Taksir v. Vanguard Group, Inc.
Taksir v. Vanguard Group, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Before the Court is the Motion to Dismiss of Defendant the Vanguard Group, Inc. For the reasons that follow, the motion will be granted in part and denied in part.
I. BACKGROUND
This proposed class action alleges that Defendant, an investment company, overcharged customers on securities transactions. Plaintiffs Alex Taksir and Orit Tak-sir, who are married, hold approximately $600,000 in assets with Defendant, qualifying them for Defendant’s “Voyager Select” program, which is available to clients with between $500,000 and $1 million in assets.
Mr. Taksir complained about the alleged overcharge, but was informed by Defendant that Plaintiffs’ trades were not eligible for the $2.00 commission due to “IRS nondiscrimination rules”—an exception to the Voyager Select program not listed on Defendant’s website. Plaintiffs allege that no such IRS rules exist, and that Mrs. Taksir was charged $2.00 for another purchase of Nokia shares six weeks later, suggesting Defendant’s application of the “IRS nondiscrimination rules” is arbitrary. Plaintiffs allege that other Vanguard clients are similarly being overcharged on securities transactions.
Plaintiffs filed this lawsuit on behalf of themselves and a proposed class of all other Vanguard clients who “purchased securities pursuant to Vanguard’s Voyager Select program and/or other Vanguard Enhanced Services.. .from the inception of the Enhanced Services through the present.. .and paid a commission and sales charge greater than the terms prescribed by the respective services.”
II. LEGAL STANDARD
This motion is decided under the familiar standard- articulated by the Supreme Court in Twombly and Iqbal, under which dismissal for failure to state a claim is appropriate if the complaint fails to allege facts sufficient to establish a plausible entitlement to relief.
III. ANALYSIS
A. Whether SLUSA Preempts Plaintiffs’ Claims
Because Defendant mainly argues that SLUSA preempts Plaintiffs’ claims, the Court begins by discussing the statute’s background and text.
1. SLUSA’s Background and Text
In 1995, Congress adopted the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (“PSLRA”) to combat “perceived abuses of the class-action vehicle in litigation involving nationally traded securities.”
The PSLRA “had an unintended' consequence: It prompted at least some members of the plaintiffs’ bar to avoid the federal forum altogether. Rather than face the obstacles set in their path, by the [PSLRA], plaintiffs and their representatives began bringing class actions under state law, often in state court.”
To that end, SLUSA preempts claims if four requirements are met: “(1) the underlying suit is a ‘covered class action’; (2) the claim is based on state law; (3) the claim concerns a ‘covered security’; and (4) the plaintiff alleges ‘a misrepresentation or omission of material fact,’ or ‘a
Plaintiffs do not dispute that SLUSA’s first three requirements are satisfied: this suit is a “covered class action,” Plaintiffs’ claims are based on state law, and the Nokia shares are “covered securities.”
2. Plaintiffs Do Not Allege Fraud or Deception “In Connection With” the Purchase or Sale of Covered Securities
The parties disagree regarding the applicable standard for determining whether SLUSA’s “in connection with” requirement is met. Defendant argues that fraud or deception is “in connection with” a covered securities transaction for SLU-SA purposes so long as it “coincided” with a covered securities transaction, relying on the Supreme Court’s 2006 opinion in Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. v. Dabit.
In Dabit, the plaintiff brought state-law claims on behalf of a class of brokers alleging that the investment-bank defendant had intentionally skewed market research in favor of its investment-banking clients, artificially inflating their stock prices.
The Supreme Court explained that it was irrelevant that the plaintiff was a securities holder rather than a purchaser or seller; it was enough that defendant’s misrepresentations “coincided”-with a securities transaction “whether by the plaintiff or by someone else.”
In Troice, the Supreme Court revisited SLUSA’s “in connection with” requirement in a different context. The plaintiffs in Troice were victims of a Ponzi scheme who alleged they were induced to purchase uncovered certificates of deposit (which are beyond SLUSA’s reach) based on the defendant’s misrepresentation that the certificates were backed by covered securities (to which SLUSA applies).
The majority in Troice cautioned that this “material to” formulation did not reflect a new approach to SLUSA’s “in connection with” requirement or otherwise modify Dabit.
