Professional Documents
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GT Real Estate Holdings, LLC Complaint Filed July 14, 2022
GT Real Estate Holdings, LLC Complaint Filed July 14, 2022
In re: Chapter 11
(Jointly Administered)
Debtor. 1
Plaintiff,
-against-
Defendant.
or “Plaintiff”) in the above-captioned chapter 11 case (the “Chapter 11 Case”) and Plaintiff in
the above-captioned adversary proceeding, alleges for its complaint (the “Complaint”), upon
knowledge of its own acts and upon information and belief as to other matters, as follows:
1
The Debtor and the last four digits of its taxpayer identification number are: GT Real Estate Holdings, LLC
(9589). The location of the Debtor’s principal office is 800 South Mint Street, Charlotte, NC 28202.
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The Debtor brings this adversary proceeding against York County, South Carolina,
(the “County” or the “Defendant”) to vindicate the protection of the automatic stay from a direct
and willful violation by the County, acting by and through its individual agents and representatives,
and to determine the rights and obligations of the parties with respect to a $21 million prepetition
payment the County made to the Debtor with no binding contractual obligations governing its use.
Beginning in April 2020, the County, the City of Rock Hill, South Carolina (the
“City”) and the Debtor entered into a number of discrete agreements to support the development
of a mixed-use, pedestrian friendly community, sports and entertainment venue, which would also
include a new headquarters and practice facility for the Carolina Panthers, a National Football
League team (the “Project”). These agreements memorialized, among other things, the terms,
conditions, rights and obligations of the County, the City and the Debtor with respect to a standard
package of public financial support for an undertaking like the Project, which contemplated the
development of public space and public infrastructure. The County agreed to support the Project
with a direct payment of $21 million (the “County Payment”) and certain tax benefits. For its
part, the City also agreed to make a direct payment to the Debtor and to use reasonable best efforts
to issue $225 million in bonds to finance public infrastructure related to the Project. This public
financial support was to be matched – indeed, far exceeded – with hundreds of millions of dollars
The various agreements among the parties were uniformly clear that the Debtor had
no obligation to proceed with construction of the Project unless the City issued an agreed minimum
amount of bonds. In early 2020, the parties contemplated that the City would issue the required
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bonds no later than October 31, 2020. By late 2020, with certain agreements still under final
negotiation, the Debtor agreed with the City to extend that deadline to February 26, 2021. The
City failed to issue the bonds by the extended deadline. Nevertheless, the Debtor proceeded to
expend approximately $240 million dollars on the Project in anticipation that the City would
eventually issue the required bonds. More than a year later, the City still had not issued any bonds.
In early March 2022, having lost confidence that the City would ever deliver on the
agreed bond financing, the Debtor suspended construction of the Project. In the succeeding weeks
and months, the Debtor made efforts to engage the City and the County in discussions about the
On May 31, 2022, the County sent a letter (the “Demand Letter”)2 to the Debtor
demanding the return of the County Payment as a non-negotiable condition to participating in any
The Debtor filed its Chapter 11 Case on June 1, 2022 (the “Petition Date”).
Pursuant to Section 362 of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), the
Approximately one week after the Petition Date, on June 9, 2022, the County
commenced a lawsuit in South Carolina state court (the “State Court Action”) seeking to recover
the County Payment, not from the Debtor, to which the County had paid the funds, but rather from
the Debtor’s direct and indirect parent companies, another non-Debtor affiliate, and the City.
For count I of this action, the Debtor seeks a judgment declaring that the State Court
Action violates the automatic stay for the reasons stated below.
2
A true and correct copy of the Demand Letter is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
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First, the County Complaint (defined below) asserts claims against the Affiliate
Non-Debtor Defendants (defined below) (i.e., civil conspiracy, negligence, interference with
contractual relations, and negligent misrepresentation) that are premised on an alter ego theory of
liability. See County Compl. ¶¶ 48, 52-53 (“The sole purpose of providing the [County Payment]
to the Tepper Defendants (by and through GTRE) was for the Mt. Gallant Project . . . York County
wired the [County Payment] on January 13, 2021, and entrusted the Tepper Defendants [by and
through GTRE] with their prescribed use. From that point, the Tepper Defendants [by and through
GTRE] directed and controlled the [County Payment].” (emphasis added)). The gravamen of the
State Court Action as it relates to the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants is that those defendants
exercised control over the Debtor to misuse the Debtor’s property.3 Well-established law in this
Circuit provides that such alter ego and veil piercing claims of the kind the County Complaint
asserts are property of the Debtor’s estate.4 These claims belong to the Debtor’s estate because
they: (1) existed at the commencement of the bankruptcy filing and the Debtor could have asserted
them on its own behalf under state law and (2) are predicated on “general” assertions of liability
(i.e., with no direct, particularized injury arising from it) attributable to the suspension of the
Project—a claim common to and shared by all general unsecured creditors. The funds at issue
were deposited into the Debtor’s general operating account, and the County had no contractual
3
The Debtor’s largest unaffiliated creditor, Mascaro Barton Malow (“MBM”), a Joint Venture, agrees that any
claim sounding in alter ego theories of liability requires establishing primary liability of the Debtor. See DIP
Motion Hr’g Tr., 22-10505 (KBO) (Bankr. D. Del. June 30, 2022), at 51:6-52:16 (“THE COURT: But the alter
ego would only apply if there’s a judgment against an entity that you would then need to use alter ego to collect,
correct? [MBM Counsel]: Yeah,. . . [However,] I don’t think anyone is suggesting that that [alter ego] action is
not an estate claim. THE COURT: Right.”).
