Prime Mover Capital Partners L.P. v. Elixir Gaming Technologies, Inc.
Prime Mover Capital Partners L.P. v. Elixir Gaming Technologies, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM OPINION
This is an action for damages in connection with plaintiffs’ purchases of shares of Elixir Gaming Technologies, Inc. (“EGT”). Plaintiffs sue under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”)
The Court previously dismissed certain defendants from the case
Facts
I. The Parties
A. Plaintiffs
Plaintiffs are hedge funds that allegedly “invested in the securities of EGT and suffered millions of dollars in damages” as a result of defendants’ alleged misstatements.
Plaintiff Prime Mover Capital Partners L.P. (“Prime Mover”) allegedly purchased EGT shares on June 13 and June 22, 2007.
Plaintiffs Strata Fund L.P., Strata Fund Q.P., L.P., and Strata Offshore Fund, Ltd. (collectively, “Strata”) purchased EGT shares at various times in 2007.
B. Defendants
EGT is a corporation organized under the laws of and having its principal place of business in Nevada.
II. The Securities Purchase and Product Participation Agreement
On or about June 13, 2007, EGT announced that EGT and EGL had entered into the Securities Purchase and Product Participation Agreement (the “SPPPA”).
The SPPPA included specific “milestones.” For example, once EGL secured “the Placement of 1,000 EGMs,” EGT would “(i) issue to EGL 25,000,000 shares of EGT’s stock; (ii) reduce the exercise price of each of 10,000,000 of the 2006 Warrants [which EGL had purchased from EGT in October 2006], by one dollar each; and (iii) amend the terms of the 2006 Warrants to make them freely transferable.”
EGT’s shareholders approved the SPPPA on September 10, 2007.
III. The Allegedly False and Misleading Statements
Plaintiffs allege that many statements in the June 13, 2007 Form 8-K and press release that disclosed the SPPPA — as well as many subsequent statements made by defendants — were false and misleading.
These alleged false and misleading statements are easily grouped into nine categories:
1. Defendants stated that they had entered into “binding written lease contracts, called ‘Participation Agreements,’ ” for the placement of thousands of EGMs at Asian gaming venues when the agreements in fact were non-binding “memoranda of understanding.”20
2. Defendants stated that they had “arranged to ‘Place’ (and, later, that they had ‘Placed’) thousands of EGM’s.” However, the number of EGMs “that ever went into operation was materially smaller than Defendants stated.”21
3. Defendants claimed that software called “CasinoLink” would be installed in each EGM placed in the Asian gaming venues, thereby allowing EGT to monitor those units and obtain data to improve its marketing and profitability.22
4. Defendants represented that they expected the EGMs placed in the Asian gaming venues to generate a profit, or “net win,” of $125 per day per machine.23
5. Defendants claimed that EGT would receive (and was receiving) at least a 20 percent participation share of the “net win” from the venues.24
6. Defendants claimed that EGT would supply (and later supplied) the “best possible type of machine” for each venue, “based on extensive due diligence with respect to each venue.”25
7. Defendants represented that EGT’s average cost for placing each machine would be $20,000.26
8. Defendants stated that EGT had earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (“EBITDA”) margins as high as 60 to 90 percent.27
9. Defendants claimed to have “access to significant sources of capital to fund and expand its Participation Business.”28
IV. Alleged Disclosures
The SAC alleges that various disclosures between February and May 2008 revealed
During a conference call on February 19, 2008, EGT disclosed additional information about the “net-win” rate. Defendant Pisano stated that “ ‘[f]or our modeling, we have assumed that at the end of one year, the machines on the floor will be achieving a $125 return.’ ”
Less than a week later, on February 25, 2008, defendant Reberger stated that “ ‘as of February 19, 2008, EGL had installed 1655 gaming devices across 15 venues’ ” but noted also that “ ‘of those 1655 installed units ... approximately 1107 are facilities that are open to the market and are earning revenue for both the operator and EGT.’ ”
During the same February 25, 2008 call, defendant Pisano attributed some of the lag time between EGM placement and operation to “inexperienced venue operators, stating ‘what we’ve found, and this is reflected in our $125 per day net win with the new business, these are also new operators, and they take time to learn the business.’ ”
On March 27, 2008, EGT conducted another conference call, during which defendant Reberger stated that the delays between placement and operation depend on several factors, including (1) the operators’ discretion, (2) delays due to construction or renovation at the gaming venue, and (3) obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals or business licenses.
On or about March 31, 2008, plaintiffs allege that EGT disclosed additional information in its 2007 Form 10-K.
Although plaintiffs now allege that the relevant period ended on May 13, 2008,
V. This Motion
This matter again is before the Court on motions to dismiss by EGT, EGL, and the Individual Defendants for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Defendants assert that the Exchange Act claims should be dismissed because many of the alleged misstatements were “forward-looking statements” that fell within the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (“PSLRA”) and that plaintiffs fail adequately to allege materiality, scienter, and loss causation. They argue that the Nevada Uniform Securities Act claims should be dismissed for substantially the same reasons. They assert also that the common law claims are deficient. Moreover, EGL argues that the SAC fails adequately to allege any breach of the WPA, and the Individual Defendants assert that the fiduciary duty claim fails as to them.
