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Costner
Costner
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Benjamin Mintz Sheldon L. Solow KAYE SCHOLER LLP 425 Park Avenue New York, New York 10022 Telephone: (212) 836-8505 Facsimile: (212) 836-6550 Counsel for Morgan Creek Productions, Inc. UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK x : : : : x : : : : : : : x : : : : : : Plaintiff vs. Kevin Costner and TIG Films, Inc., : Defendants. : : x : : x : Adv. Case No. 13-___________ Chapter 15 Case No. 11-12106 (SCC)
In re INVERNESS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED F/K/A MORGAN CREEK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, In re INVERNESS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED F/K/A MORGAN CREEK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, Debtor.
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COMPLAINT Morgan Creek Productions, Inc. (the Plaintiff) as plaintiff herein, by and through its undersigned attorneys, as and for its complaint (the Complaint) against defendants Kevin Costner (Costner) and Tig Films, Inc. (TFI, and with Costner, the Defendants), upon information and belief, alleges as follows: JURISDICTION AND VENUE 1. This adversary proceeding is brought pursuant to and under Rule 7001, et seq., of
the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure. 2. This Court has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 157 and
1334. This Court has subject matter jurisdiction over this proceeding because it is related to Inverness Distribution Limiteds (the Debtor) chapter 11 case within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. 1334(b) and 157(a). Venue is proper before this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1409. 3. The statutory predicates for the relief requested herein are Sections 362(a) and
105(a) of title 11 of the United States Code (the Bankruptcy Code). PARTIES 4. Morgan Creek Productions, Inc. is a Delaware corporation maintaining and
transacting business in the County of Los Angeles, State of California. 5. Upon information and belief, Defendant Kevin Costner is an individual residing
and conducting business in the County of Los Angeles, State of California. 6. Upon information and belief, Defendant Tig Films, Inc. is a California
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FACTUAL BACKGROUND A. Background of Costner and Inverness Agreements 7. In or around July 1990, Morgan Creek Productions, Inc. and one of its affiliated
entities Prince of Thieves Production Limited (the Morgan Creek Counterparties) entered into a series of agreements (the Costner Agreements, attached hereto as Exhibit A) with the Defendants in connection with the production of the movie film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (the Picture). Pursuant to the Costner Agreements, Costner was contracted to, inter alia, star in the Picture. For such services, Costner was to be paid a significant base compensation as well as certain contingent compensation (the Contingent Compensation). Costner has been paid his base compensation and some additional Contingent Compensation. Costner alleges that he is still owed substantial sums of additional Contingent Compensation under the Costner Agreements based on revenues generated from the exploitation of the Picture. As set forth more fully below, the Debtor is ultimately liable for certain of the Contingent Compensation owing to Costner under the Costner Agreements. 8. The Costner Agreements granted the Morgan Creek Counterparties the ability to
assign their rights and obligations in and to the Picture so long as the third party assignee/purchaser of such rights and obligations also assumed the Morgan Creek Counterparties related obligations under the Costner Agreements. Accordingly, in or around 2006, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of a certain assignment agreement (the Inverness Agreement, attached hereto as Exhibit B), the Morgan Creek Counterparties assigned all of their foreign distribution rights related to the Picture except for those contracts designated as Excluded Assets to the Debtor. Under the Inverness Agreement, the Debtor expressly assumed all of the Morgan Creek Counterparties obligations, including certain reporting, accounting and payment obligations, related to the Picture for any non-Excluded 3
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Assets. Additionally, the Debtor is obligated to indemnify the Morgan Creek Counterparties for any and all liabilities and obligations arising out of any disputes related to the non-Excluded Assets. 9. The Defendants are aware of the Debtors chapter 11 case and of the assignment However, to avoid the impact of the Debtors
bankruptcy on the Defendants enforcement rights and without regard to the automatic stay, the Defendants filed a complaint in a California state court against the Morgan Creek Counterparties without joining the Debtor notwithstanding the potential adverse effect such filing would have on the Debtors estate and attempts to reorganize. B. The Costner Action 10. On November 8, 2012, the Defendants filed a first amended complaint (the
Costner Complaint, attached hereto as Exhibit C) against the Morgan Creek Counterparties in the Superior Court for the State Court of California (the State Court Action). In the State Court Action, the Defendants allege, among other things, that the Morgan Creek Counterparties have not properly reported, accounted, and paid out the amounts due and owing under the assigned Costner Agreements. The Defendants seek damages in an unspecified, but significant, amount. 11. The Debtor is a necessary party to the State Court Action because: (1) a portion
of the alleged damages arise out of the purported breach of certain payment and performance obligations that were assigned to the Debtor; (2) the Debtor is required to indemnify the Morgan Creek Counterparties under the Inverness Agreement for that portion of such damages; (3) the Debtor is the only party that possesses the information necessary to account to the Defendants for non-Excluded Assets and with respect to some Excluded Assets; and (4) the Debtor collected and holds any money which may be owed to the Defendants by reason of the 4
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non-Excluded Assets. C. Effect on the Debtors Estates 12. The Plaintiff requests that this Court extend the automatic stay in the Debtors
chapter 11 case to the State Court Action and enjoin the State Court Action because the Debtor, as assignee of the obligations under the Costner Agreements, is the real party defendant in the State Court Action with respect to non-Excluded Assets. Any judgment against the Morgan Creek Counterparties in the State Court Action which includes liability for non-Excluded Assets will effectively fix the liability of the Debtor because the Debtor is obligated to indemnify the Morgan Creek Counterparties for all losses suffered or incurred in connection with the distribution rights assigned to the Debtor under the Inverness Agreement. It is impossible to determine how much of the estates money is at risk until after an audit of the Debtors books and records, but if the State Court Action is permitted to proceed, the California state court will fix the Debtors liability without this Courts oversight or the Debtors participation. 13. The prosecution of the State Court Action will harm the Debtors estate if the
