Ryan v. Salisbury
Ryan v. Salisbury
Opinion of the Court
ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART DEFENDANT MICHAEL DIYANNI'S MOTION TO DISMISS
Alan C. Kay, Sr. United States District Judge *1039For the reasons set forth below, the Court GRANTS IN PART and DENIES IN PART Defendant Michael Diyanni's Motion to Dismiss, ECF No. 52, as follows:
1. As to the First Cause of Action (UDAP), the Motion is DENIED.
2. As to the Second Cause of Action (UDAP-Unsuitability), the Motion is GRANTED.
3. As to the Third Cause of Action (UDAP-Elder Abuse), the Motion is GRANTED.
4. As to the Fifth Cause of Action (Fraudulent Misrepresentation), the Motion is DENIED.
5. As to the Sixth Cause of Action (Breach of Fiduciary Duty), the Motion is DENIED.
6. As to the Seventh Cause of Action (Vicarious Liability/Respondeat Superior), the Motion is GRANTED.
7. As to the Tenth Cause of Action (RICO Violation), the Motion is GRANTED.
8. As to the Eleventh Cause of Action (Conspiracy to Violate RICO), the Motion is GRANTED.
9. As to the Twelfth Cause of Action (Hawai'i RICO), the Motion is GRANTED.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
The Brody Family Trust ("the Trust") was created on February 9, 1993, with Plaintiff Kathy Ryan (then Kathy Brody) ("Plaintiff")
Early on in his tenure as Plaintiff's financial advisor, Defendant Salisbury began investing Plaintiff's money and/or that of the Trust into annuities, among other investments. Id. ¶ 25. Defendant Salisbury, together with Defendant C. Salisbury, LLC and Accelerated Estate Planning, LLC (together, "the Salisbury Entities") caused Plaintiff to surrender certain annuities and move the money to different annuities with the promise that any surrender fees would be offset either by bonus monies or greater earnings of the new product (a process the Complaint calls *1040"churning"). Id. ¶ 26. Defendant Salisbury understood that Plaintiff did not have sophisticated knowledge of investment, financial, and insurance-related matters. Id. ¶ 29. The Salisbury Entities made verbal representations about the products Defendant Salisbury was directing Plaintiff to invest in or purchase, and Defendant Salisbury routinely presented Plaintiff with signature pages, rather than complete documents, which he instructed her to sign but not date. Id. ¶ 30. Defendant Salisbury, a licensed notary, often notarized documents Plaintiff had signed, including those signed outside his presence. Id.
I. The Annuities
Among the many annuities involved in Defendant Salisbury's "churning" process were annuities issued by Allianz, at least two of which were surrendered at a sizeable loss. See id. ¶ 31. First, on or about December 29, 2009, Plaintiff was caused to surrender Allianz Flexible Premium Deferred Annuity Policy (Index Benefit bearing policy number XXX 3635, policy date September 1, 2006)-which was then valued at approximately $ 902,000-at a loss of approximately $ 200,077. Id. ¶ 32. Second, on or about November 21, 2014, following Defendant Salisbury's advice and direction, Plaintiff surrendered an Allianz annuity with a policy number XXX 7754, which was issued on December 18, 2006.
Again acting on Defendant Salisbury's advice and direction, Plaintiff also surrendered four Phoenix Personal Income Annuities. On or about October 19, 2017, Plaintiff surrendered two such annuities. One, number XXX 5109, was issued with a single premium of $ 24,795.55 on December 9, 2014, and its surrender cost Plaintiff approximately $ 3,790.04 in surrender charges, id. ¶ 34a; the other, number XXX 5355, was issued with a single premium of $ 24,800.42 on December 11, 2014, and its surrender cost Plaintiff approximately $ 3,939.86 in surrender charges, id. ¶ 34b. On or about November 7, 2017, Plaintiff surrendered Phoenix Personal Income Annuity number XXX 8769, which had been issued with a single premium of $ 700,000 on May 4, 2015, and incurred approximately $ 110,220.74 in surrender charges. Id. ¶ 34d. And on or about November 8, 2017, Plaintiff incurred approximately $ 25,983.85 in surrender charges by surrendering Phoenix Personal Income Annuity XXX 4609, which was issued on December 18, 2014 with a single premium of $ 160,319.48. Id. ¶ 34c. As to these four annuities, Plaintiff lost approximately $ 143,931.49. Id. ¶ 34.
Again following Defendant Salisbury's advice and direction, Plaintiff purchased and invested in the Fidelity Premium Deferred Fixed Index Annuity, AdvanceMark Ultra 14, number XXX 5051, which was issued on February 8, 2015. Id. ¶ 35. As of the most recent annual statement, it had an account value of approximately $ 453,282.52. Id. Plaintiff surrendered it in or around October 2017, and the surrender charge was $ 52,382.80. Id.
Similarly, Defendant Salisbury allowed an American National annuity, number XXX 0431, to run just over a year before he caused Plaintiff to surrender it in or around April 2015. Id. ¶ 36. The surrender of this annuity, which had been issued on March 14, 2014 with an initial premium payment of $ 737,450.85, incurred approximately $ 61,028 in surrender charges. Id.
