Gold v. Rowland
Gold v. Rowland
Opinion of the Court
Opinion
The plaintiff, Ronald Gold, a state employee, brought this action on his own behalf and on behalf of all others similarly situated, against the defendants, John G. Rowland, the former governor of the state of Connecticut, and the state of Connecticut (collectively referred to as the state), and also against Anthem, Inc., Anthem Health Care Plans, Inc., doing business as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Connecticut, Anthem East, Inc., and Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. (collectively referred to as the insurance company defendants), alleging that the state had received approximately 1.6 million shares of stock in Anthem, Inc., that should have been distributed to the plaintiff and other state employees. The state filed a motion to dismiss the complaint on the ground that it was barred by the doctrine of sovereign immunity. The trial court granted the state’s motion to dismiss with respect to eleven of the complaint’s seventeen counts against the state, but denied the motion with respect to the counts alleging that the state had taken the plaintiffs property in violation of article first, § 11, of the constitution of Connecticut
The record reveals the following undisputed facts and procedural history. On July 31,1997, Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. (Anthem Insurance), a mutual insurance company organized under Indiana law, merged with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Connecticut, Inc. (Blue Cross), a mutual insurance company organized under Connecticut law. Under the plan and joint agreement of merger, Anthem Insurance was designated as the company that would survive the merger. In connection with the merger, Blue Cross formed a subsidiary, Anthem Health Care Plans, Inc., doing business as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Connecticut (Anthem Health Care), to carry on the health insurance business of Blue Cross after the merger.
Under Anthem Insurance’s premerger membership rules, each individual holder of a certificate of coverage under a fully insured group health insurance policy was an individual member of the company. The employer that had procured the coverage was not a member. Blue Cross’ premerger bylaws provided in relevant part that, “[i]n the case of a group insurance policy, the group as a whole shall be considered one policyholder, and such policyholder’s rights as a [vjoting [m] ember shall be exercised by the individual designated in, or pursuant to, such policy to act for the group for voting purposes. Individual members of the group who have been issued certificates shall not be considered [vjoting [m] embers. . . .’’On March 26, 1997, Blue Cross designated an entity identified as “00042-243, [s]tate of Connecticut, [ojffice of [comptroller, 55 Elm Street, Hartford, CT
On June 18, 2001, the board of directors of Anthem Insurance approved a plan of conversion from a mutual insurance company to a stock corporation (plan of conversion) under Indiana law.
In late 2001 and early 2002, Anthem Insurance distributed 1,645,773 shares of Anthem, Inc., stock to the state, on the basis of its determination that the state was an eligible statutory member under the 1999 group policy. On January 14,2002, Nancy Wyman, the state comptroller, sent a letter to then governor John G. Rowland requesting the establishment of a “fiduciary agency fund” for the stock and any proceeds derived therefrom. Wyman explained that “the state has taken custody of an asset to which it does not have a clear and unfettered right of ownership” and asked that the stock and proceeds be maintained in the fund “pending the resolution of all ownership issues.” Governor Rowland approved the establishment of the fund. Thereafter, Attorney General Richard Blumenthai provided an opinion to the state treasurer in which he concluded that the state owned the Anthem, Inc., stock and that, “[ujnless and until a court or administrative tribunal directs otherwise, [the treasurer] ha[s] the authority to receive and manage the stock consistent with [her] statutory and fiduciary duties.” He further stated that, “[a]s a prudential matter, the proceeds from the liquidation of the stock may be maintained in [the fiduciary agency] fund until the legal issues are resolved.” Thereafter, the state sold the stock for $93,768,950.
In January, 2002, the plaintiff filed a two count inter-pleader action against the state and the insurance company defendants alleging that he and others similarly situated were entitled to receive the Anthem, Inc., stock pursuant to the plan of conversion. In April, 2002, the plaintiff filed a motion for order compelling the state
In May, 2002, the parties entered into a stipulation in which they noted that the trial court had entered “an interim order . . . solely to preserve the status quo pending its determination of the [m]otion [for order compelling the state and the insurance company defendants to deposit disputed property into court].” They agreed that “[a]ny transfer or use by the [s]tate of some or all of the proceeds [from the sale of the Anthem, Inc., stock] shall not result in the surrender, waiver, change, diminution or loss of any rights or claims of right or the enhancement of any defense of any party by virtue of such transfer or use as they may have existed or shall exist any time hereafter.” The trial court then vacated the interim order. Effective July 1, 2002, the legislature authorized the state treasurer to credit the proceeds from the sale of the stock held in the fiduciary agency fund to the general fund. See Public Acts, Spec. Sess., May, 2002, No. 02-1, § 39. Thereafter, the state transferred the proceeds to the general fund and spent them.
In November, 2002, the plaintiff filed a second amended complaint in which he raised interpleader claims pursuant to § 52-484 alleging that, under the plan of conversion, he and other similarly situated state employees were entitled to the stock that the insurance
Thereafter, the state filed a motion to dismiss the plaintiffs claims against it on the ground that the claims were barred by the doctrine of sovereign immunity. After a hearing, the trial court concluded that the common-law claims raised in counts three through nine of the complaint were barred by the doctrine of sovereign immunity and dismissed those counts. The court also dismissed the plaintiffs federal constitutional claims as set forth in counts fourteen through seventeen on the basis of the plaintiffs representation that he did not intend to pursue those claims.
With respect to the plaintiffs claims under the state constitution, the state had claimed in its motion to dismiss that the complaint did not set forth allegations that could support a finding that the state had taken the plaintiffs property in a constitutional sense because the plaintiff had not alleged that the state had taken affirmative action with respect to the stock or the proceeds from its sale. Rather, the state argued, the plaintiff had merely alleged that the state had received the stock from Anthem, Inc. The state further contended that the
The state had also claimed that, even if its mere retention of the stock could constitute a constitutional taking, the plaintiff had not alleged a taking because he had not alleged that he and others similarly situated had an ownership interest in the stock at the time of the alleged taking. The plaintiff contended that, to the contrary, he and others similarly situated had a legitimate entitlement to the stock in the state’s possession because: (1) as individual holders of certificates of insurance under the 1999 group policy from June 18, 2001, through November 2,2001, he and those on whose behalf he was suing all had been eligible statutory members of Anthem Insurance and, therefore, under the express provisions of the plan of conversion, they were individually entitled to receive personal distributions of stock or its cash equivalent from Anthem, Inc.; and (2) alternatively, under Blue Cross’ premerger bylaws, he and others similarly situated, as a “group as a whole,” had been the sole policyholder and, upon the merger of Anthem Insurance and Blue Cross and the subsequent demutualization of Anthem Insurance, the group as a whole became the eligible statutory member with the state as its voting representative.
With respect to the plaintiffs due process claims under the state constitution, the trial court concluded that, in light of the plaintiffs valid claim of an unconstitutional taking, the plaintiff had made a colorable claim that he and others similarly situated were constitutionally entitled to procedures to ensure that they were aware of their rights to the stock, if any, or to a posttaking hearing to determine the amount of compensation that they should receive for the stock. Accordingly, the court denied the motion to dismiss these claims.
Finally, with respect to the plaintiffs interpleader claims under § 52-484, the trial court concluded that the claims were “merely procedural vehicles for obtaining a final judicial determination as to who owns the disputed stock and stock sales proceeds, and thus . . . their viability depends upon the viability of at least one of his other, substantive claims.” Because the plaintiff had raised viable substantive claims under the state constitution, the court denied the motion to dismiss with respect to the interpleader claims.
This appeal by the state and these cross appeals by the plaintiff and the insurance company defendants followed. See footnotes 4 and 5 of this opinion. The state claims on appeal that the trial court improperly denied its motion to dismiss the plaintiffs claim of an unconstitutional taking under the state constitution because: (1) the plaintiff had not alleged any agency relationship between the state and the plaintiff and others similarly situated in their capacity as a group as a whole under Blue Cross’ premerger bylaws; (2) the property held by the state is not identical to the property to which the plaintiff claims an entitlement; (3) the state’s passive receipt of property under a claim of right cannot consti
I
THE STATE’S APPEAL
We first address the state’s claim on appeal that the plaintiff neither alleged nor presented evidence that the state had received the Anthem, Inc., stock in its capacity as agent for the plaintiff and others similarly situated. We agree.
