Brown Media Corp. v. K & L Gates, LLP
Brown Media Corp. v. K & L Gates, LLP
Opinion of the Court
On or about November 27, 2013, Brown Media Corporation ("Brown Media") and Roy E. Brown ("Roy") (together, the "Plaintiffs") commenced this action against K & L Gates, LLP ("KLG"), Edward M. Fox ("Fox", together with KLG the "Defendants") as well as a recently dismissed individual defendant, Eric T. Moser.
The claims in this action arise from a related bankruptcy proceeding. Therefore, the case was automatically referred to the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York (the "Bankruptcy Court").
On December 1, 2014, the Defendants filed a motion, pursuant to
On January 28, 2015, this Court withdrew the reference from the Bankruptcy Court.
On November 21, 2015, the Court granted the Defendants' motion to dismiss the complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) on the grounds that res judicata bars the Plaintiffs' claims for breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference and common law fraud ("2015 MTD Decision").
*516On April 14, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated the Court's judgment issued pursuant to the 2015 MTD Decision, ruling "[b]ecause the plaintiffs' claims are not of the sort that should have been raised in the underlying bankruptcy proceedings nor do they implicate the validity of the asset sale confirmed in the bankruptcy proceedings, res judicata does not bar them." Docket Entry ("DE") 18 at 2.
On February 8, 2018, Eric T. Moser was voluntarily dismissed from this case.
Presently before the Court is the motion by the Defendants, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) to dismiss the Plaintiffs' entire complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. As stated above, the previous decision that dismissed the complaint was vacated and remanded by the Second Circuit for further proceedings consistent with its opinion. For the following reasons, the Defendants' motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) is granted in part and denied in part.
I. BACKGROUND
Unless otherwise noted, the following salient facts are drawn from the complaint and are construed in favor of the Plaintiffs.
A. The Parties
Brown Media is a Delaware Corporation, which was established in March 2010 for the express purpose of acquiring the assets of an entity known as Brown Publishing Company and its affiliated entities (collectively "Brown Publishing").
Roy is an individual residing in Cincinnati, Ohio. He presently owns the substantial majority of the stock of Brown Media, and is the former CEO, shareholder, and director of Brown Publishing. Roy is also a part of Brown Publishing's management group.
The defendant, KLG, is an international law firm with approximately forty-five offices located throughout the United States and abroad. The individual defendant Fox and former defendant Moser are attorneys and former partners at KLG, both of whom currently reside in New York.
B. Pre-Bankruptcy
Brown Publishing was a closely-held corporation, which was controlled by Roy; his brother Clancy; his parents, Bud and Joyce; the company's former General Counsel, Joel Dempsey ("Dempsey"); and one Joel Ellingham ("Ellingham") (collectively, the "Managers"). Brown Publishing was a family business, having been founded in 1920 by Roy's grandfather.
At an unspecified time, Brown Publishing received financing from a company known as Windjammer Capital ("Windjammer"). In connection with their financing arrangement, Windjammer allegedly retained an equity option, so that, in the event the loan was not repaid, Windjammer could exercise its option and force the sale of Brown Publishing's assets to recoup its investment.
For reasons not set forth in the complaint, it is alleged that in late 2008, although not yet in default, the Managers feared that Windjammer might soon exercise its option, which would result in their losing control of Brown Publishing. As a result, the Managers sought legal advice as to how best to maintain control of the enterprise.
In this regard, on or about December 12, 2008, allegedly on behalf of himself and the other Managers, Dempsey contacted Fox and KLG. On that date, Dempsey allegedly supplied Fox and KLG with a document entitled the "Warrant Put Memo" (the "Memo"), which sets forth the issues about which the Managers required legal advice. It is unclear who prepared *517the Memo, but, as to its contents, the complaint alleges as follows:
The [ ] Memo ask[ed] KLG for advice related to, inter alia, the legal ramifications of a proposed transaction whereby the Managers create a new LLC and Managers Roy, Dempsey, and Ellingham acquire the assets of Brown Publishing through the new LLC. This proposed transaction was to take place outside of bankruptcy. Legal issues specifically identified in the [ ] Memo included what actions to take, if any, with regards [sic] to Windjammer Capital, possible successor liability related to the proposed transaction, what state would be an advantageous one for incorporation of the new LLC, the tax consequences to the Managers, shareholder disclosure requirements, if any, and other issues pertaining to Brown Publishing's lenders.
See Compl. ¶ 20.
