Depu v. Yahoo! Inc.
Depu v. Yahoo! Inc.
Opinion of the Court
JOHN D. BATES, United States District Judge *185China's vast censorship of speech on the Internet has been widely reported, as has the Chinese government's detention and imprisonment of many of its citizens for expressing political views online. Plaintiffs are seven Chinese citizens who allege that they were imprisoned in China for online speech, and the wife of another Chinese citizen who was also imprisoned. They allege that as part of a settlement of a 2007 lawsuit brought by imprisoned Chinese activists against Yahoo, the defendants established a charitable trust to provide humanitarian and legal assistance to imprisoned Chinese dissidents. But then defendants allegedly mismanaged and depleted the trust funds and terminated the trust's humanitarian purpose, in violation of their duties under trust and contract law. As explained below, plaintiffs' claims that sound in trust law will be dismissed because they have not plausibly alleged that Yahoo established a charitable trust in 2007 and, even if they had, they lack standing to bring these claims. Plaintiff Ling Yu's contract claims are both insufficiently pled and were released by her when she settled an earlier lawsuit against these defendants. Hence, those claims also fail and the complaint in its entirety will be dismissed.
BACKGROUND
This case arises from another case filed by Chinese political activists against Yahoo more than ten years ago. See Am. Compl. [ECF No. 26] ¶ 29 [hereinafter "FAC"]; Wang v. Yahoo! Inc. No. 07-cv-2151-CW,
In November 2007 (while the case remained pending), Yahoo's CEO, Jerry Yang, testified before Congress concerning the company's disclosure of information to Chinese authorities. Shortly after the hearing, and facing significant pressure from certain members of Congress, Yahoo agreed to settle the Wang lawsuit. In exchange for the Wang plaintiffs' agreement to dismiss their lawsuit with prejudice, Yahoo agreed to pay $3.2 million to each plaintiff's family, and an additional $17.3 million to the Laogai Research Foundation ("LRF") to establish the Yahoo Human Rights Fund ("YHRF"). Id. ¶¶ 33, 36. Plaintiffs here allege that the YHRF is a charitable trust for which they are beneficiaries. See, e.g., id. ¶ 33. The LRF is a non-profit corporation founded by Harry Wu, a former Chinese political prisoner turned political activist. Id. ¶ 24.
Under the terms of the settlement agreement (the "Wang Settlement"), the LRF was to use the $17.3 million for three purposes: (1) "to provide humanitarian and legal assistance primarily to persons in or from ... China who have been imprisoned for expressing their views through Yahoo! or another medium"; (2) "to resolve claims primarily by such persons, or persons threatened with prosecution or imprisonment, against the Yahoo! Entities or any *186Yahoo! subsidiary or affiliate"; and (3) "for payment of [LRF] operating expenses and the [LRF's] educational work conducted in the United States in support of human rights." Wang Settlement (Ex. 2 to Yahoo's Mot. to Dismiss) [ECF No. 29-5] at 113; FAC ¶ 40 n.4. The Wang Settlement further provided that there were "no express or implied third party beneficiaries" to the agreement, and that individuals who received funds from the LRF to resolve claims against Yahoo were not third-party beneficiaries. Id. at 113, 119.
In June 2009, the Wang Settlement was amended to create the Yahoo Irrevocable Human Rights Trust 2009 ("YIHRT").
Meanwhile, Harry Wu-once a celebrated human rights activist with close ties to members of Congress-came under increased scrutiny for his alleged mismanagement of the LRF and the YHRF, and he was involved in several lawsuits. See FAC ¶¶ 37-39; see generally Andrew Jacobs, Champion of Human Rights in China Leaves a Tarnished Legacy, N.Y. Times, Aug. 13, 2016 (Ex. 13 to Yahoo's Mot. to Dismiss) [ECF No. 29-16]. One of those lawsuits was filed in 2011 by Ling Yu, who is also a plaintiff in this case. See Yu v. Wu, No. 11-cv-92 (E.D. Va. filed Jan. 28, 2011) [hereinafter "the 2011 Lawsuit"].