Discussion
I. The Standard
To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, a plaintiff must plead sufficient facts “to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.”
For federal securities fraud claims, the pleading standards of Rule 9(b)
II. Federal Securities Claims (Counts 1 &2)
Under Rule 10b-5 and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act, plaintiffs must allege that defendants “(1) made misstatements or omissions of material fact; (2) with scienter; (3) in connection with the purchase or sale of securities; (4) upon which plaintiffs relied; and (5) that plaintiffs’] reliance was the proximate cause of their injury.”
A. Plaintiffs Again Fail to Plead Loss Causation With Respect to Some Alleged Misstatements
In Dura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Broudo,
In this Circuit, loss causation may be established by pleading and proving either (1) a corrective disclosure or (2) a materialization of a concealed risk.
1. Materialization of the Risk
In its previous decision, the Court noted that the falsity of many of the alleged misstatements was not disclosed until after EGT’s stock reached its lowest point and that plaintiffs therefore had failed adequately to plead loss causation.
Plaintiffs now allege that the February 19, 2008 disclosure that the $125 net-win figure was to be achieved “at the end of one year,” as opposed to an “average over the first year of operation,” “marked the beginning of the materialization of the risks about EGT and the Participation Business.”
The problem with this argument is that none of these risks was concealed by the alleged inaccuracy of the $125 net-win figure. Indeed, as noted below, the statements about the $125 net-win rate were forward-looking statements that included cautionary language. Moreover, in its SEC filings and conference calls, defendants repeatedly warned of risks that projections — including the $125 net-win rate— would not be met.
2. Corrective Disclosures
As plaintiffs’ materialization of the risk theory fails, they rely also on the theory that corrective disclosures caused a decline in EGT’s stock price. As with the amended complaint, however, the SAC fails adequately to allege that corrective disclosures were made about many of the alleged misstatements before EGT’s stock price reached the lowest point alleged in the SAC.
First, the SAC alleges that it was not disclosed until November 8, 2008, well after EGT’s stock reached its lowest point on August 19, 2008, that “arrangements between EGT and the venues concerning the EGMs were contained only in ‘memoranda of understanding’ which were not binding and could not be enforced by either EGT or the venue owners.”
Second, the SAC fails to allege that the truth about three categories of alleged misstatements ever was revealed. Nowhere in the SAC is it alleged that defendants revealed the “truth” with respect to the allegedly false statements that: (1) EGT would receive a minimum of 20 percent participation share of the net win, (2) EGT, through Melco and EGL, had access to significant sources of capital, and (3) EGT would supply the best possible type of EGM based on due diligence.
Finally, plaintiffs’ allegations regarding the disclosures that (1) the cost of
B. Many of the Alleged Misstatements Fell Within the PSLRA’s Safe Harbor Provision
Many of the alleged misstatements cannot serve as the basis for plaintiffs’ Section 10(b) claim by virtue of the PSLRA’s safe harbor provision, which provides that forward-looking statements are deemed immaterial and non-actionable when they are accompanied by “meaningful cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.”
1. $125 Netr-Win Rate
The Court previously held that defendants’ statements regarding the $125 net-win rate were forward-looking and fell within the protection of the PSLRA safe harbor.
The SAC alleges that at least some defendants knew that the June 13, 2007 press release regarding the $125 net-win rate was false because defendant Pisano knew that EGL had been receiving net-win reports of less than $50 per day from one of the casinos, Premier VIP, which had opened a few months before the SPPPA was announced.
The fundamental problem with this assertion is that, the fact, if it be such, that two casinos reported lower than $125 net-win rates for some unspecified period around the time of the announcement of the SPPPA
The foregoing is sufficient to dispose of plaintiffs’ argument with respect to the net-win rate statement. But it bears noting also that plaintiffs’ premise that Pisano knew that EGL had been receiving weekly net-win reports from Premier VIP that showed much lower figures is not sufficiently supported by the SAC. There is a footnote attached to the allegation about the reports that makes clear that plaintiffs rest the claims as to Pisano’s receipt of such reports and, more importantly for presents purposes, as to what those reports said at the relevant point in time on (1) the allegation that Pisano at some unspecified time told someone at Strata that EGL regularly received weekly net-win reports from casinos, and (2) a calculation that plaintiffs made from data in EGT’s 2008 10-K and its November 2007 10-K based on the unsubstantiated assumption that “there was no change in any operating conditions which would indicate a major drop in net win from Premier VIP since the opening in March 2007.”
The Court holds that the net-win statement is within the PSLRA safe harbor.
