HAROLD BAER, JR., District Judge.
Plaintiff Woori Bank ("Woori") alleges that the defendants fraudulently and negligently misrepresented the value of and risks associated with collateralized debt obligations ("CDO") that were in part comprised of residential mortgage backed securities ("RMBS").
The claims in this case follow what has now unfortunately become a common story. The Royal Bank of Scotland ("RBS"), Woori alleges, faced significant exposure from its investments in securities caused by the subprime housing debacle. Faced with the decision of whether to cut its losses or attempt to carve out the toxic assets and hope for the best, RBS allegedly took the latter approach. See, e.g., Amended Complaint ("Complaint" or "AC") ¶ 55. To accomplish this, Woori alleges that RBS packaged the lower-rated tranches of its RMBSs and CDOs into new CDOs that Woori was duped into purchasing. Id. ¶ 2. Woori ultimately invested $80 million in CDOs arranged, marketed, and sold by Defendants.
While the underlying structure of the deals may be complex, the issues now before the Court are not. By virtue of coinciding with the turning tide in the housing market and RBS's role in structuring related securities, the deals in this case are, like most deals of that time, somewhat suspect. But not all such deals are inherently fraudulent or misleading simply because they involved subprime mortgages and the sale of what are now worthless investments that were once pitched as safe. This case is one example of a seemingly legitimate deal between financial institutions and their effort to hedge their risks. Here Woori has failed to meet its pleading burden with respect to the CDOs it purchased.
Defendants move to dismiss for improper venue and for failure to state a claim. "To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to `state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.'" Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. 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." Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937. "Asking for plausible grounds does not impose a probability requirement at the pleading stage; it simply calls for enough fact[s] to raise a reasonable expectation that discovery will reveal evidence of illegal" conduct. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955. When resolving a Rule 12(b)(6) motion analyzing the sufficiency of a pleading, courts assume that all well-pleaded facts alleged in the complaint are true and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the plaintiff. Kassner v. 2nd Ave. Delicatessen, 496 F.3d 229, 237 (2d Cir.2007).
Here I depart from the general rule, which would address venue first. I do so in order to expedite a disposition, save expense for the parties, and save time for the judiciary. See Feinstein v. Resolution Trust Corp., 942 F.2d 34, 40 (1st Cir.1991) ("Having willingly chosen the forum, and not having asked the court below to pass first on the issues of jurisdiction and venue, the plaintiffs cannot now be allowed to escape an adverse judgment by asserting rights belonging not to them but to their litigation adversaries."). Should Woori experience an epiphanic change in perspective and conclude that New York is no longer an appropriate forum, it can always move for the Court to reconsider this Opinion and Order.
Under New York law, the elements of a fraud claim are "(1) a material
A statement is material if it would justify a party in taking action on the basis of that statement. 60A N.Y. JUR. 2D FRAUD AND DECEIT §§ 116, 158 (2011). And a material misrepresentation is actionable if it (a) induces a party to act, and (b) the party was justified or reasonable in being induced. Ashland Inc. v. Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc., 652 F.3d 333, 337-38 (2d Cir.2011); see also Sec. Investor Protection Corp. v. BDO Seidman, L.L.P., 95 N.Y.2d 702, 709, 723 N.Y.S.2d 750, 746 N.E.2d 1042 (2001). Whether a fraud plaintiff's reliance was "reasonable" depends on "the entire context of the transaction, including factors such as its complexity and magnitude, the sophistication of the parties, and the content of any agreements between them." Emergent Capital Inv. Mgmt., LLC v. Stonepath Group, Inc., 343 F.3d 189, 195 (2d Cir. 2003). Nonetheless, even sophisticated plaintiffs are not required as a matter of law to "conduct their own audit" or "subject [their counterparties] to detailed questioning" where they have bargained for representations of truthfulness. DDJ Mgmt., LLC v. Rhone Group LLC, 15 N.Y.3d 147, 905 N.Y.S.2d 118, 931 N.E.2d 87, 92-93 (2010). Moreover, because justifiable reliance "involve[s] many factors to consider and balance, no single one of which is dispositive," it is "often a question of fact for the jury rather than a question of law for the court." STMicroelectronics, N.V. v. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, 648 F.3d 68, 81 (2d Cir.2011) (citation omitted).
