TERENCE C. KERN, District Judge.
Before the Court are Defendant Unified Life Insurance Company's ("Unified") Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 11) ("Motion to Dismiss") and Plaintiff's Opposed Motion for Leave to File an Amended Complaint (Doc. 62) ("Motion for Leave").
The following facts are alleged in Plaintiff's Class Action Complaint ("Complaint").
Plaintiff, as Special Administrator of Kirk's estate and on behalf of all others similarly situated,
In conjunction with these allegations, Plaintiff asserts three causes of action against Unified. First, Plaintiff brings a claim for "unjust enrichment/restitution," claiming that the Dental Plan constitutes an illegal contract, and Unified has therefore wrongfully retained the monthly premiums paid by Kirk and the Proposed Class. (Id. ¶¶ 38-44.) Second, Plaintiff alleges that Unified, by accepting and not returning the illegally obtained premiums, has committed a claim for conversion. (See id. ¶ 46.) Finally, Plaintiff brings a claim under the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act ("OCPA"), maintaining that Unified engaged in an "unfair trade practice" by "selling to [Kirk] and members of the Class the Dental insurance contract, which is illegal and thus `offends established public policy.'" (Id. ¶ 51.)
Unified has moved to dismiss the Complaint, claiming that it fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) ("Rule 12(b)(6)").
In considering a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), a court must determine whether the plaintiff has stated a claim upon which relief may be granted. The inquiry is "whether the complaint contains `enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.'" Ridge at Red Hawk, LLC v. Schneider, 493 F.3d 1174, 1177 (10th Cir.2007) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). In order to survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss, a plaintiff must "`nudge [] [his] claims across the line from conceivable to plausible.'" Schneider, 493 F.3d at 1177 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955). Thus, "the mere metaphysical possibility that some plaintiff could prove some set of facts in support of the pleaded claims is insufficient; the complaint must give the court reason to believe that this plaintiff has a reasonable likelihood of mustering factual support for these claims." Schneider, 493 F.3d at 1177.
The Tenth Circuit has interpreted "plausibility," the term used by the Supreme Court in Twombly, to "refer to the scope of the allegations in a complaint" rather than to mean "likely to be true." Robbins v. Okla. ex rel. Okla. Dep't of Human Servs., 519 F.3d 1242, 1247 (10th Cir.2008). Thus, "if [allegations] are so general that they encompass a wide swath of conduct, much of it innocent, then the plaintiffs have not nudged their claims across the line from conceivable to plausible." Id. (internal quotations omitted). "The allegations must be enough that, if assumed to be true, the plaintiff plausibly (not just speculatively) has a claim for relief." Id. "This requirement of plausibility serves not only to weed out claims that do not (in the absence of additional allegations) have a reasonable prospect of success, but also to inform the defendants of the actual grounds of the claim against them." Id. at 1248. In addition, the Tenth Circuit has stated that "the degree of specificity necessary to establish plausibility and fair notice, and therefore the need to include sufficient factual allegations, depends on context," and that whether a defendant receives fair notice "depends on the type of case." Id.
Unjust enrichment is a "recognized ground for recovery in Oklahoma" and "describes a condition resulting from the failure of a party to make restitution in circumstances where it is inequitable." Lapkin v. Garland Bloodworth, Inc., 23 P.3d 958, 961 (Okla.Civ.App.2000) (internal citations omitted). "A right of recovery under the doctrine of unjust enrichment is essentially equitable, its basis being that in a given situation it is contrary to equity and good conscience for one to retain a benefit which has come to him at the expense of another." Id. In order to demonstrate a claim for unjust enrichment, the plaintiff must prove "enrichment to another coupled with a resulting injustice." Teel v. Pub. Serv. Co. of Okla., 767 P.2d 391, 398 (Okla.1985). Unified argues that Plaintiff's unjust enrichment claim fails because (1) it is based on OHCA regulations,
Unified maintains that because Plaintiff's unjust enrichment claim is essentially based on violation of the OHCA regulations, it is necessary to determine whether such regulations imply a private right of action pursuant to the factors enumerated in Holbert v. Echeverria, 744 P.2d 960 (Okla.1987). In Holbert, the Oklahoma Supreme Court adopted a three-prong test for determining whether a state regulatory statute implies a private right of action. This test, known as the "Holbert test," consists of the following three prongs: (1) the plaintiff must belong to that class for whose "especial" benefit the statute was enacted and the class must be narrower than the "public at large"; (2) the statute must either explicitly or implicitly give some indication the legislature intended to create a private remedy; and (3) the private remedy must not be inconsistent with the underlying purposes of the legislative scheme. See Walker v. Chouteau Lime Co., Inc., 849 P.2d 1085, 1086-87 (Okla.1993) (citing Holbert, 744 P.2d 960). Unified argues that when applied to this case, the Holbert test demonstrates that there is no private right of action included within the OHCA regulations.