2. EBITDA Projections
The SAC alleges that a few statements regarding the EBITDA projections were false:
*689 • In the June 13, 2007 press release, defendants stated that “[b]ased upon current projections, the growth in both number of machines placed and EBITDA to [the Company] from this new revenue stream is expected to be 50% or greater in 2009.90
• In a conference call the next day, when asked what he expected “EBITDA margins to be once things start get cooking, maybe a year out?,” defendant Newburg stated that “I can give you the EBITDA margin ... EBITDA margins will be something greater than 60% and the profit before tax margins will be something greater than 50%.”91
• On a November 14, 2007 conference call, defendant Reberger stated in response to a question about “assumption[s]” in the Company’s model, that “[t]he Company has given guidance as to future machine placements. Our EBITDA margins are over 90% and the share of revenue is 25%. So, I think people can work out what the earnings are to come out with their own earnings forecast.”92
Defendants argue also that these were protected forward-looking statements.
C. The Allegations of Misstatements Concerning EGM Placements Fail Adequately to Plead Falsity.
Plaintiffs allege that defendants repeatedly misstated the number of EGMs that had been “placed” in various Asian venues.
Such allegations of “fraud by hindsight” are insufficient to plead fraud.
Further, several of plaintiffs’ allegations concerning the number of placed EGMs are based on a misconstruction of the documents on which the SAC relies. For example, plaintiffs claim that defendant Reberger’s statements on a February 25, 2008 conference call were inconsistent with his October 31, 2007 letter to the SEC, in which he allegedly stated that “as of [October 31] EGT had 2,000 operating machines.”
The SAC fails to state a claim under Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act. Count 1 is therefore dismissed.
D. Control Person Liability
Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act provides that “[e]very person who, directly or indirectly, controls any person liable under any provision of this chapter ... shall also be liable jointly and severally with and to the same extent as such controlled person to any person to whom such controlled person is liable, unless the controlling person acted in good faith and did not directly or indirectly induce the act or acts constituting the violation or cause of action.”
III. Nevada Uniform Securities Act Claims (Counts 3 & I)
The Court previously dismissed plaintiffs’ claims under Section 90.580 of the Nevada Revised Statutes because they had failed to allege that “defendants offered to sell, or that plaintiffs received and accepted an offer to buy, EGT stock in Nevada” and because EGT’s shares were traded on a national stock exchange.
Plaintiffs now allege that defendants violated a different provision of the Nevada Revised Statutes — Section 90.570 — which prohibits, inter alia, the use of a “deceptive or fraudulent device, scheme or artifice to manipulate the market in a security.”
Plaintiffs’ failure to adequately allege a Rule 10b-5 claim is dispositive of the claim under Section 90.570, and that claim is dismissed. Plaintiffs’ control person claims under Section 90.660(4) — which are predicated on an underlying violation of the Nevada securities laws — likewise are dismissed.
IV. Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claim (Count 5)
Like the amended complaint, the SAC alleges that the Individual Defendants breached their fiduciary duties by (1) making or approving the alleged false statements specified elsewhere in the SAC, and (2) “recommending to the minority shareholders, and by causing EGT to enter into, transactions that [the Individual Defendants] knew or should have known, by virtue of their status as directors or officers of EGT, Elixir or Melco, benefitted [EGL, Yuen] and others to the unfair detriment of the Plaintiffs and other minority shareholders of EGT.”
As the Court noted in its opinion on the motions to dismiss the amended complaint, the alleged breach of duty consisting of the “making or approving the materially false and misleading statements specified” in the SAC is a direct claim, as it alleges an individual harm, if it alleges any harm at all.
The Individual Defendants argue that plaintiffs’ derivative claim fails “due to an impermissible conflict of interest — they cannot bring direct and derivative claims in the same action.”
Plaintiffs apparently misunderstand this principle. They argue that, “because they are no longer pursuing a direct claim for breach of fiduciary duty ... the Individual Defendants’ motion to dismiss must be denied.”
V. Breach of the Warrant Purchase Agreement Claim (Count 9)
Like the amended complaint, the SAC, which is far from a model of clarity on this point, appears to allege that EGL breached one of the warranties in the WPA:
As the Court noted previously, “Strata’s claim [with respect to the former warranty] essentially restates its securities fraud claims against EGL, except that ... the warranty speaks only to specific intent or ‘design’ — not recklessness — in manipulating EGT’s stock and warrant prices.”
The SAC has somewhat repackaged the product that rests on the first of the alleged warranties, but the repackaging has not improved the product. Now the pleading alleges that the warranty was breached “when the representations and warranties made by EGT and Elixir were untrue and inaccurate in numerous material respects.”
Plaintiffs’ memorandum of law for the first time seeks to introduce a new breach of warranty claim—namely, that EGT breached its warranty that the “transfer and sale of the Warrants ... do not and will not ... conflict with or result in a violation of any law ... to which [EGL] is subject” on the theory that the sale of the warrants violated Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act.
As an initial matter, plaintiffs may not amend the pleadings yet again by articulating in their papers in opposition to a motion to dismiss their third complaint in this action a brand-new theory. They have had adequate opportunities to plead this claim and will not be heard to raise it now. In any case, an amendment to assert this new claim would be futile, as the claim is insufficient as a matter of law.