4
Insofar as claims against the Non-Debtor Affiliate Defendants may exist, they remain subject to ongoing
investigation by the Debtor and its fiduciaries. The Debtor takes no position at this time as to the validity or value
of any such claims.
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entitlement to see the funds returned or used in any particular way.5 The County Complaint
therefore does not establish a special, direct and peculiar injury distinct from other parties in
interest. Nor does the County Complaint establish that no other parties in interest could attempt
to assert claims sounding in alter ego against the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants based on the
facts and circumstances surrounding the conduct of the Debtor in connection with the Project and
the suspension thereof.6 As such, to the extent that any claims of the kind asserted in the County
Complaint exist against the Affiliate Non-Debtors, such claims are the exclusive property of the
estate and their assertion in the State Court Action directly violates the automatic stay.7
Second, the nature of the County’s claims against the Affiliate Non-Debtor
Defendants is that those defendants committed their supposedly wrongful acts acting by and
through the Debtor, as it is undisputed that the funds at issue were held by, and used by, the Debtor
(see, e.g., County Compl. ¶¶ 21, 48). Thus, though the claims are asserted directly against the
Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants, they plainly rest on the theory that the Debtor is primarily liable
due to its own actions. Because the County’s claims against the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants
5
The County alleges that the funds for the County Payment came to the County from proceeds of taxes levied
pursuant to the South Carolina “Pennies for Progress” statute. The Pennies for Progress statute does not impose
any obligations on recipients of Pennies for Progress funds. Rather, the statute imposes obligations on the
County’s treasurer to use the funds for the purposes stated in the applicable imposition ordinance. See S.C. Code
§ 4-10-360.
6
Various parties have already pointed to the same facts and circumstances to which the County would have to
point in order to establish alter ego liability on the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants. See, e.g., Motion of the City
of Rock Hill for Entry of an Order Directing the Debtor to (i) Produce Documents in Response to Rule 2004
Requests and (ii) Sit for a Rule 2004 Examination [D.I. 204], Ex. B. (document requests seeking discovery around
issues pertinent to alter ego claims); DIP Motion Hr’g Tr. at 51:8-52:16 (counsel for MBM addressing related
issues for alter ego); 61:25-62:3 (counsel for City addressing related issues for alter ego); 79:5-80:3 (counsel for
County addressing related issues for alter ego).
7
The County also does not have standing to assert any such alter ego claims, and no court has adjudicated any
claims that the Debtor may have against the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants as abandoned.
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would require a judicial determination with respect to the liability of the Debtor, those claims
violate the automatic stay for this separate and independent reason.
Third, the County has improperly exercised dominion and control over contractual
claims that the Debtor holds against the City. The County Complaint alleges that the City breached
its contract with the County by failing to issue the public bonds (see County Compl. ¶¶ 114-17).
However, no document under which the County has any rights against the City imposes any
obligation on the City to issue the bonds. The Interlocal Agreement (defined below), however,
merely provides that the City “may” issue the bonds. The FCAA (defined below) is the only
document under which the City accepted an obligation to take steps to issue the public bonds, and
that obligation, to use reasonable best efforts to issue the contemplated bonds, is owed to the
The County asserts that it is an intended third party beneficiary of the FCAA (see
id. ¶ 111). The clear and unambiguous language of the FCAA (as well as the other project
documents), however, specifically provides the opposite, naming no third-party beneficiaries and
expressly stating that no rights are conferred on any third party. See FCAA § 12.4 (“[T]he
provisions of this Agreement are for the sole benefit of the Parties [i.e., the City and the Debtor]
and their successors and permitted assigns, and they will not be construed as conferring any rights
to any third party” (emphasis added)). The same is true for the other relevant project documents:
the LDA (defined below) and the Dedication Agreement (defined below). LDA § 26 (“[T]he
provisions of this Agreement are for the sole benefit of the Parties [i.e., the City and the Debtor]
and their successors and permitted assigns, and they will not be construed as conferring any rights
to any third party”); Dedication Agreement § 14 (“It is expressly understood and agreed that no
third-party beneficiaries are created by this Agreement [between the City and the Debtor]”). The
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County is correct that “[t]he City of Rock Hill has failed to live up to its end of the bargain” and
“the City of Rock Hill breached [the FCAA] by failing to issue [] bonds” (County Compl. ¶¶ 115,
117), but those breaches can only be asserted (and enforced) by Debtor, not the County. Thus, the
County’s breach of contract claim against the City is an exercise of control over the Debtor’s rights
and therefore violates the automatic stay. Thus, by bringing the State Court Action, the County,
violated the automatic stay and did so willfully. The County has (and had) the requisite knowledge
of the automatic stay at all relevant times and intended to file the County Complaint asserting
estate causes of action, which violates the automatic stay for the reasons above.
For count II of this action, the Debtor seeks a judgment declaring that County
Payment does not give rise to any claim against the Debtor or any interest in the Debtor or in any
of the Debtor’s assets. The County Payment is contemplated under the terms of an Interlocal
Agreement entered into by and between the City and the County in April 2020. The Interlocal
Agreement contemplated that the County would make the County Payment no later than July 15,
2020. The County instead wired the funds to the Debtor’s general operating bank account in
January 2021. The Interlocal Agreement imposes no duties or obligations upon the Debtor in
exchange for receipt of those funds, nor could it, since the Debtor is not a party to that agreement.