The Court finds the Holbert test inapplicable to the case at hand. A review of the cases cited by Unified in its Motion to Dismiss demonstrates that the Holbert test is applied to causes of action based on statutory or regulatory non-compliance. See Holbert, 744 P.2d 960 (alleging explicit claim for violation of the OCPA and analyzing whether OCPA implied a private right of action to support such a claim); Walker, 849 P.2d at 1086-87 (applying Holbert analysis to claim for violation of the Unfair Claim Settlement Practices Act); Thomas v. Metro. Life Ins. Co., 540 F.Supp.2d 1212, 1228-29 (W.D.Okla.2008) (applying Holbert analysis to claims for violations of OCPA and Oklahoma Deceptive Trade Practices Act). Notably, these cases did not involve contracts rendered illegal because of a particular statute or regulation in question.
In contrast, Plaintiff is not bringing an explicit claim for violation of Section 317:30-5-133.1, but is rather asserting an unjust enrichment claim based on the position that the Dental Plan is illegal pursuant to Section 317:30-5-133.1 and therefore void as a matter of law. (See Pl.'s Resp. to Def.'s Mot. to Dismiss 9-10 ("In contrast, the regulation at issue here ... is merely the mechanism for determining the Unified dental plan to be illegal and void.")). Plaintiff's unjust enrichment claim, although involving Section 317:30-5-133.1, is not brought pursuant to Section 317:30-5-133.1, but is instead brought under general contract and equity principles. See Okla. Stat. tit. 15, § 211 ("Those contracts are illegal which are: 1. Contrary to an express provision of law; 2. Contrary to the policy of express law, though not expressly prohibited; or, 3. Otherwise contrary to good morals."); Birdwell v. Tri-State Ins. Co., 286 P.2d 736, 740 (Okla. 1955) ("[A]n insurance contract which has the effect of furthering any matter or thing prohibited by statute, falls within the same rule as contracts generally and is therefore void."); Lapkin, 23 P.3d at 961 ("This court has held that an express contract between parties does not preclude recission and a finding of unjust enrichment where equity demands such a result.") (finding "equity requir[ed] the return of [attorney] fees" obtained under a settlement agreement after settlement agreement was declared void). Thus, based on the nature of Plaintiff's cause of
Second, Unified argues that even assuming the Dental Plan is illegal for violating Section 317:30-5-133.1, Plaintiff cannot bring a claim for unjust enrichment when "Plaintiff and the proposed class members received the counterperformance specified by the parties' allegedly unenforceable agreement." (Def.'s Reply in Support of Mot. to Dismiss 2.) In support of this position, Unified cites Van Zanen v. Qwest Wireless, L.L.C., 522 F.3d 1127 (10th Cir.2008), and Restatement (Third) of Restitution and Unjust Enrichment § 32(2) (Tentative Draft No. 3, 2004).