Defendants prevail in that action. Any judgment against the Morgan Creek Counterparties in the State Court Action, or at least some portion of such judgment, may result in a dollar-fordollar indemnity claim against the Debtor. At a minimum, the Plaintiff may be entitled to file a general unsecured claim for indemnification and will have the ability to exercise any offset rights it may have. 14. Additionally, the Debtor will have to participate in the State Court Action
because the Debtor, not the Morgan Creek Counterparties, possesses the books and records evidencing the liability, if any, owed to the Defendants with respect to the non-Excluded Assets. All related performance obligations (e.g., the duty to report, the duty to account, collection efforts) are obligations of the Debtor. Accordingly, the Debtor will have to provide the relevant 5
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details and documents related to critical issues in the State Court Action, including, inter alia: (1) the process for collecting and segregating revenues derived from the exploitation of the Picture; (2) the methods used to calculate amounts owing to the Defendants; (3) the methods used to allocate revenues from foreign licenses and television and video sales; and (4) the process for accounting for collection costs. The Debtor will have to actively participate in the audit of its books and records that will be necessary to resolve the State Court Action, which will divert the Debtors attention from the restructuring efforts. 15. Finally, the State Court Action indirectly seeks the turnover of monies collected
by the Debtor. Upon information and belief, approximately $12.5 million collected in that manner were withdrawn from the Debtors account by the Debtors secured creditor without accounting for any royalties or other amounts owed Costner under the Costner Agreements. It is likely that a portion of that cash derived from the exploitation of the Picture prepetition on account of non-Excluded Assets. Pursuant to the Inverness Agreement, the Debtor collected receipts and other forms of revenue generated in connection with the distribution rights granted to the Debtor under the Inverness Agreement which were deposited in a blocked account with the Secured Creditor. Postpetition, on information and belief, the Secured Lender continues to receive receipts and other forms of revenue derived from the exploitation of the Picture and other movies. The Defendants allege that the Debtor has not paid any royalties to the
Defendants postpetition and the Debtor has not reported any royalty payments in its operating reports. The Defendants rights to any such monies may disturb the settled expectations of the parties in the bankruptcy case with respect to their claims to cash held by the Debtor. NATURE OF THE RELIEF REQUESTED 16. By this Complaint, pursuant to U.S.C. 105(a) and 362, the Plaintiff seeks a
judgment extending the automatic stay provisions under the Bankruptcy Code to enjoin the 6
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State Court Action pending the completion of the Debtors bankruptcy case.
COUNT I Injunctive Relief Staying the State Court Action As to All Defendants (11 U.S.C. 105(a) and 362) 17. The Plaintiff repeats and realleges the allegations contained in paragraphs 1
through 16 of this Complaint as if fully set forth herein. 18. The Plaintiff seeks an order pursuant to Sections 105(a) and 362 of the
Bankruptcy Code extending the automatic stay to enjoin the continued prosecution of the State Court Action pending the completion of the Debtors chapter 11 case. Section 105(a) of the Bankruptcy Code authorizes the Court to issue any order, process or judgment that is necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions of this title. 11 U.S.C. 105(a). Section 105 authorizes the Court to enjoin an action by a third party against a non-debtor third party where the third party action will have an immediate adverse economic consequence for the Debtors estate or when an adverse judgment in the third party action will collaterally estop the debtor in subsequent litigation. 19. A judgment against the Morgan Creek Counterparties for amounts owed by
reason of non-Excluded Assets will effectively be a judgment against the Debtor. Allowing the State Court Action to continue will result in an immediate adverse economic consequence for the debtors estate should the Defendants prevail. The Debtor is obligated to indemnify the Morgan Creek Counterparties for liability related to a portion of the subject matter of the State Court Action. Once liability against the Morgan Creek Counterparties is fixed in the State Court Action, the liability of the Debtor will also be fixed and the Debtor will likely be collaterally estopped from disputing such liability. 20. Any liability of the Morgan Creek Counterparties to the Defendants by reason of 7
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non-Excluded Assets is dependent on any liability of the Debtor to the Defendants. 21. A portion of the Defendants claims against the Morgan Creek Counterparties are
based on, and inextricably tied to, identical facts as the Morgan Creek Counterparties claims against the Debtor. 22. If the State Court Action proceeds against the Morgan Creek Counterparties,
issues regarding the Debtors liability, its defenses and any damages that may be awarded, will be determined in the Debtors absence exposing the Debtor to the following: a. a significant risk of collateral estoppel; b. stare decisis; c. issue preclusion; and/or d. adverse evidentiary findings. 23. The Debtor will be obligated to indemnify the Morgan Creek Counterparties for
any judgment against the Morgan Creek Counterparties arising out of non-Excluded Assets, thereby having an adverse impact upon the property of the Debtors estate. 24. By reason of the foregoing, the State Court Action threatens to irreparably harm
and expose the Debtors estate to significant liability in an undetermined amount and thus requires entry of an order pursuant to Sections 105(a) and 362 enjoining the prosecution of such action.
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PRAYER FOR RELIEF WHEREFORE, the Plaintiff respectfully prays for judgment as follows: (a) the entry of an Order pursuant to Sections 105(a) and 362 of the Bankruptcy Code extending the automatic stay to enjoin and prohibit the continued prosecution of the State Court Action; and/or awarding such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper. KAYE SCHOLER LLP /s/ Sheldon Solow Benjamin Mintz Sheldon L. Solow 425 Park Avenue New York, NY 10022-3598 Tel: (212) 836-8505 Fax: (212) 836-6550 Counsel for Morgan Creek Productions, Inc.
(b)