Rather, the Debtor is an express third-party beneficiary under the Interlocal Agreement, entitled to
enforce performance by the County and the City. The Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants are not
parties to the Interlocal Agreement; nor are they express third-party beneficiaries.
Agreement, have enforceable legal rights, but owe no contractual duties or obligations. No
language in the Interlocal Agreement evidences an intent to preserve any interest in the County
Payment or grant any lien, security interest or other charge on the proceeds of the County Payment
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or any of the Debtor’s other assets. Additionally, the relevant facts relating to the County Payment,
addressed below, do not give rise to an interest in the Debtor or in any of the Debtor’s assets.
significant obligations in connection with the Project. The Debtor used the County Payment in
furtherance of the purposes of the Project and at all relevant times intended to complete the Project,
including the Mt. Gallant Expansion (defined below), which the County argues in the State Court
Action was the only purpose for which the County Payment funds could be used.8 In fact, far from
being enriched by the County Payment—the Debtor is out-of-pocket approximately $240 million
dollars on a project that stands incomplete due to the failure of others to meet their contractual
For count III of this action, the Debtor seeks an injunction in support of count I of
this action staying the State Court Action pursuant to section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code. The
statutory injunction that arises upon the commencement of a chapter 11 case should automatically
apply to the extent that the County’s assertion of the State Court Claims is a violation thereof. For
the avoidance of any doubt in this regard, insofar as the Court grants the relief requested in count
I, the Debtor requests that the Court issue an injunction in support thereof.
For count IV of this action, in the alternative to the relief requested in counts I and
III of this action, the Debtor seeks an injunction staying the State Court Action pursuant to sections
362 and 105(a) of the Bankruptcy Code, extending the automatic stay to enjoin all State Court
8
For the reasons articulated herein, the County has no claim against the Debtor, and the Debtor did not misuse the
proceeds of the County Payment.
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First, the alleged acts or omissions in the State Court Claims necessarily involve
the acts or omissions of the Debtor, which received the County Payment, and the contractual rights
of the Debtor against the City under the Project Agreements. Therefore, a determination of the
Debtor’s liability associated with such acts or omissions, and of the rights of the Debtor against
the City under the Project Agreements, is necessary to provide effective relief to the parties, and
any such determination could have a collateral estoppel effect against the Debtor. Thus, the Debtor
is a necessary party to any action asserting the State Court Claims and, to protect the integrity of
the bankruptcy process, the automatic stay should be extended pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 105(a) to
Second, there is an identity of interests between the Debtor and the Affiliate Non-
Debtor Defendants with respect to Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendant Claims, sufficient to extend
the automatic stay pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 105(a) to enjoin the State Court Action as to the Affiliate
Non-Debtor Defendant in order to protect the integrity of these bankruptcy proceedings. The
Debtor is wholly-owned by DT Sports Holding, LLC (the “Member”),9 which is in turn wholly
owned by Tepper Sports Holding, Inc (the “Ultimate Parent”). Appaloosa Management, L.P. is
a limited partnership that manages investment funds. Each of the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants
benefit from contractual10 and/or common law indemnities and rights of contribution against the
Debtor for any liability (and any defense costs) associated with the Affiliate Non-Debtor
Defendant Claims.
9
The Member is also the DIP Lender providing the necessary financing to fund the Debtor’s Chapter 11 Case.
10
As detailed further below, the limited liability company agreement of the Debtor (the “LLCA”) provides a broad
indemnity that covers the Member and the Ultimate Parent. A true and correct copy of the LLCA is attached
hereto as Exhibit B.
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2201-2202, sections 362 and 105 of the Bankruptcy Code, and Bankruptcy Rule 7065 of the
(i) declaring that the claims asserted in the State Court Action violate the automatic
stay;
(ii) declaring that the County Payment does not give rise to any claim against the
(iii) enjoining and restraining the prosecution of the State Court Action as a direct
(iv) in the alternative to counts I and III, extending the automatic stay to enjoin and
U.S.C. §§ 157 and 1334, and the Amended Standing Order of Reference from the United States
District Court for the District of Delaware, dated February 29, 2012. This Court has subject matter
jurisdiction over the claims against the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§
Rule 7008, the Debtor consents to the entry of a final order by the Court in connection with this
adversary proceeding to the extent it is later determined that the Court, absent consent of the
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parties, cannot enter final orders or judgments consistent with Article III of the United States
Constitution.
Venue is proper before the Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1408 and 1409.
No prior request for the relief requested herein has been made to this or any other
court.
THE PARTIES
organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware. Debtor’s principal place of
subdivision of the State of South Carolina acting by and through its individual agents and
representatives.
FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS
A. Background
of the Debtor, in Support of the Chapter 11 Petition and First Day Pleadings [D.I. 8] (the
“Hickman Declaration”),11 the Debtor was created to own and develop the Project. Hickman
Decl. ¶ 6. The success of the Project depended on significant financial and political engagement
from the City and the County, each of which pledged significant public support to back the
Debtor’s substantial private investment in South Carolina through a number of agreements. Id.
11
Docket numbers with a “D.I.” reference refer to documents filed in the main Chapter 11 Case, Case No. 22-10505
(KBO) (Bankr. D. Del.).