Defendants argue that Woori's allegations that the CDOs were falsely touted as "safe", "conservative", and "liquid" investments are eviscerated by the very disclosures accompanying these offerings. By Defendants' characterization, these disclosures revealed that: (1) the ratings were opinions, were not guarantees of credit quality or a recommendation, and did not fully reflect the true risks of the investments; (2) the CDOs would have no or a limited trading market, could be illiquid for long periods of time, and were backed in part by RMBSs that included subprime or other non-conforming loans (in some cases to a substantial degree); and (3) that Woori itself was capable of and made its own independent assessment of the CDOs. Defs.' Supp. 27-28 (citing and quoting exhibits). These disclosures, Defendants argue, put Woori on notice that it was not purchasing securities with negligible downside risk.
A party may be liable for fraud if it "made" a misrepresentation or "authorized" or "caused" a misrepresentation to be made. 60A N.Y. JUR.2D FRAUD AND DECEIT § 124 (2011). The defendant must have had knowledge of the representation's falsity and intent to defraud. The second sentence of Rule 9(b) prescribes that such knowledge may be "alleged generally." See also Wight v. BankAmerica Corp., 219 F.3d 79, 91-92 (2d Cir.2000)
As discussed above, Woori has alleged that the various materials describing the CDOs were inaccurate and misleading.
But there is at least one place that Woori's Complaint has failed to bring me, and that is to a strong inference of fraudulent intent. This case lacks the usual telltale signals that have allowed courts in similar situations to find that the particularity requirements of Rule 9(b) were satisfied. See In re Scholastic Corp. Sec. Litig., 252 F.3d at 72 (describing the need for the who, what, where, when, and how under Rule 9); Arazie v. Mullane, 2 F.3d 1456, 1467 (7th Cir.1993) (same). For example, there is no allegation that the defendants were simultaneously marketing these CDOs to Woori while at the same time going short on the very assets that comprised them. Cf. Richman v. Goldman Sachs Grp., Inc., 868 F.Supp.2d 261,
Without additional allegations such as these, I cannot infer that any of the defendants acted fraudulently in the sale and marketing of the CDOs here. See Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg v. Goldman, Sachs & Co., 821 F.Supp.2d 616, 622 (S.D.N.Y.2011) ("While other allegations tend to support an inference that Goldman may have had knowledge of the toxic mortgages, they do not satisfy Rule 9(b)."), aff'd, 478 Fed.Appx. 679 (2d Cir.2012); N.J. Carpenters Health Fund v. NovaStar Mortg., Inc., No. 08 Civ. 5310(DAB), 2011 WL 1338195, at *11 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2011) (dismissing misrepresentation claim where plaintiff "fail[ed] to make allegations specific to the ... only offering that is relevant here"); Tsereteli v. Residential Asset Securitization Trust 2006-A8, 692 F.Supp.2d 387, 394 (S.D.N.Y.2010) (rejecting fraud claim where plaintiff failed to allege how loans described in report were connected to relevant securities). Indeed, by Woori's own characterization, it "alleges that RBS systematically abandoned its underwriting standards and improperly pressured the ratings agencies to provide knowingly false ratings." Pl.'s Opp'n 29 (emphasis added). This attempt to ascribe general conduct, supported by third-party reports, to the disclosures here is the very antithesis of specificity. Put another way, Woori has not established — either by allegations of motive or circumstances — a factual connection between Defendants' knowledge of problems in the RMBS market (or even RBS's suspect activities) and the transactions in this case.
"It is well settled that a claim for negligent misrepresentation requires the plaintiff to demonstrate (1) the existence of a special or privity-like relationship imposing a duty on the defendant to impart correct information to the plaintiff; (2) that the information was incorrect; and (3) reasonable reliance on the information". Mandarin Trading Ltd. v. Wildenstein, 16 N.Y.3d 173, 180, 919 N.Y.S.2d 465, 944 N.E.2d 1104 (2011) (internal quotation marks omitted). Stated another way, the plaintiff must show (1) an awareness by the declarant that the statement would be used for a particular purpose, (2) reliance by the recipient of the statement, and (3) some conduct by the declarant linking the statement to the recipient and evincing an understanding of that reliance. 164 Mulberry St. Corp. v. Columbia Univ., 4 A.D.3d 49, 771 N.Y.S.2d 16, 24 (1st Dep't 2004).