We begin our analysis with the appropriate standard of review. “The standard of review for a court’s decision on a motion to dismiss is well settled. A motion to dismiss tests, inter alia, whether, on the face of the record, the court is without jurisdiction. . . . [0]ur review of the court’s ultimate legal conclusion and resulting [determination] of the motion to dismiss will be de novo. . . . When a . . . court decides a jurisdictional question raised by a pretrial motion to dismiss, it must consider the allegations of the complaint in their most favorable light. ... In this regard, a court must take the facts to be those alleged in the complaint, including those facts necessarily implied from the allegations, construing them in a manner most favorable
In the present case, the trial court concluded that the plaintiff could prevail on his claim of an unconstitutional taking if he could establish at trial that the state had acted as his agent when it received the Anthem, Inc., stock. In support of this conclusion, the trial court stated that, if the plaintiff were able to establish at trial that the group as a whole had “received collective membership rights in Anthem Insurance pursuant to [the care plus policy], including the right to receive a single joint distribution of stock or cash from [Anthem, Inc.] upon the demutualization of Anthem Insurance . . . then the plaintiff and his fellow class members would have established that their group as a whole was collectively entitled to receive all of the stock which [Anthem, Inc.] delivered to the state in exchange for the state’s assumed membership rights in Anthem Insurance pursuant to the care plus policy and the 1999 group policy, provided only that they also proved that the
According to the trial court, this theory was in contrast to the plaintiffs individual theory of entitlement, under which the plaintiff and others similarly situated “would logically have expected that such distributions would be made to them directly, not through the state or any other third party intermediary.” Thus, the trial court’s conclusion that the plaintiff could prevail under his group as a whole theory if he could establish an agency relationship between himself and the state was premised on that court’s determination that, under the
The state contends that the trial court improperly concluded that the plaintiff could prevail on his claim of an unconstitutional taking at trial if he could prove that the state received the stock in its capacity as an agent for the plaintiff and others similarly situated because the plaintiff did not allege that he and others similarly situated had an agency relationship with the state. Specifically, the state claims that the plaintiff failed to allege any facts capable of establishing a manifestation of his assent that the state would act on his behalf, any facts capable of establishing that the state agreed to receive the stock on his behalf or any facts capable of establishing that the parties understood that the plaintiff ultimately would be in control of the stock.
The plaintiff neither alleged in his complaint nor presented any evidence to the trial court that Anthem Insurance in fact delivered the stock to the state in its
Thus, although the trial court may have been correct that the plaintiff had made a colorable claim that the group as a whole was entitled to the stock, and that the plaintiff had a reasonable expectation under the plan of conversion that Anthem Insurance would deliver a single, joint distribution of the stock to the group and that the state was the logical representative of the group for the purpose of receiving the stock, in the absence of any allegation that Anthem Insurance in fact delivered the stock to the state in its capacity as the agent for the plaintiff and others similarly situated, we must conclude that the trial court improperly determined that
THE INSURANCE COMPANY DEFENDANTS’ CROSS APPEAL
As we have indicated previously herein, the trial court effectively treated each count of the plaintiffs complaint alleging violations of the state constitution as two separate counts alleging separate theories of recovery and concluded that his claims under the individual theory of entitlement must be dismissed. In their cross appeal, the insurance company defendants claim that the trial court improperly dismissed those claims. They contend that, regardless of whether the state acted as an agent for the plaintiff and others similarly situated, the plaintiff raised a valid claim of an unconstitutional taking under both his individual theory of entitlement and his group as a whole theory of entitlement because, if a trier of fact ultimately were to determine that the plaintiff and other similarly situated state employees are the true owners of the stock, the state’s retention of the stock or the proceeds from its sale would unconstitutionally exclude the true owners from its use and possession. Thus, the insurance company defendants challenge the trial court’s conclusion that, in the
“Standing is the legal right to set judicial machinery in motion. One cannot rightfully invoke the jurisdiction of the court unless [one] has, in an individual or representative capacity, some real interest in the cause of action .... Standing is established by showing that the party claiming it is authorized by statute to bring suit or is classically aggrieved. . . . The fundamental test for determining [classical] aggrievement encompasses a well-settled twofold determination: first, the party claiming aggrievement must successfully demonstrate a specific personal and legal interest in the subject matter of the decision, as distinguished from a general interest, such as is the concern of all the members of the community as a whole. Second, the party claiming aggrievement must successfully establish that the specific personal and legal interest has been specially and injuriously affected by the decision. . . . Aggrievement is established if there is a possibility, as distinguished from a certainty, that some legally protected interest . . . has been adversely affected.” (Citation omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.) Briggs v. McWeeny, 260 Conn. 296, 308-309, 796 A.2d 516 (2002). “If a party is found to lack standing, the court is without subject matter jurisdiction to determine
The state claims that the insurance company defendants lack standing to cross appeal from the dismissal of the plaintiffs claims against the state because the insurance company defendants have raised no claims against the state. Because the plaintiffs claims against the insurance company defendants are entirely distinct from his claims against the state, the state argues, the dismissal of the plaintiffs claims against the state does not affect the insurance company defendants. In response, the insurance company defendants contend that, because the practical effect of the dismissal of the plaintiffs claims against the state is to expose the insurance company defendants to the risk of a double recovery of the value of the stock, they have a specific interest in keeping the state as a party in the case.
We recognize that, as a practical matter, permitting the plaintiff to pursue his claims against the state could reduce the insurance company defendants’ risk of exposure to multiple recoveries. We also recognize that their interest in avoiding multiple recoveries against them probably would be sufficient to confer standing on them to bring a claim against the state, which are the claims at issue in the insurance company defendants’ cross appeal.
THE PLAINTIFFS CROSS APPEAL
In Ids cross appeal, the plaintiff claims that the trial court improperly dismissed his constructive trust and resulting trust claims
We begin with the standard of review. “Sovereign immunity relates to a court’s subject matter jurisdiction over a case, and therefore presents a question of law over which we exercise de novo review. ... In so doing, we must decide whether [the trial court’s] conclusions are legally and logically correct and find support in the facts that appear in the record. . . . The principle that the state cannot be sued without its consent, or sovereign immunity, is well established under our case law. ... It has deep roots in this state and our legal system in general, finding its origin in ancient common law.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) DaimlerChrysler Corp. v. Law, 284 Conn. 701, 711, 937 A.2d 675 (2007). “Exceptions to this doctrine are few and narrowly construed under our jurisprudence.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Id.
In support of his claim on cross appeal, the plaintiff cites this court’s statement in Bloom v. Gershon, 271 Conn. 96, 107, 856 A.2d 335 (2004), that “the state cannot use sovereign immunity as a defense in an action for declaratory or injunctive relief.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) See also Pamela B. v. Ment, 244 Conn. 296, 328, 709 A.2d 1089 (1998) (“[t]he state is subject to suit without consent ... in a suit for injunctive relief when the action does not defeat the purpose of the doctrine of sovereign immunity by undue interference with governmental functions” [internal quotation marks omitted]); Krozser v. New Haven, 212 Conn. 415, 421, 562 A.2d 1080 (1989) (“Sovereign immunity does not bar suits against state officials acting in excess of their statutory authority or pursuant to an unconstitutional
This court previously has stated that “[t]he practical and logical basis of the doctrine [of sovereign immunity] is today recognized to rest ... on the hazard that the subjection of the state and federal governments to private litigation might constitute a serious interference with the performance of their functions and with their control over their respective instrumentalities, funds, and property. . . . [A]dherence to the doctrine of sovereign immunity does not mean [however] that all suits against government officers, since they are in effect suits against the government, must be barred. ... In those cases in which it is alleged that the defendant officer is proceeding under an unconstitutional statute or in excess of his statutory authority, the interest in the protection of the plaintiffs right to be free from the
This court also has stated that, as a general matter, “a court may tailor declaratory and injunctive relief so as to minimize . . . interference [with the state’s performance of its functions], and ... to afford an opportunity for voluntary compliance with the judgment . . . .” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Miller v. Egan, supra, 265 Conn. 314. The plaintiff has not cited, however, and our research has not revealed, any case in which this court has concluded that a claim for injunctive relief that did not involve conduct by the state in excess of its statutory authority or pursuant to an unconstitutional statute was not barred by sovereign immunity. Indeed, the cases are to the contrary. See, e.g., C. R. Klewin Northeast, LLC v. Fleming, 284 Conn. 250, 259-67, 932 A.2d 1053 (2007) (mandamus action in which plaintiff sought order requiring state to pay plaintiff pursuant to settlement agreement did not come within “in excess of statutory authority” exception to sovereign immunity in absence of statute requiring state to implement settlement agreements); Alter & Associates, LLC v. Lantz, 90 Conn. App. 15, 22-23, 876 A.2d 1204 (2005) (alleged failure of state to honor regulation concerning obligations to contract bidders, without more, did not meet “in excess of statutory authority”
The plaintiff also claims, however, that, even if there is no broad exception to the doctrine of sovereign immunity for all claims for injunctive relief, there is an exception for claims to property held by the state in an account that is separate from the general fund. See Fernandez v. Chardon, 681 F.2d 42, 59 (1st Cir. 1982) (“where state funds are held in a separate account . . . and an award limited to those funds will not affect the state’s budgetary decisions ... its consent to suit and waiver of sovereign immunity seem unnecessary” [citation omitted]), affd sub nom. Chardon v. Soto, 462 U.S. 650, 103 S. Ct. 2611, 77 L. Ed. 2d 74 (1983); see also Schiff v. Williams, 519 F.2d 257, 262 (5th Cir. 1975) (when fund was not property of state, but only had been entrusted to state pending outcome of appeal, claim against fund was not barred by eleventh amend
We agree with the general principle that “where the state will be unaffected by [a judgment in favor of the plaintiff], its consent to suit and waiver of sovereign immunity seem unnecessary.” (Emphasis added.) Fernandez v. Chardon, supra, 681 F.2d 59. That principle, however, does not apply in the present case. The trial court entered the interim order to sequester the proceeds from the sale of the stock pending resolution of the plaintiffs motion for order compelling the state and the insurance company defendants to deposit the proceeds from the sale of the stock into the court. In turn, the resolution of that motion with respect to the state was contingent on the resolution of the state’s motion to dismiss. If the court were to grant the state’s motion to dismiss all of the plaintiffs claims against it, it would be required to deny the motion for order compelling the state and the insurance company defendants to deposit the proceeds into the court with respect to the state because it would have no jurisdiction to order the state to do anything. See Graham v. Zimmerman, 181 Conn. 367, 373, 435 A.2d 996 (1980) (court lacks jurisdiction over nonparty). For the same reason, the court also would be required to vacate the interim
Ultimately, however, the trial court vacated the interim order when the parties entered into the stipulation providing that the state could use the funds and that doing so would not affect any party’s rights. The plaintiff now contends that the trial court’s order and the subsequent stipulation preserving the parties’ rights manifested an agreement by the state that the proceeds of the sale of the Anthem, Inc., stock would be available for distribution to the plaintiff if he prevailed before the trial court. Similarly, the insurance company defendants claim that the state “covenanted to make [the proceeds from the sale of the stock subject to the interim order]
To the extent that the plaintiff claims that the state’s initial creation of the fiduciary agency fund somehow conferred on him and the other state employees a conditional property interest in the fund that will exist until his claim that he is entitled to the proceeds of the stock is judicially resolved, we disagree. The plaintiff has made no claim that the state was legally obligated to create the fund instead of placing the proceeds immediately in the general treasury,
In the cases relied on by the plaintiff in support of his claim that sovereign immunity does not bar his resulting trust and constructive trust claims because a judgment that he is entitled to the proceeds from the sale of the stock cannot affect the state, the government would have been barred from using the money in the separate fund for general government purposes regardless of the outcome of the case.