Section 16 provides, in relevant part:
“For the purpose of preventing the unfair use of information which may have been obtained by such beneficial owner, director, or officer by reason of his relationship to the issuer, any profit realized by him from any purchase and sale, or any sale and purchase, of any equity security of such issuer ... within any period of less than six months ... shall inure to and be recoverable by the issuer.”123
It “requires that any profits derived from short-swing trading be disgorged to the issuer of stock.”
Section 16(b) makes clear that it “shall not be construed to cover any transaction where such beneficial owner was not such both at the time of the purchase and [the] sale, or the sale and purchase.”
Strata has thus failed to allege EGL violated any warranty in the WPA, and Count 9 is dismissed.
VI. Other Common Law Claims
A. Choice of Law
Plaintiffs assert that Nevada law applies to plaintiffs’ common law tort claims while defendants argue that New York law controls. This is resolved by the choice of law rules of their New York forum.
Under New York choice of law rules, when substantive differences exist between the law of two relevant jurisdictions, courts look to which jurisdiction has the greatest interest in regulating the tortious conduct at issue.
In the Court’s decision on the previous motions to dismiss, it held that “plaintiffs had not alleged sufficient facts for the Court to determine which jurisdiction had
As they did in opposition to the motions to dismiss the AC, plaintiffs argue that Nevada law should apply because: (1) EGT is incorporated and headquartered in Nevada, (2) EGT issued at least some allegedly fraudulent press releases in Nevada,
The SAC, contrary to this conclusory statement, alleges that “many of the acts charged herein, including the preparation and dissemination of materially false and misleading information, occurred in substantial part in [New York] and that “a substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to the claims ... occurred in [New York].
B. Common Law Fraud (Count 6)
“A New York common law fraud claim is defined as a representation of fact, which is untrue and either known by defendant to be untrue or recklessly made, which is offered to deceive and to induce the other party to act upon it, and which causes
C. Negligent Misrepresentation Claim (Count 7)
A negligent misrepresentation claim is sufficient only when the negligent statement is “expressed directly, with knowledge or notice that it will be acted upon, to one to whom the author is bound by some relation of duty, arising out of contract or otherwise, to act with care if he acts at all.”
Defendants argue that plaintiffs continue to fail to allege the existence of such a special relationship.
D. Unjust Enrichment Claim (Count 10)
A plaintiff seeking damages on an unjust enrichment claim must allege that “(1) defendant was enriched; (2) the enrichment was at plaintiffs expense; and (3) the circumstances were such that equity and good conscience require defendants to make restitution.”
In response to the first argument, plaintiffs argue that Prime Mover “never entered into any agreements with EGT,” and that “although plaintiff Strata did purchase warrants and stock pursuant to the SPA and the WPA, they also invested in EGT separately (via the open market), without any contract governing those purchases.”
Defendants are correct that Strata’s unjust enrichment claims fail to the extent they are based on purchases of stock pursuant to the SPA and WPA. “It is impermissible ... to seek damages in an action sounding in quasi contract where the suing party has fully performed on a valid written agreement.”
Moreover, plaintiffs’ unjust enrichment claims fail as a whole because plaintiffs have alleged no direct benefit to defendants. As in the amended complaint, the SAC alleges only that plaintiffs “conferred a benefit upon the ... Defendants by purchasing [EGT’s] securities at artificially inflated prices.”
Conclusion
For the foregoing reasons, defendants’ motions to dismiss [DI 80, DI 82, DI 85] the SAC are granted.
SO ORDERED.
. 15 U.S.C. §§ 78j(b), 78t(a).
. 17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5.
. The motion of defendants Melco International Development Limited ("Melco”) and Lawrence Ho to dismiss the action for lack of personal jurisdiction [DI 35] already has been granted. Prime Mover Capital Partners L.P. v. Elixir Gaming Techs., Inc., 761 F.Supp.2d 103 (S.D.N.Y. 2011).
. DI 80, DI 82, DI 85.
. Id. ¶ 1; see also id. ¶ 4.
. Id. ¶¶ 66, 82.
. Id. ¶¶ 81, 83, 85, 90, 93, 100, 123, 124, 142, 153.
. Id. ¶¶ 127-29; 147-50.
. Id. ¶ 10.
. Id.
. Id. ¶ 11.
. Id. ¶¶ 12-24.
. Id. ¶ 46.
. Id. ¶ 47.
. Id. ¶48.
. Id. ¶ 49.
Several important terms in the SPPPA are defined in the SAC.
"Participation Agreement" was defined as "a written lease agreement between [EGT] and a Qualified Lessee, pursuant to which EGT leases an EGM to the Qualified Lessee, for a minimum period of three years, and the Qualified Lessee agrees to (a) locate in the Qualified Lessee's public gaming area and make available to the gaming public the EGM, and (b) pay to [EGT] at least 20% of the Net Win for the operation of the EGM.” Id. ¶ 52.