Six years later, Yu filed this lawsuit against Yahoo and two of its executives, the Estate of Harry Wu,
LEGAL STANDARD
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) requires dismissal of a complaint that "fail[s] to state a claim upon which relief can be granted." Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). At the motion to dismiss stage, all of a plaintiff's factual allegations are taken as true. Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly,
When considering a motion to dismiss for lack of standing under Rule 12(b)(1), the Court likewise accepts the plaintiff's allegations as true and draws all reasonable inferences in its favor. See Settles v. U.S. Parole Comm'n,
ANALYSIS
I. WHETHER THE WANG SETTLEMENT CREATED A CHARITABLE TRUST
An initial issue is whether plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that Yahoo established a charitable trust through the Wang Settlement in 2007. Plaintiffs' trust claims-Counts One, Three, Four, and Five-are founded on the proposition that they are beneficiaries of the alleged charitable trust; thus, if there is no trust, these claims must be dismissed. A charitable trust, as opposed to a private trust, is "designed to accomplish objects that are beneficial to the community."
*188Restatement (Third) of Trusts § 28 cmt. a. (2003); see George G. Bogert, George T. Bogert, & Amy Hess, The Law of Trusts and Trustees § 361 (3d ed. 2017) [hereinafter "Bogert"]. To state viable trust claims, plaintiffs must establish that there are: "[1] a trustee, who holds the trust property and is subject to equitable duties to deal with it for the benefit of another; [2] beneficiar[ies], to whom the trustee owes such duties; ... [3] trust property, which is held by the trustee for the beneficiar[ies] ... [4] [and an] intention [by the settlor] to create a trust, which may be manifested 'by written or spoken language or by conduct.' " Duggan v. Keto,
Plaintiffs contend that "these elements are easily met," and they place great stock in the fact that payments were made "in trust" to the LRF. Pls.' Opp'n at 10 (citing FAC ¶¶ 36 & n.3, 40). But courts have recognized that there is nothing talismanic about inclusion of the term "in trust" in an agreement. See In re Ames Dep't Stores, Inc.,
Defendants, in turn, provide several arguments why the Wang Settlement did not create a charitable trust. As an initial matter, the Wang Settlement is a contract and, unlike the 2009 amendment, it does not purport to be a trust document. Compare Wang Settlement with LHRO and YIHRT 2009 Documents. Defendants also contend that plaintiffs have wholly failed to support their conclusory allegations that they are "charitable beneficiaries" of the purported trust. The term "charitable beneficiaries" is never mentioned in the Wang Settlement; indeed, the agreement expressly disclaims the creation of any third-party beneficiaries. See Wang Settlement at 119 ("This Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit only of, and be enforceable only by, the Parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns .... There are no express or implied third party beneficiaries of this Agreement."). Defendants also assert that plaintiffs have failed to plausibly allege that Yahoo intended to establish a charitable trust. See Bogert § 323 ("The conduct of the alleged settlor of the charitable trust must show an intent to create a trust and not some similar relationship or some other effect."); Duggan,
Ultimately, plaintiffs have not plausibly alleged that the Wang settlement created a charitable trust. Hence, all of the claims that sound in trust will be dismissed.
Even assuming that the Beneficiary Plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that Yahoo created a charitable trust for their benefit, their trust claims would still fail for an independent reason: they have failed to establish that they have standing under principles of trust law.
The general rule with respect to charitable trusts is that " 'only a public officer, usually the state Attorney General, has standing to bring an action to enforce the terms of the trust.' " Family Fed'n for World Peace v. Hyun Jin Moon,
To start, the Beneficiary Plaintiffs have not plausibly alleged that they have the type of "special interest" necessary for standing. In Family Federation for World Peace, for example, the court found that a few plaintiffs had the requisite "special *190interest" based on their exceptionally close connection to the charitable corporation.
The Beneficiary Plaintiffs likewise fail to support the conclusory allegation that they are "members of a small, sharply defined, and numerically limited class." FAC ¶ 119. Indeed, their own complaint alleges that, as of 2007, "many Yahoo users [had been] imprisoned [by Chinese authorities] based on evidence provided by Yahoo." Id. ¶ 28 (emphasis added). Yet plaintiffs' proposed class is even broader than the "many" Yahoo users imprisoned as of 2007. The proposed class: (1) includes individuals persecuted for expressing their views "online" through "Yahoo or another medium," Wang Settlement at 113 (emphasis added); FAC ¶ 119; (2) is "primarily," but not exclusively, limited to individuals in China, see Wang Settlement at 113; and (3) is not temporally limited at all. Plaintiffs' "many" number through 2007 has undoubtedly grown much larger today because China has more than 700 million active Internet users, and is considered one of the world's most active censors of online dissent.