It is alleged that the Memo did not contemplate a bankruptcy. In fact, as noted above, Brown Publishing allegedly was not in default of any loans at this time and the Managers were specifically seeking advice about how to retain equity control through a non-bankruptcy transaction.
Allegedly, in response to the Memo, KLG and the individual Defendants provided advice directly to Roy and Dempsey, and billed the Managers for the time spent providing these legal services. In particular, KLG allegedly advised the Managers on ways to reduce the possibility of so-called successor liability-i.e., the possibility that the new LLC would succeed to the debts and liabilities of Brown Publishing after acquiring its assets. In order to minimize this possibility, KLG allegedly advised Roy not to participate in any eventual transaction, and advised Dempsey to relinquish his shares in an entity known as Brown Media Holdings Company ("Media Holdings"), so that he could become the majority owner of the new LLC.
By March 2009, Brown Publishing was in imminent danger of defaulting on its loan agreement with Windjammer. See Compl. ¶ 26. Accordingly, the Managers allegedly took a series of actions to protect Brown Publishing's interests.
In or about March 2009, the Managers allegedly decided to enter into a non-bankruptcy transaction that was structured similarly to the one contemplated by the Defendants in the Memo. The complaint does not provide many supporting details concerning this transaction. From the complaint, the Court cannot determine the parties to the transaction or any of the relevant terms or conditions. However, it is alleged that, in proceeding with this transaction, the Managers followed advice provided by KLG, namely, Roy did not participate and Dempsey relinquished his shares in Media Holdings.
At or about the same time, in March 2009, Windjammer allegedly commenced a lawsuit in Ohio, seeking to invalidate this transaction. Again, the complaint does not provide many supporting details, including the identities of the parties to that action. Nor does it specify whether the action was commenced in state or federal court; or what legal theory Windjammer asserted. Nevertheless, an unidentified Ohio court allegedly approved the transaction and authorized it to move forward.
However, again for reasons not explained in the complaint, at some unspecified time, the Managers allegedly rescinded the March 2009 transaction and, on the advice of KLG, proceeded to bankruptcy.
In this regard, it is alleged that when "[t]he March 2009 transaction did not solve the problems associated with Brown Publishing's debt," Dempsey contacted Fox in early May 2009 for advice. See Compl.
*518¶ 26. From May 2009 to June 2009, KLG allegedly advised the Managers that a sale of Brown Publishing's assets in bankruptcy was their best strategy in order to retain control of the company.
Further, KLG apparently advised Roy and Dempsey, in their individual capacities, to attempt to purchase Brown Publishing's assets through a sale pursuant to Section 363 of the United States Bankruptcy Code,
In June 2009, KLG allegedly notified Roy and Dempsey that the firm was interested in representing Brown Publishing in its bankruptcy proceeding. According to the complaint, KLG did not disclose any conflict of interest created by simultaneously (a) representing Brown Publishing in connection with its bankruptcy filing; and (b) advising the Managers in connection with their efforts to retain control of Brown Publishing and acquire its assets. In particular, KLG allegedly did not seek or obtain a waiver from the Managers. Nor did the firm seek consent to represent both the Managers and Brown Publishing.
In July 2009, Brown Publishing allegedly retained KLG as counsel. After being so retained, KLG allegedly continued to advocate for a sale of Brown Publishing's assets to the Managers by way of a sale in bankruptcy pursuant to § 363, despite the Managers' expressed preference for an out-of-court restructuring. In this regard, KLG allegedly began preparing a strategy by which the Managers would maximize their odds of prevailing in a public auction for the company's assets. In particular, in August 2009, KLG and Dempsey began preparing a "stalking horse asset purchase agreement." (the "APA")
Although not described in the complaint, the Court will take judicial notice of the basic concept of a stalking horse bid in bankruptcy. As one court has noted:
A stalking horse bidder in a bankruptcy proceeding makes an initial bid to purchase the assets of a debtor on the theory that the initial bidder's "initial research, due diligence, and subsequent bid may encourage later bidders." In re 310 Associates ,346 F.3d 31 , 34 (2d Cir. 2003). Stalking horse bidders often contract to receive a "break-up fee" compensating it for its bidding activities should a higher bid ultimately emerge and win an eventual asset auction. See In re Integrated Res., Inc. ,147 B.R. 650 , 659 (S.D.N.Y. 1992).