Plaintiff was also issued a ForeThought Single Premium Deferred Annuity Contract number XXX 8001 on February 11, 2009, with an initial premium payment of $ 166,949.80. Id. ¶ 37. At Defendant Salisbury's direction, Plaintiff made several withdrawals from this annuity while it was in force. Id. At the time of surrender on or about November 17, 2014, the annuity was *1041valued at $ 146,486.39, and the surrender fee was $ 7,324.32. Id. ¶ 37.
And on November 26, 2007, Plaintiff was issued a North American Company Individual Flexible Premium Deferred Annuity, number XXX 2105, with an initial premium payment of $ 276,745.13. Id. ¶ 38. Plaintiff paid an additional premium of $ 598,595.71 on or about April 27, 2012. Id. On or about January 29, 2014, the annuity was surrendered at a net loss of $ 88,205.94. Id.
These transactions-which Plaintiff alleges are a representative list of Defendant Salisbury's "churning" activities rather than an exhaustive one, see id. ¶ 39-cost Plaintiff approximately $ 576,207.28 in surrender charges, id. With respect to each transaction, and over the course of them all, Defendant Salisbury told Plaintiff that the surrenders were in her best interest and explained that any surrender charge incurred was worth incurring to better position the funds in the replacement annuity. Id. ¶ 40.
II. The Insurance Policies
Acting on Defendant Salisbury's advice, Plaintiff obtained a Lincoln Benefit Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance Policy on October 6, 2004. Id. ¶ 44. This policy carried a death benefit of $ 5,066,782, and its planned annual payment was $ 279,731. Id. In or around 2008, Defendant Salisbury reduced the death benefit to $ 500,000, and the policy was surrendered on October 7, 2013. Id.
Again acting on Defendant Salisbury's advice, Plaintiff procured a one million dollar Flexible Premium Universal Life Insurance Policy from Columbus Life Insurance Company. See id. ¶ 43. The policy had an effective date of May 20, 2004, and the planned premiums were $ 16,881.12 annually. Id. This policy was cancelled in or around April 2016 and replaced with a $ 2,500,000 VOYA IUL-Global Choice Policy ("the VOYA Policy" or "the Policy") issued by Defendant Security Life of Denver ("Defendant SLD") and subject to a financing arrangement conceived of and carried out by Defendants Salisbury, Claraphi Advisory Network, LLC ("Defendant Claraphi"), Michael Diyanni ("Defendant Diyanni"), Aurora Capital Alliance ("Defendant ACA"), Lake Forest Bank & Trust Company, N.A. ("Defendant Lake Forest"), Wintrust Life Finance ("Defendant Wintrust"), and Alejandro Alberto Bellini ("Defendant Bellini"). Id. ¶ 45. Defendant Bellini was the writing agent of the VOYA Policy and participated in selling the Policy to Plaintiff. Id. ¶ 20.
Defendant Salisbury advised Plaintiff that the VOYA Policy would fund itself-that she would never have to make premium payments on it due to the design of the premium financing arrangement orchestrated by Defendants Salisbury, Claraphi, Diyanni, ACA, Lake Forest, Wintrust, and Bellini. Id. ¶ 46. Plaintiff expressed concern to Defendant Salisbury about the value of the VOYA Policy, but Defendant Salisbury told Plaintiff that the Policy was designed to assist her children in paying taxes after Plaintiff's decease. Id. ¶ 48. But Defendant Salisbury did not inform Plaintiff at the time the Policy was purchased that very little, if any, of her net worth would be subject to estate taxes. Id. Defendant Salisbury misrepresented Plaintiff's net worth on the application for the VOYA Policy. Id. ¶ 49.
Plaintiff did not need the VOYA Policy's life insurance, and in any case she lacked the liquid assets to properly fund it. Id. ¶ 50. Despite knowing this, Defendants Salisbury, Claraphi, Diyanni, ACA, Lake Forest, Wintrust, and Bellini induced Plaintiff to enter into transactions they knew would be to her detriment. Id.
*1042A trust agreement was created on March 26, 2016, by Defendant Diyanni, an attorney chosen by Defendant Salisbury whom Plaintiff had never met. Id. ¶ 51. Defendant Diyanni handles some tax matters, but specializes primarily in personal injury and DUI/DWI cases. Id. Defendant Diyanni was hired by Defendant ACA to draft "an Irrevocable Trust that would meet both the standards for the financial institution and life insurance carrier." Id. ¶ 52. Defendant Diyanni, and The Law Office of Michael Diyanni, would serve as Trustee of the Kathy Ryan Irrevocable Trust. Id.
