KENNETH A. MARRA, District Judge.
This cause is before the Court upon Palm House Hotel, LLLP, South Atlantic Regional Center, LLC and USREDA, LLC's Motion to Dismiss Complaint (DE 92). The Court has carefully considered the Motion and is otherwise fully advised in the premises.
According to the Complaint, Plaintiffs are the victims of a $50 million fraud, theft, and conspiracy, in which a web of individuals, primarily based in Palm Beach County, Florida, preyed on foreign nationals desirous of leaving foreign countries, such as China and Iran, to provide their families with the opportunity for a better life in the United States through the EB-5 program. (Compl. ¶ 1.) The "Bad Actors"
Plaintiffs' funds were supposed to be held in an escrow account unless and until their I-526 immigration petitions
(Compl. ¶ 4.)
However, Plaintiffs' funds were not held in the escrow account. Instead, Plaintiffs' funds were transferred from the escrow account to other accounts for the benefit of the conspirators. (Compl. ¶ 5.) Virtually none of Plaintiffs' funds were used to develop the property, no jobs were created, and no EB-5 visas were issued to any of the Plaintiffs. (Compl. ¶ 6.)
The Bad Actors stole Plaintiffs' funds and used them to:
(Compl. ¶ 7.)
The fraudulent scheme operated as follows:
(Compl. ¶12.)
Plaintiffs' I-526 petitions were all denied, yet their funds were never returned and were not held in escrow until their Form I-526 immigration petitions were approved. (Compl. ¶¶ 14-15.) The Bad Actors did not sell 79 purported equity interests in Palm House Hotel, LLLP. Despite registering this offering for only 79 units, they perpetrated this fraud on over 90 unsuspecting foreign investors. (Compl. ¶16.) Plaintiffs' funds were not exclusively used to help finish the renovation and development of the Palm House Hotel. Instead the funds were used for unlawful purposes. (Compl. ¶17.) The hotel was nowhere near completion, let alone anywhere close to capable of being open for business by the "Season" of 2013/2014. As of the filing of the Complaint, it is a construction site, accruing fines of $2,000 per day from the Town of Palm Beach. (Compl. ¶18.) Plaintiffs' funds were not used to create 10 full-time jobs for each $500,000 advanced, which was the only purpose for the funds to come to the United States. Further, the fact that at least 93, as opposed to 79 interests were sold, prevented that from occurring. (Compl. ¶19.)
Plaintiffs' funds were not in addition to an equity investment by the developer in excess of $22,000,000 and a bank loan in excess of $29,000,000, so that Plaintiffs' funds constituted less than 50% of the project funding. There was no bank loan, there was no developer's equity, and there was no other source of funds. (Compl. ¶20.) The real property was not worth $110,000,000-$137,000,000. Indeed, the property had been purchased out of foreclosure for $10,000,100. (Compl. ¶21.)
No investor's I-526 immigration petition for the Palm House Hotel project was ever approved by the United States government. While the Bad Actors had provided a written notice of approval for the project, the notice was fraudulent and did not relate to the Palm House Hotel project. (Compl. ¶22.) There was no insurance policy that guaranteed the completion of construction of the Palm House Hotel project. The Bad Actors represented that certain documentation was an American surety bond guaranteeing performance when, in reality, it was not. (Compl. ¶23.) The local government never guaranteed the completion of construction of the Palm House Hotel or certified it as a 5-star property. Instead, the local government was imposing significant fines against the property. (Compl. ¶24.)
Robert Matthews is not a famous real estate developer in the United States. (Compl. ¶25.) Each investor's investment was not fully secured by the real property or the State of Florida. In fact, a secret, unrecorded mortgage in the amount of $27,468,750 was granted to the prior developer of the project in August 2013, which was not recorded until March 28, 2014 — seven (7) months after it was granted — and after almost all Plaintiffs had undertaken their due diligence and wired their investments for the project. A mortgage to secure Plaintiffs' interest in the real property was not recorded until October 2014, after whatever equity existed in the project had been subsumed by the prior developer's secret mortgage. (Compl. ¶ 26.) Bill Clinton and Donald Trump are not on the Palm House Hotel advisory board, and there is no such board. (Compl. ¶27.)
Defendant Palm House Hotel, LLLP is a Florida limited liability partnership. (Compl.¶ 31.) Defendant SARC is a regional center
As an EB-5 Regional Center, SARC claimed to specialize in investment-based immigration services. (Compl. ¶ 73.) SARC was approved by USCIS to service a regional center, which allowed EB-5 investors to take credit for direct and indirect jobs. (Compl. ¶ 74.) SARC was operated and controlled by Walsh, Walsh, Jr., and others. (Compl. ¶ 75.) USREDA was an entity that claimed to specialize in providing legal immigration services regarding the EB-5 Visa program, held itself out as a law firm, and required clients to sign engagement letters for its services. It charged clients $15,000.00 USD to file a 526 petition and an additional $5,000.00 USD to file an 829 petition. (Compl. ¶76.) USREDA was operated and controlled by Defendants Walsh, Walsh, Jr., and others. (Compl. ¶ 77.) SARC, USREDA, Walsh and Walsh Jr. retained other Defendants to help them sell the Palm House Hotel investment to Plaintiffs. (Compl. ¶¶ 78-82.) During the Palm House Hotel solicitations, Plaintiffs were provided with three (3) items:
(Compl. ¶85; Ex. A, B, C, D, E, F, DE 1.)