Read together, Dabit and Troice make clear that fraudulent or deceptive conduct must be “material”—meaning that it makes a significant difference—to an individual’s decision to purchase or sell a covered security to satisfy SLUSA’s “in connection with” requirement.
Defendant appears to recognize that Plaintiffs’ claims do not satisfy the standard articulated in Troice, and raises four arguments as to why Troice does not apply here. First, Defendant argues that Troice only addressed misrepresentations that uncovered securities were backed by covered securities, an issue not present here.
Moreover, the cases Defendant cites for the proposition that Troice should be narrowly construed are inapposite. In Rabin v. NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC, the plaintiff brought a state-law claim for unjust enrichment as well as claims under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act and the SEC’s associated Rule 10b-5 (which contains an “in connection with” requirement identical to SLUSA’s), the crux of all of which was an alleged scheme to rig the options market so that plaintiffs trading strategy was less successful than it otherwise would have been.
Second, Defendant relies on cases holding that a misrepresentation need not concern a particular security in order to satisfy SLUSA’s “in connection with” requirement.
Defendant relies heavily on the Supreme Court’s decision in SEC v. Zandford for its argument, but Zandford pre-dates Troice and arose in such a different context as to be inapposite. In Zandford, the defendant, a securities broker, was granted power of attorney to open and manage an investment account for an elderly client; instead, he swindled the client by selling the securities in the account and keeping the proceeds for himself.
Defendant also cites Angelastro v. Prudential-Bache Securities, Inc., a pre-SLU-SA Third Circuit case in which the plaintiff alleged that a securities broker had misrepresented the terms governing her margin account.
Third, Defendant argues that the “in connection with” requirement is met because brokerage commissions “depend on” securities transactions. Defendant’s argument relies upon the Third Circuit’s opinion in Rowinski v. Salomon Smith Barney Inc.
Like Dabit, Rowinski concerned state-law claims alleging that the defendant distributed biased market research, and that the plaintiff, one of the defendant’s brokerage customers, was duped into purchasing artificially inflated securities as a result.
Finally, Defendant falls back on the general argument that SLUSA should be interpreted broadly. But interpreting SLUSA broadly does not mean giving the statute an unlimited reach as far as state-law contract claims go.
B. Whether Plaintiffs Have Pleaded the Elements of a UTPCPL Claim
Defendant also moves to dismiss Plaintiffs’ UTPCPL claim on the ground that Plaintiffs have failed to allege justifiable reliance. “[T]he Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has announced and applied a broad rule that private plaintiffs must allege justifiable reliance” to state a claim under the UTPCPL.
IV. CONCLUSION
For the reasons set forth above, Defendant’s motion will be granted in part and denied in part. Plaintiffs’ UTPCPL claim will be dismissed with prejudice for failure to plead justifiable reliance, and Plaintiffs’ claim for breach of contract may proceed.
. The allegations, are taken from Plaintiffs' complaint. Doc. No. 1. Plaintiffs allege that the Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332 as there is complete diversity of citizenship between Plaintiffs and Defendant and the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000.
. Id. ¶ 1.
. 73 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 201-1 et seq.
. 15 U.S.C. § 78bb(f)(1).
. E.g., Fowler v. UPMC Shadyside, 578 F.3d 203, 210-211 (3d Cir. 2009) (citing Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) and Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009)).
. Santiago v. Warminster Twp., 629 F.3d 121, 128 (3d Cir. 2010).
. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. v. Dabit, 547 U.S. 71, 81, 126 S.Ct. 1503, 164 L.Ed.2d 179 (2006).
. Id. (quoting H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 104-369, p.31 (1995)).
. Id. at 81-82 (discussing PLSRA provisions).
. Id. at 82.
. Id. (citations and internal quotation marks omitted).
. Rowinski v. Salomon Smith Barney, Inc., No. 3:02-cv-2014, 2003 WL 22740976, at *2 (M.D. Pa. Nov. 20, 2003) (quoting 15 U.S.C. § 78bb(f)(1)), aff'd 398 F.3d 294 (3d Cir. 2005).
. Doc. No. 13 at 5-6.
. 547 U.S. 71, 126 S.Ct. 1503, 164 L.Ed.2d 179 (2006).
. - U.S. -, 134 S.Ct. 1058, 188 L.Ed.2d 88 (2014).
. 547 U.S. at 74-76, 126 S.Ct. 1503.
. Id. at 77-78, 126 S.Ct. 1503.
