Butler v. Enhanced Equity Fund II, LP (In re American Ambulette & Ambulance Service, Inc.)
Butler v. Enhanced Equity Fund II, LP (In re American Ambulette & Ambulance Service, Inc.)
Opinion of the Court
ORDER REGARDING MOTION TO DISMISS CLAIMS
The matter before the court is the motion, filed jointly by the defendants, to dismiss certain claims for relief in this adversary proceeding. A hearing took place in Wilmington, North Carolina on March 8, 2016. Supplemental briefs were filed by the plaintiff on April 5, 2016, and by the defendants on April 26, 2016. For the reasons that follow, the motion will be granted in part and denied in part.
On December 11, 2013, petitions for relief under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code were filed by American Ambulette & Ambulance Service, Inc., Coastline Care, Inc., Eastern Shore Acquisition Corp., Eastern Shore Ambulance, Inc., Marmac Transportation Services, Inc., and Transmed, LLC (collectively, the “Debtors”). Based on the Debtors’ common ownership and affiliations, the cases were administratively consolidated on April 2, 2015, with American Ambulette & Ambulance Service, Inc. designated as the lead case. On November 13, 2015, the chapter 7 trustee, Algernon L. Butler, III, filed the complaint initiating this adversary proceeding against Enhanced Equity Fund II, LP, EEF Partners II, LLC, Ambulance Holdings, LLC, Malcolm Kostuchenko, Andrew Paul, Samarth Chandra, Bryan Gibson, Steve Blackburn, Robert Jewell, Priority Ambulance, LLC, and Shoals Ambulance, LLC (collectively, the “Defendants”). The complaint contains sixteen causes of action arising from the Defendants’ development of new business ventures, which the trustee alleges caused the Debtors’ financial demise and forced them into bankruptcy.
Pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, made applicable to this proceeding by Rule 7012(b) of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, the Defendants seek dismissal as to nine of the sixteen claims for relief, contending that the trustee fails to state claims for which relief can be granted. See Fed. R.
For ease of reference, the trustee’s claims for relief are set out in the- chart below. The Defendants seek to dismiss the fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and sixteenth claims (denoted in bold font):
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A. The Fifth, Eleventh, and Fourteenth . Claims for Relief
First, the court will address the Defendants’ contention that the-fifth, eleventh, and fourteenth claims for relief are unnecessary and should be dismissed, because they do not represent stand-alone causes of action. The claims in question are denoted as follows: respondeat superior, punitive damages, and partnership/individual liability, respectively. During the hearing, the trustee indicated that these claims are not asserted as independent causes of action, but rather were set out separately to ensure clarity as to the type of relief sought. The court agrees that neither the fifth, nor the eleventh, nor the fourteenth claims for relief constitute stand-alone causes of action, and finds that each of these “claims” shall be dismissed pursuant
B. Fourth Claim for Relief
The trustee’s fourth claim for relief is entitled “Aiding and Abetting Breaches of Fiduciary Duties, Misappropriation of Corporate Opportunities, Conversion, and Fraudulent Transfers,” and is brought against EEF, EEF Partners, Malcolm Kostuchenko, and Andrew Paul.
In determining which state’s (or states’) law applies to this claim, the court must apply North Carolina’s choice of law rules, as it is the forum state. See Compliance Marine, Inc. v. Campbell (In re Merritt Dredging Co., Inc.), 839 F.2d 203, 205-06 (4th Cir. 1988), cert. denied, 487 U.S. 1236, 108 S.Ct. 2904, 101 L.Ed.2d 936 (1988). The rules vary depending on the character of the claim at hand, i.e., whether the claim relates to torts, contracts, property, etc., or whether it is procedural as opposed to substantive in nature. See The Caper Corp. v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 578 Fed.Appx. 276, 280 (4th Cir. 2014).
1. Aiding and Abetting Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Beginning with the claim of aiding and abetting breaches of fiduciary duties, the Defendants assert that the traditional conflicts of law rule applicable to matters affecting substantial rights of the parties is the doctrine of lex loci, “the law of the situs of the claim.” Boudreau v. Baughman, 322 N.C. 331, 335, 368 S.E.2d 849 (N.C. 1988). The Defendants further assert that this is a tort claim, and therefore the situs of the claim is the state where the injury occurred. According to the Defendants, a company’s headquarters is the place where an economic injury occurs, and because the Debtors are headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, the court should apply North Carolina law to this claim.