Finally, we address the plaintiffs alternate argument that his claims of a resulting trust and a constructive trust fall into the exception to the doctrine of sovereign immunity for claims for injunctive relief because the state acted in excess of its statutory authority when it accepted the Anthem, Inc., stock. Specifically, the plaintiff contends that the state violated General Statutes § 5-259
It is unclear to us whether the plaintiff is claiming that § 5-259 bolsters his claim that he and others similarly situated were entitled to receive the Anthem, Inc., stock under the plan of conversion, or whether he is claiming that, regardless of whether he and the other similarly situated state employees were entitled to receive the stock under the plan of conversion, § 5-259 required the state to deliver the stock to them. To the extent that the plaintiff is making the former claim, he has not provided any authority for the proposition that the “in excess of statutory authority” exception to the doctrine of sovereign immunity applies in situations where a particular statute may shed light on an issue that is not directly governed by the statute, but resolution of the issue in a way that is inconsistent with the statute would not undermine the purpose of the statute in any way. To the extent that he is claiming that the state actually violated § 5-259 when it failed to deliver the proceeds to him, the plaintiff raised no such claim in his complaint. Practice Book § 10-3 (a) provides that, “[w]hen any claim made in a complaint, cross complaint, special defense, or other pleading is grounded on a statute, the statute shall be specifically identified by its number.” The plaintiff has not explained why his statutory claim should not be barred under this rule of practice. Cf. Mazurek v. Great American Ins. Co., 284 Conn. 16, 28, 930 A.2d 682 (2007) (“[a]s long as the defendant is sufficiently apprised of the nature of the action . . .
Moreover, even if the plaintiffs claim that the state violated § 5-259 was not barred by Practice Book § 10-3 (a), we agree with the trial court’s alternate determination that it is meritless. The plaintiff concedes that nothing in § 5-259 sets forth the manner in which proceeds from the demutualization of an insurance company should be distributed. As the trial court recognized, the fact that, unlike § 5-257, § 5-259 does not provide that demutualization proceeds “shall inure to the benefit of the state and shall be applied to the cost of [health] insurance” does not imply that the legislature had a specific intent that the proceeds would be distributed to individual employees. Rather, it implies only that the legislature intended that the entitlement to such proceeds would be governed by the provisions of the insurance contracts and relevant law and that the legislature did not have any specific intent as to how any proceeds to which the state was contractually entitled should be used.
The plaintiff also claims that, even if the state did not violate any statute, in the absence of a statute specifically authorizing it to receive and retain the Anthem, Inc., stock, the state exceeded its statutory authority when it did so. As the plaintiff recognizes, however, the state is specifically authorized to enter into contracts to procure health insurance for state employees. See General Statutes § 5-259. Thus, the state is implicitly authorized to receive any benefits to which it is entitled under those contracts, including any demutualization proceeds.
As we have indicated, the trial court concluded, and the plaintiff conceded, that if none of the plaintiffs substantive claims survived the state’s motion to dismiss, then his inteipleader action should also be dismissed. We have concluded that the trial court should have dismissed the plaintiffs claim of an unconstitutional taking under his group as a whole theory and that the court properly dismissed the plaintiffs constructive trust and resulting trust claims. Because there are no surviving substantive claims against the state, the inter-pleader action must be dismissed.
The insurance company defendants’ cross appeal is dismissed. The judgment of the trial court denying the state’s motion to dismiss the plaintiffs claims under the state constitution and his interpleader action is reversed and the case is remanded to the trial court with direction to dismiss those claims and for further proceedings on the plaintiffs claims against the insurance company defendants. The judgment is affirmed in all other respects.
Article first, § 11, of the constitution of Connecticut provides: “The property of no person shall be taken for public use, without just compensation therefor.”
Article first, § 8, of the constitution of Connecticut provides in relevant part: “No person shall ... be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law . . . .”
General Statutes § 52-484 provides: “Whenever any person has, or is alleged to have, any money or other property in his possession which is claimed by two or more persons, either he, or any of the persons claiming the same, may bring a complaint in equity, in the nature of a bill of interpleader, to any court which by law has equitable jurisdiction of the parties and amount in controversy, making all persons parties who claim to be entitled to or interested in such money or other property. Such court shall hear and determine all questions which may arise in the case, may tax costs at its discretion and, under the rules applicable to an action of interpleader, may allow to one or more of the parties a reasonable sum or sums for counsel fees and disbursements, payable out of such fund or property; but no such allowance shall be made unless it has been claimed by the party in his complaint or answer.”
The state appealed from the judgment of the trial court to the Appellate Court, and we transferred the appeal to this court pursuant to General Statutes § 51-199 (c) and Practice Book § 65-1. See Shay v. Rossi, 253 Conn. 134, 167, 749 A.2d 1147 (2000) (denial of motion to dismiss on basis of sovereign immunity is immediately appealable final judgment), overruled on other grounds by Miller v. Egan, 265 Conn. 301, 327, 828 A.2d 549 (2003).
The plaintiff and the insurance company defendants obtained permission to cross appeal from the trial court’s partial judgment pursuant to Practice Book § 61-4.
The plaintiffs claims against the insurance company defendants are not at issue in this appeal and the cross appeals.
Mutual insurance companies are owned by their members, who are also insureds. See R. Keeton, Insurance Law (1971) § 1.4, p. 20. Stock insurance companies are owned by stockholders. Id.
Under Indiana law, “ ‘[e]ligible member’ ” is defined as a person who “(1) is amember of the converting mutual on the date the converting mutual’s board of directors adopts a resolution proposing a plan of conversion and an amendment to the articles of incorporation; and (2) continues to be a member of the converting mutual on the effective date of the conversion.” Ind. Code Ann. § 27-15-1-7 (LexisNexis 2009). Indiana law defines “ ‘[m]ember’ ” as “apersonthat, according to the: (1) records; (2) articles of incorporation; and (3) bylaws; of a converting mutual, is a member of the converting mutual.” Ind. Code Ann. § 27-15-1-9 (LexisNexis 2009).
The fifth amendment to the United States constitution provides in relevant part: “[N]or shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. ” The takings clause of the fifth amendment is made applicable to the states through the fourteenth amendment. See Webb’s Fabulous Pharmacies, Inc. v. Beckwith, 449 U.S. 155, 160, 101 S. Ct. 446, 66 L. Ed. 2d 358 (1980); Pennsylvania Central Transportation Co. v. New York City, 438 U.S. 104, 122, 98 S. Ct. 2646, 57 L. Ed. 2d 631 (1978).
Section 1983 of title 42 of the United States Code provides in relevant part: “Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress . . . .”
The fifth amendment to the United States constitution provides in relevant part: “No person shall be . . . deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . . .” Section 1 of the fourteenth amendment to the United States constitution provides in relevant part: “No State shall . . . deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law . . . .”
The plaintiffs two theories of entitlement to the Anthem, Inc., stock involve extremely complex factual and legal issues arising from the treat
Accordingly, we need not consider its other claims on appeal.
“The word taken as used in . . . article first, § 11, of the Connecticut constitution means generally the exclusion of the owner from his private use and possession, and the assumption of the use and possession for the public purpose by the authority exercising the right of eminent domain.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Horak v. State, 171 Conn. 257, 261, 368 A.2d 155 (1976). “An inverse condemnation claim accrues when the purpose of government [action] and its economic effect on the property owner render the [action] substantially equivalent to an eminent domain proceeding.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Rural Water Co. v. Zoning Board of Appeals, 287 Conn. 282, 298, 947 A.2d 944 (2008).