In re MSR Resort Golf Course LLC , 13-cv-2448,
In addition to preparing the APA, KLG also allegedly provided the managers with specific advice concerning, inter alia , how much to bid and how to frame their bid so as to maximize the chances that a bankruptcy court would approve an eventual sale. Further, KLG allegedly provided advice regarding the formation of Brown Media, the entity into which the purchased assets of Brown Publishing would be transferred, namely, the "stalking horse." KLG also allegedly provided advice as to *519the benefits of filing the bankruptcy petition in New York.
The complaint alleges that KLG was also active in seeking funding for the Managers' planned purchase of Brown Publishing's assets. In this regard, allegedly, "KLG provided advice to the Managers on the price they should offer, and revised documents drafted by the Managers and sent to potential capital [investors]." Compl. ¶ 35. In addition, Fox allegedly referred the Managers to a friend of his at W & L Ross, a company that acquires other distressed companies, and participated in a conference call with the Managers and individuals at Goldman Sachs.
Allegedly, KLG provided advice to Roy and Dempsey regarding the Managers' efforts to convince Brown Publishing's lenders to finance the Managers' purchase. Among other things, KLG allegedly made extensive edits to a memo prepared by Roy on behalf of himself and the other Managers for this purpose.
It is further alleged that the Managers eventually obtained a funding commitment from Guggenheim Partners ("Guggenheim") to support their purchase offer. The complaint alleges that KLG worked directly with Guggenheim and the Managers to prepare the APA and encouraged Guggenheim to provide a debtor-in-possession loan to infuse capital into Brown Publishing during the Chapter 11 proceeding and preserve the value of its assets.
However, shortly before Brown Publishing's bankruptcy filing, KLG allegedly urged the Managers, and Brown Media, to obtain separate counsel. In particular, Fox allegedly recommended that the Managers retain his friend and former partner, Richard Levy, Esq. The Managers agreed to retain Levy. However, by the time they did so, Brown Media had already been formed for the purpose of placing a stalking horse bid and ultimately acquiring Brown Publishing's assets; and substantive portions of the APA were already negotiated and in place. Around the same time, at KLG's suggestion, Brown Publishing hired Tom Carlson ("Carlson") as an independent director with a mandate to manage the sales process.
C. The Bankruptcy Filing
On April 30, 2010, Brown Publishing filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Eastern District of New York. The complaint alleges that, "[a]s part of the filing, KLG sought to be and was eventually retained as [Brown Publishing's] Counsel." Compl. ¶ 45. Apparently, KLG submitted a disclosure statement (the "Disclosure Statement") in furtherance of the Bankruptcy Court's approval of its retention as counsel for Brown Publishing. Allegedly, this Disclosure Statement failed to disclose KLG's prior representation of the Managers. The complaint also alleges that the Disclosure Statement did not disclose "the extent of Defendants' relationships with all of the members of the Bank Group and many other major creditors." Compl. ¶ 47. However, the complaint does not define the term "the Bank Group"; does not identify alleged creditors, other than Windjammer; and, in using this term, does not assert any factual allegations regarding KLG's purported relationships with the so-called Bank Group or any other creditors.
After the bankruptcy filing, but shortly before the execution of the APA, Brown Publishing allegedly received a credit bid by an entity referred to in the complaint as "the PNC Bank Group." This term is also not defined and, except as discussed later in this opinion, is not otherwise described in the complaint. Apparently, the PNC Bank Group's bid was rejected as inferior to the Managers' stalking horse bid.
*520On May 4, 2010, Brown Publishing, allegedly through Carlson and KLG, executed the APA and sought the Bankruptcy Court's approval of the sale of its assets to the Managers, through Brown Media. The APA allegedly included an assumption of contracts and leases in the purchase price, which the parties represented to the Bankruptcy Court was "a necessary component of the bargain that [Brown Publishing], in the exercise of [its] sound judgment, ha[d] reached with Brown Media." Compl. ¶ 49. The bankruptcy court approved the Managers' bid, and, at the same time, approved procedures for the eventual sale of Brown Publishing's assets should an auction become necessary.
It also appears that, at some unspecified time, an unsecured creditors committee was formed. Again, the complaint fails to assert any facts relating to this process, but the Court notes that Section 1102 of the Bankruptcy Code provides, in relevant part, that: "as soon as practicable after the order for relief under Chapter 11 of this title, the United States trustee shall appoint a committee of creditors holding unsecured claims and may appoint additional committees of creditors or of equity security holders as the United States trustee deems appropriate."
On June 1, 2010, KLG apparently requested that Roy "brief" the unsecured creditors committee that was formed pursuant to Brown Publishing's filing. Fox allegedly instructed Roy on how to answer the members' questions concerning his personal interests relative to Brown Publishing. In this regard, the Plaintiffs allege that, although the Managers had retained attorney Levy to represent them, KLG "continued to treat them as clients."