At bottom, the Beneficiary Plaintiffs have failed to identify any case where a court conferred standing on a beneficiary class as large as the one they allege here: the cases they rely on involve smaller and more limited classes.
In sum, the Beneficiary Plaintiffs have not satisfied their burden of showing that they have standing to bring their claims under the principles applicable to charitable trusts.
III. BREACH OF SETTLEMENT AND UNJUST ENRICHMENT CLAIMS
Plaintiff Yu's claims for unjust enrichment and breach of the settlement agreement-Counts Two and Six-were released by her when she settled the 2011 Lawsuit and, in any event, are insufficiently pled. These independent grounds warrant dismissal of Yu's claims.
A. Plaintiff Yu Released These Claims
Defendants contend that Yu's claims for unjust enrichment and breach of settlement are precluded by res judicata based on the dismissal with prejudice of the 2011 Lawsuit. See, e.g., LRF's Mot. to Dismiss at 14-15. It is true that Yu asserts some of the same causes of action in this lawsuit that she previously brought in the 2011 Lawsuit, including for unjust enrichment (Count III in the 2011 Lawsuit; Count II here) and breach of the settlement agreement (Count V in the 2011 *192Lawsuit; Count VI here), and that she alleges many of the same facts in this lawsuit that formed the basis of her claims in the 2011 Lawsuit. But Yu expressly disclaims that she is suing for any alleged conduct that occurred prior to October 21, 2011-the date of dismissal of the 2011 Lawsuit. FAC ¶¶ 133, 145. And Yu has alleged misconduct based on some facts that post-date the 2011 Lawsuit. See id. ¶¶ 64, 68. "Res judicata does not preclude claims based on facts not yet in existence at the time of the original action." Drake v. FAA,
But Yu is not completely out of the woods. Defendants' stronger argument is that Yu's claims are barred by the release that she negotiated when she dismissed the 2011 Lawsuit. See, e.g., LRF's Mot. to Dismiss at 14-24. The 2011 Release-a contract executed by and between Yu, Wu, the LRF, the LHRO, and the YHRT
of every kind and nature whatsoever in law, equity or otherwise, past, present or future, ascertained or unascertained, whether now known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, and whether or not concealed or hidden, which have existed or may have existed, or which do exist or may exist, without regard to subsequent discovery or the existence of additional or different facts, from the beginning of the world to the date of this Agreement arising out of or related in any manner to all prior dealings between the parties, without limitation, including but not limited to any events or circumstances alleged or which could have been alleged in the Civil Action.
2011 Release at 2. Yu contends that because she has changed the legal theory from the 2011 Lawsuit-i.e., she now alleges breach of the settlement's "primary humanitarian purpose"-the 2011 Release does not apply. Pls.' Opp'n at 38. Not so. The broad language of the release belies this argument and prevents Yu from evading the release by merely altering her legal theory or by "discovering" additional claims that she could have, but failed to, allege previously.
Even if Yu's claims were not precluded by the 2011 Release, they fail for independent reasons. Yu's breach of settlement claim is insufficient because the *193amended complaint fails to identify any specific provisions of the Wang Settlement that defendants allegedly breached. See Kaar v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.,
Yu's unjust enrichment claim is likewise deficient. That claim is based on the alleged "enormous financial benefits" obtained by Wu and LRF as a result of Yu signing the Wang Settlement, and alleges that defendants obtained "unjust benefits ... as a result of Wu and the LRF's breaches of the Settlement's requirements." FAC ¶¶ 133-34. Thus, the unjust enrichment claim is based on the terms of the Wang Settlement, and turns on defendants' alleged breaches of those terms. While the existence of an express contract does not always foreclose a claim for unjust enrichment-and courts have sometimes permitted a party to plead this as an alternative theory in certain circumstances, see, e.g., Shtauber v. Gerson,
IV. CIVIL CONSPIRACY CLAIM
Plaintiffs remaining civil conspiracy claim (Count Seven) is not an independent cause of action under District of Columbia law. Rather, it "depends on the performance of some underlying tortious act." Halberstam v. Welch,
CONCLUSION
For these reasons, defendants' motion to dismiss will be granted. A separate order has been issued on this date.