“Generally, an agent is under a duty to repay or deliver to the principal money or property belonging to the principal which comes into the agent’s hands . . . while conducting the business of the agency, and an action will lie at the instance of the principal to recover such money.” 3 Am. Jur. 2d 689-90, Agency § 322 (2002). In such cases, the principal has an action for “money had and received,” which is the equivalent of the more modem action for unjust enrichment. See id., 690 n.l; 66 Am. Jur. 2d 747, Restitution and Implied Contracts § 172 (2001). Given these principles, it is not entirely clear to us why the trial court, having concluded that the plaintiffs claims against the state for unjust enrichment were barred by the doctrine of sovereign immunity, concluded that the plaintiffs claim that the state had received the stock as the agent for the group as a whole was not barred but, rather, constituted a colorable taking claim. We need not resolve this issue, however, because we agree with the state that the plaintiff has not made a colorable claim that the state received the stock in its capacity as the agent for the group as a whole.
“Under § 1 of 1 Restatement (Second) of Agency (1958), [a]gency is defined as the fiduciary relationship which results from manifestation of consent by one person to another that the other shall act on his behalf and subject to his control, and consent by the other so to act .... Thus, the three elements required to show the existence of an agency relationship include: (1) a manifestation by the principal that the agent will act for him; (2) acceptance by the agent of the undertaking; and (3) an understanding between the parties that the principal will be in control of the undertaking. . . . The existence of an agency relationship is a question of fact.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Wesley v. Schaller Subaru, Inc., 277 Conn. 526, 543, 893 A.2d 389 (2006).
The plaintiff alleged in his complaint that “[t]he stock which should have been issued to [the plaintiff] and [others similarly situated] pursuant to the [p]lan of [conversion . . . was issued by Anthem [Insurance] to [the state] . . . .”
In his brief to this court, the plaintiff characterizes this portion of his complaint as alleging that “the stock was issued to the state in lieu of to the plaintiff”; (emphasis added); not that it was issued to the state on behalf of the plaintiff. The plaintiff also states in his brief that Anthem Insurance “misdelivered” the stock to the state. Neither of these characterizations of Anthem Insurance’s conduct is consistent with a claim that Anthem Insurance delivered the stock to the state in its capacity as the plaintiffs agent.
The plaintiff has not challenged the trial court’s conclusion that he can prevail under his group as a whole theory only if he proves that the state acted as his agent when it received the stock. Rather, he argues that, if we agree with that conclusion, we should not reverse the judgment denying the state’s motion to dismiss on the basis of the state’s alternate claim that the state’s passive retention of property that it received from a third party cannot constitute a taking. Because we conclude that the trial court improperly determined that the plaintiff could prove an agency relationship at trial, we need not address this question.
The dissent contends that, in reaching our conclusion that the plaintiffs state constitutional claims should be dismissed because he has not alleged that the insurance company defendants transferred the stock to the state in its capacity as the agent for the plaintiff and others similarly situated, we confuse the procedural vehicle of a motion to dismiss with the procedural vehicle of a motion to strike. This court previously has held, however, that, when a complaint properly would have been subject to a motion to strike, and the plaintiff has made no showing that he could amend the complaint to avoid the deficiencies of the original complaint, the granting of a motion to dismiss instead of a motion to strike is harmless error. See, e.g., Fort Trumbull Conservancy, LLC v. Alves, 262 Conn. 480, 501-502, 815 A.2d 1188 (2003). Similarly, when a complaint properly would have been subject to a motion to strike and the plaintiff cannot cure the deficiencies in the complaint, we properly may reverse the trial court’s denial of a motion to dismiss rather than remand the case to the trial court so that the defendant may file a motion to strike that the trial court would be required to grant. The dissent does not dispute that the complaint in the present case properly would have been subject to a motion to strike and, because the plaintiff has not pointed to any evidence that Anthem Insurance transferred the stock to the state in its capacity as the agent for the plaintiff and others similarly situated, we must conclude that he cannot amend the complaint to cure its deficiencies. Accordingly, we properly may reverse the trial court’s ruling denying the motion to dismiss.
Finally, we recognize that, as the dissent points out, the insurance company defendants’ subjective belief that the state was the rightful owner of the stock has no bearing on whether the state, in fact, is the rightful owner of the stock. That question will be resolved in the ongoing litigation between the plaintiff and the insurance company defendants. Neither the dissent nor the plaintiff has provided any authority, however, for the proposition that, when property had been transferred by one party to another party, the intent and beliefs of the parties have no bearing on whether the transfer was made to the transferee in its capacity as an agent for another, or in its capacity as the purported rightful owner.
We express no opinion here as to the nature of any such claim, whether it would be time barred or ripe, or whether it would be barred by the doctrine of sovereign immunity.
Moreover, the plaintiff has not cross appealed from either the trial court’s determination that he cannot prevail on his claim of an unconstitutional taking under his theory of individual entitlement or from that court’s determination that he can prevail under his group as a whole theory only if he establishes that the state received the stock in its capacity as an agent for the plaintiff and others similarly situated. Rather, in response to the state’s claims on appeal, the plaintiff has claimed only that the trial court properly determined that he need not prove an agency relationship until the time of trial, that the state’s mere retention of the proceeds from the sale of the stock would constitute a taking under those circumstances and that his claim was not a contractual claim in a constitutional guise. We must presume, therefore, that the plaintiff believes that the trial court properly determined that proof of an agency relationship is a critical element of his taking claim. We have concluded that the plaintiff has not made a colorable claim that the state received the stock in its capacity as the plaintiffs agent. Thus, there is no reason to believe that the plaintiff would pursue his constitutional claims under either theory if this court were to rule in favor of the insurance company defendants on their cross appeal. Accordingly, even if the insurance company defendants had standing to raise their cross appeal from the trial court’s dismissal of the constitutional claims, the appeal would be moot.
The insurance company defendants’ reliance on Rose v. Freedom of Information Commission, 221 Conn. 217, 602 A.2d 1019 (1992), in support of their claim to the contrary is misplaced. This court held in Rose that the word “party” as used in General Statutes § l-21i (d), now General Statutes § 1-206 (d), includes intervenors in proceedings before the freedom of information commission for purposes of allowing an appeal by an aggrieved party. See id., 224-30. We did not hold that a person who did not have a specific legal interest in the subject matter of the decision could have standing to appeal.
Although we conclude that the insurance company defendants lack standing to cross appeal from the trial court’s dismissal of the plaintiffs constructive trust and resulting trust claims, we may consider the arguments raised by them in connection with the plaintiffs cross appeal. Cf. Kerrigan v.
“A constructive trust is the formula through which the conscience of equity finds expression. When property has been acquired in such circumstances that the holder of the legal title may not in good conscience retain the beneficial interest, equity converts him into a trustee. . . . The imposition of a constructive trust by equity is a remedial device designed to prevent unjust enrichment. . . . Thus, a constructive trust arises where a person who holds title to property is subject to an equitable duty to convey it to another on the ground that he would be unjustly enriched if he were permitted to retain it.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) New Hartford v. Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, 291 Conn. 433, 466, 970 A.2d 592 (2009).
“A resulting trust arises by operation of law at the time of a conveyance when the purchase money for property is paid by one party and the legal title is taken in the name of another.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Denby v. Commissioner of Income Maintenance, 6 Conn. App. 47, 53, 502 A.2d 954 (1986).
The trial court concluded that the plaintiffs claims of a constructive trust and a resulting trust “are not ‘dressed up’ claims for money damages, but proper claims for equitable relief.” The state does not directly challenge that conclusion on appeal.
“An interpleader proceeding typically involves two distinct parts, the first of which is an interlocutory judgment of interpleader. . . . An interlocutory judgment of interpleader, which determines whether inteipleader lies, traditionally precedes adjudication of the claims.” (Citation omitted.) State v. Burnaka, 61 Conn. App. 45, 50 n.11, 762 A.2d 485 (2000).
Indeed, after the court issued the interim order, the parties stipulated that the state could use the proceeds and that doing so would not affect any party’s rights or claims to them. The state then transferred the proceeds to the general fund. It is clear, therefore, that there were no restrictions on the state’s use of the funds other than the interim order, the continued existence of which was dependent on the survival of the plaintiffs claims against the state.
Indeed, during argument on the motion to dismiss, the trial court stated that it would take the view that it had been “flimflammed" if the proceeds from the sale of the stock were “not immediately available to be used for the purpose of an interpleader action in the event that the court determines that the action lies.” (Emphasis added.) When the attorney for the state contended that “you can’t ratchet [the stipulation] into . . . creating a viable interpleader claim,” the trial court responded that it was “certainly not” doing so. Thus, the trial court clearly recognized that the stipulation was not the functional equivalent of an interlocutory judgment of interpleader.
Indeed, the record suggests that the state had no such obligation. The attorney general provided an opinion to the state treasurer regarding this issue in which he stated that “[o]s a prudential matter, the proceeds from the liquidation of the stock may be maintained in this fund until the legal issues are resolved.” (Emphasis added.)
In Conrad v. Perales, supra, 92 F. Sup. 2d 178, the state had received refunds of medicaid payments from a number of skilled nursing facilities. The refunds included amounts that the plaintiffs, who were patients, had paid to the facilities. Id. The plaintiffs brought an action against the state claiming that the state had converted that portion of the refunds representing their payments. Id., 177. The court concluded that, when an action for the return of money is brought against the state, the burden is on the state to establish sovereign immunity by proving that it has not placed the money in a segregated account. Id., 185. Because the state had not established that it had placed the refunds in the general treasury, the court concluded that it was not entitled to immunity from suit under the eleventh amendment to the federal constitution. Id.
