JAMES LAWRENCE KING, Senior District Judge.
The third motion to dismiss was filed by Defendants Charles L. Neustein, P.A., Law Offices of Charles L. Neustein, P.A., and Charles L. Neustein (DE #77). The Court has been fully briefed on the matters raised therein,
This case centers around a massive fraud relating to the sale of properties in Costa Rica.
The individual Defendants allegedly used the sixteen entity Defendants to carry out the Ponzi scheme. The first named Defendant-entity is Paragon Properties of Costa Rica, LLC, and the Plaintiffs have dubbed Defendants' entire fraudulent scheme the "the Paragon enterprise." (DE #64 ¶ 1). The Defendant entities are collectively referred to in the Complaint as "Paragon" or "the Paragon entities." Id. According to Plaintiffs, "Paragon" marketed and sold vacant lots in Costa Rica through the individual Defendant-entities. One of the entities was listed as the seller on each of the sales contracts. The lots themselves were supposedly part of large subdivision projects which had not yet begun construction. Purchasers were required to make a substantial deposit to consummate the sale. Additionally, Paragon frequently solicited additional installment payments beyond the initial deposit by offering a discount off the final purchase price if the installment was paid prior to the closing date. All of these payments were supposedly refundable upon request. All payments were made to Defendants' escrow agent, Charles L. Neustein, P.A., which is also named as a Defendant in this action. Charles L. Neustein, P.A. was an entity run by Defendant Charles L. Neustein, a Florida lawyer who previously served as a North Miami Municipal Judge. Brochures and other materials sent to investors emphasized Defendant Neustein's judicial experience.
Defendants used virtually identical sales contracts, called Agreements for Deed, for all the sales. Among other things, the Agreements for Deed provide that Paragon would provide roads, electricity, water and sewer service within two years of signing the agreement. The Agreements for Deed require the buyer to pay the balance of the purchase price within five years from the date of signing the Agreement, and the seller to transfer title to the property within a reasonable time after payment of the full purchase price. The Agreements also contain a unique clause: If the entire balance is not paid within the five-year period, any amounts that have been paid by the purchaser are fully refundable.
However, according to Plaintiffs, "Paragon, like the paradise it purported to sell, is a myth." (DE #64 ¶ 4). The promised infrastructure improvements were never made, refund requests have gone unanswered, and valid deeds have not been provided to buyers who made full payments. Plaintiffs allege that the promises contained in the Agreements for Deed were false when made, and are therefore fraudulent. Accordingly, they assert claims for breach of contract, fraudulent inducement, civil RICO, civil theft, breach of fiduciary duty, restoration of lost document, violation of the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act ("ISFDA"), and fraudulent transfers.
The Complaint is divided into three sections. Section I is an introduction that describes the scheme generally, identifies the parties, and includes jurisdiction and venue allegations. (DE #64 at ¶¶ 1-132). Section II describes the transactions entered into between Defendants and individual named Plaintiffs. Id. ¶¶ 133-772. Section II also contains class action allegations. Id. ¶¶ 773-80. Section III alleges the above-mentioned causes of action in nine counts. Id. ¶¶ 781-865. Defendants move to dismiss the entire Complaint on the ground that it is a shotgun pleading, and move to dismiss all of the individual counts except for Count VII, which seeks restoration of a lost document on behalf of Plaintiffs who do not have an executed copy of their Agreements for Deed in their possession.
Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires that a complaint contain "a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2). To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must allege "enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). "A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged." Ashcroft v. Iqbal, ___ U.S. ____, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). This plausibility requirement outlined by the Supreme Court "requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955.
"For the purposes of a motion to dismiss, the Court must view the allegations of the complaint in the light most favorable to Plaintiff, consider the allegations of the complaint as true, and accept all reasonable inferences therefrom." Omar ex rel. Cannon v. Lindsey, 334 F.3d 1246, 1247 (11th Cir.2003). However, "the tenet that a court must accept as true all of the allegations contained in a complaint is inapplicable to legal conclusions." Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949. Thus, courts determining the sufficiency of a complaint engage in a two-pronged analysis: "(1) eliminate any allegations in the complaint that are merely legal conclusions; and (2) where there are well-pleaded factual allegations, `assume their veracity and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement to relief.'" Am. Dental Assoc. v. Cigna Corp., 605 F.3d 1283, 1290 (11th Cir.2010) (quoting Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1950).
Defendants argue the Complaint should be dismissed as an impermissible "shotgun
Magluta, 256 F.3d at 1284.