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Among other things, the City agreed to use reasonable best efforts to fund the Project through the
issuance of $225 million in public bonds. Those bonds were to be arranged by October 31, 2020
(which subsequently was extended to February 26, 2021). Id. Nevertheless, the City never issued
On April 17, 2020, the City and the County entered into an agreement called the
Interlocal Agreement (the “Interlocal Agreement”).12 Pursuant to the terms of this agreement,
the City and the County memorialized their understanding regarding their duties and obligations
with respect to the Project. Among other provisions, the Interlocal Agreement provided that any
Park Fees (as defined therein) – certain revenues expected to be generated as a result of the Project
– would be distributed in accordance with various formulas set forth in the agreement. The Debtor
is not a party to the Interlocal Agreement, but is an express, intended third party beneficiary
thereof. See Interlocal Agreement § 6.10 (“The parties agree that the Developer is an intended
third-party beneficiary of this Agreement and may, at its option, enforce the terms of this
A few days later, on April 20, 2020, the County and the Debtor entered into a Fee
in Lieu of Tax and Incentive Agreement (the “FILOT Agreement.”).13 The FILOT Agreement
provides certain tax incentives for the Debtor by establishing a lower assessment ratio for purposes
of ad valorem taxes on the land and improvements of the Project and a set “millage” rate to apply
in perpetuity so long as the fee interest in the Project and underlying land is owned by the Debtor.
12
A true and correct copy of the Interlocal Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit C.
13
A true and correct copy of the FILOT Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit D.
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The application of these tax incentives is subject to the Debtor or its affiliate making certain
minimum capital investments and the Project meeting certain metrics for positive economic impact
(e.g., creating a certain number of jobs). The consequence of failing to meet these obligations is
the potential loss of tax incentives or recoupment of such taxes (plus interest), as applicable, but
does not give rise to non-FILOT Agreement-based damages. See FILOT Agreement §§ 6.01, 6.02
(listing events of default and remedies and giving the county the option to “terminate this
Agreement” or “take whatever action at law or in equity may appear necessary or desirable to
collect the amounts due hereunder [i.e., under the FILOT Agreement]” (emphasis added)).
In December 2020, the Debtor and the City entered into three separate agreements
The County is not a party to any of these three agreements, and none of these agreements affords
the County any direct or indirect rights as a third-party beneficiary or otherwise. See LDA § 26
(“[T]he provisions of this Agreement are for the sole benefit of the Parties [i.e., the City and the
Debtor] and their successors and permitted assigns, and they will not be construed as conferring
any rights to any third party”); FCAA § 12.4 (same); Dedication Agreement § 14 (“It is expressly
understood and agreed that no third-party beneficiaries are created by this Agreement”).
Under the LDA, the Debtor agreed to develop the Project. The LDA expressly
provides that the Debtor has no obligations under any of the LDA, the FCAA, or the Dedication
Agreement (defined below), unless and until the City delivered the Minimum Bond Funding
14
A true and correct copy of the FCAA is attached hereto as Exhibit E.
15
A true and correct copy of the LDA is attached hereto as Exhibit F.
16
A true and correct copy of the Dedication Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit G.
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Amount (defined below). The County claims that the LDA explicitly limits the use of the County
Payment to the Mt. Gallant Expansion (see County Compl. ¶¶ 44-45). To the extent any such
obligation were to arise under the LDA, it would necessarily be contingent upon the fulfillment of
the LDA’s condition precedent for its “Effectiveness”—namely, the City’s issuance of at least
$135 million in bonds. See LDA § 1(a) (“Effectiveness. The [Debtor] shall have no obligations to
proceed under this [LDA], the Dedication Agreement, or the FCAA until an amount equal to
$135,000,000 in Bond proceeds have been delivered . . . pursuant to the terms of the FCAA.”
(emphasis added)). The LDA is an agreement between the City and the Debtor. The County has
no rights thereunder and is not a third-party beneficiary. Indeed, all third-party beneficiaries are
Under the FCAA, among other things, the Debtor agreed to undertake the
construction of so-called bond funded infrastructure (“Bond Funded Infrastructure”) and the
City agreed to use “reasonable best efforts” to issue $225 million in public bonds, the proceeds of
which were to be used to reimburse the Debtor for the expenses incurred in connection with the
construction of such infrastructure. Under the FCAA, the Debtor had no obligation to construct
the Bond Funded Infrastructure unless the City provided a minimum of $135 million of bond
funding (the “Minimum Bond Funding Amount”) into a project fund (the “Project Fund”) by
February 26, 2021 (the “Bond Funding Deadline”). No amount of bond funding was received by
Lastly, under the Dedication Agreement, the City acknowledged and agreed that,
subject to the terms and conditions thereof, the Debtor would dedicate to the City, and the City
would take title to, the Bond Funded Infrastructure developed by the Debtor and funded by the
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On January 6, 2021, the City made a direct payment of $20 million to the general
On January 19, 2021, pursuant to Section 4.29(c) of the Interlocal Agreement, the
County made the County Payment in the amount of $21 million. Like the City payment, the
County Payment was wire-transferred directly into the Debtor’s general operating bank account of
and used for general Project purposes. Id. ¶ 8. See also Interlocal Agreement § 4.29(c) (“[T]he
County shall make a direct payment to the Developer or its designee in the amount of $21,000,000
no later than July 15, 2020”). As set forth in the Hickman Declaration, Mr. Hickman is “not aware
of any agreement or understanding between the Debtor and the County requiring the Debtor to
return or repay any portion of the County [Payment].” Hickman Decl. ¶ 8 (emphasis added).
alia, to purchase the Project site and to fund a substantial portion of the construction, including
construction of aspects of the Project that constituted Bond Funded Infrastructure. Id. ¶ 9.