On June 16, 2010, Fox, Roy, and Dempsey met for lunch to discuss issues relating to the bankruptcy proceeding. Allegedly, attorney Levy was not present, nor did Fox suggest that he should be.
D. The Foreclosure Action
According to the complaint, CRJ Investments, LLC ("CRJ") was an affiliate by common ownership of Brown Publishing. In particular, CRJ was owned by Roy, Dempsey, and Roy's brother, Clancy. CRJ allegedly owned the real property where Brown Publishing conducted all of its manufacturing and a substantial majority of its profit-generating operations. Apparently, CRJ was also a party to valuable leases with Brown Publishing, although no particular leases are identified. The complaint suggests that, pursuant to the terms of the APA, the Managers would acquire these leases through the ultimate acquisition of Brown Publishing's assets.
It is alleged that CRJ's "sole lender" was Huntington Bank ("Huntington"). Allegedly, Huntington is a member of the PNC Bank Group, which, as described above, had submitted a last-minute competing offer for Brown Publishing's assets. In addition, Huntington is a creditor of Brown Publishing and, importantly, a client of KLG.
The complaint does not specify the type of "lending" in which Huntington engaged, or whether Huntington possessed a security interest in the subject real property owned by CRJ. However, on June 14, *5212010, Huntington allegedly filed a foreclosure action against CRJ in an Ohio state court, a move designed to reduce the value of Brown Media's assumption of the CRJ leases. The Plaintiffs assert that Huntington's commencement of the foreclosure action violated the automatic bankruptcy stay pursuant to
Allegedly, in his capacity as Brown Publishing's General Counsel, Dempsey directed KLG to promptly file a motion to enforce the automatic stay. KLG, through Fox, allegedly agreed to do so, but, according to the complaint, waited until after the auction of Brown Publishing's assets before filing the motion.
It is alleged that KLG's delay in filing the motion to stay the foreclosure action was strategic and designed to benefit Huntington, another of its clients. In particular, the complaint appears to depict the following fraudulent scheme allegedly perpetrated by KLG. The PNC Bank Group, of which Huntington is a part, submitted a competing bid for Brown Publishing's assets. That bid was rejected as being inferior to the Managers' stalking horse bid. However, the PNC Bank Group's bid was deemed inferior, in part, because the APA assigned a substantial value to CRJ's leases with Brown Publishing. In order to make the PNC Bank Group's bid superior to the Managers' stalking horse bid, KLG, with privileged knowledge of the strategic importance to the Managers of the CRJ leases obtained through its representation of the Plaintiffs, allegedly maneuvered to reduce the value of CRJ's leases-a result that could be accomplished if a foreclosure action were pending against it at the time of the action. Thus, the complaint asserts that KLG deliberately refrained from interrupting the foreclosure action so that CRJ's leases would be stripped of their value in the bankruptcy proceeding, and the PNC Bank Group, which included a client of KLG's, would have the prevailing bid for Brown Publishing's assets.
Based on the circumstances outlined above, KLG and Carlson allegedly declared that the PNC Bank Group's bid was the superior bid, thereby necessitating an auction of Brown Publishing's assets.
E. The Auction
On July 19, 2010, the auction for Brown Publishing's assets was held at KLG's New York offices.
Having been outbid by the PNC Bank Group for substantially all of Brown Publishing's assets, the Managers allegedly bid on a lesser group of assets than those which were envisioned in the APA. Despite initially being declared the high bidder for those assets, Guggenheim allegedly withdrew its funding before the Managers could close the transaction. In this regard, the complaint vaguely alleges that Guggenheim's decision to withdraw was influenced by "the Huntington Foreclosure and other problems in the closing process related to the fact that Brown Media was not able to acquire all of the assets envisioned by the APA." Compl. ¶ 64.
The PNC Bank Group was allegedly successful in acquiring most of Brown Publishing's assets.
After the conclusion of the auction, KLG successfully moved in the Huntington foreclosure action to enforce the automatic bankruptcy stay. However, by then, the PNC Bank Group had already acquired Brown Publishing's assets.
II. DISCUSSION
A. Standard of Review
In considering a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), the Court must *522accept the factual allegations set forth in the complaint as true and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the Plaintiffs. See, e.g. , Walker v. Schult ,
Under the Twombly standard, the Court may only dismiss a complaint if it does not contain enough allegations of fact to state a claim for relief that is "plausible on its face." Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly ,
First, although a court must accept as true all of the allegations contained in a complaint, that tenet is inapplicable to legal conclusions, and [t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice. Second, only a complaint that states a plausible claim for relief survives a motion to dismiss and [d]etermining whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief will ... be a context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial experience and common sense.