However, Plaintiff's Complaint differs from the complaint in Magluta and the type of complaint condemned as a "shotgun pleading" in this circuit. "The typical shotgun complaint contains several counts, each one incorporating by reference the allegations of its predecessors, leading to a situation where most of the counts (i.e., all but the first) contain irrelevant factual allegations and legal conclusions." Strategic Income Fund, L.L.C. v. Spear, Leeds & Kellogg Corp., 305 F.3d 1293, 1295 (11th Cir.2002). See also Whitney Info. Network, Inc. v. Gagnon, 353 F.Supp.2d 1208, 1210-11 (M.D.Fla.2005) ("A party may not incorporate all allegations of each count in every successive count.... The entirety of the counterclaim will be dismissed as a shotgun pleading."); T.D.S., Inc. v. Shelby Mutual Ins. Co., 760 F.2d 1520, 1545 (11th Cir.1985) (criticizing complaint which "combin[ed] a variety of discrete claims in one count in such a way as to make it difficult to discern which allegations or damages pertained to which theory of recovery"). Unlike the complaints normally characterized as "shotgun pleadings," the Complaint here incorporates the allegations of Section II only (allegations relating to named Plaintiffs' individual transactions) into six of the nine counts. It does not incorporate all the preceding paragraphs in the Complaint into each successive count, and each count states which Defendants it is asserted against. See Flamenbaum v. Orient Lines, Inc., Case No. 03-22549, 2004 WL 1773207, at *15 ("It is hardly a violation in every case for several counts to adopt by reference paragraphs describing the same set of circumstances.").
The collective references throughout the Complaint to "Paragon" and "the Paragon Entities," however, is problematic. Plaintiffs explain they used the collective reference for the sake of brevity — because the alleged misrepresentations in each Plaintiff's Agreement for Deed are identical, Plaintiffs sought to avoid repeating the
However, such a collective reference is only permissible if Defendants and the Court can ascertain which Defendants are alleged to have engaged in what wrongdoing. As explained more fully in the sections below, Plaintiffs' use of the collective reference becomes problematic in Section II. In many instances, Plaintiffs employ the collective reference to "Paragon" or "the Paragon entities" to allege specific transactions between individual named Plaintiffs and specific Defendants. If Plaintiffs wish Section II to serve as the factual basis for the counts pled in Section III, Section II must be pled with the specificity required by Rule 8 and Twombly. Although this Complaint is not as egregious as the "shotgun pleadings" discussed above, the collective references in Section II render many of Plaintiffs' claims insufficient under Rule 8, and where applicable, Rule 9(b). These pleading deficiencies are discussed in detail in the succeeding sections.
In federal court, fraud-based claims must be pled with the heightened level of particularity required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b). Rule 9(b) provides: "In alleging fraud or mistake, a party must state with particularity the circumstances constituting fraud or mistake. Malice, intent, knowledge, and other conditions of a person's mind may be alleged generally." Fed.R.Civ.P. 9(b). To comply with Rule 9(b), a complaint alleging fraud must state: "(1) the precise statements, documents, or misrepresentations made; (2) the time and place of and person responsible for the statement; (3) the content and manner in which the statements misled the Plaintiffs; and (4) what the Defendants gained by the alleged fraud." Ambrosia Coal & Constr. Co. v. Morales, 482 F.3d 1309, 1316-17 (11th Cir.2007).
Count IV of the Complaint incorporates Section II of the Complaint (allegations of individual Plaintiffs' transactions with Defendants), and alleges violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c) ("RICO"). (DE #64 ¶¶ 809-25). Defendants argue Plaintiffs have failed to state a claim for relief under RICO. Upon review of the Complaint, the Court finds that Plaintiffs have failed to comply with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) and Local Rule 12.1, which requires the filing of a Civil RICO Case Statement. Count IV will be dismissed without prejudice.
RICO, in relevant part, prohibits the conducting of an enterprise's affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity. 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c).
RICO predicate acts sounding in fraud must be pled with the heightened level of specificity required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) for fraud claims generally. Liquidation Comm'n of Banco Intercontinental v. Renta, 530 F.3d 1339, 1355 (11th Cir.2008) (finding that fraudbased predicate acts must be pleaded with specificity, but non-fraud predicate acts need only meet Rule 8 pleading standard).
Here, Defendants argue that Plaintiffs have failed to allege the predicate acts of racketeering activity, mail and wire fraud, with the requisite particularity. The offenses of mail and wire fraud are simply the transmission of a misrepresentation through the mail or by wire, respectively. 18 U.S.C. § 1341 (mail fraud); 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (wire fraud). Plaintiffs allege the misrepresentations in this case were the statements in the individual Plaintiffs' Agreements for Deed that "all monies paid are 100% refundable if the transaction does not close." (DE #64). Accordingly, Plaintiffs assert that the "person responsible for the statement" is the seller of the property referenced in each Agreement for Deed. Id. However, Plaintiffs fail to name the seller in Section II of the Complaint for a number of the transactions described in the Complaint. See, e.g., id. ¶¶ 242-46 (alleging Plaintiff Grant Moody purchased property from "Paragon" without naming individual person or entity who acted as the seller); ¶¶ 247-55 (same, as to transactions with Plaintiff Randall Lipsius); ¶¶ 335-41 (same, as to transactions with Plaintiff Joshua Swedland); ¶¶ 406-10 (same, as to transactions with Plaintiff Frances DeLuca). Plaintiffs argue that Defendants may find this information by referring to the Agreements for Deed themselves, which were filed as Exhibits to the Second Amended Complaint. (DE #66). However, the Exhibits are 159 pages long and are not indexed or organized in any way to aid in locating the Agreement corresponding to a particular property, plaintiff, or defendant. Id. This failure to identify the particular Defendant responsible for the alleged misrepresentations that constitute mail and wire fraud in the Complaint itself is fatal to Plaintiffs' RICO claim.