In Van Zanen, plaintiffs filed a class action, claiming that Qwest Wireless had been unjustly enriched by selling cell phone handset insurance in violation of an Arizona insurance licensing statute and seeking recovery of the insurance premiums paid to Qwest. The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's holding that plaintiffs could not state a claim for unjust enrichment against Qwest based on Qwest's counterperformance. Specifically, applying Colorado law regarding unjust enrichment, the Tenth Circuit predicted that the Colorado Supreme Court would hold that even if an agreement is illegal or otherwise enforceable, there can be no unjust enrichment if the claimant receives the counterperformance specified by the parties unenforceable agreement. See Van Zanen, 522 F.3d at 1132. In so holding, the court noted that this was the view of the "substantial" majority of courts, id., as well as the Restatement (Third) of Restitution and Unjust Enrichment § 32(2), tentatively approved by the membership of the American Law Institute. See Restatement (Third) of Restitution and Unjust Enrichment § 32(2) (Tentative Draft No. 3, 2004) ("There is no unjust enrichment if the claimant receives the counterperformance specified by the parties' unenforceable agreement."). Unified points to Van Zanen as support for its position that because Plaintiff and the Proposed Class received insurance coverage from the Dental Plan, they are unable to bring a claim for unjust enrichment.
The parties have not cited, nor has this Court found, any case in which an Oklahoma court has directly addressed whether counterperformance of an allegedly unlawful contract bars an unjust enrichment claim based on such contract. This Court, like the court in Van Zanen, must therefore predict how the Oklahoma Supreme Court would rule. See Lampkin v. Little, 286 F.3d 1206, 1212 (10th Cir.2002) (stating the court's task was "to predict how [the Oklahoma Supreme Court] would rule" given the absence of Oklahoma precedent). The Court agrees with Unified that it is likely that the Supreme Court of Oklahoma would follow the position adopted by the Tenth Circuit in Van Zanen. First, Oklahoma and Colorado share virtually identical requisites for a claim of unjust enrichment. Stated in general terms, both states require an expense to plaintiff, a benefit to defendant, and a resulting injustice. See Van Zanen, 522 F.3d at 1130 ("Under Colorado law, to establish a claim of unjust enrichment a plaintiff must show that (1) at plaintiff's expense (2) defendant received a benefit (3) under circumstances that would make it unjust for defendant to retain the benefit without paying.") (internal quotations omitted); Teel, 767 P.2d at 398 (stating that in order to demonstrate a claim for unjust enrichment under Oklahoma law, the plaintiff must prove "enrichment to another coupled with a resulting injustice"); Lapkin, 23 P.3d at 961 (noting that under Oklahoma law, the basis of an unjust enrichment claim is that "in a given
However, although the Court agrees with Unified that Van Zanen and the majority position would likely be followed by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, Unified's analysis of the counterperformance issue is incomplete. Unified fails to note that inherent in Van Zanen is the notion that the counterperformance be valuable to the plaintiff, such that plaintiff did not suffer any unjust detriment. For example, in Van Zanen, the Tenth Circuit stated that "[t]he clear import of the [district court] decision is not that the Van Zanens failed to incur an expense; rather, it is that the Van Zanens received value for their money and that in the absence of any unfair detriment, there is no injustice to prevent." Van Zanen, 522 F.3d at 1130 (emphasis added); see id. at 1129 (discussing the district court's finding that the Van Zanens "obtained a valuable product for which they bargained and which they intend to keep" and therefore did not suffer any "detriment, expense, or impoverishment") (emphasis added) (internal quotations and citations omitted); see Van Zanen v. Qwest Wireless, L.L.C., 550 F.Supp.2d 1261 (D.Colo.2007) (noting that the Van Zanens were "satisfied with their purchase of the policy" and that the Van Zanens alleged that "they would not have obtained this salutary product but for Qwest's efforts") (emphasis added). Further, in affirming the district court, the court found that the Van Zanens' unjust enrichment claim was barred because "[i]f the Van Zanens were allowed to recover the fees that they paid Qwest, they would, as the district court noted, be allowed to retain a benefit without paying for it." Id. at 1131 (emphasis added).