The trustee contends, however, that the traditional lex loci rule does not apply here because the claim of aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty involves a corporation’s internal affairs, and such claims are treated differently. According to the trustee, the applicable choice of law rule is the internal affairs doctrine, “a conflict of laws principle which recognizes that only one State should have the authority to regulate a corporation’s internal affairs— matters peculiar to the relationships among or between the corporation and its
The parties have not provided and the court has not located a case in which a North Carolina court has considered the applicable choice of law rule in the context of a claim for aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty. In the absence of such guidance, this court must predict how the North Carolina Supreme Court would rule if presented with this issue. See Private Mort. Inv. Servs., Inc. v. Hotel and Club Assocs., Inc., 296 F.3d 308, 312 (4th Cir. 2002). In doing so, this court may consider, among other things, North Carolina appellate and trial court decisions, restatements of the law, treatises, and well-considered dicta. See Liberty Mut. Ins. Co. v. Triangle Indus., Inc., 957 F.2d 1153, 1156 (4th Cir. 1992).
According to the Restatement (Second) of Conflict of Laws, several factors are relevant when selecting the applicable rule of law, including “certainty, predictability and uniformity of result.” Restatement (Second) of Conflict of Laws § 6 (1971). Although North Carolina courts may not have determined conflicts of laws issues in the context of claims of aiding and abetting breaches of fiduciary duty,'the courts have considered conflicts rules applicable to basic breach of fiduciary duty claims. Based upon its review of those cases, the court has determined that the most effective way to ensure certainty, predictability, and uniformity of the outcome of choice of law decisions to the issues at bar is to apply the internal affairs doctrine, which North Carolina courts have applied to breach of fiduciary duty claims.. See, e.g., Tong v, Dunn, No. 11 CVS 1522, 2016 WL 3944092 (N.C. Super. Ct. July 8, 2016) (noting that pursuant to the internal affairs doctrine, the law of the subject corporation’s state of incorporation governs the substantive elements of breach of fiduciary duty claims against a subject corporation’s former directors); Strougo v. North State Bancorp, No. 15 CVS 14696, 2016 WL 615709 (N.C. Super. Ct. Feb. 16, 2016) (finding, where a complaint “attacked] the exercise of fiduciary duties owed by [a corporation’s] directors,” that under the internal-affairs doctrine, such claims must be determined under the law of the state of incorporation); Stec v. Fuzion Inv. Capital, LLC, No. 11 CVS 4241, 2012 WL 1524487 (N.C. Super. Ct. Apr. 30, 2012) (treating a claim for usurpation of corporate opportunities as if it were a claim for breach of fiduciary duty, and applying the internal affairs doctrine to determine the claim).
Having determined that the internal affairs doctrine applies to the claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, the court must apply the law of each Debt- or’s state of incorporation in considering whether the claim should stand as asserted by each respective debtor. The Debtors’ states of incorporation are as follows:
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Thus, the court must analyze the laws of the following five states:
a. Ohio
Beginning with the law of the state of Ohio, which applies to the claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty as asserted by American Ambulette & Ambulance Service, Inc. (“AAA”), the parties agree that Ohio courts do not recognize this claim. See DeVries Dairy, LLC v. White Eagle Coop. Ass’n, Inc., 132 Ohio St.3d 516, 974 N.E.2d 1194 (2012) (holding that Ohio does not recognize a cause of action for tortious acts in concert under the Restatement (Second) of Torts § 876);
b. North Carolina
Next, the court will apply North Carolina law in considering the aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty claim as raised by Coastline Care, Inc. Defendants argue that North Carolina does not recognize a claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, basing their argument on federal district court decisions interpreting North Carolina state court decisions. The trustee, on the other hand, contends that the answer to this question has not been finally determined by the courts of North Carolina and therefore remains open. The court has not found any North Carolina Supreme Court case considering a claim for aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty. Thus, the court is again in the position of predicting how the North Carolina Supreme Court.would rule if faced with the issue at hand,