"Cumulative Total” was defined as "(a) when used in the context of Participation Agreements for the Placement of EGMs, the total number of EGMs subject to Placement under Participation Agreements that are in full force and effect, and where the Qualified Lessee is not then in material breach thereof, and (b) when used in the context of the Placement of EGMs, the total number of EGMs subject to Placement net of any EGMs previously subject to Placement that have been removed from operation by the Qualified Lessee.” Id. ¶ 53.
. Id. ¶ 106.
. In total, plaintiffs allege that the SAC identifies "at least 110 misrepresentations and omissions made by EGT and the other defen
. Plaintiffs now allege that the defendants made material misrepresentations between June 13, 2007 and May 13, 2008. E.g., SAC ¶201. For present purposes, however, only those misrepresentations that predated plaintiffs' stock purchases are relevant.
. SAC 113(a); DI 90, at 4-5 (citing SAC ¶¶ 68(f), 78, 94, 97, 98, 101, 103(e), 104, 121,-125, 126, 121, 183(a), 144, 152, 154(c)).
. SAC ¶ 3(b); DI 90, at 5 (citing SAC ¶¶ 94, 103(c), 104, 108, 116, 132, 135, 136, 145, 154(d), 158, 159).
. SAC ¶ 3(c); DI 90, at 5 (citing SAC ¶¶ 138(e), 144, 150(b), 154(a), 154(b)).
. SAC ¶ 3(d); DI 90, at 5 (citing SAC ¶¶ 62, 63, 68(a), 68(b), 68(d), 69, 73, 76, 77, 87, 99, 102, 138(b), 159).
. SAC ¶ 3(e); DI 90, at 5 (citing SAC ¶¶ 133, 138(f), 158).
. SAC ¶ 3(f); DI 90, at 5-6 (citing SAC ¶¶ 77, 98, 99, 103(d), 128, 138(c), 138(e), 141, 143, 150(c)).
. SAC ¶ 3(g); DI 90, at 6 (citing SAC ¶¶ 99, 143).
. SAC 1Í 3(h); DI 90, at 6 (citing SAC ¶¶ 64, 68(e), 138(g)).
. SAC 11 3(i); DI 90, at 6 (citing SAC ¶¶ 75, 79, 91, 92, 101, 103(a), 103(b)).
. SAC ¶ 164.
. Id. ¶ 163.
. Id. ¶ 164.
. Id. ¶ 166.
. Id. ¶168.
. Id. ¶ 170.
. Id.; see also id. ¶ 51 (defining "placement” in the SPPPA as " 'a Qualified Lessee’s full-time operation of an EGM in its public gaming area pursuant to a Participation Agreement (subject to any temporary closure of such public gaming area for a period of up to three months as may be required in order to comply with applicable Legal Requirements or due to any public safety reasons or such other causes which are beyond the reasonable control of the relevant Qualified Lessee).' ”).
. Id. ¶ 168. The SAC alleges also that the disclosure about the number of machines in operation renders EGT’s EBITDA projections a "a mathematical impossibility.” Id. ¶ 171.
. Id. ¶ 172.
. Id.
. Id. ¶ 174.
. Id. ¶ 176.
. Id. ¶ 177.
. Id. ¶ 178.
. Id. ¶¶ 179-81.
. Id. ¶ 179.
. Id. ¶ 180.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id.
. The SAC alleges also that during a May 13, 2008 conference call, defendant Reberger "finally admitted that 'there is no magic’ behind the average $125 daily net win figure that Defendants had been resolutely reaffirming since June 2007.” Id. ¶ 185. The precise meaning of this statement, as the Court noted in its previous opinion deciding the motions to dismiss the amended complaint, is not clear. Prime Mover Capital Partners, L.P. v. Elixir Gaming Techs., Inc., 793 F.Supp.2d 651, 661 n. 44 (S.D.N.Y. 2011). Moreover, the SAC alleges that on May 22, 2008, Defendant
Plaintiffs assert, however, that these additional allegations made after March 31, 2008 show falsity and scienter but not loss causation. DI 90, at 2.
. SAC ¶ 192.
. Id. ¶ 194.
.Id. ¶ 197.
. Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007).
. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 663, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955).
. Allaire Corp. v. Okumus, 433 F.3d 248, 249-50 (2d Cir. 2006) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).
. Fed. R. Civ. P. 9(b); ATSI Commc’ns, Inc. v. Shaar Fund, Ltd., 493 F.3d 87, 99 (2d Cir. 2007) ("[P]rivate securities fraud actions must also meet the PSLRA’s pleading requirements or face dismissal.”).
. See, e.g., Rombach v. Chang, 355 F.3d 164, 170 (2d Cir. 2004) (quoting Mills v. Polar Molecular Corp., 12 F.3d 1170, 1175 (2d Cir. 1993)); Novak v. Kasaks, 216 F.3d 300, 306 (2d Cir. 2000); see also 15 U.S.C. § 78u-4(b)(1) (complaint must "specify each statement alleged to have been misleading, the reason or reasons why the statement is misleading, and, if an allegation regarding the statement or omission is made on information and belief, the complaint shall state with particularity all facts on which that belief is formed.”).