Further, in prohibiting the Van Zanens' unjust enrichment claim, the Tenth Circuit explicitly distinguished cases cited by the Van Zanens on the basis that, in such cases, "the purchaser seeking restitution had not received or retained any benefit from the service or product." Id. at 1132 (distinguishing, inter alia, Kansas City Cmty. Ctr. v. Heritage Indus., Inc., 972 F.2d 185, 189-90 (8th Cir.1992) (finding plaintiff was entitled to restitution, despite the fact that defendant architect completed design plans, because plaintiff did not obtain any benefit from defendant's architectural plans when plaintiff did not use the plans and paid for the creation of new plans) and Wineman v. Blueprint 100, Inc. 75 Misc.2d 665, 348 N.Y.S.2d 721, 723 (N.Y.City Civ.Ct.1973) (finding defendant was entitled to restitution of retainer fee from plaintiff architect when architect was not licensed, as required by New York law, and, although architect performed his part
Indeed, the Court finds this conclusion to comport with the general principles behind an unjust enrichment claim under Oklahoma law. Specifically, as stated above, unjust enrichment "is essentially equitable," and is based on the notion that "in a given situation it is contrary to equity and good conscience for one to retain a benefit which has come to him at the expense of another." Lapkin, 23 P.3d at 961. Barring an unjust enrichment claim due to the mere existence of counterperformance, when that counterperformance did not result in any benefit to plaintiff (and in fact might have resulted in detriment to plaintiff), would fly in the face of the equitable principles behind an unjust enrichment claim. Rather, when counterperformance does not benefit a plaintiff, the principles of equity point to permitting a claim for unjust enrichment since, in such a situation, the plaintiff's ability to demonstrate detriment is not negated by the act of counterperformance. In addition to furthering the underlying principles of unjust enrichment, this finding also takes into account that "equity eschews mechanical rules," "requires courts to exercise flexibility," and requires courts to "assess all relevant facts and circumstances and tailor appropriate relief on a case by case basis." McNeely v. Nat'l Mobile Health Care, L.L.C., No. CIV-07-933-M, 2008 WL 2944933, at *2, *6 (W.D.Okla. July 25, 2008) (applying Oklahoma law) (internal quotations and citations omitted) (denying summary judgment as to unjust enrichment claim based on plaintiff's assertion that contract for dental insurance was void despite defendant's argument that plaintiff received benefit from insurance policy).
Applying this finding to the instant case, the Court looks to the allegations of Plaintiff's Complaint. Therein, Plaintiff alleges that "[t]his class action confronts a scheme hatched by [Unified] to illegally bilk thousands of aged Oklahoma nursing home residents receiving Medicaid assistance out of their personal funds, under the guise of providing them dental insurance." (Compl. ¶ 8.) Plaintiff further alleges that the denture-related services offered by the Dental Plan were "virtually identical to
"Conversion is any act of dominion wrongfully exerted over another's personal property in denial of or inconsistent with his rights therein." Welty v. Martinaire of Okla., Inc., 867 P.2d 1273, 1275 (Okla.1994) (internal citations omitted); see also Shebester v. Triple Crown Insurers, 826 P.2d 603, 608 (Okla.1992) ("Conversion is an illegal taking of another's personalty inconsistent with his ownership rights."). "The general rule in Oklahoma is that only tangible personal property may be converted." Welty, 867 P.2d at 1275 (internal citations omitted) (emphasis in original). When a plaintiff seeks to recover money, there is no conversion. See Shebester, 826 P.2d at 608 (finding no common-law conversion claim when claimant sought to recover money, which under Oklahoma law, "is considered intangible personal property"); AG Equip. Co. v. AIG Life Ins. Co., Inc., No. 07-CV-0556-CVE-PJC, 2008 WL 4570319, at *5 (N.D.Okla. Oct. 10, 2008) (dismissing claim for conversion because conversion claim was based on allegation that defendant wrongfully retained money paid by plaintiff) ("[B]ecause [plaintiff] is seeking to recover money only, the Court finds that [plaintiff] has not stated a claim for conversion under Oklahoma law."); Slover v. Equitable Variable Life Ins. Co., 443 F.Supp.2d 1272, 1279 (N.D.Okla.2006) (applying Oklahoma law) ("Generally, only tangible personal property may be converted, such that conversion will not lie where the seller has the right to recover money, which is considered to be intangible personal property.") (internal citations omitted).