Defendant SLD issued the VOYA Policy on April 5, 2016. Id. ¶ 53. The annual scheduled premium was $ 160,000, and the minimum monthly premium to maintain the policy was $ 3,072.22. Id. Defendant ACA arranged for First Insurance Funding (now Defendant Lake Forest; hereafter "Defendant Lake Forest") and/or Wintrust to finance the VOYA premiums. Id. ¶ 18. On April 12, 2016, Defendant Lake Forest issued its proposal of a $ 172,000 initial loan amount, which included a $ 12,000 broker's fee that was paid to Defendant Diyanni. Id. ¶ 54. Plaintiff alleges that this $ 12,000 fee is substantially in excess of the commissions normally paid to brokers, agents, or attorneys for similar services. Id.
Defendant Diyanni then assigned the VOYA Policy as collateral to Defendant Lake Forest. Id. ¶ 55. Plaintiff was also required to assign an annuity, Allianz Annual Fixed Index Annuity number XXX 9437, as collateral. Id. ¶ 56. Defendants Diyanni and Salisbury told Plaintiff that the assignment would be released after seven years. Id. But this assignment was fraudulently procured by Defendants Diyanni and Salisbury, as it is dated and notarized in Orange County, California, on a date when Plaintiff was not on the mainland and could not have signed the document. Id. ¶ 57.
Plaintiff alleges that, during and after the sale of the Policy, Defendant Diyanni as Trustee of the Kathy Ryan Irrevocable Trust (the "ILIT") failed to perform his fiduciary duties to determine the appropriateness of replacing the Columbus Life policy or the suitability of the VOYA Policy. See id. ¶ 58. Plaintiff further alleges that Defendant Diyanni did not properly assess the negative consequences of the premium financing arrangement, the selection and assignment of collateral, and/or the funding of premiums outside of the premium financing arrangement. Id. "In short," Plaintiff alleges, "the VOYA [P]olicy should have never been purchased." Id.
A year later, Plaintiff and Defendant Diyanni were advised that the Note issued by Defendant Lake Forest was in default for failure to make the interest payment of $ 8,642.25, and to make the premium payment of $ 163,500, as well as to provide the requested collateral. Id. ¶ 59. Plaintiff contacted VOYA, a representative of which told her that the company could only speak with Defendant Diyanni because he was the "owner" of the Policy. Id. ¶ 60. When Plaintiff contacted Defendant Salisbury, he told her that Defendant Lake Forest was mistaken, but he later reversed course and instructed Plaintiff to wire $ 37,000 to Defendant Lake Forest in order to secure the loan. See id. Plaintiff did so, but never received a receipt for the transaction. Id.
Despite having been advised by Defendant Salisbury that she should never have to personally pay premiums on the VOYA Policy and that the policy would fund itself, Plaintiff was advised by Defendant ACT, in or around March 2018, that the action items on her life insurance premium finance arrangement included an outstanding interest payment of $ 24,545.82 and a signed, dated Guarantors Acknowledgment *1043and Certification Additional Collateral of $ 60,639.55. Id. ¶ 61.
Those defendants who initiated and/or approved the purchase of the VOYA Policy and the associated premium financing arrangements-i.e., Defendants Salisbury, Claraphi, Diyanni, ACA, Lake Forest, Wintrust, SLD, and Bellini, see id. ¶ 45, 53-knew at the time they did so that the VOYA Policy was an unsuitable financial product for Plaintiff in light of the excessive death benefit and the fact that its premiums exceeded her ability to pay. Id. ¶ 62; but see id. ¶ 72.c (alleging that "Defendant Salisbury misrepresent[ed Plaintiff]'s net worth on the application for the VOYA life insurance policy"). Plaintiff alleges that the sale of the policy and premium financing arrangement were part of a fraudulent and deceptive scheme carried out by all defendants working in concert with one another. Id. ¶ 25.
PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
Plaintiff, proceeding both individually and in her capacity as trustee of the Brody Family Trust, filed her Complaint on October 23, 2018. Compl. Therein, she asserted twelve causes of action:
1. Violation of the Unfair and Deceptive Acts or Trade Practices Act ("UDAP"), Hawai'i Revised Statutes ("HRS") §§ 480-1 et seq., as to all defendants. Compl. ¶¶ 64-78.
2. UDAP, Violation of HRS § 480-2 ("Suitability") as to all defendants. Compl. ¶¶ 79-82.
3. UDAP, "Elder Abuse", as to all defendants. Id. ¶¶ 83-90.
4. Fraudulent suppression as to the Salisbury Defendants and Defendants NAM and Claraphi. Id. ¶¶ 91-97.
5. Fraudulent misrepresentation as to the Salisbury Defendants and Defendants NAM, Claraphi, and Diyanni. Id. ¶¶ 98-103.
6. Breach of fiduciary duty as to the Salisbury Defendants and Defendants NAM, Claraphi, and Diyanni. Id. ¶¶ 104-13.
7. Vicarious liability/respondeat superior as to the Salisbury Defendants and Defendants NAM, Claraphi, Diyanni, ACA, Lake Forest, Wintrust, SLD, and Bellini. Id. ¶¶ 114-18.