In addition, Plaintiffs allege that Defendants made misrepresentations other than those contained in the Agreements for Deed. The Complaint states the following sentence with respect to each of the individual Plaintiffs' transactions with Defendants: "Similar oral misrepresentations were made via wire prior to the execution of the Agreement for Deed." See, e.g., DE #64 ¶¶ 138, 145, 162, 175, 273, 294, 319, 381, 431, 639. Plaintiffs allege no facts supporting these statements. To the extent that Plaintiffs wish these "similar oral misrepresentations" to serve as RICO predicate acts, they must allege the misrepresentations made, the person responsible
This Court's Local Rules reiterate Rule 9(b)'s heightened specificity standard by requiring that all civil RICO plaintiffs file and serve a RICO Case Statement. S.D.Fla. L.R. 12.1. The RICO Case Statement must "include the facts relied on to initiate the RICO claim." Id. To ensure that the necessary facts are included, the Case Statement must contain specific information that is listed in the Rule, and must be presented in the format laid out in the Rule. Id. RICO claims may be subject to dismissal for failure to comply with Rule 12.1. Platypus Wear, Inc. v. Clarke Modet & Co., Case No. 06-20976-CIV, 2008 WL 186637, at *3 (S.D.Fla. Jan. 18, 2008) ("Dismissal of RICO counts for violation of Local Rule 12.1 is discretionary."); Harrison Enters., Inc. v. Moran, Case no. 97-4362-CIV, 1999 WL 1211753, at *4 (S.D.Fla. Aug. 30, 1999) (warning that continued failure to comply with Local Rule 12.1 would result in dismissal with prejudice).
Here, Plaintiffs have included a properly organized RICO Case Statement in the Second Amended Complaint. (DE #64 ¶¶ 812-25). However, the RICO Case Statement, as filed, omits some of the required information. For example, Rule 12.1(d) requires Plaintiffs to "provide in detail and with specificity ... when and how each victim was injured." L.R. 12.1(d). However, Plaintiffs only state the names of each Plaintiff along with the sums each Plaintiff claims he or she is owed. (DE #64 ¶ 815(a)-(dddd)). Rule 12.1(e) also requires that civil RICO plaintiffs "describe in detail the pattern of racketeering/criminal activity." S.D.Fla. L.R. 12.1(e). The Rule further explains that a sufficient description separately lists: the predicate acts and their dates, the participants in the acts, the activity surrounding each predicate act, whether there have been any criminal convictions for any of the predicate acts, the relationship between the predicate acts, and how the predicate acts pose a threat of continued criminal activity. L.R. 12.1(e). Furthermore, section (e) expressly states the predicate offenses of mail fraud and wire fraud "shall be stated with particularity," and cites Rule 9(b). L.R. 12.1(e)(3). Plaintiffs instead allege, in a single paragraph, a general and vague description of the fraudulent scheme. (DE #64 ¶ 816). This does not meet the Rule's requirements.
In addition, Plaintiffs have not complied with the Local Rule's requirements that they "describe in detail the enterprise." L.R. 12.1(f). To comply with section (f) of the Rule, civil RICO plaintiffs must, among other things, state the names of all individuals and entities constituting the enterprise, "explain how each separate defendant participated in the direction or conduct of the affairs of the enterprise," and state whether the defendants are the enterprise itself or separate from it. Id.
Finally, Plaintiffs have not alleged how the racketeering activity and the enterprise have merged into one, the benefits each Defendant received as a result of the scheme, and the damages for which each Defendant is liable, as required by Local Rule 12.1(g), (i), and (q), respectively. L.R. 12.1; DE #64 ¶¶ 818, 820, 825. For these reasons, Plaintiff's RICO claims in Count IV will be dismissed without prejudice for failure to comply with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b), and Local Rule 12.1.
The Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1701 ("ILSFDA"), prohibits fraud in the sale of subdivision property, and requires subdivision developers to disclose certain information to buyers of property within subdivisions. 15 U.S.C. § 1703.