Upon reviewing numerous decisions of North Carolina’s Court of Appeals and Superior Courts, the resounding consensus is that whether North Carolina recognizes a claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty is an open question — neither answered in the affirmative nor in the negative. See Battleground Veterinary Hosp. v. McGeough, No. 5 CVS 18918, 2007 WL 3071618 (N.C. Super. Ct. Oct. 19, 2007); Regions Bank v, Reg’l Prop. Dev, Corp., No. 7 CVS 12469, 2008 WL 1836657 (N.C. Super, Ct. Apr. 21, 2008); Tong v. Dunn, No. 11 CVS 1522, 2012 WL 944581 (N.C. Super. Ct. Mar. 19, 2012); Land v. Land, 222 N.C.App. 317, 2012 WL 3192605 (N.C. Ct. App. Aug. 7, 2012) (unpublished); Veer Right Mgmt. Grp. Inc. V. Czarnowski Display Serv., Inc., No. 14 CVS 1038, 2015 WL 504977 (N.C. Super. Ct. Feb. 4, 2015); Corwin v. British Am. Tobacco PLC, No. 14 CVS 8130, 2015 WL 4628780 (N.C. Super. Ct. Aug. 4, 2015); Bradshaw v. Maiden, No. 14 CVS 14445, 2015 WL 4720387 (N.C. Super. Ct. Aug. 10, 2015). This court found only one North Carolina court decision, Bottom v. Bailey, 238 N.C.App. 202, 767 S.E.2d 883 (N.C. Ct. App. Dec. 31, 2014), that appears to léan toward answering the question in the negative, but does not provide a definitive answer. In Bottom, the court first quotes a federal district court decision, Laws v. Priority Trustee Servs. of NC, LLC, 610 F.Supp.2d 528, 532 (W.D.N.C. 2009), as follows:
The court finds that no such cause of action exists in North Carolina. It is undisputed that the Supreme Court of North Carolina has never recognized such a cause of action. The' only North Carolina Court of Appeals decision recognizing such a claim, Blow v. Shaughnessy, 88 N.C.App. 484, 489, 364 S.E.2d 444, 447-48 (1988), involved allegations of securities fraud, and its underlying rationale was eliminated by the United States Supreme Court in Central Bank of. Denver v. First Interstate Bank of Denver, 511 U.S. 164, 114 S.Ct. 1439, 128 L,Ed.2d 119 (1994).
Laws, 610 F.Supp.2d 528, 532, The court then went on to consider, while stating that it did not “need” to, whether the complaint at issue stated a claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty with the “required specificity,” and assumed ar-guendo that the cause of action was still valid in another part of its analysis. Bottom, 238 N.C. App. at 212, 767 S.E.2d at 889. Additionally, the Bottom decision was
To be sure, the North Carolina eases cited above which conclude that the claim constitutes an open question view the decision in Blow v. Shaughnessy, 88 N.C.App. 484, 489, 364 S.E.2d 444 (1988), (which the Bottom court relied upon), as the reason for doubt as to the viability of the subject claim. In addition, the Defendants point to federal court decisions dismissing claims such as the one at issue on the basis that North Carolina courts have not recognized such a cause of action. See Laws, 610 F.Supp.2d 528 (discussed supra); see also Taylor v. Newbold Servs., LLC (In re Newbold Corp.), 2012 WL 5880441 at *5 (Bankr. W.D.N.C. Nov. 20, 2012) (citing Laws); Kastel v. Nuveen Invs., Inc., 2015 WL 5023994, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 113250 (M.D.N.C. Aug. 25, 2015) (citing Blow and Laws).
Essentially, in Blow, the North Carolina Court of Appeals recognized a claim for aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty, observing that such a cause of action had been endorsed in securities fraud actions based on violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Blow, 88 N.C.App. at 489, 364 S.E.2d 444. Six years later, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Central Bank that there is no private cause of action for aiding and abetting violations of the securities laws. Central Bank, 511 U.S. at 191, 114 S.Ct. 1439. The issue here is whether North Carolina would continue to recognize aider and abettor liability for breaches of fiduciary duty after Central Bank. This precise issue was considered in Equitable Life Assurance Soc’y of the United States v. Am. Bankers Ins. Co., No. 88-535-CIV-5-H, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10880 (E.D.N.C. May 12, 1995), and the court concluded, after discussing in detail these cases as well as the Restatement (Second) of Torts, that:
[b]ased solely on tort principles, rather than upon the case law establishing aider and abettor liability for securities law violations, the claim for assisting a breach of fiduciary duty would still survive in North Carolina today, even after Central Bank .... The Court in Central Bank based its decision primarily, and heavily, on the plain language of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. 114 S.Ct. at 1448. The Court also examined the express causes of action under the securities laws to find that liability for aiding and abetting does not exist. 114 S.Ct. at 1449. Because the concepts*267 of fiduciary duty and breaches thereof arise under common law principles, Central Bank’s reach should not extend outside the statute construed in that case.