8. Violation of the Hawai'i Securities Act ( HRS §§ 485A-502, 485A-509 ) as to the Salisbury Defendants, Defendant NAM, and Defendant Claraphi. Compl. ¶¶ 119-22.
9. Controlling Person Liability, under HRS § 485A-509(g), as to Defendants NAM and Claraphi. Compl. ¶¶ 123-26.
10. Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO"),18 U.S.C. § 1962 (c), as to all defendants. Compl. ¶¶ 127-51.
11. Violation of RICO,18 U.S.C. § 1962 (d), as to all defendants. Compl. ¶¶ 152-59.
12. Violation of HRS § 842-2(3), as to all defendants. Compl. ¶¶ 160-71.
On December 31, 2018, Defendant Diyanni, proceeding pro se, filed a succinct, three-page motion to dismiss ("Motion"), without a separate memorandum in support, citing Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ("Rules") 12(b)(1), 12(b)(6), and 9(b). ECF No. 52. Plaintiff filed an Opposition on March 25, 2019. See ECF No. 107. Defendant Diyanni filed no Reply. Statements of no position as to the Motion were filed by the ACA Defendants, ECF No. 105, and Defendant NAM, ECF No. 102.
*1044The Court scheduled the Motion for hearing on April 15, 2019. ECF No. 62. Defendant Diyanni did not appear at the hearing. ECF No. 118. The Court, upon reaching Defendant Diyanni by telephone, instructed him to file an explanation for his absence. ECF No. 119. To date, no such filing has been received.
On April 29, 2019, the Court issued a minute order offering both Plaintiff and Defendant Diyanni the opportunity to argue on Defendant Diyanni's Motion at the hearing scheduled for April 30, 2019 regarding three other motions in this matter. ECF No. 123. The Court attempted repeatedly to reach Defendant Diyanni by telephone to inform him of the minute order's contents and inquire if he wished to appear by telephone, but these attempts were unsuccessful. At the April 30, 2019 hearing, Plaintiff elected to rest on her Opposition to the Motion.
STANDARDS
I. Rule 12(b)(1)
A court's subject-matter jurisdiction may be challenged under Rule 12(b)(1). Such challenges may be either "facial" or "factual." Wolfe v. Strankman,
In a facial attack, "the challenger asserts that the allegations contained in a complaint are insufficient on their face to invoke federal jurisdiction."
By contrast, in a factual attack, "the challenger disputes the truth of the allegations that, by themselves, would otherwise invoke federal jurisdiction." Wolfe,
II. Rule 12(b)(6)
Rule 12(b)(6) authorizes the Court to dismiss a complaint that fails "to state a claim upon which relief can be granted." Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). Rule 12(b)(6) is read in conjunction with Rule 8(a), which requires only "a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). The Court may dismiss a complaint either because it lacks a cognizable legal theory or because it lacks sufficient factual allegations to support a cognizable legal theory.
*1045Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep't,
In resolving a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, the Court must accept all well-pleaded factual allegations as true and construe them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Sateriale v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.,
When a court dismisses a complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), it should grant leave to amend unless the pleading cannot be cured by new factual allegations. OSU Student All. v. Ray,
III. Rule 9(b)
Rule 9(b) requires that, "[i]n alleging fraud or mistake, a party must state with particularity the circumstances constituting fraud or mistake. Malice, intent, knowledge, and other conditions of a person's mind may be alleged generally." Fed. R. Civ. P. 9(b). " Rule 9(b) requires particularized allegations of the circumstances constituting fraud." In re GlenFed, Inc. Securities Litigation,
Rule 9(b) does not allow a complaint to merely lump multiple defendants together but require[s] plaintiffs to differentiate their allegations when suing more than one defendant ... and inform each defendant separately of the allegations surrounding his alleged participation in the fraud. In the context of a fraud suit involving multiple defendants, a plaintiff must, at a minimum, identif[y] the role of [each] defendant[ ] in the alleged fraudulent scheme.
Swartz,
Rule 9(b) only "requires that plaintiffs specifically plead those facts surrounding alleged acts of fraud to which they can reasonably be expected to have access." Concha v. London,62 F.3d 1493 , 1503 (9th Cir. 1995). As such, "in cases where fraud is alleged, we relax pleading requirements where the relevant facts are known only to the defendant."Id. In those cases, a "pleading is sufficient under Rule 9(b) if it identifies the circumstances constituting fraud so that a defendant can prepare an adequate answer from the allegations." Moore,885 F.2d at 540 .
Rubenstein,
A motion to dismiss a claim grounded in fraud for failure to plead with particularly under Rule 9(b) is the functional equivalent of a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6). See Vess,
DISCUSSION
I. Jurisdiction
Defendant Diyanni levels a facial attack on Plaintiff's assertion of diversity jurisdiction, see Compl. ¶ 21, contending that Plaintiff failed to sufficiently allege federal jurisdiction based on diversity of citizenship under
a. The Complaint Fails to Adequately Plead the Elements of Diversity Jurisdiction
Under
First, "the diversity jurisdiction statute,
Second, for purposes of diversity jurisdiction, "a[ limited liability corporation] is a citizen of every state of which its owners/members are citizens." Johnson v. Columbia Props. Anchorage, LP,
Third, under
Fourth, the Complaint fails to allege what type of entity Defendant ACA is, and makes no allegation as to its citizenship. See Compl. ¶ 18 (noting only ACA's "preferred mailing address").