As a threshold matter, ILSFDA only regulates the conduct of "developers," as defined by the statute. 15 U.S.C. §§ 1701, 1703. The statute defines a "developer" as "any person
"Paragon" is defined in the Complaint as an amalgamation of sixteen entities allegedly involved in a single fraudulent scheme. (DE #64 ¶ 1). Plaintiffs here have thus alleged that this amalgamation of entities constitutes a "developer," but have not alleged that the individual Defendants named in Count VIII are developers. It is not enough to allege that an individual Defendant is part of a larger conglomerate that is a developer. To assert a cause of action against individual persons or entities under ILSFDA, a plaintiff must allege that the individual persons or entities are themselves developers. See 15 U.S.C. § 1709(a) (providing cause of action under section 1703(a) for purchaser or lessee
Even if Plaintiffs had adequately alleged the Defendants are "developers" under the statute, their ILSFDA claims would nonetheless fail. In Count VIII, Plaintiffs incorporate the allegations related to individual Plaintiffs' transactions, and allege that Defendants' misrepresentations in the Agreements for Deed constitute violations of four subsections of the statute prohibiting fraud in the sale of subdivision lots.
Plaintiffs' fraud claims under ILSFDA are insufficient under Rule 9(b) for the same reasons that their RICO claims are insufficient. In Count VIII, Plaintiffs allege:
(DE #64 ¶ 855). This statement does not allege the "who, what, when and where" that would "alert defendants to the precise misconduct with which they are charged," as required by Rule 9(b). Ben-Yishay v. Mastercraft Dev., LLC, Case no. 08-14046, 2009 WL 6387928, at *3 (S.D.Fla.2009) (quoting Leisure Founders, Inc. v. CUC Int'l, Inc., 833 F.Supp. 1562, 1575 (S.D.Fla. 1993)); see also Degirmenci v. Sapphire-Fort Lauderdale, LLLP, 693 F.Supp.2d 1325, 1343-44 (S.D.Fla.2010) (applying Rule 9(b) standard to fraud claims under ILSFDA). As discussed above, Section II of the Complaint does not supply the requisite particularity, as Plaintiffs argue. As
Plaintiffs also allege that Defendants sold them subdivision lots without obtaining statements of record and without furnishing property reports to Plaintiffs, as required by ILSFDA. 15 U.S.C. § 1703(a)(1)(A)(B).
To state a claim under this section 1703(a)(1)(A), a plaintiff needs only to allege the property at issue is part of a subdivision, the defendant sold or leased the property to the plaintiff, and no statement of record was in effect at the time of the sale.
Finally, Plaintiff has failed to state a cause of action against Defendant LTS Management, Inc. ("LTS"). LTS is named as a defendant in Count VIII,
To assert a claim against a defendant under a successor liability theory, a plaintiff must allege, "(1) the successor
To state a claim for fraud in the inducement, a plaintiff must show that: "(1) a false statement was made regarding a material fact; (2) the individual who made the statement knew or should have known that it was false; (3) the maker intended that the other party rely on the statement; and (4) the other party relied on the false statement to its detriment." Taylor Woodrow Homes Florida, Inc. v. 4/46-A Corp., 850 So.2d 536, 542 (Fla. 5th DCA 2003). Claims for fraudulent inducement in federal court are governed by Rule 9(b). Cadow v. Sandals Resorts Int'l, Case No. 10-24092-CIV, 2011 WL 1527555, at *2 (S.D.Fla.2011) (dismissing fraud in the inducement claim because failure to allege identity of person who made misrepresentations constituted noncompliance with Rule 9(b)).
In Count II, Plaintiffs again incorporate Section II of the Complaint. (DE #64 ¶ 64). The insufficiency of those allegations has already been discussed. In addition, Plaintiffs allege in Count II:
(DE #64 ¶¶ 791-92). These allegations as to the elements of knowledge and intent are not sufficient to state a claim for fraudulent inducement. The collective references to "Paragon" is fatal to Plaintiffs' claim. This count is asserted against "each of the Paragon entities that are parties to the contracts (i.e., Agreements for Deed) with the Named Plaintiffs." Id. ¶ 788. However, to state a claim against each of these defendants, Plaintiffs must allege that each Defendant knew the statements that it made were false, and that each Defendant intended that Plaintiffs would rely on those statements. It is not enough to allege that "Paragon," an amalgamation of sixteen separate entities, had the requisite knowledge and intent. Again, Section II of the Complaint does not supply the required specificity. Accordingly, Count II must be dismissed.
Plaintiffs allege that four individual Defendants, Judith Gale, Lisa Tashman,
Section 726.105(1) of UFTA, invoked by Plaintiffs here, provides:
Fla. Stat. § 726.105(1). Thus, the statute "provides two theories by which a present or future creditor may recover fraudulent transfers: an actual fraud theory, under subsection (a), and a constructive fraud theory, under subsection (b)." Wiand, 611 F.Supp.2d at 1318. There is a split within this Circuit as to whether fraudulent transfer claims must be pled with the particularity required by Rule 9(b).