In this case, Unified argues that because Plaintiff's conversion claim seeks to recover money, it must be dismissed.
Unified argues that Plaintiff's OCPA claim should be dismissed because the OCPA exempts from its coverage: "Actions or transactions regulated under laws administered by the Corporation Commission or any other regulatory body or officer acting under statutory authority of this state of the United States...." Okla. Stat. tit. 15, § 754(2) ("Section 754(2)"). Unified argues that under this exclusion from coverage, Plaintiff's OCPA claim should be dismissed because it involves transactions regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner.
The Court agrees with Unified and finds that Plaintiff's action falls within the exemption outlined in Section 754(2). Plaintiff's OCPA claim alleges that Unified engaged in an unfair trade practice by selling the Dental Plan to Plaintiff and the Proposed Class. (See Compl. ¶ 51.) This transaction—namely, the sale of the Dental Plan—is clearly regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Code and the Insurance Commissioner. See Okla. Const. Art. 6, § 22 (establishing Insurance Department, and stating that department is "charged with the execution of all laws now in force, or which shall hereafter be passed, in relation to insurance and insurance companies doing business in the state"); Okla. Stat. tit. 36, § 307 (stating that Insurance Commissioner "shall have jurisdiction over all complaints against all persons engaged in the business of insurance"); Okla. Stat. tit. 36, § 632 ("Unless otherwise provided for by law or exempted by the provisions of this section, any person or other entity which provides coverage in this state for... dental expenses, whether coverage is by direct payment, reimbursement, or other means, shall be presumed to be subject to the jurisdiction of the Insurance Commissioner unless the person or other entity shows that while providing coverage the person or entity is subject to the jurisdiction of another agency of this or another state, any subdivision of this state, or the federal government...."); Okla. Stat. tit. 36, § 1205 ("The Commissioner shall have power to examine and investigate into the affairs of every person engaged in the business of insurance in this state in order to determine whether such person has been or is engaged in any unfair method of competition or in any unfair or deceptive act or practice prohibited by Section 1203 of this article."); Thomas, 540 F.Supp.2d at 1228-29 (finding OCPA claim against insurance company was barred due to the "broad enforcement and regulatory powers provided to the Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner to regulate the kinds of acts alleged as wrongful in this action").
The Court is unpersuaded by Plaintiff's argument that because the "illegality of an insurance policy ... does not appear to be one of the `unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices' regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner," the exception of Section 754(2) does not apply. (See Pl.'s Resp. to Def.'s Mot. to Dismiss 15.) First, Plaintiff's argument is made without any supporting case law. Second, it ignores the general principle that the Insurance Commissioner regulates the sale of insurance policies, which is the transaction at the core of Plaintiff's OCPA claim. Although there are not many cases construing Section 754(2), those cases treating this exception suggest that when the OCPA claim involves an insurer's activity in the business of insurance, the exception applies. See Thomas, 540 F.Supp.2d at 1228-29; Conatzer v. Am. Mercury Insur. Co., Inc., 15 P.3d 1252, 1255 (Okla.Civ.App.2000) (permitting OCPA claim against insurer, despite exception of Section 754(2), when
Plaintiff seeks to amend the Complaint in order to: (1) add MobileCare as a defendant; (2) eliminate all references in the Complaint to Sterling; and (3) adjust the nature of the conversion claim, "making it [i]n the nature of a `Thing in Action,'" (Mot. for Leave 2-3). In objecting to Plaintiff's Motion to Amend, Unified relies on the arguments advanced in its Motion to Dismiss, contending that the amendments are futile because they do not save the claims from dismissal. (Def.'s Resp. to Pl.'s Opposed Mot. for Leave to File Am. Compl. 4 ("Plaintiff's proposed amendments add no viability to the claims set forth in her original complaint, all of which are subject to Unified's pending Motion to Dismiss.").) Unified therefore argues that "the proper action is for the [C]ourt to deny the proposed amendments because they are necessarily subject to dismissal as a result of Unified's [Motion to Dismiss], and are therefore indisputably futile." (Id.)
