Delphi defends asset sale to private-equity firm

NEW YORK — Auto parts maker Delphi Corp. defended the sale of a portion of its assets to a private equity firm on Thursday, saying it has been open to other buyers since it first entered bankruptcy protection four years ago.

In a Thursday court filing, Delphi Vice President and Chief Financial Officer John Sheehan offered a chronology of Delphi’s dealings with Platinum Equity, the Beverly Hills, Calif.-based buyout firm that has agreed to purchase some of Delphi’s assets as part of Delphi’s plan to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Sheehan’s chronology comes in response to an objection filed earlier this week by a group of lenders who have been funding Delphi during its bankruptcy process. The lenders, who are owed more than $3.25 billion, called the proposed sale to Platinum a “secretly negotiated transaction” that violated Delphi’s obligations to maximize the value of the lenders’ investment.

Sheehan shot back in his filing on Thursday, saying that Delphi had been open with the lenders from the start about its conversations with Platinum. He said the lenders had not contributed enough liquidity to Delphi to keep it operating, forcing it to seek funding from other sources.

Sheehan said Delphi agreed to the sale without accepting other bidders because “Delphi has, in my opinion, been fully marketed to potential investors over the years that it has been in Chapter 11.”

As part of the sale, Delphi is seeking to pay Platinum $30 million to cover the private equity firm’s “due diligence” expenses it accrued while exploring the deal, according to a motion.

Troy, Mich.-based Delphi reached its deal with Platinum earlier this month. The deal will allow the private equity firm to operate Delphi’s businesses both in the U.S. and abroad.

In connection, General Motors Corp., Delphi’s former parent and still largest customer, will contribute $2 billion to finance the deal. GM also will acquire some of Delphi’s North American plants, including its global steering business. Other “noncore” plants and assets will be sold off over time.