Plaintiffs allege an actual fraud claim against Defendants Judith Gale, Lisa Tashman, and Julien Siegel. (DE #64 ¶ 863). To state a claim for actual fraud under UFTA, a plaintiff must "allege (1) there was a creditor sought to be defrauded;
First, Plaintiffs have not adequately identified the "debtors." The Complaint simply states: "Plaintiffs and members of the class are creditors of the Paragon Entities, by virtue of the monies transferred for the alleged land transactions." (DE #64 ¶ 860). Again, the "Paragon Entities" are sixteen separate entities. Plaintiffs fail to explain which entities are "debtors" as defined by the statute, which Plaintiffs are creditors of which debtor-entities, and which of the debtors made the transfers to which recipients. Rather, Plaintiffs allege that, "Paragon transferred monies received from Plaintiffs and members of the class ... to Defendants Judith Gale, Lisa Tashman, and Julien Siegel Paragon paid the personal credit cards of Defendants Judith Gale, Lisa Tashman, and Julien Siegel from funds that were supposed to be held in escrow [], and Paragon ordered the direct transfer of funds from Charles L. Neustein, P.A.'s trust fund[] account to Defendants Lisa Tashman and Julien Siegel." (DE #64 ¶ 861). These vague assertions do not give Defendants "fair notice of what the claim is and the grounds upon which it rests." Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). A defendant included in the "Paragon" or "Paragon Entities" definition in the Complaint can not determine from these allegations what, if any, of its alleged conduct is implicated here.
Second, Plaintiffs have not adequately alleged the intent element. "Because of the difficulty of proving actual intent, past statutory law, existing case law and the UFTA look to indicia of intent commonly known as `badges of fraud.'" Amjad Munim, M.D., P.A. v. Azar, 648 So.2d 145, 152 (Fla. 4th DCA 1994); In re XYZ Options, Inc., 154 F.3d 1262, 1271 (11th Cir. 1998) ("In determining whether the circumstantial evidence is sufficient to establish fraudulent intent, the court should investigate the transfer for the existence of badges of fraud."). The UFTA lists eleven nonexclusive "badges of fraud" that may be considered in determining actual intent. Fla. Stat. § 726.105(2).
Plaintiffs have also failed to state a claim for a constructive fraudulent transfer against Mariland Tashman in Count IX. Count IX contains only the following allegations as to Mariland Tashman: "The Paragon Entities also paid Mariland Tashman monies from the Paragon operating account. There is no evidence that she ever provided services for Paragon." (DE #64 ¶ 862). To state a claim for constructive fraud under section 726.105(l)(b), a plaintiff must allege that a debtor made a transfer or incurred an obligation
Fla. Stat. 726.105(1)(b) (emphasis added). The Complaint contains no allegations as to either of the alternative second elements. Because Plaintiffs have not pled an element of this cause of action, the claim fails to meet Rule 8(a)(2)'s requirements and must be dismissed.
Plaintiffs allege that the Paragon entities breached the Agreements for Deed by failing to either refund their deposits and installment payments or failing to deliver valid deeds to purchasers who paid the full purchase price. (DE #64 ¶¶ 781-87). Plaintiffs also allege Defendants breached the contracts by failing to install infrastructure improvements within the promised time period. Id. This count is asserted against "each of the Paragon Entities that are parties to the contracts (i.e., Agreements for Deed with the Named Plaintiffs." Id. ¶ 781.
The elements of a breach of contract claim are straightforward: "(1) a valid contract; (2) a material breach; and (3) damages." Schiffman v. Schiffman, 47 So.3d 925, 927 (Fla. 3d DCA 2010) (quoting Abbott Labs., Inc. v. Gen. Elec. Capital, 765 So.2d 737, 740 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000)). Here, Plaintiffs allege that the parties entered into Agreements for Deed, the Paragon entities breached them by keeping Plaintiffs' money without delivering any valid deeds, and that Plaintiffs suffered
As an initial matter, All Star is named in Section II of the Complaint as the seller of the property purchased by Plaintiff Anne Smith. (DE #64 ¶ 163). However, All Star also allegedly entered into Agreements for Deed with Plaintiffs Ronald and Kathleen Erb, and Rhonda Brewer, but All Star is not identified as the property seller in the allegations pertaining to these Plaintiffs in Section II (no seller is identified). (DE #64 ¶¶ 326-34, 456-60). In addition, the Complaint alleges conduct that would constitute a breach of contract was taken by people and entities other than All Star. For example, the Complaint alleges that Plaintiff Anne Smith requested refunds from Defendants William Gale, Esteban Soto, and Charles L. Neustein, and that those refund requests have gone unanswered. (DE #64 ¶¶ 164-173). The Complaint contains no allegations that these Defendants acted on behalf of All Star, or that All Star refused to pay refunds to these plaintiffs. In addition, with respect to Plaintiffs Ronald and Kathleen Erb and Rhonda Brewer, the Complaint alleges that "
Plaintiffs' failure to name the sellers of the properties in the relevant sections of the Complaint is addressed above, and, like the claims already discussed, this failure renders the breach of contract claim insufficient. Moreover, Plaintiffs' failure to allege breaching conduct by All Star rather than non-parties is fatal to Plaintiffs' claims. Any actions taken by nonparties, even if inconsistent with the contracts, cannot give rise to a cause of action for breach of contract against All Star. See Norfolk S. Ry. Co. v. Groves, 586 F.3d 1273, 1282 (11th Cir.2009) ("It goes without saying that a contract cannot bind a nonparty.") (quoting Miles v. Naval Aviation Museum Found., Inc., 289 F.3d 715, 720 (11th Cir.2002)).