Harris v. Mills ,
A complaint must include "a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief," in order to survive a motion to dismiss. FED. R. CIV. P. 8(a)(2). Under Rule 8, a complaint is not required to allege "detailed factual allegations." Kendall v. Caliber Home Loans, Inc. ,
For the Plaintiffs' fraud based claims, those portions of the complaint are subject to Rule 9(b)'s heightened pleading standard. To meet Rule 9(b)'s heightened pleading standard, these elements must be alleged with specificity. Namely, the Plaintiffs must "(1) detail the statements (or omissions) that the plaintiff[s] contends are fraudulent, (2) identify the speaker, (3) state where and when the statements (or omissions) were made, and (4) explain why the statements (or omissions) are fraudulent." Harsco Corp. v. Segui ,
*523B. Standing
1. As To Brown Media
The Defendants allege that neither Roy nor Brown Media have standing to sue the Defendants in the instant action. The Court will address the Defendants' claims with respect to each of the Plaintiffs.
For the reasons that follow, the Court concludes that Brown Media does have standing to assert claims against the Defendants. First, the Court must determine whether an attorney-client relationship allegedly existed between Brown Media and the Defendants, which only arises "when one contacts an attorney in his capacity as such for the purpose of obtaining legal advice or services." Priest v. Hennessy ,
New York state law explains that "the relationship of an attorney and client is contractual, and the rules governing contract formation determine whether such a relationship has been created." Hashemi v. Shack ,
At its core, this is a flexible inquiry, with varying factors that are used to determine the existence of an attorney-client relationship. For example, without some form of fee arrangement, there is a presumption that no attorney-client relationship exists. See Elghanayan v. Iannucci ,
Although the complaint does not allege that Brown Media had some sort of fee arrangement with KLG or Fox, the Plaintiffs have alleged enough specific facts in the complaint to support an inference of an attorney-client relationship between Brown Media and the Defendants. The Defendants alleged representation in forming Brown Media and participating in negotiations during the sales process prior to Brown Media's retention of Levy is sufficient under our current pleading regime. To require a law firm or attorney to leave a detailed paper trail in the course of such alleged activities would overburden plaintiffs at the motion to dismiss stage and bastardize the core of the attorney-client relationship.
However, even if there is no attorney-client relationship, "an attorney[ ] may nonetheless owe a fiduciary duty to persons ... with whom he deals." Cohen v. Goodfriend ,
*524Eurycleia Partners, LP v. Seward & Kissel, LLP ,
When evaluating whether a fiduciary relationship exists at the motion to dismiss stage, courts examine the totality of the allegations. See Roni LLC v. Arfa ,
The amended complaint contains sufficient allegations to allege a fiduciary relationship between Brown Media and the Defendants. At the time of the formation of Brown Media, the Defendants were allegedly using their position of trust with the Managers to negotiate on behalf of Brown Media, while at the same time, unbeknownst to either the Managers or Brown Media, representing PNC Bank Group, a party with adverse interests.
The Court finds that Brown Media does have standing to bring forth its instant claims against the Defendants.
2. As To Roy Brown
The Defendants also allege that Roy does not have standing to sue the defendants as he lacks the ability as a shareholder to sue for injuries that were allegedly suffered by the corporation, Brown Media. For the reasons that follow, the Court concludes that Roy does not have standing to assert claims against the Defendants.
In the Second Circuit, it is well-settled that, in general, individual shareholders lack standing to assert individual claims if "the duty owed to the shareholder[ ] is ... indistinguishable from the duty owed to the corporation." Vincel v. White Motor Corp. ,
However, if a shareholder brings suit alleging a distinct injury that differs from that sustained by the corporation, or a breach of an independent duty owed to the shareholder, then the shareholder will have standing. See Bankers Trust ,
At the motion to dismiss stage, "it is the burden of the party who [is seeking standing to sue to] ... clearly [ ] allege facts demonstrating that he is a proper party to invoke judicial resolution of the dispute." Thompson v. County of Franklin ,
It is not the Court's responsibility to "infer[ standing] argumentatively from averments in the pleadings;" the Plaintiffs were required to plead it into the complaint. Thompson ,
The Plaintiffs are incorrect in their claim that Schnabel v. Sullivan , No. 04-cv-5076,
As Roy has failed to allege an injury sustained to him that is separate and distinct from that of the corporation, his claims may not be raised in the instant suit. For the foregoing reasons, the action is dismissed as to Roy.