Although this case arguably supports the plaintiffs position that sovereign immunity does not bar a claim to money that has not been placed in the general fund, we are not persuaded by its reasoning. Even if the court in Conrad correctly determined that the burden was on the state to establish sovereign immunity and that it could do so by proving that it had not placed the money in a separate account, it would not follow that the state may be sued whenever the state has placed money in a separate account. As we explain in the body of this opinion, the purpose and ownership of the separate account are highly relevant to the question of whether an action seeking funds from the account will affect state operations and, therefore, be barred by sovereign immunity.
General Statutes § 5-259 (a) provides in relevant part: “The Comptroller, with the approval of the Attorney General and of the Insurance Commissioner, shall arrange and procure a group hospitalization and medical and surgical insurance plan or plans for (1) state employees .... The minimum benefits to be provided by such plan or plans shall be substantially equal in value to the benefits that each such employee . . . could secure in such plan or plans on an individual basis on the preceding first day of July. The state shall pay for each such employee . . . covered by such plan or plans the portion of the premium charged for such . . . employee’s individual coverage and seventy per cent of the additional cost of the form of coverage and such amount shall be credited to the total premiums owed by such employee . . . for the form of such member’s or employee’s coverage under such plan or plans. On and after January 1, 1989, the state shall pay for anyone receiving benefits from any such state-sponsored retirement system one hundred per cent of the portion of the premium charged for such . . . employee’s individual coverage and one hundred per cent of any additional cost for the form of coverage. The balance of any premiums payable by an individual employee . . . for the form of coverage shall be deducted from the payroll by the State Comptroller. The total premiums payable shall be remitted by the Comptroller to the insurance company or companies or nonprofit organization or organizations providing the coverage. The amount of the state’s contribution per employee for a health maintenance organization option shall be equal, in terms of dollars and cents, to the largest amount of the contribution per employee paid for any other option that is available to all eligible state employees included in the health benefits plan, but shall not be required to exceed the amount of the health maintenance organization premium.”
The insurance company defendants contend that C. R. Klewin Northeast, LLC, is distinguishable because, in that case, “the very existence of a property interest was in dispute,” while, in the present case, “there is no dispute . . . that a property interest exists and that it is owned either by the state or by some as yet undetermined state employees . . . .” For purposes of reviewing the trial court’s denial of the state’s motion to dismiss in C. R. Klewin Northeast, LLC, however, this court assumed the truth of the plaintiffs allegation that he had a contractually based property interest in the settlement proceeds. C. R. Klewin Northeast, LLC v. Fleming, supra, 284 Conn. 253 (“we take the facts as expressly set forth, and necessarily implied, in the plaintiffs complaint, construing them in the light most favorable to the pleader”).
The insurance company defendants request that, if the state prevails on its appeal and this court directs the trial court on remand to dismiss all claims against the state, we should direct the trial court to order the state to place the proceeds from the sale of the stock in a fiduciary agency fund pending the resolution of the plaintiffs claims against them. The dismissal of all claims against the state, however, means that the state will no longer be a party to this case. As we have indicated, neither this court nor the trial court has jurisdiction over persons or entities who are not parties to the action before it. See Graham v. Zimmerman, supra, 181 Conn. 373. Accordingly, we must deny this request.
Concurring Opinion
concurring in part and dissenting in part. I respectfully disagree with the majority that the trial court improperly denied the motion of the defendants, the former governor, John G. Rowland, and the state of Connecticut, collectively referred to as the state,
The majority begins its analysis of this issue by stating its agreement with the state’s claim as follows: “We first address the state’s claim on appeal that the plaintiff neither alleged nor presented evidence that the state had received the Anthem . . . stock in its capacity as agent for the plaintiff and others similarly situated.” Thereafter, the majority discusses the state’s claim in terms of the plaintiffs failure to “allege any facts capable of establishing a manifestation of his assent that the state would act on his behalf, any facts capable of establishing that the state agreed to receive the stock on his behalf or any facts capable of establishing that the parties understood that the plaintiff ultimately would be in control of the stock.”
After reciting the trial court’s conclusion that, by construing the allegations of the plaintiffs complaint and the facts necessarily implied in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, the plaintiff had stated a colorable taking claim, the majority diverges from its own standard of review as it rejects the trial court’s decision. The pivotal reason, as stated by the majority, is that “[t]he plaintiff neither alleged in his complaint nor presented any evidence to the trial court that Anthem . . . in fact delivered the stock to the state in its capacity as the agent for the group as a whole. Rather, the plaintiffs complaint more reasonably is read as alleging that Anthem . . . failed to deliver the stock to the state in its capacity as the agent for the group as a whole . . . .” (Emphasis altered.) The majority’s basis for rejecting
First, the majority tests the plaintiffs pleading by the wrong standard, that is, as if the motion to dismiss, which properly tests the jurisdiction of the court; see Practice Book § 10-30 et seq.; were a motion to strike, which properly tests the sufficiency of the pleadings. See Practice Book § 10-39 et seq. Although our case law supports the concept of allowing a motion to dismiss to be treated as a motion to strike in situations in which the trial court has done so; see, e.g., Fort Trumbull Conservancy, LLC v. Alves, 262 Conn. 480, 501-502, 815 A.2d 1188 (2003); it does not support the concept of requiring trial courts to do so, when they have not done so. Nor does it support the concept that this court, sua sponte, should raise that approach — for the first time — in the course of an appeal, which is precisely what the majority does in this instance. In fact, the majority’s insistence on raising the issue contravenes the well established notion that “when a decision as to whether a court has subject matter jurisdiction is required, every presumption favoring jurisdiction should be indulged.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) In re Judicial Inquiry No. 2005-02, 293 Conn. 247, 254, 977 A.2d 166 (2009).
Second, the plaintiff had no burden whatsoever at the motion to dismiss stage to present evidence and the majority offers no authority for that proposition. The motion was submitted for argument only and nothing in the record suggests that an evidentiary hearing was sought or held. As the majority indicates in reciting the standard of review for a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, as stated in Cogswell, this motion “ ‘invokes the existing record and must be decided upon that alone.’ ”
Third, the majority’s reasonable reading of the complaint unmistakably recognizes the pleading of an
The state’s principal argument is that the plaintiff could not prevail on his claim that any receipt by the state could be for the plaintiffs benefit because he failed to allege explicitly an agency relationship. The trial court determined that the issue of agency was a question of fact to be determined at trial and that the plaintiff was not bound to allege, and certainly was not bound to prove, explicitly an agency relationship at the motion to dismiss stage. I have already noted that the majority’s own reasonable reading of the complaint supports an implicit agency theory, which is sufficient under the majority’s own standard of review. Under no circumstances is there any authority to justify the majority’s theory that the absence of an explicit allegation of agency or offer of evidence at the motion to dismiss stage leads inevitably to a conclusion that the plaintiff could not prove this fact at trial. Under the circumstances, the state’s receipt of the stock necessar
If, as the majority acknowledges, the trial court correctly determined that the plaintiff had “made a color-able claim that the group as a whole was entitled to the stock, and that the plaintiff had a reasonable expectation under the plan of conversion that Anthem . . . would deliver a single, joint distribution of the stock to the group and that the state was the logical representative of the group for the purpose of receiving the stock,” it was not necessary for the plaintiff to allege that Anthem delivered the stock to the state in its capacity as agent for the plaintiff in order to survive a motion to dismiss. Ultimately, the plaintiff would have an opportunity to prove that receipt by the state under those circumstances constituted receipt on behalf of the plaintiff. The plaintiff surely was not bound to produce evidence at the motion to dismiss stage. The majority cannot cite any authority for its conclusion that the plaintiffs case fails on the ground that it was bound to allege that Anthem in fact delivered the stock to the state as agent. I believe that the trial court acted consistently with the prevailing standard of review and that its conclusion is unassailable. For the foregoing reasons, I respectfully disagree with the majority opinion to the extent that it reverses the judgment of the trial court denying the state’s motion to dismiss the taking claim.
I also disagree with the majority that Anthem lacks standing to cross appeal from the trial corut’s dismissal of the plaintiffs claims against the state. The state argues that Anthem lacks standing to cross appeal because the dismissal of the plaintiffs claims against the state did not affect any specific personal or legal interest of Anthem. Although I agree generally with the majority’s statement of the law pertaining to standing, I disagree with its application in this case. The majority concedes that, “as a practical matter, permitting the
Despite these adverse practical consequences, the majority concludes that Anthem lacks standing to cross appeal on the basis of two extraneous factors — namely, that Anthem has “no legally protectible interest in the plaintiffs claims against the state” and that “the plaintiff could have brought a claim for the stock solely against [Anthem] and he could withdraw his claims against the state at will.” (Emphasis in original.)