In sum, Plaintiffs have alleged that All Star agreed to build infrastructure improvements and to refund money under certain circumstances, but that other individuals and a group of entities refused to refund the money and failed to build the promised improvements. As a result, Plaintiffs have not alleged that All Star breached the contracts. To the extent that the same deficiencies are present in allegations for breach of contract against other, non-moving defendants, Plaintiffs should remedy them as well in any amended pleading that is filed.
In Count III, Plaintiffs assert that moving
As an initial matter, Florida courts permit alter ego allegations to be pled as a distinct cause of action. See, e.g. Acadia Partners, L.P. v. Tompkins, 759 So.2d 732, 740 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000). Nonetheless, federal courts require that only separate claims for relief be pled in separate counts. Fed.R.Civ.P. 10(b) ("[E]ach claim founded on a separate transaction or occurrence ... must be stated in a separate count."). Accordingly, federal courts generally find that "[a]lter ego is not a separate cause of action for which relief can be granted; rather, ... alter ego serves as a theory to impose liability on an individual for the acts of a corporate entity." Tara Prods., Inc. v. Hollywood Gadgets, Inc., Case No. 09-CV-61436, 2010 WL 1531489, at *9 (S.D.Fla. April 16, 2010) (dismissing alter ego count with prejudice and requiring plaintiff to re-plead allegations regarding alter ego in the body of the complaint). Count III will be dismissed with prejudice, but Plaintiffs will be permitted to plead allegations related to their alter ego theory in the body of the Complaint.
In addition, Plaintiffs have failed to allege the substantive elements required to pierce the corporate veil. In general, "a corporation is a separate legal entity, distinct from the persons comprising [it]." Gasparini v. Pordomingo, 972 So.2d 1053, 1055 (Fla. 3d DCA 2008). However, "the corporate veil may be pierced if the plaintiff can prove both that the corporation is a mere instrumentality or alter ego of the defendant, and that the defendant engaged in improper conduct in the formation or use of the corporation." XL Vision, LLC v. Holloway, 856 So.2d 1063, 1066 (Fla. 5th DCA 2003). To show that a corporation is the alter ego of a defendant, a plaintiff must allege "the shareholder dominated and controlled the corporation to such an extent that the corporation's independent existence, was in fact nonexistent and the shareholders were in fact alter egos of the corporation." Gasparini, 972 So.2d at 1055.
Here, Plaintiffs have only alleged that Julien Siegel owns and operates or is the president of Costa Rican Land and Development. (DE #64 ¶¶ 114, 115, 797, 802). However, "the mere ownership of a corporation by a few shareholders, or even one shareholder, is an insufficient reason to pierce the corporate veil." Gasparini, 972 So.2d at 1055. Plaintiffs' conclusory allegations that the Paragon Entities were "nothing more than shell corporations" used by Defendants "to commit a major fraud," Id. ¶ 803, do not save their claim. These allegations do not explain how Defendants allegedly abused the corporate form, such that they
Finally, Plaintiffs have not adequately alleged "improper conduct in the formation or use of the corporation" by Defendant Siegel. As previously discussed, Plaintiffs have alleged fraudulent conduct by "Paragon," a group of sixteen different entities. Plaintiffs have not alleged any facts related to the improper formation or use of any corporations by any of the individual Defendants named in this count.
Florida has created a civil cause of action for victims of theft. Fla. Stat. § 772.11(1). Plaintiffs here allege the Paragon Entities stole money from them by fraudulently soliciting deposit monies and then refusing to refund the deposits, despite the contractual obligation to do so. (DE #64 ¶¶ 826-833). Defendants argue that Plaintiffs' civil theft claims should be dismissed for failure to comply with a statutory pre-suit notice requirement. Specifically, Florida's civil theft statute provides:
Fla. Stat. § 772.11(1). Plaintiffs' Complaint did not allege compliance with this pre-suit notice requirement, and Defendants argue that dismissal of their claims is warranted as a result.