C. The Statute of Limitations
The Defendants argue that the Plaintiffs fail to state claims for breach of fiduciary duty and tortious interference upon which relief can be granted because these claims are time-barred. The Court finds no merit in this argument.
*526The parties agree that the applicable statute of limitations for the Plaintiffs' claims of breach of fiduciary duty and tortious interference in New York State is three years. Irrespective of the parties' positions, the Court will nevertheless address the applicable time periods under New York law.
In a diversity case, the law of the State of New York governs the statute of limitations, accrual, as well as any applicable tolling. Cantor Fitzgerald Inc. v. Lutnick ,
Under New York law, a claim for breach of fiduciary duty which seeks only monetary damages typically has a three year statute of limitations.
However, a breach of fiduciary duty claim that sounds in constructive fraud has a statute of limitations of six years. Orr v. Kinderhill Corp. ,
In the instant case, Plaintiffs' breach of fiduciary duty claims are based on the Defendants' failure to disclose information. These allegations are not merely incidental to the breach of fiduciary duty claims, but represent the core of the Plaintiffs' breach of fiduciary duty claim. Kaufman ,
Regardless of the statute of limitations periods applicable to the fiduciary duty claim, the Plaintiffs' claims as to breach of fiduciary duty and tortious interference are timely. On July 12, 2013, the Plaintiffs commenced an action in the Supreme Court, Westchester County. As of this date, neither statute of limitations period had expired. This case was ultimately dismissed sua sponte by the state court *527due to lack of subject matter jurisdiction. On November 27, 2013, the instant lawsuit was commenced in the Bankruptcy Court. The Defendants argue that November 27, 2013 is the proper date for statute of limitations purposes, which, according to the Plaintiffs, was past the statute of limitations period for both claims. The Court finds that this position is contradicted by
In pertinent part, C.P.L.R. § 205 states:
If an action is timely commenced and is terminated in any other manner than by a voluntary discontinuance, a dismissal of the complaint for neglect to prosecute the action, or a final judgment upon the merits, the plaintiff ... may commence a new action upon the same transaction ... within six months after the termination provided that the new action would have been timely commenced at the time of commencement of the prior action.
The Defendants also contend that § 205 should not apply because the Plaintiffs acted in bad faith in commencing the prior action. This contention is contrary to the purpose of § 205 and the law of the State of New York. First, the purpose of § 205 is to "remedy [ ] what might otherwise be the harsh consequence of applying a limitations period where the defending party has had timely notice of the action ... [I]t has long been understood that that purpose is not to be frittered away by any narrow construction." Goldstein v. New York State Urban Dev. Corp. ,
Accordingly, both the breach of fiduciary duty and the tortious interference claims are timely.
D. The Breach Of Fiduciary Duty Claim
1. Duty
"In order to sustain a claim of breach of fiduciary duty under New York law, [a plaintiff] must prove the existence of a fiduciary relationship, misconduct by [a defendant], and damages directly caused by [a defendant's] misconduct." Margrabe v. Sexter & Warmflash, P.C. ,
This inquiry cannot be made "by recourse to rigid formulas." Scott v. Dime Sav. Bank of N.Y., FSB ,
In the instant case, the complaint adequately alleges the existence of a fiduciary relationship between both Plaintiffs and the Defendants, whereby the Defendants "exercised de facto control and dominance," Doe ,
As to Brown Media, as discussed above, at the time of its formation, the Defendants were alleged to have used their position of trust with the Managers to negotiate on behalf of Brown Media, while at the same time, unbeknownst to either the Managers or Brown Media, represented PNC Bank Group, a party with adverse interests. KLG and Fox allegedly assisted in the formation of Brown Media, and supported the Managers, including Roy, in their effort to convince Brown Publishing's lenders to finance Brown Media's acquisition of the Debtor's assets.
At the motion to dismiss stage, accepting these allegations as true and drawing all reasonable inferences in favor of the Plaintiffs, the Court concludes that the Plaintiffs have adequately pled the existence of a fiduciary relationship between the Plaintiffs and the Defendants.