Equitable Life, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10880 at *84, inc. fn 5. The court in Ivey v. McDaniel (In re EBW Laser, Inc.), 2008 WL 1805575, 2008 Bankr. LEXIS 176 (Bankr. M.D.N.C. Apr. 21, 2008) reached the same conclusion, noting that while the Central Bank decision raises an issue about the precedential value of the Blow decision, “it does not mean that the Court of Appeals of North Carolina or the Supreme Court of North Carolina necessarily would reach a different result regarding the existence of a cause of action for aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty in cases involving claims not derived from the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or Rule 10b-5.” Ivey v. McDaniel, 2008 WL 1805575 at *1, 2008 Bankr. LEXIS 176 at *4. This court agrees with the reasoning of the Equitable Life and Ivey courts. The reach of the Central Bank decision should be limited to situations involving violations of securities laws, and Central Bank does not overrule Blow in terms of claims for aiding and abetting breaches of fiduciary duty rooted in common law principles.
Based on the foregoing, this court predicts that the North Carolina Supreme Court would recognize a claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty. Further, the court notes that the Defendants have moved to dismiss this claim solely on the basis of whether it exists, and have not argued that the allegations are insufficient as a matter of law. The court therefore does not address this issue, and declines to dismiss Coastline Care Inc.’s claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty,
c. Delaware
As to the claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty brought by Eastern Shore Acquisition Corporation (“ESAC”), the Defendants concede that this claim is expressly recognized under Delaware law. See, e.g., Malpiede v. Townson, 780 A.2d 1075 (Del. 2001). The court will accordingly deny Defendants’ motion to dismiss E SAC’s claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, d. Virginia
The parties disagree as to whether the claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty raised by Eastern Shore Ambulance, Inc. (“ESA”) and Marmac Transportation Services, Inc. (“Marmac”) exists under Virginia law. The trustee contends that in Halifax Corp. v. Wachovia Bank, 268 Va. 641, 604 S.E.2d 403 (Va. 2004), the Supreme Court of Virginia recognized the claim. The Defendants describe the Halifax court as refusing to recognize the claim. In Halifax, the court stated that the trial court had assumed,
arguendo, that Virginia recognizes a cause of action for aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty. The trial court concluded, however, that Halifax had failed to allege sufficient facts to state such a claim. We will make the same assumption and reach the same conclusion.
Halifax, 268 Va. at 659-60, 604 S.E.2d at 411-12 (internal quotations omitted). This court therefore interprets Halifax as falling somewhere in the middle of claim recognition — the court neither expressly recognized nor rejected the claim. Nevertheless, the court did engage in a full analysis of the claim, discussing each element at length, before reaching its ultimate conclusion that the allegations were insufficient to state a claim. Although little case law exists regarding this type of claim in the state of Virginia, it does appear that such a claim has been recognized, at least on occasion,’ in the lower courts. See Best Med. Int’l, Inc. v. Wittmer, 73 Va. Cir. 504 (Va. Cir. Ct. 2007)
Of the federal courts that have considered this issue, the majority have recognized a claim for aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty under Virginia law. In an unpublished opinion, the Fourth Circuit held that
[u]nder Virginia law, one who aids and abets a third party’s breach of fiduciary duty may be held liable for providing such assistance. Patteson v, Horsley, 70 Va. 263, 270-71, 273, 276 1877. The Virginia Supreme Court expressly held in Patteson that constructive notice of a breach of fiduciary duty suffices to hold a third party liable for participation in the breach. Id. at 276; see also W.L. Chase & Co., Inc, v. Norfolk National Bank of Commerce & Trusts, 151 Va. 1040, 145 S.E. 725, 726, 730 (Va. 1928).
Tysons Toyota, Inc. v. Globe Life Ins. Co., No. 93-1359, 1994 WL 717598 at *4, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 36692 *9 (4th Cir. Dec. 29, 1994) (unpublished) (footnote omitted); see also Schnelling v. Crawford (In re James River Coal Co.), 360 B.R. 139, 174 (Bankr. E.D. Va. 2007) (“Aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty is-a viable claim under Virginia law.”) (citations omitted); AvalonBay Communities, Inc. v. Willden, No. 1:08-CV-777, 2009 WL 2431571 *11, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69118 *34 (E.D. Va. Aug. 7, 2009) (“Virginia law allows a third party to be liable for another party’s breach of fiduciary duty when that third party knowingly participated in the breach.”) (citing Halifax); St. Paul Fire and Marine Ins. Co. v. Hoskins, No. 5.-10CV087, 2012 WL 7485747 *5, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30770 *15 (W.D. Va. Mar. 7, 2012) (same, quoting AvalonBay).