However, "the Southern District of Florida has been lenient in the application of this rule." Ames v. Provident Life and Accident Ins. Co., 942 F.Supp. 551, 562 n. 8 (S.D.Fla.1994) (deeming failure to comply with pre-suit notice requirement excusable neglect and directing plaintiff to make demand before case was set for trial); Comcast of South Florida II v. Best Cable Supply, Inc., 2008 WL 190584, at *9 n. 6 (S.D.Fla. Jan. 22, 2008) (noting plaintiffs' failure to plead compliance with written demand requirement and requiring plaintiffs to "address this deficiency" in an amended complaint); see also Seymour v. Adams, 638 So.2d 1044, 1049 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994) (declining to grant summary judgment for failure to comply with demand letter requirement). In fact, this Court has previously recognized the harshness of dismissal as a sanction for failure to comply with the notice requirement. Korman v. Iglesias, 736 F.Supp. 261, 267 (S.D.Fla.1990) (King, J.) ("The court deems such a pleading failure excusable neglect, and directs plaintiff to comply with the statute at this time."). The Court will again follow its previous course of action. Plaintiff's civil theft claims will be dismissed without prejudice to re-plead after complying with the statute.
Plaintiffs allege that Defendants Charles L. Neustein, Charles L. Neustein, P.A., and Law Offices of Charles L. Neustein, P.A. breached fiduciary duties to owed to them as their escrow agent. (DE #64 ¶¶ 834-841). These Defendants are referred
The elements of a breach of fiduciary duty claim are: (1) the existence of a fiduciary duty; (2) breach of that duty; and (3) damages that are proximately caused by the breach. Gracey v. Eaker, 837 So.2d 348, 353 (Fla.2002). Here, Plaintiffs have alleged that the Neustein Defendants owe them fiduciary duties as escrow holders, they breached that duty by disbursing funds in a manner contrary to the escrow agreement, and that they have sustained damages as a result. Defendants argue that no funds were "truly escrowed," so they owed no duties to Plaintiffs.
To establish a binding escrow, "there must be an instrument embodying conditions mutually beneficial to both parties, agreed to by both parties, and it must be communicated to and deposited with a third party." Smith v. Macbeth, 119 Fla. 796, 803, 161 So. 721, 724 (1935). Contrary to Defendants' argument, Florida law imposes no requirement that the escrow agent sign the escrow agreement for it to be binding. See id.; Fla. Bar v. Joy, 679 So.2d 1165, 1166 (Fla.1996) (recognizing transmittal letter accompanying check to be escrowed constituted valid escrow agreement). Here, Plaintiffs have alleged the Agreements for Deed, which expressly provide for deposit money to be paid to "Trust Account of Charles L. Neustein, P.A. (the Escrow Holder)," were escrow agreements. The Agreements for Deed contain the requisite "conditions mutually beneficial to both parties" and are signed by the relevant parties. Plaintiffs also allege in Section II that they paid their deposits and installment payments to "Neustein." Finally, they allege that "Neustein" sent them letters confirming receipt of the deposits and that Neustein was the escrow agent for their transactions. (DE #64 ¶ 837). Plaintiffs have adequately alleged the existence of a valid escrow.
Although Defendants may not have considered these funds to be "truly escrowed," that is irrelevant. Even if the requirements for formation of a valid escrow had not been met, there is an exception for cases where an escrow agent represents to a party that a valid escrow has been formed. USA Flea Mkt. v. EVMC Real Estate Consultants, Inc., Case No. 8:06-CV-00431-TBM, 2006 WL 2830881, at *2 (finding that escrow agent owed principals fiduciary duties where valid escrow never created because escrow agent never received deposit, but escrow agent represented to plaintiff that deposit was received and was being held in escrow). Because Plaintiffs here allege that Neustein held itself out as the escrow agent for Plaintiffs' transactions, this exception would apply even if Plaintiffs had not adequately pled the formation of an escrow.
Because they alleged existence of a valid escrow, Plaintiffs have alleged the existence of a fiduciary duty. It is well-settled that one who undertakes to act as an escrow holder assumes fiduciary duties as a matter of law:
United Am. Bank of Central Fla. v. Seligman, 599 So.2d 1014, 1016 (Fla. 5th DCA 1992); see also Watkins v. NCNB Nat'l Bank of Fla., N.A., 622 So.2d 1063, 1064 (Fla. 3d DCA 1993) ("Escrow holders are recognized as agents of the parties to the escrow and as trustee in charge of the performance of an express trust. As such, escrow holders have a duty to exercise reasonable skill and ordinary diligence."). Furthermore, "escrow agents have a duty to disclose all material facts." Watkins, 622 So.2d at 1064; Aberbach v. Wekiva Assocs., Ltd., 735 F.Supp. 1032, 1035 (S.D.Fla.1990) (King, J.) (finding plaintiffs' allegations that escrow agent failed to disclose material facts stated claim for breach of fiduciary duty).