The Second Circuit has said that Rule 9(b) "may or may not" apply to a negligent misrepresentation claim, see Eternity Global Master Fund, 375 F.3d at 188, and that the language of Rule 9(b) "is cast in terms of the conduct alleged, and is not limited to allegations styled or denominated as fraud or expressed in terms of the constituent elements of a fraud cause of action." Rombach v. Chang, 355 F.3d 164, 171 (2d Cir.2004). District courts in this Circuit have concluded that the Rule is applicable to negligent misrepresentation claims that are premised on fraudulent conduct. See Ellington Credit Fund, Ltd. v. Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc., 837 F.Supp.2d 162, 200 (S.D.N.Y.2011). But it is not correct to say that because negligent misrepresentation may sound in fraud that a negligent misrepresentation claim is ipso facto subject to Rule 9(b)'s heightened pleading standard: fraud is not a necessary element of a negligent misrepresentation claim. See City of Roseville Employees' Ret. Sys. v. EnergySolutions, Inc., 814 F.Supp.2d 395, 424 (S.D.N.Y.2011) ("Motions to dismiss Securities Act claims relying on misrepresentations are analyzed under Rule 9(b) to the extent that they rely on allegations of fraud, but under Rule 8 otherwise."); see also In re Suprema Specialties, Inc. Sec. Litig., 438 F.3d 256, 272 (3d Cir.2006) ("[C]laims do not sound in fraud if ordinary negligence is expressly pled in connection with those claims."). If ordinary negligence is alleged and those claims pled separately from the fraud claims, there is no compelling reason to trigger Rule 9(b). See In re Suprema Specialties, Inc. Sec. Litig., 438 F.3d at 273.
Woori has styled its claims as alternate theories of fraud and negligence, but Woori has failed to distinguish between the two. Contra City of Roseville Employees' Ret. Sys., 814 F.Supp.2d at 425 ("[T]he substance of the allegations keeps the distinction as clear as does the complaint's structure." (internal quotation marks omitted)). Woori incorporates each allegation of the Complaint in its claim for negligent misrepresentation. Compl. ¶ 169. The entire thrust of the Complaint is that the Defendants knowingly carved out and pooled vulnerable tranches from RMBSs and CDOs, secured false or manipulated credit ratings, and offloaded the newly packaged CDOs on naïve investors like Woori. See, e.g., Compl. ¶¶ 42, 44, 45, 56, 59, 62, 64, 66, 70, 79, 84, 88, 104, 105 at p. 46; see also In re Parmalat Secs. Litig., 479 F.Supp.2d 332, 339 n. 30 (S.D.N.Y. 2007) ("The Bank's claim for negligent misrepresentation `realleges and incorporates by reference' all prior allegations, including those alleging fraud," and is therefore "subject to Rule 9(b)."). Woori's negligent misrepresentation claim therefore "sounds in fraud".
"[T]he law of negligent misrepresentation requires a closer degree of trust between the parties than that of the ordinary buyer and seller in order to find reliance on such statements justified." Dallas Aerospace, Inc. v. CIS Air Corp., 352 F.3d 775, 788 (2d Cir.2003). In determining whether a complaint adequately pleads justifiable reliance, courts "consider whether the person making the representation held or appeared to hold unique or special expertise; whether a special relationship of trust or confidence existed between the parties; and whether the speaker was aware of the use to which the information would be put and supplied it for that purpose." Kimmell v. Schaefer, 89 N.Y.2d 257, 264, 652 N.Y.S.2d 715, 675 N.E.2d 450 (1996). "[A] sparsely pled special relationship of trust or confidence is not fatal to a claim for negligent misrepresentation
Here, there is no actual privity of contract that demands Defendants protect Woori from purely economic losses. The numerous disclaimers that cautioned Woori to assess for itself the stability of the underlying collateral and not to rely on representations made by RBS or the ratings emphasizes that this was a standard arm's-length transaction. See UST Private Equity Investors Fund, Inc. v. Salomon Smith Barney, 288 A.D.2d 87, 88, 733 N.Y.S.2d 385 (1st Dep't 2001) ("[A]s a matter of law, a sophisticated plaintiff cannot establish that it entered into an arm's length transaction in justifiable reliance on alleged misrepresentations if that plaintiff failed to make use of the means of verification that were available to it, such as reviewing the files of the other parties."). And like in Landesbank, Woori represented that it had undertaken an independent inquiry of the collateral. See Landesbank, 821 F.Supp.2d at 624.