Plaintiffs here do not allege any violation of this 2009 trust and expressly disclaim that their lawsuit is based on this trust. See Pls.' Opp'n [ECF No. 32] at 18-19 n.22. Rather, their lawsuit is based on the alleged trust created in 2007 by the Wang Settlement. FAC ¶¶ 26, 36.
The LRF attached a copy of the complaint from the 2011 Lawsuit as an exhibit to its motion to dismiss. See Ex. A to LRF's Mot. to Dismiss [ECF No. 27-2] [hereinafter "DAC"].
The mere conveyance of funds is insufficient on its own to establish a charitable trust. See Bogert § 324 ("Sometimes a person seeks to confer benefits on society by means other than through the use of a trust.").
Defendants also contend that Yahoo did not create a charitable trust because the second purpose of the YHRF-"to resolve claims primarily by [imprisoned Chinese activities], or persons threatened with prosecution or imprisonment, against the Yahoo! Entities or any Yahoo! subsidiary or affiliate"-is not a charitable purpose. See Bogert § 364 (explaining that in a charitable trust, "[t]he trust income must be distributable solely for the public benefit, and not partly or wholly for the purpose of advancing the financial condition of the settlor" (emphasis added) ). Plaintiffs try to explain away this issue in their surreply by stating, for the first time, that Yahoo created a "mixed trust" which canbe administered for both charitable and noncharitable purposes. See Pls.' Surreply [ECF No. 39] at 3. But they have not alleged a "mixed trust" in the amended complaint, and they are not permitted to amend their pleading through their briefs. Fares v. Smith,
See China's Internet users grew in 2016 by the size of Ukraine's population to 731 million, South China Morning Post, Jan. 22, 2017 (Ex. 21 to Yahoo's Mot. to Dismiss) [ECF No. 29-24]; The Internet in China: A Tool for Freedom or Suppression?: Joint Hearing Before the Subcomm. on Africa, Global Human Rights and Int'l Operations and Subcomm. on Asia and the Pac. of the H. Comm. on Int'l Relations, 109th Cong. 174 (2006) (Ex. 7 to Yahoo's Mot. to Dismiss) [ECF No. 29-10] (statement of Rep. Leach, Member, H. Comm. on Int'l Relations) ("According to China's own state-run media, it has put together the world's most extensive and comprehensive regulatory system for Internet administration and has perfected a 24-hour, real-time, situational censorship mechanism.").
Numerous cases have denied standing to what appear to be smaller, more limited beneficiary classes. See, e.g., State ex rel. Nixon v. Hutcherson,
Hooker also reinforces the notion that even when litigants challenge a "fundamental" change to a charitable trust, for there to be standing the potential beneficiary class must still be "small and distinct."
Defendants also argue that the Beneficiary Plaintiffs lack Article III standing. See, e.g., Yahoo's Mot. to Dismiss at 10-11. The "irreducible constitutional minimum" of standing requires a plaintiff to have "(1) suffered an injury in fact, (2) that is fairly traceable to the challenged conduct of the defendant, and (3) that is likely to be redressed by a favorable judicial decision." Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, --- U.S. ----,
The Release expressly applies to these entities and "their parent entities, whole and partial subsidiaries and other affiliated companies and each of their respective current and former officers, employees, directors, shareholders, fiduciaries, transferees, attorneys, insurers, accountants, sureties, trusts, predecessors, successors, and assignees." 2011 Release at 2.
Indeed, Yu has alleged that "[t]he systematic and unlawful depletion began immediately [in 2007]," FAC ¶ 61, and she admitted that she was aware of this improper depletion by the time she filed the 2011 Lawsuit, see DAC ¶¶ 47-48.
The result would be the same under California law, which the parties selected as the governing law for the Wang Settlement. See Klein v. Chevron U.S.A., Inc.,
The Court need not reach defendants' other arguments in favor of dismissal, including that plaintiffs' claims are time barred. The claims against the Doe defendants will not survive for the same reasons explained above. Finally, the parties' requests for a hearing on the motions to dismiss are denied as moot.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- HE DEPU v. YAHOO! INC.
- Cited By
- 13 cases
- Status
- Published