Five Percent Nutrition, LLC v. Get Fit Fast Supplements, LLC
Five Percent Nutrition, LLC v. Get Fit Fast Supplements, LLC
Opinion of the Court
This matter is before the Court on consideration of Defendant Get Fit Fast Supplements, LLC's Motion to Dismiss the Complaint, (Doc. # 9), filed on June 10, 2019. Plaintiff Five Percent Nutrition, LLC filed a response on June 24, 2019. (Doc. # 13). For the reasons that follow, the Motion is granted.
I. Background
Recently, Five Percent notified Amazon.com that Get Fit was selling counterfeit Five Percent products through its website. See Get Fit Fast Supplements, LLC v. Richpianauncensored.com, LLC, No. 9:19-cv-80641-DMM, (Doc. # 1 at 11). As a result, Amazon.com removed Get Fit's products from all search results relating to Five Percent products. (Id. ). On April 15, 2019, Get Fit filed a complaint against Richpianauncensored.com, LLC (RPU) in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida (the First Action). (Id. at 10-13). In the First Action, Get Fit sought a declaratory judgment of product authenticity from the court as well as damages related to tortious interference. (Id. ).
*1095On May 15, 2019, RPU removed the First Action from the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit to the Southern District of Florida. (Id. at 1-5). In its Notice of Removal, RPU claimed it was a wholly owned subsidiary of Five Percent. (Id. at 2). In addition, RPU asserted that the case raised a federal question because determining the authenticity of Get Fit's products would require the court to analyze federal trademark law in relation to five specific trademarks registered to Five Percent. (Id. at 3-4).
One day earlier - on May 14, 2019 - Five Percent filed a separate action against Get Fit in this Court claiming trademark counterfeiting and infringement, false advertising, and unfair competition pursuant to the Lanham Act and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA). (Doc. # 1 at 1). In its Complaint, Five Percent claims that Get Fit has been selling unauthorized Five Percent products through Amazon.com and seeks injunctive relief and damages. (Id. at 8-16). Notably, in arguing that Get Fit's products are illegitimate, Five Percent makes specific reference to the same trademarks mentioned in RPU's Notice of Removal. (Id. at 3).
On June 10, 2019, Get Fit filed this Motion to Dismiss, arguing that Five Percent's claims are compulsory counterclaims that should have been raised in the First Action. (Doc. # 9). Five Percent has responded to the Motion, (Doc. # 13), and the Motion is ripe for review.
II. Legal Standard
Although not explicitly stated by Get Fit, the Court interprets this Motion as a Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) motion for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Motions to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) may attack jurisdiction facially or factually. Morrison v. Amway Corp.,
III. Analysis
As a preliminary matter, the Court will address the law that governs this Motion. Both Get Fit and Five Percent argue this Motion is controlled by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 13, (Doc. # 9 at 3; Doc. # 13 at 2); however, the Court disagrees. In its Motion, Get Fit relies on Beepot v. J.P. Morgan Chase Nat'l Corp. Servs., Inc.,
Because Beepot and Petillo exclusively applied Florida law when determining whether both state and federal claims were compulsory counterclaims, the Court believes Florida law governs this issue. See also Novick v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., No. 16-cv-22982,
Under the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure:
A pleading must state as a counterclaim any claim which at the time of serving the pleading the pleader has against any opposing party, provided it arises out of the transaction or occurrence that is the subject matter of the opposing party's claim and does not require for its adjudication the presence of third parties over whom the court cannot acquire jurisdiction.
Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.170(a). Furthermore, the purpose of Rule 1.170(a) is the elimination of multiplicity of litigation. Montgomery Ward Dev. Corp. v. Juster,
The Florida Supreme Court clarified that a claim is compulsory if it passes the "logical relationship test," meaning:
[I]t arises out of the same aggregate of operative facts as the original claim in two senses: (1) that the same aggregate of operative facts serves as the basis of both claims; or (2) that the aggregate core of facts upon which the original claim rests activates additional legal rights in a party defendant that would otherwise remain dormant.
Londono v. Turkey Creek, Inc.,
Upon review, the Court grants Get Fit's Motion because Five Percent's claims should have been brought as compulsory counterclaims in the First Action.
