In an auction on 26 March 2010, the state-owned China Aviation Industry General Aircraft was the highest bidder with a US$4.3 million offer, beating out a bid by the "LT Builders Group", a group of seven aircraft owners with incomplete aircraft in the plant. The hearing judge admonished the "LT Builders Group" for their bid describing it as "pathetic, useless, incompetent, unacceptable, garbage and fiction" but gave the group another chance to improve their position and reserved his decision on the final winner of the auction until 2 April 2010. On 2 April 2010 the judge issued a judgement ordering China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. Ltd. to form a partnership with the "LT Builders Group" allowing the latter to run the Bend plant. The deal was completed by 11 April 2010, with the "LT Builders Group" agreeing to run the plant and market to North America, while the Chinese company would market to the rest of the world. The new company intended to reopen the Bend plant for builder-assist construction as well as pursue type certification of the Epic LT, a project which the original company owners had started, but not completed.