Appeals court OKs sale of Chrysler assets to Fiat

NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. appeals court conditionally approved Chrysler’s sale of most of its assets to Italy’s Fiat on Friday, but is keeping the deal on hold until Monday to allow an appeal to the nation’s highest court.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit said it will continue to delay the sale until 4 p.m. Monday, unless the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes.

Thomas Lauria, an attorney representing the trio of Indiana state pension and construction funds that appealed the sale, said his clients will keep pressing their objections.

“We will be going to the Supreme Court to see if we can get some time to get this case considered by them,” Lauria said after the hearing.

Chrysler said in a statement, “We’re pleased with the court’s decision and appreciate the court’s recognition of the need for a swift conclusion to the process so we can quickly start becoming a new car company.”

The court heard arguments from attorneys representing Chrysler LLC, Fiat Group SpA and the Indiana funds.

The Indiana State Police Pension Fund, the Indiana Teacher’s Retirement Fund and the state’s Major Moves Construction Fund claim the deal unfairly favors the interests of the company’s unsecured stakeholders ahead of those of secured debtholders such as themselves.

The funds also challenged the constitutionality of the Treasury Department’s use of Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, funds to supply Chrysler’s bankruptcy protection financing. They say the Treasury did so without congressional authority.

“I would ask the court to view this as standing the bankruptcy process on its head,” Lauria said in his argument.

The Treasury Department, meanwhile, said it was “extremely gratified” that the appeals court upheld the sale.

Late Tuesday, the appeals court halted the sale pending the Indiana state funds’ appeal. Chrysler had hoped to close the sale by the end of this week.