2. Breach
Further, the Court concludes that the Plaintiffs sufficiently plead that the Defendants breached their fiduciary duties to the Plaintiffs. The complaint alleges that the Defendants used the confidential information obtained from the Plaintiffs and the *529rest of the Managers to "tilt[ ] the bidding process away from the Plaintiffs and towards [the Defendants'] bank clients who successfully competed with Plaintiffs [during the auction bidding process], and using Plaintiffs' confidential information to help their other clients." Compl. ¶ 69. The Plaintiffs further claim that the Defendants "deliberately delayed filing a motion to enforce the [Bankruptcy Court's] automatic stay until after the Bankruptcy auction, knowing full well that the illegal foreclosure action [initiated by the Defendants' clients] undermined the Managers' bid."
All of these alleged actions constitute a breach of the Defendants' fiduciary duties to Roy and Brown Media. See Birnbaum v. Birnbaum ,
3. Causation & Damages
The Court further concludes that the Plaintiffs have adequately alleged that the Defendants' breaches of their fiduciary duty caused the Plaintiffs to incur damages related to their failed attempt to obtain the Debtors' assets. See Donovan v. Bierwirth ,
Accordingly, the Defendants' motion to dismiss the Plaintiffs' claim for breach of fiduciary duty is denied.
E. The Tortious Interference With Prospective Economic Advantage Claim
A claim of tortious interference with prospective economic advantage is identical to a claim of tortious interference with a business relationship. See Valley Lane Indus. Co. v. Victoria's Secret Direct Brand Mgmt., LLC ,
The Defendants do not appear to dispute that there was a business relationship between the Managers and the Debtors, *530which is alleged in the complaint. See Compl. ¶ 73 ("The Managers' stalking horse bid as codified in the APA was a business relationship between the Managers and Debtors."). As such, it is undisputed, for the purposes of this motion, that Roy and the Debtors had a business relationship.
However, the Plaintiffs fail to plead that Brown Media had an ongoing business relationship with the debtors at the time of the alleged issue. At the motion to dismiss stage, a plaintiff "must specify some particular, existing business relationship through which plaintiff would have done business but for the allegedly tortious behavior." Indus. Tech. Ventures LP v. Pleasant T. Rowland Revocable Trust ,
Further, the Plaintiffs fail to claim any specific business relationship between Brown Media and a third party. In New York, the complaint must plead "interference with a specific identified business relationship with a third party." Camp Summit of Summitville, Inc. v. Visinski , No. 06-cv-4994,
Although the Court determined that Roy lacks the requisite standing to pursue this claim, the Court will nevertheless address the third element of the tortious interference claim components as it pertain to Roy.
To succeed in pleading the third element of tortious interference, the Plaintiffs must show "a greater degree of culpable conduct than would be required to state a claim for tortious interference with contract." In re Nicholas ,
Regardless of whether Roy has sufficiently pled criminal or tortious conduct on the part of the Defendants, the complaint alleges conduct directed at the wrong parties. "As federal courts applying New York law have recognized, conduct constituting tortious interference with business relations is, by definition, conduct directed not at the plaintiff itself, but at the party with which the plaintiff has or seeks to have a relationship." Carvel ,
interfered with [a business relationship between the Managers and Debtors] by, inter alia , using confidential information gathered from the managers and towards its bank clients, using an illegal foreclosure action to justify de-valuing the Managers' bid for the benefit of its bank clients, failing to properly calculate the bids, and failing to properly disclose its numerous, disqualifying relationships.
For the above-mentioned reasons, the Plaintiffs' tortious interference claim is dismissed.
F. The Fraud Claim
The Plaintiffs' final claim alleges that the Defendants fraudulently failed to disclose their conflicts regarding Brown Publishing, the Managers, and the PNC Bank Group, which caused the Plaintiffs' failure in the sale.
" 'Under New York law, to state a claim for fraud a plaintiff must demonstrate: (1) a misrepresentation or omission of material fact; (2) which the defendant knew to be false; (3) which the defendant made with the intention of inducing reliance; (4) upon which the plaintiff reasonably relied; and (5) which caused injury to the plaintiff.' " Solow v. Citigroup, Inc. ,
As mentioned above, claims based on fraud are subject to the heightened pleading standard found in Rule 9(b). In particular, a party asserting fraud "must state with particularity the circumstances constituting fraud or mistake." FED. R. CIV. P. 9(b). " Rule 9(b) is satisfied when the complaint specifies 'the time, place, speaker, and content of the alleged misrepresentations;' how the misrepresentations were fraudulent; and the details that 'give rise to a strong inference that the defendant[ ] had an intent to defraud, knowledge of the falsity, or a reckless disregard for the truth.' " Schwartzco Enters. v. TMH Mgmt., LLC ,
Brown Media fails to allege the required particularity required under the heightened pleading standard. The only allegations in the complaint that are specific to Brown Media are contained in paragraphs 40 and 41. These allegations generally contend that K & L represented Brown Media in its failed attempt to acquire assets of Brown Publishing prior to Brown Media's retention of Levy and that "Fox participated in negotiations between PNC Bank Group and Brown Media." Compl. ¶ 41. Such vague allegations fail to provide any facts or detail regarding the *532Defendants' allegedly fraudulent acts or omissions as they pertain to Brown Media.