It is clear to the Court that the Complaint's assertion of diversity jurisdiction is insufficiently supported by the allegations.
b. The Court Has Federal Question Jurisdiction, and Supplemental Jurisdiction Over the State-Law Claims
Federal district courts "have original jurisdiction [over] all civil actions arising under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States."
Under
*1048The Complaint asserts two claims of violations of RICO,
Moreover, the Court finds that the state-law claims and the federal civil RICO claims "derive from a common nucleus of operative fact[.]" Tr. of Constr. Indus. & Laborers Health & Welfare Trust,
II. UDAP (First, Second, and Third Causes of Action)
Plaintiff's First and Second Causes of Action assert that all defendants have engaged in deceptive and unfair acts and practices within the meaning of Hawai'i's unfair and deceptive acts or practices ("UDAP") statute ("the UDAP statute"), HRS §§ 480-1, et seq. Compl. ¶¶ 65, 80. Plaintiff's First Cause of Action outlines multiple actions alleged to have been UDAPs. See
HRS § 480-2(a) provides that "[u]nfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce are unlawful." " HRS § 480-2 ... was constructed in broad language in order to constitute a flexible tool to stop and prevent fraudulent, unfair or deceptive business practices for the protection of both honest consumers and honest business[persons]." Haw. Comm. Fed. Credit U. v. Keka,
In order to state a UDAP claim, a consumer
A practice is unfair when it "offends established public policy and when the practice is immoral, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous[,] or substantially injurious to consumers." Balthazar v. Verizon Haw., Inc.,
"A deceptive act or practice is '(1) a representation, omission, or practice that (2) is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances where (3) the representation, omission, or practice is material.' The representation, omission, or practice is material if it is likely to affect a consumer's choice." Yokoyama v. Midland Nat'l Life Ins. Co.,
Claims asserting deceptive conduct under HRS § 480-2 are subject to Rule 9(b)'s heightened pleading standard. See Smallwood v. NCsoft Corp.,
HRS § 480-13.5 defines an "elder" as "a consumer who is sixty-two years of age or older," and provides that, "[i]f a person commits a violation under [ HRS §] 480-2 which is directed toward, targets, or injures an elder, a court, in addition to any other civil penalty, may impose a civil penalty not to exceed $ 10,000 for each violation."
a. Plaintiff's First Cause of Action
Defendant Diyanni moves to dismiss Plaintiff's UDAP claims against him, contending that "Plaintiff fails to allege any specific wrongdoing on behalf of [Defendant] Diyanni that falls within the scope of the Unfair Competition Statutes." Diyanni Mot. at 2.
*1050i. Allegations Concerning Defendant Diyanni
The Complaint makes the following allegations regarding Defendant Diyanni:
1. Defendant Diyanni (together with his law office) is the current Trustee of the ILIT. Compl. ¶ 15. He was hired by Defendant ACA to draft the ILIT and was paid a $ 12,000 broker's fee as part of an arrangement with Defendants ACA and Lake Forest. Id. ¶¶ 15, 52. The broker's fee charged by Defendant Diyanni was excessive, id. ¶¶ 4, 54, 72e, and was obtained by the employment of, inter alia, "fraud," id. ¶ 72e.
2. Defendant Diyanni assigned the VOYA Policy to Defendant Lake Forest as collateral for the loan that was to be taken out to fund the premiums for the VOYA Policy. Id. ¶ 55; see id. ¶¶ 46-55.
3. Defendant Diyanni, together with Defendant Salisbury, did not give Plaintiff sufficient warning or explanation concerning the risks of the financing arrangement. Id. ¶ 4.
4. Together with Defendant Salisbury, Defendant Diyanni fraudulently procured the assignment of one of Plaintiff's annuities as collateral for this loan. Id. ¶ 57. This occurred via a fraudulent notarization in Orange County, California, id., in or around April 2016, see id. ¶¶ 45, 54.
5. As Trustee of the ILIT, Defendant Diyanni failed "to perform his fiduciary duties" to determine the appropriateness of replacing the Columbus Life policy with the VOYA Policy or the suitability of the VOYA Policy. Id. ¶ 58. "Further, Diyanni did not properly assess the negative consequences of the premium financing arrangement, the selection and assignment of collateral, and/or the funding of premiums outside of the premium financing arrangement. In short, the VOYA policy should have never been purchased." Id.
6. "During the sale of the policy and after the sale, as Trustee of the ILIT, [Defendant] Diyanni concealed the fact that he had failed to perform his fiduciary duties to make an appropriate determination of the appropriateness of replacing the Columbus Life policy, or of the suitability of the life insurance policy, or the premium financing arrangement, or the selection and assignment of collateral, and/or the funding of premiums outside of the premium financing arrangement. Diyanni also concealed the fact that he was acting with a conflict of interest and was engaging in self-dealing with respect to his activities related to [Plaintiff]." Id. ¶ 70.
