Sovereign Immunity Analysis In Subscription Credit Facilities

Keywords: sovereign immunity, analysis, subscription credit facilities, private equity, real estate funds, pension plans, endowment funds, sovereign wealth funds

Subscription credit facilities (a Facility) have become a popular form of financing for private equity and real estate funds (Funds). The Facility's lenders (the Lenders) are granted a security interest in the uncalled capital commitments of the Fund's limited partners (the Investors) and the Lenders rely on the Investors' obligations to fund capital contributions as the primary source of repayment. Governmental pension plans, state endowment funds, sovereign wealth funds and other instrumentalities of foreign and domestic governments are frequent Investors that may possess certain sovereign immunity rights against enforcement proceedings rooted in the common law concept that "the King can do no wrong."1

Sovereign immunity in its purist form could shield a governmental entity from all liability e.g., enforcement by a Lender seeking to collect uncalled capital commitments contractually owed by the Investor to the Fund. Thus, as Lenders evaluate the creditworthiness of governmental Investors for inclusion in a Facility's borrowing base, they naturally inquire into how sovereign immunity may impact the enforceability of such Investors' capital commitments.

Governmental Investors must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ascertain if any sovereign rights apply and, if so, whether such Investor has effectively waived its immunity. Given the financial troubles facing many governmental Investors as a result of the ongoing economic crisis and sovereign debt concerns, Lenders are increasing their scrutiny of the credit wherewithal of such Investors and their potential ability to raise sovereign immunity as a defense in subsequent litigation. This Legal Update seeks to set forth the basic legal framework of sovereign immunity in the United States relevant to a Facility.

Basis of Immunity

At its most basic level, the doctrine of sovereign immunity states that the government cannot be sued in its own courts unless it has otherwise consented to waive its sovereign immunity. As it relates to governmental Investors organized under the laws of the United States or a political subdivision thereof (a US governmental Investor), the doctrine of sovereign immunity comes in two flavors: (i) sovereign immunity of the federal government2 and (ii) sovereign immunity of state governments and their instrumentalities pursuant to the Eleventh Amendment of the US Constitution, and in some states, through the state's Constitution.

Sovereign immunity of the US federal government is a concept that has existed in US jurisprudence since the country's founding.3 Through the Tucker Act,4 however, it is well settled that the US federal government has waived sovereign immunity with respect to any express or implied contract. With respect to state governments, the Eleventh Amendment, along with US Supreme Court jurisprudence on the issue, provides that states generally are immune from being sued in federal or state court without their consent.5 Recognizing the inequities of such a rule in the commercial context however, many state constitutions, legislatures and high courts have eroded the sovereign immunity of state governments to permit actions based on contractual claims.

The doctrine of sovereign immunity also protects certain foreign governments and international organizations of a quasi-governmental nature, such as the United Nations, against claims in US courts. The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (the FSIA) generally shields such Investors, but provides an exclusive basis and means to bring a lawsuit against a foreign sovereign in the US for certain commercial claims.6

Waivers of Immunity US Investors

There are three ways that sovereign immunity is generally waived by US governmental Investors: (i) an Investor expressly and unequivocally waiving such immunity in a writing that can be relied upon by the Lender (i.e., an "Investor Letter" delivered to the Lenders in connection with the Facility or a side letter provision running to the benefit of the Lenders), (ii) a statute enacted by the applicable governing legislature that explicitly waives immunity for contract claims in commercial transactions, such as the Tucker Act7 in the case of the US federal government, or (iii) controlling case law, typically from a federal or the applicable state's highest court, that precludes governmental Investors from effectively raising sovereign immunity as a defense to contractual claims.

WRITTEN WAIVERS FROM INVESTORS

The best case scenario for the Lenders is an explicit waiver from the Investor or an express statement that sovereign immunity does not apply. Often in an Investor Letter, the subject Investor: (i) acknowledges and agrees that, to the extent it is entitled to sovereign immunity now or at any time in the future, it irrevocably waives such immunity to the fullest extent permitted by law and/or (ii) represents that it is not subject to, or cannot claim, immunity from suit in respect of contractual claims to enforce its obligations under the applicable partnership agreement and subscription agreement.

A second variety of waiver is an implicit waiver. With an implicit waiver, the Lenders are provided with an affirmative representation that the Investor is subject to commercial law and that its performance under the partnership...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT