JOHN E. STEELE, District Judge.
This matter comes before the Court on Defendants' Motion to Dismiss or, in the Alternative, to Strike Complaint (Doc. # 13) filed on December 20, 2011. Plaintiff filed a response on January 20, 2012
Plaintiff Daniel S. Newman (plaintiff or Receiver) is the Court-appointed receiver for certain Receivership Entities
On August 26, 2011, the Receiver filed a six-count Complaint (Doc. # 1) against: (1) the William L. Gunlicks Irrevocable Trust f/b/o (for the benefit of) Nissa Cox; (2) Nissa Cox, individually and in her capacity as Trustee of the William L. Gunlicks Irrevocable Trust f/b/o Nissa Cox; (3) William L. Gunlicks Irrevocable Trust f/b/o Annalee Good; (4) Annalee Good individually and in her capacity as Trustee of the William L. Gunlicks Irrevocable Trust f/b/o Annalee Good; (5) William L. Gunlicks Irrevocable Trust f/b/o William V. Gunlicks; and (6) William V. Gunlicks, individually and in his capacity as Trustee of the William L. Gunlicks Irrevocable Trust f/b/o William V. Gunlicks (collectively defendants) (Id. at pp. 1-2.) The Complaint asserts state law claims for fraudulent transfer in violation of the Florida Uniform Fraudulent Transfers Act (FUFTA), Fla. Stat. § 726 et seq. (Counts I, III, V) and state law claims for unjust enrichment (Counts II, IV, VI) arising out of three monetary transfers.
The Complaint alleges that Founding Partners Capital Management Company (FPCMC) falsely represented to its investors that its primary fund, Stable Value, loaned money to Sun Capital Healthcare, Inc. and Sun Capital Inc. (collectively, Sun Capital) to purchase discounted commercial and healthcare receivables, and that Sun Capital would, in turn, pay certain Receivership Entities interest on the loans. (Id. at ¶ 17.) It further asserts that William L. Gunlicks wrongfully made three transfers of equity of FPCMC to his children's respective trusts for no value and to the detriment of the receivership estate. (Id. at ¶ 19.) The three transfers were all made on or about December 20, 2008, when FPCMC transferred $83,910.00 to each of the following trusts: (1) the Williams L. Gunlicks Irrevocable Trust f/b/o Nissa Cox (Cox Trust), (2) the Williams L. Gunlicks Irrevocable Trust for f/b/o Annalee Good (Good Trust), and (3) the William L. Gunlicks Irrevocable Trust f/b/o William V. Gunlicks (William V. Gunlicks Trust) (Id. at ¶¶ 22-24.) The Complaint alleges that the monies transferred were monies "derived from the fraud perpetrated upon investors" (Id. at ¶¶ 22-24), that the Receivership Entities did not receive reasonably equivalent value in exchange for the transfer of monies to the trusts (Id. at ¶ 25), that defendants knew or had reason to believe the Receivership Entities collateral was at risk (Id. at ¶¶ 26-28), and that no consideration was paid for the transfers (Id. at ¶ 33.)
The Complaint alleges companion counts for each transfer. One count seeks to set aside and recover the transfer under the FUFTA, and the companion count seeks to recover the transferred amount under an unjust enrichment theory. The amended motion to dismiss challenges only the FUFTA counts.
Defendants' Motion to Dismiss (Doc. # 13) seeks to dismiss the Complaint for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, lack of personal jurisdiction over the individual defendants, and failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. In the alternative, defendants seek to strike the
Defendants assert that the court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over some or all of them because the Complaint only alleges state law claims, defendants are not named parties in the underlying Securities and Exchange Commission action, and there are insufficient facts alleged to establish supplemental jurisdiction or to satisfy the requirements of 28 U.S.C. §§ 754 and 1692. (Doc. # 13, p. 3.) The Court disagrees with the conclusion that it lacks subject matter jurisdiction.
A challenge to subject matter jurisdiction of the court is brought under Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1). When a Rule 12(b)(1) motion is a facial challenge to the complaint, as here, the district court may only look to the facts alleged in the complaint, taking them as true. McElmurray v. Consol. Gov't of Augusta-Richmond Cnty., 501 F.3d 1244, 1251 (11th Cir.2007).
The rule regarding subject matter jurisdiction in a case such as this was succinctly stated by the Fourth Circuit:
Robb Evans & Assocs., LLC v. Holibaugh, 609 F.3d 359, 362 (4th Cir.2010). See also Haile v. Henderson Nat'l Bank, 657 F.2d 816, 822 (6th Cir.1981); Crawford v. Silette, 608 F.3d 275, 277-78 (5th Cir.2010). The enactment of 28 U.S.C. § 1367 does not change this principle. Holibaugh, 609 F.3d at 363.
Here, the district court appointed Newman as Receiver to, among other things, locate and collect the assets of the Receivership Entities, and authorized the Receiver to take appropriate legal action to fulfill its obligations. There is no question that the SEC enforcement action in which the Receiver was appointed was within the subject matter jurisdiction of the federal court, and this current litigation is in furtherance of the Receiver's duties. Accordingly, the motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) for lack of subject matter jurisdiction is denied.