As to the question of whether aiding and abetting liability should stem from an independent cause of action or a joint and several liability theory, the court finds that it is unnecessary to decide how liability might ensue in this case for purposes of the motion to dismiss. Rather, at this stage the court is tasked with determining
e. South Carolina
The Defendants concede that the claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty brought by Transmed, LLC is expressly recognized under South Carolina law. See, e.g., Future Group II v. Nationsbank, 324 S.C. 89-99, 478 S.E.2d 45, 50 (S.C. 1996) (stating the elements of a claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty and applying the same to the claim at hand); Gordon v. Busbee, 397 S.C. 119, 133, 723 S.E.2d 822, 830 (S.C. Ct. App. 2012) (same); and Simmons v. Danhauer & Assoc., LLC, 477 Fed.Appx. 53 (4th Cir. 2012) (same). Therefore, the motion to dismiss Transmed, LLC’s claims for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty is denied.
2. Aiding and Abetting Misappropriation of Corporate Opportunities, Conversion, and Fraudulent Transfer
Although the fourth claim for relief is entitled “Aiding and. Abetting Breaches of Fiduciary Duties, Misappropriation of Corporate Opportunities,- Conversion, .and Fraudulent Transfers,” ,the pleadings focus almost exclusively on aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty, as opposed to aiding and abetting misappropriation of corporate opportunities, conversion, or fraudulent transfers. In the complaint, the trustee separately alleges breaches of fiduciary duty in the first and second claims, and misappropriation of corporate opportunities, conversion, and fraudulent transfer in the third, sixth, and eighth claims, respectively. The court therefore views this claim as an “umbrella” claim of sorts, where aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty is the essence of the claim, with the breach of fiduciary duty allegedly occurring through the Defendants’ misappropriation of corporate opportunities, conversion of assets, and performance of fraudulent transfers. As such, the court adopts and applies its rulings regarding the claim of aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty to these “sub-claims.”'
C. Seventh Claim for Relief
Turning to the seventh claim for relief, the trustee requests that the court pierce the corporate veil of Defendant Ambulance Holdings, LLC, alleging that it is a mere instrumentality or alter ego of Defendants EEF and EEF Partners (collectively, the “EEF Defendants”). To that end, the trustee asserts that the internal affairs doctrine is the applicable choice of law rule, and that under that doctrine, Delaware law applies to this claim. The Defendants initially presented arguments under North Carolina law, but later asserted that the result is the same regardless of whether North Carolina or Delaware law applies, and in their final brief, conducted their analysis assuming that Delaware law applies.
As discussed with regard to. the fourth claim, above, this court must apply North Carolina’s choice of law rules to determine the law applicable to this claim, as North Carolina is the forum state. However, the choice of law rule applicable to piercing the corporate veil is an “unresolved” issue, according to the North Carolina Court of
In this claim, the trustee alleges that EEF owns an 82% interest in Ambulance Holdings, and that the remaining interest is owned by entities affiliated with or created by the EEF Defendants. First Amended Complaint, Doc. No. 8 at ¶¶45-46. The trustee further alleges that Ambulance Holdings is not an operating entity; rather, it is a holding company whose only asset is its ownership of AAA and ESAC. Id. at ¶¶ 47-48, 451. The trustee contends that the court should disregard Ambulance Holdings’ corporate existence “because it is a mere instrumentality or alter ego of EEF and EEF Partners, whose sole purpose is to provide a perceived corporate barrier between the FirstMed Entities and EEF and EEF Partners.” Id. at ¶ 444. Finally, the trustee contends that representatives of the EEF Defendants comprise the majority of the members of Ambulance Holdings’ board of directors, and that any actions, strategies, or decisions undertaken by Ambulance Holdings are controlled by and done for the benefit of the EEF Defendants. The Defendants contend that the trustee’s allegations relate to the Debtors, rather than Ambulance Holdings, and therefore the allegations are insufficient to state a claim for veil piercing as to Ambulance Holdings.
Based on Ambulance Holdings’ alleged function as a pure “holding” company, the court is mindful of two things: (1) piercing the corporate veil is a significant remedy, not to be granted lightly, and (2) the basic purpose of a court’s disregard of an entity’s corporate form is to hold shareholders liable for corporate wrongs. See, e.g., Harco Nat’l Ins. Co. v. Green Farms, Inc., No. 1131, 1989 WL 110537, at *6 (Del. Ch. Sept. 19, 1989) (“... persuading a Delaware court to disregard the corporate entity is a difficult task”); Crosse v. BCBSD, Inc., 836 A.2d 492, 497 (Del. 2003) (“A veil-piercing claim is usually invoked when the shell corporate entity is insolvent and the plaintiff wishes to reach the personal assets of the corporation’s stockholders or alter egos.”). Under Delaware law, stating a claim under an alter ego theory requires establishing that “the corporate structure cause[d] fraud or [a] similar injustice, such that the corporation is essentially a sham, existing “for no other purpose than as a vehicle for fraud.” Wallace v. Wood, 752 A.2d 1175, 1184 (Del. Ch. 1999); see also Crosse, 836 A.2d at 497.