I submit that the majority, in reaching its conclusion, does not apply the established standing criteria correctly. As the majority recognizes, standing is established by demonstrating a “specific personal and legal interest in the subject matter of the decision, as distinguished from a general interest, such as is the concern of all members of the community as a whole. . . . Briggs v. McWeeny, 260 Conn. 296, 308-309, 796 A.2d 516 (2002).” (Emphasis added; internal quotation marks omitted.) Accordingly, the test in this case is not whether Anthem can demonstrate a specific and personal legal interest in the plaintiffs claims against the state, as the majority maintains, but whether Anthem can demonstrate a specific and personal legal interest, as distinguished from a general interest, in “the subject matter of the decision . . . .” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Briggs v. McWeeny, supra, 308.
There is no question that Anthem’s interest in the trial court’s decision is distinct from — and far exceeds — the general interest of the community. See id. Anthem has a substantial interest at stake in this action — it already
Moreover, Anthem has a specific personal and legal interest in the subject matter of this action, which is the determination of the rightful owner of the proceeds. If the court ultimately determines in the course of the present action that Anthem mistakenly distributed the stock to the state rather than to the plaintiff, the plaintiffs only recourse will be against Anthem, because the state will no longer be a party to this action. As the majority points out, “[t]he dismissal of all claims against the state . . . means that the state will no longer be a party to this case . . . [and] neither this court nor the trial court has jurisdiction over persons or entities who are not parties to the action before it.” See footnote 31 of the majority opinion. Consequently, even if the court determines that the state had no right to receive the stock in the first place and, therefore, has no right to retain it, the disputed property will not be available to the court for purposes of resolving this interpleader action. Given this context, Anthem should be permitted to maintain its cross appeal challenging the trial court’s dismissal of the plaintiffs claims against the state.
Anthem’s specific and personal interest in the subject matter of the present action clearly has been adversely affected by the dismissal of claims against the state. This action is an interpleader action by the plaintiff against both the state and Anthem, in which the plaintiff seeks an equitable determination as to the proper owner of the disputed proceeds. As Anthem argues in its brief, the viability of the interpleader action depends on the viability of competing substantive claims. See Commer
Because Anthem ultimately could be ordered to make a duplicative payment to state employees, Anthem has sufficient interest in keeping the disputed proceeds available to the court. If the court determines that the state was not entitled to the proceeds, the proceeds should be readily available to the court for an appropriate order. That appropriate disposition should not depend on whether Anthem can successfully recover from the state in an independent action, especially when there is a possibility that the state will invoke the doctrine of sovereign immunity to preclude such an action.
As a practical matter, the present action may well be Anthem’s only opportunity to compel the state to share in liability if the plaintiff is successful. Although the plaintiffs claims against Anthem are distinct from his claims against the state, and Anthem can be found liable regardless of whether the state remains a defendant, the state’s continued presence in the present action has a clear effect on the amount of damages to be paid by Anthem, should it be held hable. The possibility that Anthem might be unable to pursue a claim against the state to recoup its losses militates in favor of Anthem’s standing in this action. Likewise, the practical consequences of avoiding the risk of multiple recoveries is a serious concern, as the majority acknowledges. This court has recognized that the practical effect of a challenged decision is a relevant consideration in determining the issue of standing. See Rose v. Freedom of Information Commission, 221 Conn. 217, 231, 602 A.2d 1019 (1992).
Finally, an inflexible interpretation of standing requirements, even if they were accurately applied, is hot appropriate. This court has recognized that certain cases “do not fit neatly within the aggrievement rubric.” In re Allison G., 276 Conn. 146, 159, 883 A.2d 1226 (2005). The rigid application of the rules in the present case contravenes the well established principles underlying the concept of standing, which “is not a technical rule intended to keep aggrieved parties out of court; nor is it a test of substantive rights. Rather it is a practical concept designed to ensure that courts and parties are
For the foregoing reasons, I respectfully dissent.
The plaintiff also brought this action against Anthem, Inc., Anthem Health Plans, Inc., doing business as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Connecticut, Anthem East, Inc., and Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc., collectively referred to as Anthem.
I would also affirm the trial court’s dismissal of counts five, six and seven of the second amended complaint, and therefore concur in part m of the majority opinion.
The majority points out that the “practical and logical basis of the doctrine [of sovereign immunity] . . . rest[s] ... on the hazard that the subjection of the state and federal governments to private litigation might constitute a serious interference with the performance of their functions and with their control over their respective instrumentalities, funds, and property,” and emphasizes that the exceptions to the doctrine “are few and narrowly construed under our jurisprudence.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) In discussing the exception to the doctrine of sovereign immunity for claims of declaratory and injunctive relief; see Pamela B. v. Ment, 244 Conn. 296, 328, 709 A.2d 1089 (1998); Krozser v. New Haven, 212 Conn. 415, 421, 562 A.2d 1080 (1989), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1036, 110 S. Ct. 757, 107 L. Ed. 2d 774 (1990); Doe v. Heintz, 204 Conn. 17, 31-32, 526 A.2d 1318 (1987); the majority rejects the suggestion “that the exception may be applied to all claims of injunctive relief, regardless of whether the state has acted in excess of its statutory authority or pursuant to an unconstitutional statute.” In addition, the majority rejects the plaintiffs claim that there is an exception for claims to property held by the state in an account that is separate from the general fund on the ground that “it is clear that a judgment against the state would affect the state’s treasury . . . .”
If Anthem proceeds against the state, its primary purpose in doing so, regardless of how it labels any such claims, will be to recoup its losses. Given the majority’s emphasis on the purpose of the doctrine of sovereign
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting in part. Although the state constitutional takings claim raised by the plaintiff, Ronald Gold,
I begin with a brief summary of the relevant portion of the trial court’s memorandum of decision. In denying the state’s motion to dismiss the plaintiffs state constitutional takings claim, the trial court explained that “the state’s sale of the disputed stock and continuing retention of all proceeds from its sale for its own use would clearly constitute a taking, in the constitutional sense,” if, at trial, the plaintiff can prove, first, that the plaintiff class of insureds, or “ ‘group as a whole,’ ” received collective membership rights in Anthem Insurance pursuant to the insurance policy covering the group, including the right to receive a single joint distribution of stock or cash from Anthem, Inc., upon the demutualization of Anthem Insurance, and second, that the relationship between the state and the group as a whole was, in light of the governing insurance policies and other relevant evidence, that of principal and agent.* **
The trial court also identified evidence in the record from which the trier of fact reasonably could find that the state was the agent for the group as a whole. This evidence includes language in the Anthem Insurance plan of conversion that, as the trial court explained, “expressly acknowledges what the plaintiff has argued
This evidence — which the majority ignores — clearly is sufficient to permit a finding that the state received the stock proceeds from the demutualization as agent for the group as a whole and not as the owner of those proceeds. In other words, as the trial court expressly found, “there is at least a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the plaintiff can establish that his and his fellow class members’ group as a whole had a collective right under the plan of conversion to receive stock or cash upon the demutualization of Anthem Insurance.”
Notwithstanding the evidence tending to establish that the state was the agent of the group as a whole, the majority concludes that the trial court improperly denied the state’s motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction because “[t]he plaintiff neither alleged in his complaint nor presented any evidence to the trial court that Anthem Insurance in fact delivered the stock to the state in its capacity as the agent for the group as a whole.” In support of this assertion, the majority states: “Rather, the plaintiffs complaint more reasonably is read as alleging that Anthem Insurance failed to deliver the stock to the state in its capacity as the agent for the group as a whole, in violation of Anthem Insurance’s obligations under the plan of conversion.” (Emphasis in original.) With respect to this assertion, the majority relies on the allegation of the plaintiffs complaint that “ [t]he stock which should have been issued to [the plaintiff] and the members of the
The majority further explains that the plaintiff does not dispute either that Anthem Insurance determined that the state, and not the plaintiff and others similarly situated, was the rightful owner of the Anthem, Inc., stock, or that Anthem Insurance delivered that stock to the state in its capacity as the owner of the stock. Although the majority acknowledges the plaintiffs claim that “these actions violated the plan of conversion” — that is, in the plaintiffs view, Anthem Insurance was wrong in its determination that the state was the rightful owner of the stock proceeds — the majority nevertheless asserts that, “in the absence of any allegation that Anthem Insurance in fact delivered the stock to the state in its capacity as the agent for the plaintiff and others similarly situated, we must conclude that the trial court improperly determined that the plaintiff could prove this fact at trial.”
Before commencing a review of the majority opinion, however, it is necessary first to set forth certain legal principles relevant to the issue raised by this appeal. It is well established that the doctrine of sovereign immunity generally bars suits against the state without its consent. See, e.g., Kelly v. University of Connecticut Health Center, 290 Conn. 245, 252, 963 A.2d 1 (2009). Because sovereign immunity implicates subject matter jurisdiction; id.; that is, “the power [of the court] to hear and determine cases of the general class to which the proceedings in question belong”; (internal quotation marks omitted) MBNA America Bank, N.A. v. Boata, 283 Conn. 381, 389, 926 A.2d 1035 (2007); that doctrine is a basis for granting a motion to dismiss. See, e.g., Kelly v. University of Connecticut Health Center, supra, 252. “Although it is a critical prerequisite to any court’s involvement in a case, we repeatedly have held that, when a decision as to whether a court has subject matter jurisdiction is required, every presumption favoring jurisdiction should be indulged.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) In re Judicial Inquiry No. 2005-02, 293 Conn. 247, 253, 977 A.2d 166 (2009)'. Moreover, “in reviewing a motion to dismiss, we take the facts to be those alleged in the complaint, including those facts necessarily implied from the allegations, construing them in a manner most favorable to the pleader.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Kelly v. University of Connecticut Health Center, supra, 252. The doctrine of sovereign immunity, however, “is not available to the state as a defense to claims for just compensation arising under article first, § 11, of the Connecticut constitution. . . . When possession has been taken from the owner, he is constitutionally entitled to any damages which he may have suffered .... To survive a motion to dismiss on the ground of sovereign immunity, [how
The majority concludes that the trial court should have granted the state’s motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction because, even though the plaintiffs constitutional takings claim ordinarily would surmount the defense of sovereign immunity, “the plaintiff neither alleged nor presented evidence that the state had received the Anthem, Inc., stock in its capacity as agent for the plaintiff and others similarly situated.” As discussed hereinafter, these reasons provide no basis whatsoever for dismissing the plaintiffs constitutional claim.