. 15 U.S.C. § 78u-4(b)(2).
. ATSI Commc'ns, Inc., 493 F.3d at 99 (citing Ganino v. Citizens Utils. Co., 228 F.3d 154, 168-69 (2d Cir. 2000)).
. Tellabs, Inc. v. Makor Issues & Rights, Ltd., 551 U.S. 308, 323, 127 S.Ct. 2499, 168 L.Ed.2d 179 (2007).
. Id.
. Lentell v. Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., 396 F.3d 161, 172 (2d Cir. 2005); see also 17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5.
. 544 U.S. 336, 125 S.Ct. 1627, 161 L.Ed.2d 577 (2005).
. Id. at 342, 125 S.Ct. 1627.
. Lentell, 396 F.3d at 173.
. In re Omnicom Grp., Inc. Sec. Litig., 597 F.3d 501, 511 (2d Cir. 2010).
. See, e.g., Lentell, 396 F.3d at 173.
. In re Flag Telecomm. Holdings, Ltd. Sec. Litig., 574 F.3d 29, 40 (2d Cir. 2009) (quoting Lentell, 396 F.3d at 173) (emphasis in original).
. Prime Mover Capital Partners, L.P., 793 F.Supp.2d at 665-66.
. DI 90, at 21. Plaintiffs did not allege any facts regarding the materialization of the risk in their amended complaint, but they asserted this argument in their memoranda. Prime Mover Capital Partners, L.P., 793 F.Supp.2d at 663 n. 67.
. SAC ¶¶ 163-64.
. Id. ¶ 164(a)-(e).
. See, e.g., Bajwa Decl. [DI 84], Ex. 6, at 2 (“Those forward-looking statements include statements regarding expectations for the transaction between VendingData and Elixir ... [and] the Company's expectations for future product revenue. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and
. SAC ¶ 197.
. Id. ¶195.
. See Prime Mover Capital Partners, 793 F.Supp.2d at 665 (S.D.N.Y. 2011); see also Hunt v. Enzo Biochem, Inc., 530 F.Supp.2d 580, 597 (S.D.N.Y. 2008) ("logic dictates that the disclosure must, at the very least, be public enough to reach the market in order for the market to react negatively to the revelation of the truth underlying the alleged misrepresentations”); Masters v. GlaxoSmithKline 271 Fed.Appx. 46, 51 (2d Cir. 2008) ("stock drop [which] occurred after the close of the class period ... cannot be relied upon for loss causation”).
. The SAC alleges that various corrective disclosures about the $125 net-win figure show that the defendants lacked diligence and expertise. Disclosures that various projections were lower than expected, however, are too vague to constitute corrective disclosures about defendants’ expertise or diligence. Indeed, it wasn't until November 8, 2008 in a private conference call that defendants stated "that the prior administration of EGT had badly mismanaged the roll-out of the Participation Business and, in particular, that the persons charged with the promotion of the business were unqualified and had little or no experience in, or familiarity with, the markets they were supposed to be penetrating and had done no due diligence with respect to particular venues or markets.” SAC ¶ 196.
. See Lentell v. Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., 396 F.3d 161, 175 (2d Cir. 2005) (corrective disclosure must “cause the decline in stock value that plaintiffs claim as their loss”).
. Id. ¶ 177.
. Id. (emphasis added).
. SAC ¶ 165; see also SAC ¶ 180.
. 15 U.S.C. § 78u-5(c)(l)(A).
The PSLRA safe-harbor provision provides:
"[When a] private action ... is based on an untrue statement of a material fact or omission of a material fact necessary to make the statement not misleading,” a defendant "shall not be liable with respect to any forward-looking statement ...” .if and to the extent that—
(A) the forward-looking statement is—
(i) identified as a forward-looking statement, and is accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statement; or (ii) immaterial; or
(B) the plaintiff fails to prove that the forward-looking statement- — ...
(ii) if made by a business entity; was—
(I) made by or with the approval of an executive officer of that entity; and
(II) made or approved by such officer with actual knowledge by that officer that the statement was false or misleading.” Id. § 78u-5(c).
. Slayton v. Am. Express Co., 604 F.3d 758, 766 (2d Cir. 2010).
. Prime Mover Capital Partners, L.P., 793 F.Supp.2d at 667-68.
. Id. at 668.
. SAC ¶ 62.
. DI 80, at 9.
. SAC ¶¶ 104, 164.
. SAC ¶ 62 & £n. 1; id. App. 2.
. SAC ¶ 61.
. Id. ¶ 68(e); see also Bajwa Decl. [DI 84], Ex. 2, at 2.
. SAC ¶ 138(g); see Bajwa Decl. [DI 84], Ex. 7, at 5.
. DI 80, at 11-12.
. SAC ¶ 70.
. See 15 U.S.C. § 78u-5(i)(l); see also Slayton, 604 F.3d at 766-67.