The individual defendants seek to dismiss the claims against them for lack of personal jurisdiction because they are residents of Illinois and the Complaint fails to allege sufficient facts to establish a prima facie case for personal jurisdiction. (Doc.
In SEC v. Vision Commc'ns, Inc., 74 F.3d 287, 290-91 (D.C.Cir.1996), the Court explained the two-step process for obtaining personal jurisdiction in a case also involving a receiver in a proceeding ancillary to an SEC enforcement action. Step one involved Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4, which now provides that "[s]erving a summons or filing a waiver of service establishes personal jurisdiction over a defendant... (C) when authorized by a federal statute." Fed.R.Civ.P. 4(k)(1)(C). Step two required a statute that provides the needed authorization to have the defendant served in a district outside the territorial boundaries of the district court where the case was filed. The court found that 28 U.S.C. § 1692
Here, the Complaint sufficiently alleges that the Receiver has filed the appropriate documents in Illinois (Doc. # 1, ¶ 4). Defendants do not assert that the individual defendants were not properly served with process. Accordingly, under Vision Commc'ns and Bilzerian, this Court has personal jurisdiction over the individual defendants, and the motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(2) is denied.
In deciding a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss, the Court must accept all well-pleaded factual allegations in a complaint as true and take them in the light most favorable to plaintiff. Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94, 127 S.Ct. 2197, 167 L.Ed.2d 1081 (2007); Christopher v. Harbury, 536 U.S. 403, 406, 122 S.Ct. 2179, 153 L.Ed.2d 413 (2002). "To survive dismissal,
Defendants contend that the Complaint has not adequately pled fraudulent transfer claims under FUFTA because it failed to allege that the Receivership Entities are creditors, failed to allege any debtors, and failed to allege what claim the creditor has against the debtor. Defendants also assert that the Complaint does not identify the underlying debt or judgment owed, or the identity of the debtor entity. (Doc. # 13, pp. 5-7.) In response, the Receiver contends that he has properly asserted a claim under FUFTA because he has pled a constructive fraud claim and therefore need not specifically identify a creditor, debtor, or claim. (Doc. # 16, pp. 6-7.)
Under FUFTA, a transfer is voidable if fraudulent. Fla. Stat. § 726.108. The Complaint specifically states that the FUFTA claims are brought pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 726.105(1)(a) and (b). Fla. Stat. § 726.105(1)(a) concerns actual fraud while Fla Stat. § 726.105(1)(b) concerns constructive fraud. Constructive fraud is also addressed in Fla. Stat. § 726.106. Fla. Stat. § 726.105 provides:
Section 726.106(1) provides:
Friedman v. Heart Institute of Port St. Lucie, Inc., 863 So.2d 189, 192 (Fla.2003). "This language is extremely broad." Dillon v. Axxsys Int'l, Inc., 185 Fed.Appx. 823, 830 (11th Cir.2006). The FUFTA does not, however, create a cause of action against an aider or abettor to a fraudulent transaction. Freeman v. First Union National Bank, 865 So.2d 1272 (Fla.2004).
At oral argument, counsel for the receiver conceded that his Complaint did not adequately identify a "creditor" "claim", or "debtor." He asserts, however, that he need not specifically identify these entities because he has asserted a constructive, rather than actual, fraud claim. In support, he cites to an non-binding opinion, Wiand v. Buhl, No. 8:10-CV-75-T-17MAP, 2011 WL 6048829 (M.D.Fla. Nov. 3, 2011) (Pizzo, Mag.) (adopted, 2011 WL 6048741 (M.D.Fla. Dec. 6, 2011) (Kovachevich, J.)).
The first section of Fla. Stat. § 726.105 states that "[a] transfer is made or obligation incurred by a debtor is fraudulent as to a creditor, whether the creditor's claim arose before or after the transfer was made or the obligation was incurred, if the debtor made the transfer or incurred the obligation." Fla. Stat. § 726.105 (emphasis added). The statute continues to provide two alternative manners in which to proceed on a claim either (a) if the debtor acted with intent to either "hinder delay, or defraud any creditor of the debtor" or (b) if the transfer was made without receiving reasonably equivalent value. Id.
The Court is not persuaded by Wiand and declines to read the statute in such a way as to render the terms "creditor" and "debtor" effectively meaningless. Market Co. v. Hoffman, 101 U.S. 112, 115-16, 25 L.Ed. 782 (1979) ("It is a cardinal rule of statutory construction that significant and effect shall, if possible, be accorded to every word."); see also United States v. Nordic Village, Inc., 503 U.S. 30, 36, 112 S.Ct. 1011, 117 L.Ed.2d 181 (1992). The Receiver has failed to adequately identify a "creditor" and "debtor" and therefore, the
Accordingly, it is now
Defendants' Motion to Dismiss or, in the Alternative, to Strike Complaint (Doc. # 13) is
1. The motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1) and (2) is
2. The motion to dismiss is
3. The Motion to Strike and Motion for More Definite Statement are