Finally, Plaintiffs allege that the Neustein Defendants breached their fiduciary duty by disbursing funds in a manner contrary to the Agreements for Deed. More specifically, they allege that money deposited into the Neustein escrow account was transferred out immediately, regardless of whether the conditions precedent for disbursement in the Agreements for Deed had been met. Handling of escrowed funds in a manner contrary to the escrow agreement is a breach of an escrow holder's fiduciary duties. Fla. Bar v. Joy, 679 So.2d 1165, 1167 (Fla.1996) (finding escrow agent breached fiduciary obligation where he transferred escrowed funds into his wife's bank account in violation of escrow agreement); United Am. Bank of Central Fla. v. Seligman, 599 So.2d 1014, 1017 (Fla. 5th DCA 1992) (holding escrow holder breached duty by disbursing escrowed funds to party other than recipient named in escrow agreement); Wall Street Mortgage Bankers, Ltd. v. Attorneys Title Ins. Fund, Inc., Case No. 08-21648, 2008 WL 5378126, at *3 (S.D.Fla. Dec. 23, 2008) ("[The escrow holder] breached its duty when it disbursed Plaintiff's money that it had held in escrow without first obtaining a [deed].... These allegations state a claim for breach of fiduciary duty.").
Florida's economic loss rule is a doctrine that bars an action in tort where the alleged losses arise out of a contract, and the plaintiff seeks recovery of only economic damages. Indemnity Ins. Co. of N. Am. v. Am. Aviation, Inc., 891 So.2d 532, 536 (Fla.2004). The rationale for the rule is that parties to a contract are assumed to have already allocated the risk of
However, the Florida Supreme Court has limited the application of the economic loss rule to two situations: (1) products liability cases where the only damage is to the product itself, and (2) cases where the parties are in contractual privity. Id. at 534. The Florida Supreme Court has also stated: "We again emphasize that by recognizing that the economic loss rule may have some genuine, but limited, value in our damages law, we never intended to bar well-established common law causes of action." Moransais, 744 So.2d at 983. More specifically, courts have recognized an exception for so-called "independent torts," or torts that "require[] proof of facts that are distinct from breach of contract." Invo Florida, Inc. v. Somerset Venturer, Inc., 751 So.2d 1263, 1265 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000); see also Moransais, 744 So.2d at 983 (holding that "the mere existence of a contract should not serve per se to bar [a tort action]."). Florida courts have found that breach of fiduciary duty is such an independent tort. Id. at 1267 ("The economic loss rule has not abolished the cause of action for breach of fiduciary duty, even if there is an underlying oral or written contract.").
Here, Plaintiffs have alleged breaches of fiduciary duties that are independent from the breaches of contract they allege in Count I. The breach of contract claim is asserted against different Defendants, and alleges different conduct as a basis for the breach. Plaintiffs would have to prove a different set of facts to support each claim. Furthermore, this is not the type of case where a plaintiff seeks to "obtain a better bargain than originally made" in the underlying contract. The Neustein Defendants are not parties to the Agreements for Deed; rather, the Plaintiffs and Sellers are parties to the contracts. Accordingly, Plaintiffs are not attempting to circumvent contract law by bringing a tort claim, because they could not assert a breach of contract claim against these Defendants in the first place. Contrary to Defendants' arguments, the only duties they may have owed to Plaintiffs were grounded in tort, and not contract. The economic loss rule is not a bar to their claims.
Nonetheless, Plaintiffs' breach of fiduciary duty claims must be dismissed because they suffer from the same lack of specificity as other claims in the Complaint. Plaintiffs' collective reference to "Neustein" makes it unclear which of the three Defendants comprising "Neustein" is alleged to be liable for what conduct. In addition, it is unclear how Charles L. Neustein and Law Offices of Charles L. Neustein, P.A. could be liable for breach of fiduciary duties to Plaintiffs where only Charles L. Neustein, P.A. is identified as the escrow holder in the Agreements for Deed. Count VI does not give the three Neustein Defendants "fair notice of what the claim [against them] is and the grounds upon which it rests." Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). Accordingly, Count VI will be dismissed without prejudice for failure to comply with Rule 8(a)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
After a careful consideration of the record, and having the benefit of oral argument, it is hereby
18 U.S.C. § 1962(c).
Describe in detail the enterprise for each RICO claim. A description of the enterprise shall:
S.D.Fla.L.R. 12.1(f).
15 U.S.C. § 1703(a)(2)(A)(D).
15 U.S.C. § 1703(a)(1)(A)(B).
(a) The transfer or obligation was to an insider.
(b) The debtor retained possession or control of the property transferred after the transfer.
(c) The transfer or obligation was disclosed or concealed.
(d) Before the transfer was made or obligation was incurred, the debtor had been sued or threatened with suit.
(e) The transfer was of substantially all the debtor's assets.
(f) The debtor absconded.
(g) The debtor removed or concealed assets.
(h) The value of the consideration received by the debtor was reasonably equivalent to the value of the asset transferred or the amount of the obligation incurred.
(i) The debtor was insolvent or became insolvent shortly after the transfer was made or the obligation was incurred.
(j) The transfer occurred shortly before or shortly after a substantial debt was incurred.
(k) The debtor transferred the essential assets of the business to a lienor who transferred the assets to an insider of the debtor.
Fla. Stat. § 726.105.