Brown Media is required to detail what omissions each defendant made, the context of the omissions, how they misled Brown Media and what the Defendants obtained through the fraud. See Odyssey Re (London) Ltd. v. Stirling Cooke Brown Holdings Ltd. ,
Finally, both of the Plaintiffs' fraud claims also fail to successfully allege a fraud claim due to their failure to properly plead that they suffered recoverable damages. Federal district courts interpreting New York State law have held that merely asserting that the Plaintiffs "suffer[ed] damages" without particular facts as to how they were damaged do not satisfy the notice requirement of Iqbal and Twombly . Int'l Bus. Machines Corp. v. Dale , No. 7:11-cv-951,
With respect to Roy, even if the Court were to read into the complaint a specific claim of damages in the form of a bid deposit of $765,000 submitted in connection with Brown Media's failed bid, recovery is barred for two reasons: (1) the complaint only alleges that Brown Media bid submitted a bid; and (2) Roy is precluded from recovering a loss suffered by the corporation. The complaint itself makes no mention of Brown Media's lost bid deposit; the Court learned of it through the parties' motion papers. However, reading the complaint in a light most favorable to the Plaintiffs, it is clear that Brown Media submitted a bid and therefore lost the resulting bid deposit. The Court cannot glean from the complaint that Roy suffered any loss relating to the bid deposit, and, as discussed in Section II.B.2, Roy is unable to receive relief for damage done to Brown Media. See Gordon v. Fundamental Inv'rs, Inc. ,
For the above-mentioned reasons, the Plaintiffs' fraud claim is dismissed.
G. Leave To Amend
The Plaintiffs have argued that rather than dismissing their claims, the Court should allow them to amend their pleading. According to Rule 15(a), a party may amend a pleading "by leave of court or by written consent of the adverse party ... [L]eave shall be freely given when justice so requires [.]" FED. R. CIV. P. 15(a). Courts have liberally interpreted this Rule. See D.C.R. Trucking & Excavation, Inc. v. Aetna Cas. And Sur. Co. , No. 96-cv-3995,
Amendment should only be denied for legitimate reasons such as "undue delay, bad faith or dilatory motive on the part of the movant, repeated failure to cure deficiencies by amendments previously allowed, undue prejudice to the opposing party by virtue of allowance of the amendment, futility of amendment, etc." Ruotolo v. City of New York ,
Nevertheless, a "bare request to amend a pleading" contained in a brief, which does not also attach the proposed amended pleading, is improper under Rule 15. See, e.g. , Curry v. Campbell , 06-cv-2841,
Courts may use their discretion to hold the motion to dismiss in abeyance pending the filing of the proposed pleading or deny the motion to amend without prejudice. See AT & T Corp. ,
The Plaintiffs failed to formally move for leave to amend the complaint or to provide a proposed amended pleading. Instead, in opposition to the Defendants' motion to dismiss, the Plaintiffs argue that the Court should grant them leave to file an amended complaint if it were to find the claims deficient.
Accordingly, the Court finds that the Plaintiffs' bare-bones request to amend the complaint is procedurally improper under Rule 15 and, in its discretion, denies it on that basis without prejudice and with leave to renew.
III. CONCLUSION
For the reasons set forth above, the Defendants' motion pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), to dismiss the Plaintiffs' complaint is granted in part and denied in part. The Defendants' motion to dismiss is granted without prejudice (1) with respect to all claims asserted by Roy and (2) with respect to Brown Media's tortious interference with prospective economic relations and fraud claims. The Defendants' motion to dismiss is denied with respect to Brown Media's breach of fiduciary duty claim.
*534The Court denies without prejudice the Plaintiffs' request for leave to amend as procedurally improper, and grants the Plaintiffs leave to renew their request to file an amended complaint in a manner consistent with FED. R. CIV. P. 15 within sixty days of the date of this decision.
It is SO ORDERED .
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BROWN MEDIA CORPORATION and Roy E. Brown v. K & L GATES, LLP and Edward M. Fox
- Cited By
- 11 cases
- Status
- Published