Martínez v. Novo Nordisk, Inc.
Martínez v. Novo Nordisk, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiffs William Puig Martínez, Hernán Méndez Nazario, his wife Meralys Colón, and their conjugal partnership sued Defendant Novo Nordisk alleging wrongful discharge and employment discrimination. On January 26, 2018, Defendant moved to dismiss Plaintiff Puig's claims "on the basis of his failure to disclose this litigation as an asset during his bankruptcy proceedings." (Docket No. 53 at 1). Defendant also moved to amend its answer to the complaint to assert affirmative defenses related to Plaintiff's bankruptcy action. Id. For the reasons discussed below, Defendant's motion to dismiss as to standing is DENIED with prejudice. Its motion to dismiss as to judicial estoppel is DENIED without prejudice and the issue is deferred for consideration at the summary judgment stage.
I. Relevant Factual Background
The following facts are taken from matters of public record. Plaintiff filed a Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition on May 28, 2015. Bankruptcy Case No. 15-03967. He averred that he had no "contingent and unliquidated claims of every nature." (Docket No. 54-4 at 2). In December 2016, while the bankruptcy case ran its course, Plaintiff sued Defendant alleging local and federal employment law violations. (Docket No. 1). The bankruptcy proceeding continued until June 26, 2017, when the bankruptcy court discharged Plaintiff's debts, discharged his Chapter 13 trustee, and closed the case. See Docket No. 54-2. Plaintiff never disclosed his claims against Defendant to the bankruptcy court during the six month overlap between both cases. See id. Defendant filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that the bankruptcy case deprives Plaintiff of standing and that his non-disclosure to the bankruptcy court judicially estops Plaintiff from bringing this case. (Docket No. 52).
II. Standard of Review
As courts of limited jurisdiction, federal courts must construe their jurisdictional grants narrowly. Destek Grp. v. State of N.H. Pub. Utils. Comm'n,
When considering a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, the Court analyzes the complaint in a two-step process under the current context-based "plausibility" standard established by the Supreme Court. See FED. R. CIV. P. 12(b)(6) ; Schatz v. Republican State Leadership Comm.,
"[W]here the well-pleaded facts do not permit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of misconduct, the complaint has alleged-but it has not 'show[n]'-'that the pleader is entitled to relief.' " Iqbal,
Although Defendant included exhibits in its motion to dismiss, the Court relies only on matters of public record, which "are fair game in adjudicating [motions to dismiss]." In re Colonial Mortg. Bankers Corp,
III. Discussion
Defendant argues that (1) Plaintiff lacks standing for this case because of his bankruptcy proceeding and (2) Plaintiff is judicially estopped from litigating this case because he failed to disclose it in his bankruptcy proceeding. Defendant also asks the Court for leave to amend its answer to the complaint to assert the affirmative defense of judicial estoppel necessary for its second argument to prevail.
A. Standing
Defendant wrongly argues that this claim was an asset for purposes of Plaintiff's bankruptcy case, and therefore the *659trustee, not Plaintiff, had standing to sue Defendant. (Docket No. 55 at 4).
A plaintiff must establish three elements for constitutional standing: actual or threatened injury, causal connection between the injury and the challenged conduct, and that a favorable Court decision can redress the injury. McInnis-Misenor v. Me. Med. Ctr.,
However, "unlike a Chapter 7 debtor, a Chapter 13 debtor possesses standing-concurrent with that of the trustee-to maintain a non-bankruptcy cause of action on behalf of the estate." Wilson v. Dollar Gen. Corp.,
To support its argument, Defendant cites Vidal v. Doral Bank Corp., where the district court found lack of standing due to the plaintiff's Chapter 7 Bankruptcy case.
B. Judicial Estoppel
Defendant also asserts judicial estoppel against Plaintiff because he failed to disclose this litigation as an asset in his bankruptcy proceeding. Because there is a potential issue of material fact, the Court denies Defendant's motion without prejudice and defers resolution of the matter for summary judgment-if the parties decide to move for summary judgment. See Guay v. Burack,
As a preliminary matter, the Court agrees with Defendant that federal, not local, judicial estoppel law applies in this case. The controversy arises because "judicial estoppel appears neither clearly procedural nor clearly substantive, [thus] there may be a legitimate question as to whether federal or state law ... should supply the rule of decision." Alt. Sys. Concepts, Inc. v. Synopsys, Inc.,
Under federal law, judicial estoppel requires two conditions: "First, the estopping position and the estopped position must be directly inconsistent, that is, mutually exclusive." Guay,
But the second requirement is where the issue in this case becomes trickier: "the responsible party must have succeeded in persuading a court to accept its prior position." Id. at 16 (citing Alternative Sys. Concepts,
C. Leave to Amend Answer
Defendant may amend its answer and assert the affirmative defense of judicial estoppel. Rule 15 of the Federal Rule of Civil Procedures states the Court "should freely give leave [to amend a pleading] when justice so requires." FED. R. CIV. P. 15(a)(2). Here it is clear that Plaintiff misinformed the Bankruptcy court by not listing this claim in his filing. It is also possible the Bankruptcy court discharged him on the basis of his filing. Therefore, justice requires allowing Defendant to amend its complaint and assert estoppel. Plaintiff's conduct, if ultimately subject to judicial estoppel, should not go unpunished.
*661IV. Conclusion
Defendant's motion to dismiss as to standing is DENIED with prejudice. Its motion to dismiss as to judicial estoppel is DENIED without prejudice and the issue is deferred for consideration at the summary judgment stage. Finally, Defendant's motion to amend its answer is GRANTED .
SO ORDERED.
The Court notes that this responds in part to Defendant's request at Docket No. 53 at 2, n. 2. ("However, should the Court decide to treat Defendant's motion as a motion for summary judgment, Defendant respectfully requests that it be given reasonable notice and opportunity to present material and argument pertinent to such motion.").
Plaintiff fleetingly refers to the bankruptcy attorney's decision to move for an order discharging debt as opposed to a voluntary dismissal. Plaintiff implies this was a factor in "a botched bankruptcy proceeding," that is negatively affecting this case. (Docket No. 55 at 5). Plaintiff does not elaborate this point in his motion. As this decision may have impacted Plaintiff's ability to bring this claim, the Court requests additional clarification as to the bankruptcy action.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- William PUIG MARTÍNEZ v. NOVO NORDISK, INC.
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published