. SAC ¶ 51. The SPPPA defined a "placement” as:
"a Qualified Lessee’s full-time operation of an EGM in its public gaming area pursuant to a Participation Agreement (subject to any temporary closure of such public gaming area for a period of up to three months as may be required in order to comply with applicable Legal Requirements or due to any public safety reasons or other such causes which are beyond the reasonable control of the relevant Qualified Lessee.”
.SAC ¶ 108.
.See Denny v. Barber, 576 F.2d 465, 470 (2d Cir. 1978); San Leandro Emergency Med. Grp. Profit Sharing Plan v. Philip Morris Cos., Inc., 75 F.3d 801, 812 (2d Cir. 1996) ("Plaintiffs allege no circumstances to support their allegation that the allegedly false statements, made at least three weeks before the [sales] figure was announced, were false at the time made.”); Stevelman v. Alias Research Inc., 174 F.3d 79, 85 (2d Cir. 1999) ("Management's optimism that is shown only after the fact to have been unwarranted does not, by itself, give rise to an inference of fraud.”).
. SAC ¶ 168.
. Id.
. See BajwaDec. [DI 84], Ex. 16.
. 15 U.S.C. § 78t(a).
. See, e.g., SEC v. First Jersey Sec., Inc., 101 F.3d 1450, 1472 (2d Cir. 1996).
. Prime Mover Capital Partners, L.P., 793 F.Supp.2d at 669.
. Nev.Rev.Stat. § 90.580.
. See Shivers v. Amerco, 670 F.2d 826, 831 (9th Cir. 1982).
. SAC ¶ 260.
. Prime Mover Capital Partners, L.P., 793 F.Supp.2d at 669.
. DI 91, at 32.
. DI 83, at 17.
. Fed. R. Civ. P. 23.1.
. In re Bank of Am. Corp. Sec., Derivative, & Employee Ret. Income Sec. Act (ERISA) Litig., 09 MD 2058 PKC, 2010 WL 5248815, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 14, 2010) ("In bringing the '34 Act Complaint on his own behalf, the plaintiff seeks to prove unlawful conduct by Bank of America-the very entity in whose shoes he stands as a derivative plaintiff”).
. Ryan v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., 765 F.Supp. 133, 136-137 (S.D.N.Y. 1991) (finding plaintiff "subject to a conflict of interest in pursuing both direct and derivative claims in this action, which renders him unable 'fairly and adequately [to] represent the interests of the shareholders’ ”) (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 23.1); St. Clair Shores Gen. Empls. Ret. Sys. v. Eibeler, 2006 WL 2849783, at *7, 2006 U.S. Dist. Lexis 72316, at *23 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 4, 2006) ("[c]ourts in this Circuit have long found that plaintiffs attempting to advance derivative and direct claims in the same action face an impermissible conflict of interest”).
. DI 92, at 31.
. Indeed, at least one court in this district has held that a shareholder who attempts to bring direct claims against a corporation as well as derivative claims on behalf of that corporation in separate actions is barred from doing so under Rule 23.1. See In re Bank of Am., 2010 WL 5248815, at *3 ("The plaintiff has engaged in the litigation equivalent of riding two horses until the rider determines which is stronger and faster ... [and] a willingness to cast aside a derivative claim, if it is the slower and weaker horse, does not speak well of a person's adequacy as a representative of others.”).
. The WPA specifies that New York law governs all claims brought pursuant to it.
. Prime Mover Capital Partners, L.P., 793 F.Supp.2d at 677; SAC ¶ 149(a)-(b).
. DI 93, at 21-22; ¶¶ 286-92.
. Id. at 677.
. Prime Mover Capital Partners, L.P., 793 F.Supp.2d at 678.
. SAC ¶ 289.
. DI 93, at 23.
.15 U.S.C. § 78p.
. Morales v. Quintel Entm't, Inc., 249 F.3d 115, 121 (2d Cir. 2001).
. Id.
. DI 93, at 24.
. DI 97, at 10.
. 15 U.S.C. § 78p (emphasis added).
. Foremost-McKesson, Inc. v. Provident Sec. Co., 423 U.S. 232, 250, 96 S.Ct. 508, 46 L.Ed.2d 464 (1976) (emphasis added).
. DI 93, at 24.
. Id. at 239, 96 S.Ct. 508.
. E.g., GlobalNetFinancial.Com, Inc. v. Frank Crystal & Co., Inc., 449 F.3d 377, 384 (2d Cir. 2006) ("The New York Court of Appeals has defined “interest analysis” as requiring that '[t]he law of the jurisdiction having the greatest interest in the litigation will be applied and ... the [only] facts or contacts which obtain significance in defining State interests are those which relate to the purpose of the particular law in conflict.’ ”).
. Int’l Bus. Mach. Corp. v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 363 F.3d 137, 143 (2d Cir. 2004).
. Prime Mover Capital Partners, L.P., 793 F.Supp.2d at 673.
. While EGT is incorporated and located in Nevada, EGL is incorporated and located in Hong Kong, and the SAC alleges that its allegedly false statements were made in New York, the Philippines, and California. SAC ¶¶ 75, 99, 102.