I am not persuaded that RBS, by virtue of greater experience in the RMBS business, possessed some kind of expertise significantly greater than Woori and was somehow obligated to share it. See AC ¶¶ 41-42. The expertise at issue here is in financial transactions and risk assessment, it matters little that this was a new area of investment for Woori. See Dallas Aerospace, 352 F.3d at 789 ("[A plaintiff] cannot claim it relied on [defendant's] special expertise [where] it is clear that [plaintiff] itself had the relevant expertise at issue."). Woori has the relevant expertise; whether or not it put it to good use is a different matter entirely. See Terra Secs. ASA Konkursbo v. Citigroup, Inc., 450 Fed. Appx. 32, 34 (2d Cir.2011) ("[Plaintiffs] have not alleged that they conducted any independent investigation prior to making their investments. Indeed, no effort seems to have been made to verify any of defendants' alleged misrepresentations."); Sebastian Holdings, Inc. v. Deutsche Bank AG, 78 A.D.3d 446, 447, 912 N.Y.S.2d 13 (1st Dep't 2010) ("Plaintiff's alleged reliance on defendant's superior knowledge and expertise in connection with its foreign exchange trading account ignores the reality that the parties engaged in arm's-length transactions pursuant to contracts between sophisticated business entities....").
Instead, the question is whether there is some other basis on which to find RBS negligent, such as "a relationship so close as to approach that of privity." Parrott v. Coopers & Lybrand, L.L.P., 95 N.Y.2d 479, 483, 718 N.Y.S.2d 709, 741 N.E.2d 506 (2000); see also J.A.O. Acquisition Corp. v. Stavitsky, 8 N.Y.3d 144, 148, 831 N.Y.S.2d 364, 863 N.E.2d 585 (2007). And simply because both Woori and RBS are sophisticated parties, that does not preclude RBS from still occupying a unique position with respect to these transactions. For example, the relationship between the parties could extend beyond the typical arm's-length business transaction where "defendants initiated contact with plaintiffs, induced them to forebear from performing their own due diligence, and repeatedly vouched for the veracity of the allegedly deceptive information." Suez Equity Investors, L.P. v. Toronto-Dominion Bank, 250 F.3d 87, 103 (2d Cir.2001), cited in Eternity Global, 375 F.3d at 188-89. A duty to disclose material facts can arise "where one party possesses superior knowledge, not readily available to the other, and knows that the other is acting on the basis of mistaken knowledge". Ellington Credit Fund, 837 F.Supp.2d at 201 (citing Lerner, 459 F.3d at 292; Brass v. Am. Film Techs., Inc., 987 F.2d 142, 150 (2d Cir.1993)). It is important to keep in
This claim boils down to Woori's allegations that Defendants concealed non-public information that caused the rating agencies to issue inaccurate ratings and Woori to invest in CDOs that Defendants knew to be nonstarters. And it is in this regard, like with the fraud claim, that the Complaint fails to allege with sufficient specificity the advantage that RBS had. There is simply nothing tying any of Woori's allegations of a conspiracy to manipulate the LIBOR rate or of the scathing rebukes of RBS's activities as discussed in third-party reports to this case. Cf. M & T Bank Corp. v. LaSalle Bank Nat. Ass'n, 852 F.Supp.2d at 338 (finding allegations insufficient to suggest a special relationship where the defendants' knowledge of subprime mortgages was greater but not unique in a way as to render the transaction unfair); N.J. Carpenters Health Fund, 2011 WL 1338195, at *11 ("[M]ore is required ... than 102 pages of `the subprime market melted down and Defendants were market participants, so they must be liable for my losses in my risky investment.'" (internal quotation marks omitted)).
To state a claim for unjust enrichment, the plaintiff must allege that: (I) the defendant was enriched; (2) at the plaintiff's expense; and (3) that equity and good conscience require restitution. Cruz v. McAneney, 31 A.D.3d 54, 59, 816 N.Y.S.2d 486 (2d Dep't 2006). Woori has failed to state a claim for either fraud or negligent misrepresentation. The contractual relationship between them otherwise precludes a quasi-contractual claim. Goldman v. Metro. Life Ins. Co., 5 N.Y.3d 561, 807 N.Y.S.2d 583, 841 N.E.2d 742, 746 (2005).
The RBS defendants' motion to dismiss is GRANTED. Because I am presently of the mind that a second amended complaint would be an exercise in futility, I am denying leave to amend. Woori may write me a letter within ten days explaining how it would amend to correct the noted deficiencies if granted leave. Novastar ABS CDO I's motion to dismiss is DENIED as moot. The Clerk of Court is instructed to close the open motions and close the case.