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a)(2), a court should "freely give leave [to amend] when justice so requires." District courts generally deny leave to amend only on a "showing of undue delay, undue prejudice to the opposing party, bad faith or dilatory motive, failure to cure deficiencies by amendments previously allowed, or futility of amendment." Duncan v. Manager, Dep't of Safety, City and Cnty. of Denver, 397 F.3d 1300, 1315 (10th Cir.2005) (internal quotation omitted); see Corporate Stock Transfer, Inc. v. AE Biofuels, Inc., 663 F.Supp.2d 1056, 1061 (D.Colo.2009) (noting that the non-moving party bears the burden of showing that the proposed amendment is sought in bad faith, that it is futile, or that it would cause substantial prejudice, undue delay or injustice). When futility of amendment is at issue, as in the instant case, a court may deny a motion for leave to amend "if the proposed amendment would not withstand a motion to dismiss or if it fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted." Collins v. Wal-Mart, Inc., 245 F.R.D. 503, 507 (D.Kan.2007) (internal citations omitted). "In order to determine whether a proposed amendment is futile, the court must analyze the proposed amendment as if it were before the court on a motion to dismiss pursuant to [Rule 12(b)(6)]." Id. (internal citations omitted).
Therefore, because the standard under which the Court assesses the futility of Plaintiff's Motion to Amend overlaps with the 12(b)(6) standard, the Court incorporates its 12(b)(6) analysis outlined above. See supra Section II. Based on the Court's findings therein, any amendments affecting Plaintiff's unjust enrichment claim are not futile, as that claim is not subject to dismissal and the proposed amendments do nothing to change the nature of that claim. However, the Court does find the proposed amendments futile as to Plaintiff's OCPA claim. As detailed above, the Court finds dismissal of this claim proper pursuant to the exception
The conversion claim requires a more detailed analysis due to the fact that Plaintiff's proposed amendments make explicit changes to this claim. Specifically, Plaintiff wishes to change the conversion claim so that it is now alleges a claim of "Conversion/Thing in Action as Per 60 Okla. St. § 312." (See Proposed First Am. Class Action Compl., Ex. A to Pl.'s Mot. to Amend, at 15) (alleging that "[w]ithout limitation, [the void nature of the Dental Plan and the fact that Unified retained premiums from the Dental Plan] entitles Plaintiffs to assert an action for conversion or a Thing in Action as per 60 Okla. St. § 312."). In support of this amendment, Plaintiff cites Brown v. Oklahoma State Bank & Trust Company of Vinita, 860 P.2d 230 (Okla.1993), and Okla. Stat. tit. 60, § 312 (stating "[a] thing in action is a right to recover money or other personal property, by judicial proceedings), as cited in Brown. Specifically, in Brown, the Oklahoma Supreme Court stated as follows:
Id. at 232 n. 4 (stating same in relation to plaintiff's claim that school board had converted monetary funds). Unified does not advance a specific objection to this amendment, but instead rests on its Motion to Dismiss briefing, which fails to address the effect of alleging a "thing in action." Given Brown and the absence of a specific objection from Unified, the Court will grant Plaintiff leave to amend the conversion claim as set forth in the First Amended Complaint.
For the reasons discussed herein, Unified's Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 11) is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART, and Plaintiff's Opposed Motion for Leave to File an Amended Complaint (Doc. 62) is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART. Plaintiff's OCPA claim is dismissed, and Plaintiff is permitted to file a First Amended Complaint, alleging claims for unjust enrichment and "Conversion/Thing in Action," within ten (10) days of the date of this Order.
(Id. ¶ 21 ("Proposed Class").)