. DI 90, at 26; see Prime Mover Capital Partners, L.P., 793 F.Supp.2d at 673 n. 114.
. SAC ¶ 278. In its memoranda in opposition to the motions to dismiss, plaintiffs assert also that (1) the EGT Directors' Option Plan was established and run by EGT's board in Nevada, (2) that certain options received under this plan were contingent upon the closing of the SPPPA, and (3) that at least two EGT officers and directors allegedly backdated some of the options they received in Nevada. DI 90, at 26; DI 93, at 25. These additional allegations do little, if anything, to aid plaintiffs’ arguments.
. SAC ¶¶ 31, 32.
. Id. ¶¶ 5-8.
. See Prime Mover Capital Partners, L.P., 793 F.Supp.2d at 673 (citing Conceria Vignola SRL v. AXA Holdings, LLC, 2010 WL 3377476, *3 (S.D.N.Y. Aug.3, 2010) (applying forum law where "[pllaintiff's allegations ... do not clearly establish the "center of gravity” of the parties' contract”), and Bravado Intern. Grp. Merchandising Servs., Inc. v. Ninna, Inc., 655 F.Supp.2d 177, 193 n. 14 (E.D.N.Y. 2009) (“Since the Complaint does not specify the location of the assets alleged to have been fraudulently conveyed by Schwartz, there is no way for the Court to make a choice of law determination with any certainty. Because plaintiffs have chosen to bring their action in New York, the Court has assumed that the law of New York applies.”)).
. Suez Equity Investors, L.P. v. Toronto-Dominion Bank, 250 F.3d 87, 104-05 (2d Cir. 2001) (citing Jo Ann Homes at Bellmore, Inc. v. Dworetz, 25 N.Y.2d 112, 119, 302 N.Y.S.2d 799, 250 N.E.2d 214 (1969)).
. See Pension Comm. of Univ. of Montreal Pension Plan v. Banc of Am. Sec., LLC, 446 F.Supp.2d 163, 195 (S.D.N.Y. 2006).
. Unlike Section 10(b), common law fraud reaches also alleged injuries based on plaintiffs' decisions to hold their investments in reliance upon the alleged fraud. See Weinberger v. Kendrick, 698 F.2d 61, 78 (2d Cir. 1982). The SAC adds allegations, that in addition to purchasing or selling shares of EGT's common stock on specific dates, they "continued to hold the remainder of [their] position in reasonable reliance on the truth of the foregoing false and misleading statements and omissions by defendants.” ¶ 80; see also UK 120, 160, 161. The dismissal of the Sec- ■ tion 10(b) claims is based on plaintiffs' failure to allege loss causation, falsity, and knowledge on behalf of defendants’ who made forward-looking statements. It has nothing to do with plaintiffs’ purchases or sales of EGT stock. Plaintiffs' common law holder claims are dismissed for the same reasons as the Section 10(b) claims.
. White v. Guarente, 43 N.Y.2d 356, 363-64, 401 N.Y.S.2d 474, 372 N.E.2d 315 (1977) (citation omitted); see also Henneberry v. Sumitomo Corp. of Am., 532 F.Supp.2d 523, 539 (S.D.N.Y. 2007).
. Stewart v. Jackson & Nash, 976 F.2d 86, 90 (2d Cir. 1992) (citation omitted).
. Dallas Aerospace, Inc. v. CIS Air Corp., 352 F.3d 775, 788 (2d Cir. 2003).
. E.g., DI 80, at 23-24; DI 85, at 30
. DI 90, at 28-29; DI 93, at 27-28.
. SAC ¶ 273.
. CBS Broadcasting Inc. v. Jones, 460 F.Supp.2d 500, 506 (S.D.N.Y. 2006) (quoting Kidz Cloz, Inc. v. Officially for Kids, Inc., 320 F.Supp.2d 164, 177 (S.D.N.Y. 2004)).
. DI 81, at 25; DI 83, at 17; DI 85, at 34.
. DI 90, at 29.
. DI 90, at 29; DI 92, at 31; DI 93, at 28-29.
. Clark-Fitzpatrick, Inc. v. Long Island R. Co., 70 N.Y.2d 382, 389, 521 N.Y.S.2d 653, 516 N.E.2d 190 (1987).
. SAC ¶ 294.
.DI 90, at 29.
. See Kaye v. Grossman, 202 F.3d 611, 616 (2d Cir. 2000) (unjust enrichment claim requires an allegation of a "specific and direct benefit” received by the defendant); Simon v. Keyspan Corp., 785 F.Supp.2d 120, 140 n. 143 (S.D.N.Y. 2011) ("Plaintiffs unjust enrichment claim ... must be dismissed on the ground that plaintiff has failed to allege that defendants received a 'specific and direct benefit’ from plaintiff.”).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- PRIME MOVER CAPITAL PARTNERS L.P. v. ELIXIR GAMING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
- Cited By
- 8 cases
- Status
- Published