The problem with this claim is that it does not contain allegations of “corporate wrongs” committed by or through Ambulance Holdings. The gist of the complaint is that the EEF Defendants and various individuals extracted the value from the Debtor entities and used that value to start new entities, leaving the Debtors and their liabilities behind. Of sixteen claims for relief, this claim is the only one naming Ambulance Holdings as a defendant. It is not alleged that Ambulance
D. Eighth Claim for Relief
The trustee’s eighth claim for relief alleges fraudulent transfers pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §§ 544, 548 and 550, as well as the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, against Priority, Shoals, EEF, EEF Partners, Paul, Chandra and Gibson. The Defendants maintain that this claim should be dismissed as to EEF, EEF Partners, Paul, Chandra and Gibson because none of these defendants are alleged to be entities that received a transfer of property that could be avoided and recovered under § 550.
The traditional entity for whom the benefit of a transfer is made is a guarantor or debtor, yet § 550(a)(1) is not exclusive, and there may be other entities that receive the benefit of a transfer and from which the trustee may recover. Terry v. Meredith (In re Meredith), 527 F.3d 372, 375-76 (4th Cir. 2008). In determining who the trustee may recover from, the court must “look through the form of the transaction and determine which entity actually benefitted from the transfer.” Id. at 376 (quoting In re Compton Corp., 831 F.2d 586, 595 (5th Cir. 1987)). On a motion to
While the court has found some case law suggesting reticence to impose.liability for fraudulent transfers upon the shareholders, directors and officers of a company, those cases involved determinations made after full trial or at least summary judgment. See Publ’g Co. Liquidating Trust v. Brown (In re Brown Publ’g Co.), Adv. Pro. No. 12-08193-reg, 2015 WL 1009177, at *8 (Bankr. E.D.N.Y. Mar. 4, 2015); Schechter v. 5841 Bldg. Corp. (In re Hansen), 341 B.R. 638 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2006). On the contrary, the court has found authority allowing such claims to proceed against these types of defendants on motions to dismiss, see Anderson v. Bajaj (In re Med. Mgmt. Grp., LLC), 534 B.R. 646, 653 (Bankr. D.S.C. 2015), as well as after full trial. See Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors v. Fountainhead Grp., Inc. (In re Bridgeview Aerosol, LLC), 538 B.R. 477 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2015). In Gibbons v. Stemeor USA, Inc, (In re B.S. Livingston & Co., Inc.), 186 B.R. 841 (D.N.J. 1995), the district court affirmed the bankruptcy court’s refusal to dismiss the trustee’s fraudulent conveyance claims against former principals of the debtor. In light of allegations that the former principals orchestrated a fraudulent conveyance of the core of the debtor’s business to another company in exchange for lucrative positions in the other company, it was plausible that they were entities for whose benefit such transaction was made. Gibbons, 186 B.R. at 865; see also Reily v. Kapila (In re Int’l Mgmt. Ass’n), 399 F.3d 1288, 1293 (11th Cir. 2005) (citing to Gibbons, and stating that, “there is no obvious violence to the language in stating that.the benefit of a lucrative position, like the benefit experienced by a guarantor, may be considered direct, ascertainable and quantifiable”).
The court finds that this claim for relief has been sufficiently pleaded and should stand under the Rule 12(b)(6) standard. Contained within the complaint are numerous allegations that the Defendants controlled virtually all aspects of the Debtors and caused the transfers of the Debtors’ assets in order to benefit the new ventures under their control or in whom they held controlling interests, namely, Priority and Shoals. By diverting the resources of the Debtors into the newly formed ventures that they owned and controlled, the court can plausibly infer that the Defendants benefitted by being alleviated from the typical strains associated with developing new business, such as developing business models and strategies, hiring and training employees and management, acquiring tangible assets and marketing efforts. In addition, the court can infer from the Defendants’ actions that they benefitted by escaping the debt encumbering the Debtors. It is alleged that the representatives of EEF and EEF Partners, which includes Chandra and Paul, comprise the majority of Priority and Shoals’ boards of directors, and thus obtained gainful positions within the Priority and Shoals, escaping the financially burdensome horizon facing the Debtors. It is also alleged that Gibson and his management team were hired by Priority and Shoals. These are certainly benefits sufficient to withstand dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6). The court must only find that a benefit to these Defendants has been plausibly alleged, and the court finds that this standard has been satisfied. The motion to dismiss the eighth claim for relief is denied.