7. Defendant Diyanni drafted "an illusory trust designed for his own financial benefit and that of the other Defendants[.]" Id. ¶ 72d. In doing so, he employed, inter alia, "fraud." Id. ¶ 72.
*10518. Together with Defendant Salisbury, Defendant Diyanni required Plaintiff to sign an agreement purportedly releasing Diyanni for liability for the legal services he rendered. Id. ¶ 72f. In doing so, he employed, inter alia, "fraud." Id. ¶ 72.
ii. The First Cause of Action States a UDAP Claim Against Defendant Diyanni
Of those actions of Defendant Diyanni that are alleged to have been deceptive or fraudulent, only one is pled with sufficient particularity under Rule 9(b). The allegation that Defendant Diyanni, in or around April 2016 and in Orange County, California, fraudulently procured the assignment of one of Plaintiff's annuities through the falsification of a notarized document states the "who, what, when, where, and how" of the alleged misrepresentation. Vess,
Moreover, the Court finds that Plaintiff has stated a claim for unfair acts or practices under HRS § 480-2. Among other allegations, the Complaint's charge that Defendant Diyanni drafted the ILIT to be illusory, and to benefit him and the other defendants, alleges conduct that is immoral, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous[,] or substantially injurious to consumers." Balthazar,
Defendant Diyanni's motion to dismiss Plaintiff's First Cause of Action is therefore denied.
b. Plaintiff's Second Cause of Action
Plaintiff's Second Cause of Action, entitled "Unsuitability," alleges that all defendants "committed acts of unfair and deceptive practices ... by selling [Plaintiff] the VOYA [P]olicy and setting up the financing arrangement, both of which were unsuitable for her and The Brody Family Trust's insurance and finance needs." Compl. ¶ 80.
Plaintiff's Second Cause of Action fails to state a claim against any defendant and is dismissed as to Defendant Diyanni. Plaintiff has pointed to no authority for the proposition that a claim for the unsuitability of a life insurance policy or a financing arrangement, absent adequately pled allegations of commensurate deception, states a claim under UDAP.
*1052c. Plaintiff's Third Cause of Action
Plaintiff's Third Cause of Action for "Elder Abuse" is not a stand-alone claim, but rather a claim for heightened civil penalties under the UDAP statute. See HRS § 480-13.5. Insofar as Plaintiff is attempting to plead her Third Cause of Action as a claim separate and apart from her substantive UDAP claims, it is dismissed.
III. Respondeat Superior (Seventh Cause of Action)
Plaintiff's Seventh Cause of Action is entitled "Vicarious Liability/Respondeat Superior" and is asserted against all defendants remaining in this action.
Moreover, while "[a] principal may be liable for the wrongful acts of its agent that occur while [the agent is] acting within the scope of the agency," Lopeti,
Defendant Diyanni moves to dismiss Plaintiff's Seventh Cause of Action against him, asserting that "there is no separate cause of action or cognizable legal claim for vicarious liability/respondeat superior." Mot. at 2. Because this is so, and because the Complaint does not assert that Defendant Diyanni is vicariously liable for the actions of any other defendant, Plaintiff's Seventh Cause of Action is dismissed as against Defendant Diyanni.
IV. Federal Civil RICO (Tenth and Eleventh Causes of Action)
Plaintiff's Tenth and Eleventh Causes of Action, asserted against all defendants, arise out of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("federal civil RICO"). In her Tenth Cause of Action, Plaintiff asserts that "Defendants have intentionally participated in at least one of two schemes to defraud [Plaintiff] of her money" in violation of
Under
"To prevail on a civil RICO claim, a plaintiff must prove that [each] defendant engaged in (1) conduct (2) of an enterprise (3) through a pattern (4) of racketeering activity and, additionally, must establish that (5) the defendant caused injury to plaintiff's business or property." Chaset v. Fleer/Skybox Int'l, LP,
" '[T]o conduct or participate, directly or indirectly, in the conduct of such enterprise's affairs,' § 1962(c), one must participate in the operation or management of the enterprise itself." Reves v. Ernst & Young,
A "pattern ... requires at least two acts of racketeering activity,"
With respect to mail and wire fraud, Plaintiff must allege the following *1054elements: "(1) formation of a scheme or artifice to defraud; (2) use of the United States mails or wires, or causing such a use, in furtherance of the scheme; and (3) specific intent to deceive or defraud." Sanford v. MemberWorks, Inc.,
To state a claim for conspiracy to violate RICO under § 1962(d), a plaintiff must allege "either an agreement that is a substantive violation of RICO or that the defendants agreed to commit, or participated in, a violation of two predicate offenses." Howard v. Am. Online, Inc.,
Defendant Diyanni asserts that Plaintiff's RICO claims against him should fail because "Plaintiff yet again lumps all defendants together, and therefore fails to plead any wrongdoing on behalf of Michael Diyanni." Mot. at 2-3. The Court concurs that Plaintiff's federal civil RICO claims against Defendant Diyanni fail, as Plaintiff's Tenth Cause of Action fails to adequately plead a substantive violation of RICO.