In its response to Get Fit's Motion, Five Percent argues that Get Fit "fails to recognize the significance of the fact that [Five Percent] is not the defendant in the RPU action." (Doc. # 13 at 1). Specifically, Five Percent claims that RPU is not one of its wholly owned subsidiaries and further argues that the two are separate legal entities. (Id. ). In support of this declaration, Five Percent provided a sworn affidavit from Peter Hyc, a manager of PCHY, LLC, a Florida limited liability company that owns portions of both RPU and Five Percent. (Doc. # 13-1). In his affidavit, Hyc maintains that, "RPU is not a wholly owned subsidiary of Five Percent. In fact, Five Percent has no ownership in RPU." (Id. at 2).
There is indeed a serious question as to what legal relationship exists between Five Percent and RPU. In its Notice of Removal in the First Action, attorneys for RPU stated: "RPU is a wholly owned subsidiary of Five Percent Nutrition LLC." Get Fit Fast Supplements, No. 9:19-cv-80641-DMM, (Doc. # 1 at 2). Conversely, in its response to the instant Motion, Five Percent's attorney - one of the same attorneys representing RPU in the First Action - stated: "contrary to [Get Fit's] flawed assertion in its Motion to Dismiss, RPU is not a wholly owned subsidiary of Five Percent." (Doc. # 13 at 1). While the Court recognizes the ethical implications of Five Percent's attorney contradicting himself in court documents regarding the nature of the relationship between his clients, both Get Fit and Five Percent focus too much on RPU's subsidiary status as a determining factor in this case.
*1097The Court is not convinced that RPU must be a wholly owned subsidiary to be in privity with Five Percent. Five Percent provides no case law establishing that RPU needs to be a wholly owned subsidiary to be Five Percent's privy. In its response, Five Percent cites the non-binding Cosmo Specialty Fibers, Inc. v. Bassett, No. C15-5485 BHS,
Moreover, under Florida law, "[p]rivity is a mutuality of interest, an identification of interest of one person with another." AMEC Civil, LLC v. PTG Const. Servs. Co.,
Five Percent and RPU are unquestionably privies in the First Action. Although RPU is not named in the Complaint in this case, Five Percent bases its claims in this Court on the same trademarks that RPU cites in the First Action. (Doc. # 1 at 3); Get Fit Fast Supplements, No. 9:19-cv-80641-DMM, (Doc. # 1 at 3). Additionally, the interests of both parties are so aligned that they should be considered privies. Both RPU and Five Percent are litigating against the same party - Get Fit - in the hope of proving that Get Fit's products are counterfeits of Five Percent's products. (Doc. # 1 at 4-16); Get Fit Fast Supplements, No. 9:19-cv-80641-DMM, (Doc. # 1 at 3-4). Thus, although they may be separate legal entities, the Court considers Five Percent and RPU privies in the First Action.
Likewise, Five Percent's claims in this Court are unquestionably compulsory counterclaims to the First Action. As discussed above, the Florida Supreme Court described a compulsory counterclaim as a claim that has a logical relationship to the original claim because it is based on the same operative facts. Londono,
Five Percent's claims are based on the allegation that Get Fit sold counterfeit Five Percent products through Amazon.com - the same facts involved in the First Action. (Doc. # 1 at 4-16); Get Fit Fast Supplements, No. 9:19-cv-80641-DMM, (Doc. # 1 at 3-4). The trademarks *1098addressed by RPU in its Notice of Removal in the First Action are the very same trademarks that form almost the entire basis of Five Percent's claims in this Court. (Doc. # 1 at 3); Get Fit Fast Supplements, No. 9:19-cv-80641-DMM, (Doc. # 1 at 3). Thus, Five Percent's claims are compulsory counterclaims to the First Action.
As privies, RPU's failure to raise compulsory counterclaims in the First Action bars Five Percent's claims in this Court. See Petillo,
Accordingly, it is hereby
ORDERED, ADJUDGED, and DECREED:
(1) Defendant Get Fit Fast Supplements, LLC's Motion to Dismiss the Complaint (Doc. # 9) is GRANTED .
(2) All claims in the Complaint are DISMISSED without prejudice to seeking relief in the Southern District of Florida action.
(3) The Clerk is directed to terminate any pending deadlines and, thereafter, CLOSE this case.
DONE and ORDERED in Chambers in Tampa, Florida, this 24th day of July, 2019.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- FIVE PERCENT NUTRITION, LLC v. GET FIT FAST SUPPLEMENTS, LLC
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published