D. The City Fails To Issue the Public Bonds And The Project Is Terminated
The City of Rock Hill had the obligation to use reasonable best efforts to raise the
required $225 million public bond issue by February 26, 2021. The City defaulted on that
obligation. The Debtor estimated that it would cost an additional $500 million or more to complete
the Project. Accordingly, in March 2022, the Debtor suspended work on the Project.
On March 18, 2022, to protect itself from claims by the City and to preserve its
rights against the City, the Debtor issued to the City a notice of default of the City’s obligations
for failing to use reasonable best efforts to issue the public bonds by February 26, 2021. After the
30-day cure period under the FCAA expired with no cure by the City, on April 19, 2022, the Debtor
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provided the City with a notice of special termination of the LDA and a notice of rescission of the
FCAA.
On May 31, 2022, the eve of the Petition Date, the County sent the Demand Letter
to the Debtor– and not to any of the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants – making allegations similar
to those contained in the County Complaint and demanding the return of the County Payment. The
County Payment was wired directly to the Debtor’s general operating account, however, and was
already employed for general Project expenses – including approximately $240 million in
construction and project site purchase expenses – prior to the County’s demand.
The Debtor filed this Chapter 11 Case on the following day, June 1, 2022.
Eight days after this Chapter 11 Case was filed, despite the fact that its demand
letter was issued only to the Debtor, the County, acting by and through its individual agents and
representatives, filed the State Court Action on June 9, 2022 in South Carolina state court against
certain non-debtor defendants, Appaloosa Management, LP, DT Sports Holding, LLC, and Tepper
Sports Holding, Inc. (together, the “Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants”) and the City
On the same day as the County filed the County Complaint, the Debtor’s counsel
responded to the Demand Letter to advise the County of the existence of the automatic stay (the
17
A true and correct copy of the Debtor’s June 9 Response Letter is attached hereto as Exhibit H.
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that “on June 1, 2022 [the Debtor] filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.” Id. ¶ 72. Further, it concedes
that “[u]nder the FCAA, the City of Rock Hill committed to ‘use reasonable best efforts to issue
Bonds . . . in an amount sufficient to fund the Project Fund with the Maximum Project Fund
Amount’ of $225 million” but “the City of Rock Hill failed to issue the required bonds” and as a
result “the development project collapsed.” County Compl., at 1, 7 ¶ 3. Nevertheless, the County
alleges, inter alia, that the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants “directed the misappropriation of $21
million of statutorily restricted, public funds from their stated purpose, the expansion of a roadway
in York County, and improperly utilized these funds on their failed vanity project.” County
Compl., at 1.
The Complaint also includes certain allegations relating to the “Mt. Gallant
Expansion,” a term referencing the contemplated expansion, as part of the Project, of Mt. Gallant
Road (the “Mt. Gallant Expansion”). Specifically, the County asserts reliance upon Section 15(f)
of the FCAA – an agreement exclusively between the City and the Debtor and under which the
County has no rights – which provides, inter alia, that the “Developer shall use the County-
contributed funds under the Interlocal Agreement to help pay for the Expanded Scope,” i.e., the
Mt. Gallant Expansion. County Compl. ¶ 45. The County Complaint further alleges that “[t]he
City of Rock Hill has failed to live up to its end of the bargain” and “the City of Rock Hill
breached” its obligations under the FCAA “by failing to issue [] bonds.” County Compl. ¶¶ 115,
117. As discussed herein, however, the State Court Action omits the fact that the FCAA
Agreement is an agreement solely between the City and the Debtor and expressly states that “[t]he
18
A true and correct copy of the County Complaint is attached hereto as Exhibit I.
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provisions of this Agreement are for the sole benefit of the Parties [i.e., the City and the Debtor]
and their successors and permitted assigns, and they will not be construed as conferring any rights
Ultimately, the State Court Action asserts five counts for relief against the Affiliate
and a single count of breach of contract against the City of Rock Hill (the “City Claim” and
together with the Affiliate Non Debtor Defendant Claims, the “State Court Claims”).
The City Claim asserts breach of contract against the City arising from the FCAA,
a contract solely between the City and the Debtor that expressly disclaims all third-party
beneficiaries. Compare County Compl. ¶¶ 109-110 (“Plaintiff and the City of Rock Hill are parties
to the Interlocal Agreement . . . [and] the LDA and FCAA intentionally confer benefits upon York
County, making it a third-party beneficiary of those agreements.”) with FCAA § 12.4 (The
provisions of this Agreement are for the sole benefit of the Parties [i.e., the City and the Debtor]
and their successors and permitted assigns, and they will not be construed as conferring any rights
to any third party.”); LDA § 26 (same). Accordingly, even if the allegations in the County’s
Complaint were credited, to the extent “[t]he City of Rock Hill has failed to live up to its end of
the bargain” and “the City of Rock Hill breached [the FCAA] by failing to issue [] bonds” (County
Compl. ¶¶ 115, 117)—those breaches can only be asserted by Debtor, not the County. With respect
to the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendant Claims, they seek recovery on claims that could be asserted
by any creditor of the estate insofar as they relate to injuries arising from the Debtor’s alleged
failure to complete the Project and the Debtor’s conduct in connection with the construction
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thereof (and suspension of that construction). Any claims against the alter egos of the Debtor, if
they exist at all, are general claims, with no particularized injury arising from them and could be
brought by any creditor of the debtor under the circumstances of this case. As the first paragraph
in the County Complaint makes clear “York County has been damaged by a breakdown between
the City of Rock Hill . . . [and] the ‘Tepper Defendants’ . . . [whereby] [1] City of Rock Hill failed
to issue the required bonds, [2] the development project collapsed . . . and [3] the County should
be made whole.” County Compl., at 1 (emphasis added). Every single creditor of the estate shares
the same general claim, namely: (1) the City of Rock Hill “failed to issue the required bonds,” (2)
the Project was suspended (i.e., “collapsed”); and (3) they should allegedly be made “whole.”
