with TLC Beatrice that the assertion of
affirmative defenses did not violate the injunction and denied Carlton's
contempt motion. Shortly thereafter, it also denied the Rule 24 and Rule 60(b)
motions. The district court apparently read the language from TLC Beatrice's
description of its affirmative defenses quoted above as relating to its Rule 24
and 60(b) motions as well as to the response to Carlton's contempt motion. The
court then concluded that the denial of the contempt motion rendered TLC
Beatrice's Rule 24 and 60(b) motions moot and denied them without further
explanation.
We believe, and the parties agree, that the motions in question were not moot.
TLC Beatrice had interposed affirmative defenses in the state court action in the
belief that the purely defensive use of the underlying claims did not violate the
injunction. Recognizing that counterclaims for monetary damages based on the
same activities would violate the injunction, TLC Beatrice moved in the district
court for leave to intervene and assert such counterclaims and to void the
Global Class Action judgment. In denying the motion to hold TLC Beatrice in
contempt, the district court agreed that the assertion of affirmative defenses in
the state court action did not violate the injunction. However, that decision in
no way addressed--much less mooted--TLC Beatrice's Rule 24 and 60(b)
motions.
10
We have not had, therefore, the benefit of the district court's views on the
merits of the motions that are the subject of this appeal. Although the parties
agree that the issues underlying the motions in question are not moot, they urge
us not to burden the district court by remanding. They argue that the merits
have been fully briefed on this appeal and that a remand will not appreciably
add to the materials before us. However, the parties dispute the timeliness of
TLC Beatrice's motion to intervene and the adequacy of notice to it of the class
action. These issues have a factual component that should be resolved in the
first instance by the district court. We are also hesitant to address the important
issue of the validity of this form of so-called settlement class action without
knowing the views of the district court, which was deeply involved in both the
Milken Global Settlement and the bringing and settlement of the Global Class
Action. We therefore reject the urgings of the parties and remand to the district
court for a decision on appellant's Rule 24 and 60(b) motions.
11
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