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SCC SHAREHOLDER DERIVATIVE LAWSUIT:
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
SCC SHAREHOLDER DERIVATIVE LAWSUIT:  
SCC SHAREHOLDER DERIVATIVE LAWSUIT:

NOTE 2 —SCC SHAREHOLDER DERIVATIVE LAWSUIT:

 

Three purported class action derivative lawsuits were filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery (New Castle County) late in December 2004 and early January 2005 relating to the proposed merger transaction between the Company and Minera Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (the “Transaction”), which was completed effective April 1, 2005. On January 31, 2005, the three actions were consolidated into one action and the complaint filed by Lemon Bay was designated as the operative complaint in the consolidated lawsuit. The consolidated action purports to be brought on behalf of the Company and its common stockholders. The defendants in the consolidated action were Americas Mining Corporation (“AMC”)  and SCC’s directors.  The Company was a nominal defendant.  The consolidated complaint alleges, among other things, that the Transaction was the result of breaches of fiduciary duties by the Company’s directors and was entirely unfair to the Company and its minority stockholders.

 

On October 14, 2011, the Court issued an opinion on this action finding that SCC had paid AMC too much stock consideration in the Transaction. The Court issued a revised final order and judgment on December 29, 2011. The Court decided that the Award, in the amount of $1,347 million plus $684.6 million of pre-judgment interest, was payable by AMC with cash, or with the return of a number of shares of SCC equal in value to award, or by SCC cancelling an equivalent number of shares owned by AMC, or by any combination thereof, so long as the total was equivalent to the amount of the judgment plus accrued post-judgment interest (post-judgment interest accrued from October 15, 2011). The Court also awarded attorneys’ fees and expenses in the amount of $304.7 million, or 15% of the judgment, plus post-judgment interest, payable by SCC out of the award and not from existing SCC’s cash.

 

On January 20, 2012, AMC and the other defendants appealed the Court’s decisions. On the same date, SCC appealed the Court’s decision related to the award of attorneys’ fees and expenses. On May 3, 2012, the Court accepted the security provided by AMC and granted a stay of the judgment pending final resolution of the appeal.  On August 27, 2012, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s decision.  On September 21, 2012, the Delaware Supreme Court rejected the rehearing motion filed by AMC and ordered AMC to follow the Court’s decision. On October 9, 2012, AMC paid to the Company $2,108.2 million and the Company paid $316.2 million of legal fees and expenses to the plaintiff’s attorneys. The effect of this award has been recorded in the Company’s third quarter 2012 results. The $2,108.2 million awarded to the Company has been included in the capital accounts with a corresponding receivable recorded on the balance sheet.  Additionally, the Company has recorded an expense of $316.2 million in its 2012 third quarter results for the legal fees related to this award and has recorded a liability on its balance sheet for this obligation.