First, while the Complaint's seventy-five pages do contain some allegations that could be construed as addressing Defendant Diyanni's role in the alleged "VOYA Enterprise,"
Second, the Complaint's allegations of the predicate acts of wire and mail fraud are insufficient. Plaintiff alleges that "[m]any of the precise dates for the VOYA Enterprise['s] ... fraudulent uses of the U.S. Mail and wire facilities have been deliberately hidden and cannot be alleged without access to Defendants' books and records." Compl. ¶ 148. But even under a relaxed standard, Plaintiff's allegations of the predicate acts of mail and wire fraud are wanting. Plaintiff not only fails to allege "precise dates," she fails to allege any *1055dates at all,
This is not a corporate fraud case, which the Ninth Circuit has recognized as an appropriate circumstance in which to relax Rule 9(b)'s particularity requirement with respect to the allegedly fraudulent conduct of each individual. See, e.g., Moore,
Rule 9(b) serves three purposes: (1) to provide defendants with adequate notice to allow them to defend the charge and deter plaintiffs from the filing of complaints "as a pretext for the discovery of unknown wrongs"; (2) to protect those whose reputation would be harmed as a result of being subject to fraud charges; and (3) to "prohibit [ ] plaintiff[s] from unilaterally imposing upon the court, the parties and society enormous social and economic costs absent some factual basis."
Kearns v. Ford Motor Co.,
Plaintiff's Tenth Cause of Action against Defendant Diyanni is therefore dismissed, and her Eleventh Cause of Action must fall with the Tenth. Howard,
V. Hawai'i Civil RICO (Twelfth Cause of Action)
Plaintiff's Twelfth Cause of Action asserts that all defendants have "engaged in 'racketeering activity' by committing or aiding and abetting in the commission of at least one act of racketeering activity, i.e., violations of the Hawai'i Unfair and Deceptive Acts Trade Practices Act .... Therefore, *1056the Defendants have violated [HRS] § 842-2(3)." Compl. ¶ 163.
HRS § 842-2(3) ("Hawai'i RICO") makes it unlawful "[f]or any person employed by or associated with any enterprise to conduct or participate in the conduct of the affairs of the enterprise through racketeering activity or collection of an unlawful debt." HRS § 842-8(c) creates a private right of action for "[a]ny person injured in the person's business or property by reason of" a RICO violation.
"[T]he most useful source in interpreting HRS § 842-2(3) is federal law.... [F]ederal law is an important aid to construction because HRS § 842-2 was derived from the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute." State v. Ontai,
Therefore, and in light of the differences between
For purposes of HRS § 842-2(3),
"[r]acketeering activity" means any act or threat involving but not limited to murder, kidnapping, gambling, criminal property damage, robbery, bribery, extortion, labor trafficking, theft, or prostitution, or any dealing in narcotic or other dangerous drugs that is chargeable as a crime under state law and punishable by imprisonment for more than one year.
HRS § 842-1.
Defendant Diyanni moves to dismiss the Twelfth Cause of Action against him, asserting that it should be dismissed because it "is essentially a derivative cause of action that turns on the viability, or lack thereof, of the First and Second Causes of Action[.]" Mot. at 3.
The Court finds that dismissal of Plaintiff's Twelfth Cause of Action against the ACA Defendants is proper. First, as with her Tenth Cause of Action, Plaintiff fails to allege how Defendant Diyanni participated in the "operation or management" of the alleged enterprise. Reves,
Second, and perhaps more importantly, Plaintiff has not alleged either the commission or the aiding and abetting of any *1057"racketeering activity" by Defendant Diyanni. Plaintiff cites to no authority, and the Court can locate none, to support the proposition that a violation of Hawai'i's UDAP statute, by itself, constitutes "racketeering activity." The dearth of any such authority is to be expected; as the Hawai'i Supreme Court has noted, "the legislative history underlying HRS § 842-2 provides that '[t]he purpose of [the] bill [was] to curtail organized crime activity in Hawaii.' " Bates,
The Complaint identifies no crime, either listed in HRS § 842-1 or otherwise, that Defendant Diyanni is supposed to have committed or aided and abetted.
