Fox v. Bank Mandiri (In Re Perry H. Koplik & Sons, Inc.)
Bank Mandiri, the defendant in an underlying bankruptcy adversary proceeding, sought leave to appeal a Bankruptcy Court order that denied its motion to dismiss. The Bankruptcy Court's order, issued on October 23, 2006, pertained to a complaint filed by Michael S. Fox, the Trustee for Perry H. Koplik & Sons, Inc. ("Koplik"). The dispute originated from a letter of credit issued by Bank Mandiri's predecessor to secure Koplik's purchase of equipment from an Indonesian company. Following a default and subsequent multi-year litigation in Indonesian courts, the matter moved to U.S. bankruptcy proceedings. Bank Mandiri's motion to dismiss was based on claims of res judicata, comity, collateral estoppel, judicial estoppel, and lack of personal jurisdiction. The District Court, applying the standards of 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b), denied Bank Mandiri's motion for leave to appeal, concluding that there were no controlling questions of law with substantial grounds for difference of opinion regarding comity, res judicata, or judicial estoppel that would warrant an interlocutory appeal.