E. Twelfth Claim for Relief
The twelfth cause of action is titled “Breach of Contract or Agreement to
The Defendants move to dismiss this claim, contending that it fails to adequately set forth the existence of a contract because the trustee did not allege any consideration for the purported. promise to make an investment. However, the trustee asserts that consideration need not be specifically alleged to survive a motion to dismiss. Neither the trustee nor the Defendants addressed the appropriate choice of law for this claim; instead, both sides applied North Carolina law in making their arguments. Because the parties applied North Carolina law and did not raise a choice of law issue, and given that the elements of a breach of contract claim are likely universal, the court will apply North Carolina law.
In order to state a claim for breach of contract, the movant must show “(1) [the] existence of a valid contract and (2) breach of the terms of that contract.” Poor v. Hill, 138 N.C.App. 19, 26, 530 S.E.2d 838, 843 (N.C. Ct. App. 2000). A contract, whether express or implied, requires “assent, mutuality, and definite terms.” Schlieper v. Johnson, 195 N.C.App. 257, 265, 672 S.E.2d 548, 553 (N.C. Ct. App. 2009). There are two primary issues with the existence, of the “contract” as alleged by the trustee: privity of contract and definite terms. First, the trustee, on behalf of the Debtor entities, is alleging the existence of a contract between individual employees of the Debtors and the EEF Defendants. It is clear that the trustee is alleging that the EEF Defendants agreed to help fund the expansion, but it is unclear what the Debtors agreed to do— with a great deal of stretching, this claim could be construed to allege that certain individual employees agreed to keep working for the company, rather than leaving based on perceived inadequate resources for the expansion. However, that would be an agreement between the EEF Defendants and individual employees acting on behalf of themselves, rather than between the EEF Defendants and the Debtor entities, Thus, the alleged “contract” fails because there is no privity of contract between the Debtor entities and the EEF Defendants.
Second, even if privity did exist, the allegations do not constitute sufficient terms to create a contract. As noted above, it is unclear what' was required of the employees with whom the agreement was purportedly made. The complaint does not specifically allege that as consideration for the EEF Defendants’ promise to invest in the expansion, the employees agreed not to leave their employment with the Debtor entities. Essentially, the complaint alleges that the EEF Defendants “agreed” to pay a certain amount of money toward the
F. Thirteenth Claim for Relief
The thirteenth cause of action, for fraudulent misrepresentation, is brought against the EEF Defendants, Kostuchen-ko, Chandra, Paul, Gibson, Blackburn, and Jewell. The trustee alleges that Gibson, who became the CEO of each of the Debtors in 2013, and certain other Defendants expressly represented to a number of Debtors’ employees that the EEF Defendants would make an expansion investment in the Debtor entities, and that this representation was made at the direction of several Defendants to further a strategy of using the Debtors’ entities to benefit themselves, Shoals, and Priority.
The Defendants move to dismiss this claim, contending that the trustee lacks standing to raise the claim on behalf of third parties, namely, the Debtors’ employees. The Defendants assert that even if the representations were made to induce the employees to remain employed with the Debtors, the employees are not parties to this proceeding, and not every communication with an individual employee is a de facto communication with the employer. Under North Carolina law,
G. Sixteenth Claim for Relief
The sixteenth cause of action is brought against the EEF Defendants, Paul, Chandra, Kostuchenko, Gibson, Blackburn, and Jewell. The trustee alleges that the Defendants’ actions as a whole constitute unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce, i.e., that the Defendants violated North Carolina’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act (“UDTPA”).
The UDTPA prohibits both “unfair methods of competition,” and “unfair or deceptive acts in or affecting commerce.” N.C. Gen. Stat. § 75-1.1. To state a prima facie claim under the UDTPA, the
where 1) the plaintiff-business is in the marketplace acting as a consumer or is otherwise engaged in commercial dealing with defendant, see [United Laboratories, Inc. v. ]Kuykendall, 322 N.C. 643, 370 S.E.2d 375 [ (1988) ]; Winston[ Realty Co., Inc. v. G.H.G., Inc.], 314 N.C. [90, ]at 97-98, 331 S.E.2d 677 [ (1985) ]) [2) ] the businesses are competitors, see ITCO Corp. v. Michelin Tire Corp., 722 F.2d 42, 48 (4th Cir. 1983), or 3) the conduct giving rise to the cause of action has a negative effect on the consuming public. See Food Lion, Inc. v. Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., 194 F.3d 505, 519-20 (4th Cir. 1999).