VI. Plaintiff is Granted Leave to Amend
Plaintiff requests leave to amend her Complaint to correct any deficiencies. Opp. at 19-20. Because Plaintiff may be able to cure the Complaint's defects via amendment, leave to amend is granted, and the Causes of Action dismissed herein are dismissed without prejudice. See OSU Student All.,
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the Court GRANTS IN PART AND DENIES IN PART Defendant Michael Diyanni's Motion to Dismiss, ECF No. 52, as follows:
1. As to the First Cause of Action (UDAP), the Motion is DENIED.
2. As to the Second Cause of Action (UDAP- Unsuitability), the Motion is GRANTED.
3. As to the Third Cause of Action (UDAP-Elder Abuse), the Motion is GRANTED.
4. As to the Fifth Cause of Action (Fraudulent Misrepresentation), the Motion is DENIED.
5. As to the Sixth Cause of Action (Breach of Fiduciary Duty), the Motion is DENIED.
6. As to the Seventh Cause of Action (Vicarious Liability/Respondeat Superior), the Motion is GRANTED.
7. As to the Tenth Cause of Action (RICO Violation), the Motion is GRANTED.
8. As to the Eleventh Cause of Action (Conspiracy to Violate RICO), the Motion is GRANTED.
9. As to the Twelfth Cause of Action (Hawai'i RICO), the Motion is GRANTED.
Those claims dismissed are dismissed without prejudice. Any amended complaint *1058must be filed within thirty days of the issuance of this Order.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Plaintiff turned sixty-two years old-and thus became an "elder" as that term is defined in HRS § 480-13.5 -sometime in 2012. Compl. ¶ 86.
On March 25, 2019, Plaintiff voluntarily dismissed Accelerated Estate Planning, LLC from this action without prejudice. ECF No. 101.
In other words, Plaintiff's Third Cause of Action is not in fact a distinct claim, but rather assert's Plaintiff's entitlement to an additional penalty of up to $ 10,000 for each proven violation of Hawai'i's UDAP statute should she prevail. See HRS § 480-13.5(a).
HRS § 480-1 defines "consumer" as "a natural person who, primarily for primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, purchases, attempts to purchase, or is solicited to purchase goods or services or who commits money, property, or services in a personal investment." Defendant Diyanni has not disputed that Plaintiff is a "consumer."
Defendant Diyanni further asserts that he should be dismissed from the First Cause of Action "due to the trust agreement." Diynanni Mot. at 2. He also argues that he should be dismissed from the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Causes of action solely "due to the trust agreement and legal waiver signed by [Plaintiff.]"
There is statutory authority for the imposition of a duty on insurers to make suitability determinations in regard to some transactions involving annuities, but Plaintiff had not pled facts tending to show that statute's applicability in the context of the VOYA Policy and its premium financing arrangement. See HRS § 431:10D-623.
The Seventh Cause of Action does not name Accelerated Estate Planning, LLC, which has been dismissed from this action without prejudice. ECF No. 101.
Plaintiff identifies two enterprises and alleges that each "market[ed] and s[old] unsuitable financial products to [Plaintiff] while concealing the true nature of the products[.]" Compl. ¶ 130. Plaintiff alleges that the "VOYA Enterprise" operated "[w]ith respect to the VOYA [P]olicy and the premium financing arrangement associated with" the Policy, and was made up of the Salisbury Defendants, Accelerated Estate Planning, LLC (which has now been dismissed), and Defendants Claraphi, NAM, Diyanni, Lake Forest, Wintrust, ACA, SLD, and Bellini.
The Court expects that any amended complaint will make these allegations in a more organized fashion.
Some of the allegations concerning the VOYA Enterprise's predicate acts may, with some searching, be linked to dates iterated earlier in the Complaint. See, e.g., Compl. ¶¶ 148.a.i (alleging "[p]rocessing documents to establish the ILIT" as a predicate act), 51-53 (indicating that the ILIT was established in or around March-April 2016). Others, although almost certainly not exclusively within defendants' knowledge, do not appear in the Complaint's seventy-five pages to have any dates attached to them. See, e.g., id. ¶ 148.a.iv (alleging "processing premium payments for the policy" as a predicate act). The Court expects that any amended complaint will lay out its allegations in a far more orderly fashion so that neither the Court nor the defendants need undertake a searching review of the Complaint's entirety in order to make sense of individual claims or allegations.
Local Rule 33.1 currently provides that any party defending against a RICO claim may move for an order requiring the claimant to file and serve a RICO discovery statement. The Court notes, however, that amendments to the Local Rules are apparently currently being considered, and that the requirements of what is now Local Rule 33.1 may in the future be included in magistrate judges' discovery or Rule 16 orders.
Defendant Diyanni also cites "the trust agreement and waiver" as reasons the Twelfth Cause of Action against him should be dismissed. For the reasons discussed previously, this argument lack merit.
By contrast, Plaintiff alleges that the Salisbury Defendants, Defendant NAM, and Defendant Claraphi engaged in "racketeering activity" by either committing or aiding and abetting in the commission of not just UDAP violations, but also theft. Compl. ¶ 166-67.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Kathy RYAN, Individually, and in Her Capacity as Trustee of the Brody Family Trust v. Christopher S. SALISBURY C. Salisbury, LLC Claraphi Advisory Network, LLC National Asset Management, Inc. Michael Diyanni Lake Forest Bank & Trust Company, N.A. Wintrust Life Finance Aurora Capital Alliance Security Life of Denver Insurance Company and Alejandro Alberto Bellini
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published