With respect to the first reason proffered by the majority — that is, the complaint contains no allegation asserting that the state is the agent of the plaintiff and others similarly situated with respect to the stock to which the plaintiff claims that he and those other similarly situated state employees are entitled — a motion to dismiss is not the proper vehicle to challenge that alleged pleading defect. As this court explained in Gurliacci v. Mayer, 218 Conn. 531, 544, 590 A.2d 914 (1991), a motion to dismiss “properly attacks the jurisdiction of the court, essentially asserting that the plaintiff cannot as a matter of law and fact state a cause of action that should be heard by the court.” (Emphasis added; internal quotation marks omitted.) In the present case, the plaintiffs failure to allege the existence of a principal-agent relationship does not mean that he cannot establish such a relationship as a matter of fact. At most, the complaint is deficient because it fails to state
The Appellate Court recently elaborated upon the distinction between a motion to dismiss and a motion to strike in Egri v. Foisie, 83 Conn. App. 243, 247-50, 848 A.2d 1266, cert. denied, 271 Conn. 931, 859 A.2d 930 (2004), explaining as follows: “This case causes us to consider the function of two motions that are basic to our civil procedure, the motion to dismiss and the motion to strike. The motion to dismiss is governed by Practice Book §§ 10-30 through 10-34. Properly granted on jurisdictional grounds, it essentially asserts that, as a matter of law and fact, a plaintiff cannot state a cause of action that is properly before the court. ... By contrast, the motion to strike attacks the sufficiency of the pleadings. Practice Book § 10-39; see also 1 E. Stephenson, Connecticut Civil Procedure (3d Ed. 1997) § 72 (a), pp. 216-17. . . .
“There is a significant difference between asserting that a plaintiff cannot state a cause of action and asserting that a plaintiff has not stated a cause of action, and therein lies the distinction between the motion to dismiss and the motion to strike. . . .
“A motion to dismiss does not test the sufficiency of a cause of action and should not be granted on other
“The distinction between the motion to dismiss and the motion to strike is not merely semantic. If a motion to dismiss is granted, the case is terminated, save for an appeal from that ruling. . . . The granting of a motion to strike, however, ordinarily is not a final judgment because our rules of practice afford a party a right to amend deficient pleadings. See Practice Book § 10-44.
“That critical distinction implicates a fundamental policy consideration in this state. Connecticut law repeatedly has expressed a policy preference to bring about a trial on the merits of a dispute whenever possible and to secure for the litigant his or her day in court. . . . Our practice does not favor the termination of proceedings without a determination of the merits of the controversy where that can be brought about with due regard to necessary rules of procedure. . . . For that reason, [a] trial court should make every effort to adjudicate the substantive controversy before it, and, where practicable, should decide a procedural issue so as not to preclude hearing the merits of an appeal.” (Citations omitted; emphasis in original; internal quotation marks omitted.)
As a consequence of its failure to recognize the distinction between a motion to dismiss and a motion to strike, the majority wrongly concludes that the state was entitled to dismissal of the plaintiffs constitutional takings claim. The fact that the majority’s decision was predicated on the sufficiency of the pleadings is reflected in the concluding sentence of the majority’s analysis: “[I]n the absence of any allegation that Anthem Insurance in fact delivered the stock to the
In addition to its misplaced reliance on the fact that the plaintiff failed to allege a principal-agent relationship in his complaint, the majority also relies on certain allegations that the plaintiff does make in his complaint to support its conclusion that the plaintiffs takings claim must be dismissed. In particular, the majority points to the allegation in the complaint that “[t]he stock which should have been issued to [the plaintiff] and the members of the class pursuant to the [p]lan of [conversion . . . was issued by Anthem [Insurance] to [the state] . . . .” The majority asserts that this statement does not allege a principal-agent relationship but, rather, “more reasonably is read as alleging that Anthem Insurance failed to deliver the stock to the state in its capacity as the agent for the group as a whole, in violation of Anthem Insurance’s obligations under the plan of conversion.” (Emphasis in original.) This assertion by the majority again exemplifies its erroneous preoccupation with the manner in which the plaintiff has pleaded his claim — a matter properly addressed in the context of a motion to strike rather than via a motion to dismiss — and not whether the claim is sufficient to survive a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. As previously explained, a complaint will survive a motion to dismiss if the plaintiff can demonstrate facts which, if credited, would be sufficient to
The majority does not dispute that it does, in fact, treat the state’s motion to dismiss as a motion to strike. Rather, the majority seeks to justify its treatment of the state’s motion in that manner on the ground that “[t]his court previously has held . . . that, when a complaint properly would have been subject to a motion to strike, and the plaintiff has made no showing that he could amend the complaint to avoid the deficiencies of the original complaint, the granting of a motion to dismiss instead of a motion to strike is harmless error.” The majority further states: “Similarly, when a complaint properly would have been subject to a motion to strike and the plaintiff cannot cure the deficiencies
I respectfully submit that the majority’s reasoning is wholly unpersuasive. First, even if the trial court in the present case properly would have granted a motion to strike, in those cases in which we have treated a motion to dismiss as a motion to strike, this court has granted the motion to dismiss and we have concluded that, although it was error for the court to have granted the motion, the error was harmless. See, e.g., Fort Trumbull Conservancy, LLC v. Alves, 262 Conn. 480, 501, 815 A.2d 1188 (2003). In the present case, the trial court denied the state’s motion to strike, a ruling that reasonably cannot be characterized as improper or incorrect as a matter of law because the trial court was under no obligation to grant what the majority itself concedes was the wrong motion. Nevertheless, the majority, with the benefit of hindsight not available to the trial court, concludes that that court abused its discretion in failing
The majority’s impropriety is compounded by the fact that the state has never even asked this court to treat its motion to dismiss as a motion to strike. Rather, the majority takes this approach on its own, without notice to the parties. Of course, we may affirm a trial court’s judgment on such an alternate ground, but even then, we generally will not do so unless that ground has been raised by the prevailing party. In the present case, however, the majority elects not only to reverse the judgment of the trial court on an alternate ground, it does so on the basis of a claim that never has been raised by the state or briefed by the parties. In my view, this is unacceptable, first, because it results in an ambuscade of the trial judge, who never had an opportunity to consider the alternate claim that the majority now decides in the state’s favor, and second, because it is unfair to the plaintiff, who has never had the opportunity to address that alternate claim for reversal in this court.
More importantly, however, even if the plaintiffs constitutional claim would be subject to a motion to strike for failing to allege a principal-agent relationship, the majority simply is incorrect in concluding that the plaintiff would not be able to amend his complaint to allege that the state is holding the stock proceeds as agent for the plaintiff and those similarly situated.
Simply put, the rationale underlying the majority’s conclusion that the plaintiff cannot state a cognizable claim lacks any support in the law. The fact that Anthem Insurance delivered the stock to the state in the belief that the state was entitled to the stock proceeds of the demutualization has little or no relevance with respect to the plaintiffs contention that the state did, in fact, receive the stock as the agent of the plaintiff and those similarly situated, and it certainly is not determinative of that issue. The success of the plaintiffs takings claim hinges on whether he can prove, on the basis of the totality of the evidence, that the state accepted and retained the stock that was delivered to it by Anthem
Indeed, even the state itself has never maintained that the plaintiff cannot prevail on his claim that the state now holds the stock proceeds as agent for the plaintiff and those similarly situated merely because Anthem Insurance purported to deliver the stock to the state in its capacity as owner rather than as agent for the plaintiff and others similarly situated. In fact, the majority injects that issue into the case entirely on its own, without any explanation as to why Anthem Insurance’s subjective understanding that it was delivering the stock to the state as owner is relevant — let alone critical — to the determination of who actually owns the stock. As I have explained, merely because the plaintiff does not dispute Anthem Insurance’s assertion that it delivered the stock to the state in the belief that the state was the rightful owner of the stock is not determinative of whether the state is, indeed, the owner of the stock or, instead, was required, as agent of the plaintiff, to deliver the stock to the plaintiff as its principal.
It is apparent, therefore, that the court has subject matter jurisdiction over the plaintiffs takings claim despite the absence of an express allegation in the com
II
The state also raises several additional claims in support of its contention that the trial court improperly denied its motion to dismiss the plaintiffs constitutional takings claim.