Exclaim Mktg., 134 F.Supp.3d at 1020. As to commercial dealings, although the trustee characterizes certain transfers of property, assets, and employees as commercial dealings between the Debtors and Shoals/Priority,
Thus, at present the trustee’s pleadings fall short of adequately alleging a cause of action under the UDTPA. However, the court believes that given an opportunity to file an amended pleading, the trustee may be able to withstand a motion to dismiss. Therefore, the court will allow the motion to dismiss the sixteenth cause of action, but without prejudice to the trustee filing an amended sixteenth cause of action within 20 days of the date of this order.
In conclusion, the Defendants’ motion to dismiss is ALLOWED as to the fifth, seventh, eleventh, twelfth,, thirteenth, fourteenth, and sixteenth claims in their entirety,, and as to the fourth claim of defendant AAA only, with-leave to amend the, twelfth and sixteenth claims within 20 days of the , date of this order. The motion to dismiss is DENIED as to the eighth claim, and as to the fourth claim of defendants Coastline Care, ESAC, ESA Mar-mac, and Transmed.
SO ORDERED.
. Although eleven defendants are named in the complaint, each claim is asserted against different defendants, and no claim is asserted against all eleven defendants. For purposes of simplicity, the term "Defendants” within the discussion of each claim will refer to the specific defendants named in that particular cause of action.
. The internal affairs doctrine has .also been applied by federal courts interpreting North Carolina’s choice of law rules when faced with breach of fiduciary duty claims. See Angell v. Accugenomics, Inc. (In re Gene Express, Inc.), Adv. Pro. No. 12-00284-8-JRL, 2013 WL 1687729 (Bankr. E.D.N.C. Apr. 18, 2013) (applying the internal affairs doctrine to a claim for breach of fiduciary duty in the context of a motion to dismiss an adversary
. The court found one additional federal court decision, Bell v. Kaplan, No. 3:14CV352, 2016 WL 815303, 2016 U.S. Dist LEXIS 24408 (W.D.N.C. Feb. 29, 2016), holding “[i]t appears that ... North Carolina has never recognized this cause of action,” with regard to a claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, based on Laws and Tong v. Dunn, No. 11 CVS 1522, 2012 WL 944581 (N.C. Super. Ct. Mar. 19, 2012).
. But see Calderon v. Aurora Loan Serv., Inc., No. 1:10CV129, 2010 WL 2306343, *6, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 55602, *19-21 (E.D. Va. June 3, 2010) (finding no support for cause of action for aiding and abetting in the context of fraud and dismissing claim); Microstrategy Servs. Corp. v. OpenRisk, LLC, No. L14CV1244, 2015 WL 1221263, *3, 2015 U.S. Dist, LEXIS 32719, *8 (E.D. Va. Mar. 17, 2015) (dismissing claim for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty based on Calderon).
. Pi’s Memo, of Law in Opp. to Defs' Joint Mot. to Dismiss, Doc. No. 17 at 20.
. In their post-hearing supplemental brief filed with the court, the Defendants raise for the first time the argument that the trustee failed to adequately plead certain elements under § 548. The court believes these arguments to have been waived by the Defendants’ failure to assert them in the motion to dismiss or at the hearing, but regardless, finds them to be without merit.
. The gravamen of the trustee’s complaint is that the Defendants usurped all of the Debtors’ value and assets to benefit themselves and their new entities, Shoals and Priority, while leaving behind all of the Debtors’ liabilities.
. Neither the trustee nor the Defendants addressed the appropriate choice of law for this claim; instead, both sides applied North Carolina law in making their arguments. Because the parties applied North Carolina law and did not raise a choice of law issue, the court will apply North Carolina law.
. Neither the trustee nor the Defendants addressed the appropriate choice-of law for this claim; instead, both sides applied North Carolina law in making their arguments. Because the parties applied North Carolina law and did not raise a choice of law issue, the court will apply North Carolina law.
. The court does not determine whether the allegations of transfers between the Debtors and Shoals/Priority sufficiently allege “commercial dealings” as it is unnecessary to do so at this time.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN RE: AMERICAN AMBULETTE & AMBULANCE SERVICE, INC., Coastline Care, Inc., Eastern Shore Acquisition Corp., Eastern Shore Ambulance, Inc., Marmac Transportation Services, Inc., and Transmed, LLC, Debtors Algernon L. Butler, as Trustee for Debtors v. Enhanced Equity Fund II, LP, EEF Partners II, LLC, Ambulance Holdings, LLC, Malcolm Kostuchenko, Andrew Paul, Samarth Chandra, Bryan Gibson, Steve Blackburn, Robert Jewell, Priority Ambulance, LLC, and Shoals Ambulance, LLC
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published