Well-established law in this Circuit holds that any such claims – sounding in alter ego theories of
Payment does not give rise to a claim of debt or any interest in the Debtor or its assets. Insofar as
claims against the Non-Debtor Affiliate Defendants exist, and the Debtor takes no position on the
validity or value of any such claims at this time, they are claims that could only be brought by the
Further, the County’s claims against the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants assert
that those defendants’ supposed wrongdoing was perpetrated by virtue of the Debtor’s conduct,
which the County alleges was controlled by Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants. For example, even
though the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants were not parties to any agreements relating to the
Project, with the County or otherwise, the County asserts that the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants
“controlled all aspects of the relationships with York County.” County Compl. ¶ 20. The County
also asserts that the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants “directly controlled [the County Payment]
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funds with direct access to and control of [Debtor’s] bank account. The Tepper Defendants
determined where these [County Payment] monies were spent [by the Debtor] and to whom they
In sum, all of the County’s claims against the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants rest
on the premise that the Debtor committed the same alleged wrongdoing as the Affiliate Non-
Debtor Defendants, acting at their direction. Thus, the State Court Action will necessarily require
Further, the City Claim asserts the breach of a contract under which the County has
no rights. As explained above, the Debtor has rights against the City under the Project
Agreements, and the County is improperly exercising dominion and control over those claims,
which are property of the estate, by asserting them against the City in the State Court Action.
As noted above, the County’s willfulness is demonstrated by, inter alia, the fact
that the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendant Claims effectively mirror the assertions in the County’s
Demand Letter that was sent nine days earlier, not to the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants, but to
the Debtor. These circumstances (coupled with the letter that the Debtor sent in response alerting
the County to the Chapter 11 Case), remove any doubt that the County, by and through its
individual agents and representatives, had actual knowledge of the automatic stay and that its
Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendant Claims are premised upon primary liability of the Debtor.
b. The State Court Action’s Impact on the Debtor and its Chapter 11 Case
State Court Action regarding the County Payment could impact the Debtors’ rights and obligations
because the Debtor stood at the center of the alleged conduct underpinning the Affiliate Non-
Debtor Defendant Claims. As such, the Debtor is a necessary party to the State Court Action
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because its liability must be determined in order to give effective relief to the County with respect
to the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendant Claims. Further, the Debtor also faces material risk of
collateral estoppel, which could materially impair the Debtor’s reorganization efforts. If the legal
and factual issues relating to the County Payment are determined by the York County court (or
South Carolina district court),19 the Debtor faces a material risk that those determinations will
collaterally estop the Debtor from taking contrary positions in further litigation, including in
connection with the determination of the County’s claim against the Debtor in this Chapter 11
Case and in connection with the above-captioned Adversary Complaint in this proceeding seeking
For similar reasons, the Debtor is also a necessary party to the State Court Action
and faces collateral estoppel risk in respect of the City Claim because no relief could be granted to
the County unless the Debtor were also entitled to that relief and, if there is any determination
made in respect of the breaches of the Project Agreements in a proceeding to which it is not a
party, it could be prejudiced by those determinations. As such, to protect the integrity of the
19
On July 07, 2022, the Affiliated Non-Debtor Defendants removed the State Court Action to the United States
District Court for the District of South Carolina, Case No. 22-cv-02167-CMC (D. S.C. July 7, 2022) (D.E. 1). The
Debtor understands that, in order to encourage a global settlement of the County’s claims with respect to the
Project, one or more Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants, using their own funds, have deposited an amount equal to
the County Payment into a segregated third-party escrow account. The Debtor understands that the funding of
the escrow account is intended – without the admission of any fact, event or circumstance or waiver of any right,
claim or defense – to facilitate the Debtor’s timely exit from the Chapter 11 Case by recreating the County’s
alleged status quo ante and providing a source for distributions with respect to any claim of the County that may
be allowed in the Chapter 11 Case pursuant to a global settlement or as may otherwise be ordered by the Court. To
reiterate: the Debtor contends, as set forth in detail herein, that the County has no claim against the Debtor or
interest in the Debtor or in the Debtor’s asset arising from or relating to the County Payment or otherwise.
20
With respect to this Complaint specifically, it seeks a judgment, inter alia, declaring that the County Payment
does not give rise to any claim of debt against the Debtor or any of the Debtor’s assets, which is directly contrary
to the claims asserted in the County Complaint. Thus, the State Court Action presents a real and material risk
that the Debtor will be prejudiced by inconsistent rulings and/or collateral estoppel with respect to the
determination of rights regarding the County Payment.