. Id.
. Id. at 85, 126 S.Ct. 1503.
. Id. at 88-89, 126 S.Ct. 1503.
. Id. at 84-85, 126 S.Ct. 1503 (rejecting argument that SLUSA contains a "purchaser-seller” requirement).
. 134 S.Ct. at 1062-63, 1065.
. Id. at 1066.
. Id. (emphasis added).
. Id.
. Id. ("We do not here modify Dabit.").
. Id. at 1067 (citations omitted) (emphasis added).
. Id. (quoting Dabit, 547 U.S. at 75, 85, 89, 126 S.Ct. 1503).
. See Zweiman v. AXA Equitable Life Ins. Co., 146 F.Supp.3d 536, 550 (S.D.N.Y. 2015) (“In light of Troice and Dabit, the ‘in connection with' doctrine can be articulated as follows: the fraud must be of the type that is material to someone other than the fraudster to buy, sell, or hold a covered security; and, if so, any claim involving that transaction (or lack thereof)—regardless of whether the
. See Appert v. Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Inc., 673 F.3d 609, 615 (7th Cir. 2012) (holding that SLUSA did not bar state-law claims alleging that the defendant inflated transaction fees because the inflated fees were "not objectively material to.. .any class members’ investment decisions”); see also Feinman v. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc., 84 F.3d 539, 541 (2d Cir. 1996) (affirming dismissal of securities fraud claim alleging that the defendants charged hidden transaction fees because "no reasonable investor would have considered it important, in deciding whether or not to buy or sell stock, that a transaction fee of a few dollars might exceed the broker’s actual handling charges”). Therefore, as discussed below, Plaintiffs cannot allege a UTPCPL claim, which requires reasonable reliance, but may maintain a claim for breach of contract.
. Doc. No. 15 at 5.
. See Henderson v. Bank of N.Y. Mellon Corp., 146 F.Supp.3d 438, 443-44 (D. Mass. 2015) (explaining that "[ajfter Troice, a mere coincidence of fraud with a transaction in covered securities will no longer suffice for SLUSA preemption” and denying motion to dismiss on SLUSA grounds); see also Shuster v. AXA Equitable Life Ins. Co., Civil No. 14-8035 (RBK/JS), 2015 WL 4314378, at *5 (D.N.J. July 14 2015) (explaining that “the 'connection' prong of SLUSA preemption may only be met where the misrepresentation was ‘material’ to another individual’s decision to 'purchase or sell’ a...'covered security’” and holding that SLUSA did not preempt plaintiffs claim); In re Harbinger Capital Partners Funds Inv. Litig., No. 12-cv-1244 (AJN), 2015 WL 1439520, at *6 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 30, 2015) (explaining that, after Troice, SLUSA’s "in connection with” requirement "is narrow insofar as allegedly fraudulent statements must be of the type that would induce someone to buy or sell (or hold) a covered security”).
. 182 F.Supp.3d 220, 224-26 (E.D. Pa. 2016).
. Case No. 08-CV-04119-LHK, 2016 WL 706018, at *13-14 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 23, 2016). Specifically, the defendant represented that the fund would invest in low-risk agency securities and similar assets, when in fact it invested in high-risk collateralized mortgage obligations. Id.
. Defendant also cites the Seventh Circuit’s per curiam opinion in Goldberg v. Bank of America, 846 F.3d 913 (7th Cir. 2017). In Goldberg, the plaintiff deposited cash in a custodial account with the defendant so that it could be invested in mutual funds. Id. at 915. Unbeknownst to the plaintiff, the defendant steered the cash to mutual funds that paid the defendant a secret fee when cash was "swept” from the plaintiff's account into the mutual fund at the end of each day. Id. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of the plaintiff’s state-law claims on SLUSA grounds, finding that the bank's failure to disclose the secret fees was a material omission "in connection with” covered securities transactions. Id. at 916. Goldberg is distinguishable because it concerned secret fees that resulted in near-daily losses in the plaintiff's account—an omission that a reasonable investor could well consider material. To the extent Goldberg holds otherwise, it is not binding on this Court.
. See SEC v. Zandford, 535 U.S. 813, 815-16, 122 S.Ct. 1899, 153 L.Ed.2d 1 (2002); Angelastro v. Prudential-Bache Secs., Inc., 764 F.2d 939 (3d Cir. 1985).