In reliance on 184 Windsor Avenue, LLC v. State, supra, 274 Conn. 302, the state also contends that, before the plaintiff properly can allege facts necessary to maintain a takings claim, he first must “convert his inchoate claim” of entitlement to the demutualization proceeds into a property right. The state claims that until the plaintiff proves that the group as a whole, and not the state, is the statutory member entitled to the stock proceeds, the plaintiff cannot demonstrate an identifiable property interest in those proceeds and, therefore, his claim must be dismissed. Neither 184 Windsor Avenue, LLC, nor any other precedent of which I am aware supports the state’s contention.
In 184 Windsor Avenue, LLC, the plaintiff, 184 Windsor Avenue, LLC, alleged that the state had failed to pay additional rent due under two lease agreements. Id., 305. The leases contained tax escalation clauses pursuant to which the state had agreed to pay, as additional rent, any increases in real estate property taxes levied on the leased properties over the lease term. Id. When the state failed to pay the taxes, the plaintiff filed a claim with the claims commissioner, alleging, inter alia, an unconstitutional taking of the plaintiffs property. The claims commissioner determined that the plaintiff was not entitled to the additional rent because the tax escalation clauses were invalid as a matter of law. Id., 306-307. The plaintiff thereupon commenced a civil action against the state in which it again alleged an unconstitutional taking. Id., 307. The trial court concluded that the takings claim was barred by sovereign immunity because the tax escalation clauses were unlawful and, therefore, unenforceable. Id. This court
As the foregoing summary of 184 Windsor Avenue, LLC, reveals, that case is wholly inapposite to the present case. Here, the record discloses facts which, if proven, would establish the plaintiffs property interest in the demutualization proceeds. Consequently, the plaintiffs complaint, by contrast to the complaint in 184 Windsor Avenue, LLC, alleges an enforceable and identifiable property interest in the proceeds received by the state sufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss.
Ill
As the trial court stated in concluding that an immediate appeal was warranted with respect to the issues resolved by its partial grant of the state’s motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction; see Practice Book § 61-4; “[t]his is a massive, complex case in which vital financial interests of the state, the plaintiff, a putative class of several thousand state employees, and the [insurance company] defendants are at stake.” Gold v. Rowland, Superior Court, judicial district of Hartford, Docket No. CV-02-0813759-S (January 18, 2007). Under today’s ruling, however, the plaintiff will be denied his day in court with respect to those significant financial interests, at least insofar as the state is concerned, due to the majority’s erroneous conclusion that the state is entitled to dismissal of the plaintiffs constitutional takings claim. I therefore respectfully dissent from that portion of the majority opinion that reverses the judgment of the trial court denying the state’s motion to dismiss the takings claim.
At all times relevant to the present case, the plaintiff was an employee of the state of Connecticut.
In essence, the plaintiff claimed that he and others similarly situated, and not the state, were the eligible “statutory members” of Anthem Insurance and, therefore, the rightful owners of the Anthem, Inc., stock.
I therefore would affirm the trial court with respect to its denial of the state’s motion to dismiss counts one, two, ten, eleven, twelve and thirteen of the second amended complaint. Counts one and two allege claims in the nature of interpleader under General Statutes § 52-484; counts ten and eleven allege a taking of his property in violation of article first, § 11, of the state constitution; counts twelve and thirteen allege a violation of due process under article first, § 8, of the state constitution arising out of the alleged improper taking of his property. Although I otherwise generally agree with the judgment of the majority, I do not agree that Anthem, Inc., Anthem Health Care Plans, Inc., doing business as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Connecticut, Anthem East, Inc., and Anthem Insurance, collectively referred to as the insurance company defendants, lack standing to bring their cross appeal. As the majority acknowledges, “as a practical matter, permitting the plaintiff to pursue his claims against the state could reduce the insurance company defendants’ risk of exposure to multiple recoveries” and, further, those companies’ “interest in avoiding multiple recoveries against them probably would be sufficient to confer standing on them to bring a claim against the state, which are the claims at issue in the insurance company defendants’ cross appeal.” Moreover, we do not know whether the insurance company defendants would be able to raise any such claims against the state. In such circumstances, I believe that the insurance company defendants’ interest in the state’s continued participation in the case— the subject of this appeal — is sufficient to afford them standing for purposes
The trial court rejected the plaintiffs alternative theory of entitlement under article first, § 11, of the state constitution, pursuant to which the plaintiff and others similarly situated would be individually entitled to the stock proceeds. The plaintiff has not appealed from that portion of the trial court’s judgment.
I note that, to the extent that the existence of a principal-agent relationship may be deemed to be a jurisdictional fact, the state has made no effort to demonstrate that the plaintiff cannot establish such a relationship as a matter of law. Thus, the existence of a principal-agent relationship remains in dispute, the resolution of which must await a trial on the merits. See, e.g., Conboy v. State, 292 Conn. 642, 651-56, 974 A.2d 669 (2009).
In reaching this conclusion, the majority also observes that “the trial court may have been correct that the plaintiff has made a colorable claim that the group as a whole was entitled to the stock, and that the plaintiff had a reasonable expectation under the plan of conversion that Anthem Insurance would deliver a single, joint distribution of the stock to the group and that the state was the logical representative of the group for the purpose of receiving the stock . . . .”
I need not address the question of whether the complaint is, in fact, legally deficient because it fails to allege the existence of a principal-agent relationship. That is, I need not decide whether the plaintiff was required to allege the existence of such a relationship in order to have set forth a cognizable takings claim. Because a motion to dismiss is not the proper vehicle for challenging the legal sufficiency of a pleading, that question is not before this court.
I note, moreover, that there is nothing in the plaintiffs complaint that is inconsistent with the requirement of a principal-agent relationship. Indeed, as I previously have noted, it is axiomatic that the allegations of a complaint must be considered in the light most favorable to the pleader; see, e.g., Conboy v. State, 292 Conn. 642, 651, 974 A.2d 669 (2009); and every presumption is to be indulged in favor of jurisdiction. See, e.g., State v. Velky, 263 Conn. 602, 605-606, 821 A.2d 752 (2003). Moreover, even if the allegations in the complaint were inconsistent with such a relationship, that fact alone would not deprive the court of subject matter jurisdiction over the plaintiffs takings claim because, for purposes of a motion to dismiss, the seminal question is whether the plaintiff can prove a principal-agent relationship, not whether he has alleged it.
The majority incorrectly asserts that I do not dispute that the trial court would have granted the motion to strike for failure to allege a principal-agent relationship. In fact, I do not know whether the trial court would have granted such a motion in the present case. See footnote 7 of this opinion. For the reasons set forth hereinafter, however, even if a motion to strike would have been granted, it is improper for the majority to reverse the judgment of the trial court on that ground.
For this same reason, the majority’s conclusion reversing the judgment of the trial court would be incorrect even' if a motion to dismiss were the proper procedural vehicle for challenging the plaintiffs takings claim.
The trial court explained this point as follows: “Under [the plaintiffs] analysis, by the time the plan of conversion became effective, the plaintiffs group’s membership rights in Anthem Insurance, including their right to receive stock or cash or other consideration in exchange for the extinguishment of such rights in the event of a demutualization, were already fully established, notwithstanding any claim or suggestion to the contrary that might later be made by Anthem Insurance, either ... in drafting or implementing the plan of conversion [or otherwise]. Accordingly, although Anthem Insurance admittedly assumed that the state was entitled to become the statutory member of [Anthem, Inc.] pursuant to [a group health insurance policy known as] the care plus policy, based perhaps on the mistaken threshold assumption that the state, not the ‘group as a whole,’ was the one true policyholder and voting member of [Anthem Health Care Plans, Inc., a subsidiary of Anthem Insurance] in relation to that policy before the merger, it had no power to alter, by acting on that allegedly mistaken assumption or otherwise, the established rights of the plaintiffs group vis-a-vis the state with respect to the ultimate ownership and right to benefit from the sale of membership rights in [Anthem, Inc.].”
Of course, to the extent that Anthem Insurance’s understanding that it was delivering the stock to the state as the owner of the stock may be well founded in light of any documentary and other evidence that supports that view, that evidence will be highly relevant at trial. The determination of whether the state or the plaintiff is the rightful owner of the stock, however, does not depend on the state of mind of Anthem Insurance at the time it delivered the stock to the state. As previously discussed, that determination depends upon the intent of the parties, as reflected in the documentary and other relevant evidence, prior to the demutualization and the state’s receipt of the stock from Anthem Insurance.
The majority does not reach these claims.
The state also claims that (1) its passive receipt of property under claim of right cannot constitute an unconstitutional taking, and (2) the plaintiff was obligated to exhaust his remedies with the claims commissioner in accordance with General Statutes § 4-142 et seq. before commencing the present action. With respect to the first claim, the state has provided no persuasive reason why the state cannot be held liable under article first, § 11, of the state constitution for retaining property that does not belong to it even though its receipt of that property may be characterized as passive, and I can conceive of no such reason. Indeed, as this court has explained, “property may be ‘taken’ [for purposes of article first, § 11] without any actual appropriation or physical intrusion”; Tamm v. Burns, 222 Conn. 280, 284, 610 A.2d 590 (1992); and “[a] constitutional taking occurs when there is a substantial interference with private property which destroys or minifies its value or by which the owner’s right to its use or enjoyment is in a
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