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bankruptcy process, the automatic stay should be extended pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 105(a) to cover
In addition, if the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants were found liable in the State
Court Action, claims for contractual or common law indemnity and/or contribution could be
asserted directly against the Debtor. The LLCA defines a “Covered Person” as the Member, and
any “equityholder . . . of the [Debtor’s] affiliates.” The Ultimate Parent is the equityholder of
various entities that are affiliates of the Debtor because they are under the Ultimate Parent’s
As Covered Persons, the Member and the Ultimate Parent have a broad indemnity
for any claims relating to or arising out of or in connection with the Debtor, its property, business
the [Debtor] shall indemnify and hold harmless each Covered Person from and
against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs and . . . of any nature
whatsoever . . . arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or
proceedings . . . in which the Covered Person may be involved, or threatened to be
involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its management of the affairs of the
[Debtor] or which relates to or arises out of or in connection with the [Debtor], its
property, its business or affairs, including its status as a member therein.
In addition, with the approval of the Member, a Covered Person’s defense costs
Here, the Affiliate Non-Debtor Claims against the Member and the Ultimate Parent
asserted by the County relate to decisions and actions allegedly taken by the Member and the
Ultimate Parent, or under their effective control, on how to hold, treat and use the County Payment
that was provided to, held by, and used by, the Debtor. As such, these claims “arise[] out of or in
21
LLCA § 17(b).
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connection with the [Debtor], its property, its business or affairs” and fall plainly within the scope
of the indemnity in the LLCA. As Covered Persons, therefore, any claims asserted against the
Member and Ultimate Parent, and the costs of the defense thereof, would be covered losses under
the indemnity provisions of the LLCA, entitling the Member and the Ultimate Parent to claims
There are also potential claims for contribution that may arise from the Affiliate
Non-Debtor Claims. Under South Carolina law, a tortfeasor has a right to seek contribution from
a joint tortfeasor, even if the joint tortfeasor was not party to the tort action. S.C. Code Ann. § 15-
38-40(B) (“a defendant has the right to seek contribution against any judgment defendant and other
persons who were not made parties to the action.”). Here, the State Court Claims revolve around
the Debtor’s actions after receiving the County Payment, including the alleged misappropriation
and use of such funds. The Debtor is the principal actor at the center of the alleged wrongful acts
or omissions asserted in the County Complaint. Accordingly, although the Debtor believes such
claims lack merit, if successful, the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants would likely have claims for
contribution against the Debtor as a joint tortfeasor principally liable for any damages.
Under Third Circuit law, these facts give rise to a substantial “identity of interest”
that warrants extension of the automatic stay to enjoin the State Court Action against the Non-
Debtor Defendants.
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COUNT ONE
(For A Declaration, Pursuant To The Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201-2202,
That The State Court Action Violates The Automatic Stay of 11 U.S.C. § 362)
The Debtor repeats and re-alleges the allegations contained in the preceding
This cause of action requests declaratory relief under the Declaratory Judgment
The Declaratory Judgment Act provides that “[i]n a case of actual controversy
within its jurisdiction, . . . any court of the United States, . . . may declare the rights and other legal
relations of any interested party seeking such declaration, whether or not further relief is or could
declaratory judgment or decree may be granted, after reasonable notice and hearing, against any
adverse party whose rights have been determined by such judgment.” 28 U.S.C. § 2202.
A bona fide, actual, present dispute exists between the Debtor, on the one hand, and
the County, on the other hand, concerning the application of the automatic stay.
that permits debtors to effectively reorganize while ensuring that all creditors are treated fairly and
equitably.
Section 362(a) of the Bankruptcy Code provides that the filing of a bankruptcy
petition “operates as a stay, applicable to all entities, of (1) the commencement or continuation,
proceeding against the debtor that was or could have been commenced before the commencement
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of the case under this title, or to recover a claim against the debtor that arose before the
commencement of the case under this title.” 11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(1). Additionally, it prohibits,
among other things, any act to obtain possession of property of a debtor’s estate or of property
from a debtor’s estate or to exercise control over property of a debtor’s estate. 11 U.S.C. §
362(a)(3). Asserting a cause of action that belongs to the Debtor’s estate is exercising control over
Section 362(a)(3) of the Bankruptcy Code provides that “any act to obtain
possession of property of the estate or of property from the estate or to exercise control over
property of the estate” constitutes a willful violation of the automatic stay. A violation of Section
362(a)(3) requires both (1) a post-petition act and (2) property of the estate.
The City Claim and Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendant Claims are property of the
estate, which the Debtors maintain exclusive standing to pursue and have not abandoned.
the Debtor seeks a judgment declaring that the State Court Action violates the automatic stay of
COUNT TWO
(For A Declaration, Pursuant To The Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201-2202,
That The County Payment Does Not Give Rise To Any Claim Against The Debtor Or Any
Interest In The Debtor Or In Any Of The Debtor’s Assets)
The Debtor repeats and re-alleges the allegations contained in the preceding
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This cause of action requests declaratory relief under the Declaratory Judgment
The Declaratory Judgment Act provides that “[i]n a case of actual controversy
within its jurisdiction, . . . any court of the United States, . . . may declare the rights and other legal
relations of any interested party seeking such declaration, whether or not further relief is or could
declaratory judgment or decree may be granted, after reasonable notice and hearing, against any
adverse party whose rights have been determined by such judgment.” 28 U.S.C. § 2202.
A bona fide, actual, present dispute exists between the Debtor, on the one hand, and
the County, on the other hand, concerning the County Payment. In particular, the County sent the
May 31, 2022 Demand Letter to the Debtor, demanding the return of the $21 million County
Payment. In addition, the State Court Action has precipitated an actual controversy regarding the
nature of the Debtor and its affiliates’ rights and legal relations in connection with the $21 million
payment made by the County to the Debtor. The County claims under various theories that the
funds should be returned to it. The Debtor disputes that the County is entitled to the return of those
funds. A judgment declaring the parties’ respective rights and obligations will resolve their
dispute.