. 535 U.S. at 815-16, 122 S.Ct. 1899.
. Id. at 819, 122 S.Ct. 1899 (quoting 17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5).
. Id. at 816-17, 122 S.Ct. 1899.
. Id. at 820-821, 122 S.Ct. 1899.
. 764 F.2d 939 (3d Cir. 1985).
. Id. at 941-42.
. Id. at 944-45.
. Also inapposite are the post-Troice “best execution” cases cited by Defendant, which concern allegations that brokers failed to obtain the best execution price while engaging in securities transactions on behalf of their clients, contrary to their representations that they would do so. See, e.g., Lim v. Charles Schwab & Co., Case Nos. 15-cv-02074-RS; 15-cv-02945-RS, 2015 WL 7996475, at *1, 7 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 7, 2015). In Lim, for example, the court found that SLUSA’s “in connection with” requirement was met because "the false promise of best execution” induced plaintiffs to execute trades with the defendant. Id. at *1. That is not the case here, as Plaintiffs do not allege that the terms of the Voyager Select program induced them to execute trades.
. 398 F.3d 294 (3d Cir. 2005).
. Id. at 296-97. Rowinski also identified other non-exclusive factors relevant to determining whether the “in connection with” requirement is met, including "whether the complaint alleges a material misrepresentation or omission disseminated to the public in a medium upon which a reasonable investor would rely”; "whether the nature of the parties' relationship is such that it necessarily involves the purchase or sale of securities,” and "whether the prayer for relief 'connects’ the state law claims to the purchase or sale of securities.” Id. at 302 (internal quotation marks omitted). The Third Circuit emphasized that these were "not requirements, but rather guideposts in a flexible preemption inquiry,” and that "[i]n a SLUSA case involving different facts or allegations, other considerations also may be relevant.” Id. at 302 n.7. Because this case concerns markedly different allegations than Rowinski, the Court focuses on the fact that Plaintiffs have not alleged Defendant’s misrepresentations or omissions were material to their decision to purchase the at-issue Nokia shares, and does not find the other Rowinski factors disposi-tive.
. Id. at 302-03.
. Defendant also cites Shaw v. Charles Schwab & Co., in which the plaintiff alleged that the defendant engaged in numerous misrepresentations regarding its investment services, including misrepresenting its commission structure and fees, charging customers twice for a single transaction, and misrepresenting the reserve requirements imposed on clients. No. BC238732, 2003 WL 1463842, at *1 (Cal. Super. Ct. Mar. 7, 2003). Because the court applied a pre-Dabit version of the “coincides with” standard in determining that the defendant's misrepresentations were “in connection with” the purchase or sale of securities, Shaw's reasoning is not particularly illuminating. Shaw is also distinguishable because the misrepresentations at issue went far beyond the size of the defendant’s brokerage commission, and extended to reserve requirements and other features of the plaintiffs account not at issue here.
. See Troice, 134 S.Ct. at 1068-69 (explaining that although SLUSA preempts many state-law claims, it expressly "maintains state legal authority, especially over matters that are primarily of state concern" and that “[a] broad interpretation of the Litigation Act works at cross-purposes with this state-oriented concern”); see also Rowinski, 398 F.3d at 301(“Federal securities law is circumscribed, and strikes a balance between uniform regulation of a national market and preservation of those areas 'traditionally left to state regulation,’ such as corporate, contract and fiduciary law.”) (quoting Santa Fe Indus. Inc. v. Green, 430 U.S. 462, 478-80, 97 S.Ct. 1292, 51 L.Ed.2d 480 (1977)).
. Hunt v. U.S. Tobacco Co., 538 F.3d 217, 226 (3d Cir. 2008); see also Am. Fed’n of State Cty. & Mun. Emps. Dist. Council 47 Health & Welfare Fund v. Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharm., Inc., 857 F.Supp.2d 510, 514 (E.D. Pa. 2012) ("To prevail on a claim under the UTPCPL... Plaintiffs must be able to establish justifiable reliance, causation, and injury.”) (citations omitted).
. Plaintiffs' responses are beside the point. Plaintiffs mostly argue that the UTPCPL allows claims in “post-contract deception cases,” Doc. No. 13 at 15, but that does not
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Alex TAKSIR and Orit Taksir, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated v. The VANGUARD GROUP, INC.
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published