101(12). “Claim” is defined, in relevant part, to mean “a right to payment, whether or not such
Under the Interlocal Agreement, the County agreed to transfer $21 million to the
Debtor, an expressly named third-party beneficiary, which does not owe duties or obligations to
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the contractual parties. See Interlocal Agreement § 4.29(c) (“[T]he County shall make a direct
payment to the Developer or its designee in the amount of $21,000,000 no later than July 15,
2020”); id. § 6.10 (“The parties agree that the Developer is an intended third-party beneficiary of
this Agreement and may, at its option, enforce the terms of this Agreement or appear as a party in
The County Payment was transferred without any obligations imposed on the
Debtor and no contractual relations existing between the parties with respect to repayment. The
Debtor received the County Payment pursuant to the terms of the Interlocal Agreement. It
employed the funds for general Project expenses, which have exceeded $240 million in
construction and project site purchase costs to date. No viable claim for a “debt” can be asserted
Additionally, the County did not seek or obtain in exchange for the $21 million
payment any form of stock certificate, interest in a partnership, warranty or right to purchase, sell,
or subscribe to a security, or entitlement to any other cognizable equity interest, from the Debtor.
Further, the County did not seek to preserve an interest in the County Payment once made, nor did
it seek or obtain any lien, charge, security interest or other interest in the proceeds of the County
Payment or any other asset of the Debtor. Accordingly, there was no agreement that the County
would obtain any form of interest in the Debtor or in the Debtor’s assets in exchange for the $21
million payment.
2202 declaring that the County Payment does not give rise to any claim against the Debtor or any
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COUNT THREE
(For Injunctive Relief Pursuant To Bankruptcy Rule 7065 and 11 U.S.C. § 362)
The Debtor repeats and re-alleges the allegations contained in the preceding
Section 362(a) of the Bankruptcy Code provides that the filing of a bankruptcy
petition “operates as a stay, applicable to all entities, of (1) the commencement or continuation,
proceeding against the debtor that was or could have been commenced before the commencement
of the case under this title, or to recover a claim against the debtor that arose before the
Section 362(a) of the Bankruptcy Code further provides that the filing of a
bankruptcy petition operates as a stay, applicable to all entities, of “(3) any act to obtain possession
of property of the estate or of property from the estate or to exercise control over property of the
In furtherance of any relief granted to the Debtor by the Court in respect of count I
above, this cause of action requests injunctive relief pursuant to sections 362(a) of the Bankruptcy
Code and Bankruptcy Rule 7065. 11 U.S.C. §§ 105(a), 362(a); Fed. R. Bank. P. 7065.
The County, acting by and through its individual agents and representatives, is in
violation of the automatic stay as set forth in count I herein. Accordingly, the Debtor is entitled to
an injunction under sections 362(a) of the Bankruptcy Code and Bankruptcy Rule 7065 enjoining
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COUNT FOUR
(For Injunctive Relief Pursuant To Bankruptcy Rule 7065 and 11 U.S.C. §§ 362 and 105)
The Debtor repeats and re-alleges the allegations contained in the preceding
This cause of action requests injunctive relief pursuant to sections 362(a) and
105(a) of the Bankruptcy Code and Bankruptcy Rule 7065. 11 U.S.C. §§ 105(a), 362(a); Fed. R.
Bank. P. 7065.
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 [the Bankruptcy
Code].” 11 U.S.C. § 105(a). Relief under section 105 is particularly appropriate in chapter 11
cases, such as these, where it is necessary to protect the Debtor’s ability to effectively confirm a
plan of reorganization and to preserve the property of the Debtor’s estate. A bankruptcy court
may, therefore, in its discretion, extend the automatic stay to actions against non-debtors under
section 105.
Here, the Debtor is a necessary party to all of the State Court Claims and faces
material collateral estoppel risk if the State Court Action is permitted to proceed. Further, the
Member and Ultimate Parent are direct and indirect shareholders of the Debtor and indemnified
by the Debtor, and all Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants will or may have common law rights of
indemnity or contribution against the Debtor. The alleged conduct at issue – receiving and
purportedly “misappropriating” the County Payment – necessarily involves the alleged conduct of
the Debtor who is the recipient of those funds. Accordingly, the Affiliate Non-Debtor Defendants
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105(a) of the Bankruptcy Code and Bankruptcy Rule 7065 enjoining the further prosecution of the
WHEREFORE, the Debtor respectfully requests this Court enter an order and judgment
pursuant to the Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201-2202, sections 105(a) and 362 of
the Bankruptcy Code, and Bankruptcy Rule 7065, granting the following relief:
A. On Count I, declaring that the claims asserted in the State Court Action violate the
B. On Count II, declaring that the County Payment does not give rise to any claim
against the Debtor or any interest in the Debtor or in any of the Debtor’s assets;
of the State Court Action pursuant to Bankruptcy Rule 7065 and 11 U.S.C. § 362
D. On Count IV, in the alternative to the relief requested by counts I and III, extending
the automatic stay to enjoin and restrain the prosecution of the State Court Action
pursuant to Bankruptcy Rule 7065 and 11 U.S.C. §§ 362 and 105; and
E. Such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.
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FARNAN LLP
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