While the Signature Booklet contained signature pages for a Private Placement Memorandum (the "PPM") and a Palm House limited partnership agreement (the "Palm House Limited Partnership Agreement"), Plaintiffs were not provided with copies of the full documents until after they made their investments, and after they demanded them when it was becoming more and more clear that something was wrong. (Compl. ¶86; Ex. G and H, DE 1.) The representations in the Offering Documents, the PPM, the Palm House Limited Partnership Agreement, and the USCIS Approval were originally made by Walsh, Walsh Jr. and others on behalf of the companies, SARC and USREDA. (Compl. ¶88.)
Each limited partnership unit in Palm House required a minimum investment of $500,000, plus an administrative fee of $40,000. (Compl. ¶93.) Any subscription funds received from Plaintiffs were to be held in a special escrow account. (Compl. ¶ 94.) Among the many misrepresentations, Plaintiffs were promised that their monies would be held in the Escrow Account and released to Palm House, LLC only if and when their I-526 applications were approved by USCIS. (Compl. ¶ 95.) The Escrow Representation was made to Plaintiffs several times, and in several documents. (Compl. ¶ 96.) The Escrow Representation was made to Plaintiffs in the PPM and the Limited Partnership Agreement. (Compl. ¶ ¶ 97-98.) The Escrow Representation was made in the loan agreement between Palm House and Palm House LLC where Palm House, LLC, on the one hand, and Walsh, SARC, and Palm House, on the other hand, agreed that the loan was dependent on USCIS' approval of Plaintiffs' I-526 petitions. (Compl. ¶ 99.) If an investor's I-526 application was denied by USCIS, the investor was promised that they would receive their money back within 90 days of the official denial notice. (Compl. ¶ 100.)
There were many knowingly false representations in the Offering Documents. (Compl. ¶101.) SARC, USREDA, Walsh, Walsh Jr. and others made presentations in China to the Chinese Plaintiffs using the Offering Documents. (Compl. ¶104.) These Defendants also used a Powerpoint presentation that contained false representations to induce the Chinese Plaintiffs. (Compl. ¶105.) These Defendants also made other false representations to the Chinese Plaintiffs. (Compl. ¶108.)
Also in 2013, SARC, USREDA, Walsh, Walsh Jr. and others fraudulently induced the Iranian Plaintiffs to provide their investments. (Compl. ¶120.) Walsh and others made presentations to the Iranian Plaintiffs using the offering documents, presentation materials, and oral statements and made false statements. (Compl. ¶¶ 121-24.)
Plaintiffs relied upon these false statements in providing their money. (Compl. ¶¶127-163.) After Plaintiffs submitted their paperwork in support of their Form I-526 Petitions, USCIS denied the petitions. (Compl. ¶166; Ex. M, DE 1.) The USCIS cited the following deficiencies: (1) inconsistencies in the documents from Palm House; (2) insufficient number of full-time positions created by the project; (3) dispute over ownership of the project's property; and (4) insufficient evidence of bridge financing. (Compl. ¶168.) Plaintiffs demanded the return of their funds, but no funds were returned to Plaintiffs. (Compl. ¶¶170-71.) Walsh, Walsh Jr., USREDA, SARC and others made threats to investors if they sought to recoup their funds and made misrepresentations to lull the investors into a state of inactivity. (Compl. ¶¶172-200.)
Upon investigation, Plaintiffs discovered that Palm House was not a legitimate EB-5 project and that their funds were not held in the Escrow Account. (Compl. ¶¶202-04.) Plaintiffs' funds were quickly transferred from the Escrow Account to other accounts used by Defendants. (Compl. ¶¶205, 207.) Virtually none of Plaintiffs' funds were used at the project, and no jobs were created. (Compl. ¶ 206.)
Plaintiffs wired funds into an escrow account at PNC Bank and the Bad Actors moved these funds into a second account at PNC. (Compl. ¶246.) Upon information and belief, SARC, USREDA, Walsh, Walsh Jr., and others transferred the funds to other accounts and used them for non-allowable purposes and moved them to accounts of other Defendants. (Compl. ¶¶247, 249-58.)
The Complaint
Defendants Palm House Hotel, LLLP, SARC and USREDA move to dismiss on the following grounds: (1) the representations central to the fraud and the conversion claim are negated by the terms of the escrow agreement, the PPM and Subscription Agreement; (2) the fraud claims improperly lump together Defendants and are not pled with particularity required by Rule 9(b); (3) the security claims are barred by the "bespeaks caution" doctrine; (4) the limited partnership units do not qualify as "securities"; (5) no securities fraud claim has been pled as to USREDA; (6) the claims for injunctive relief, constructive trust and RICO claims fail to state a cause of action; (7) the claim for dissolution of the partnership is contrary to the terms of partnership agreement; (8) the breach of fiduciary duty claim against SARC is inconsistent with the allegations of the Complaint; (9) the fraudulent transfer claims do not identify any specific fraudulent transfer of assets; (10) the claim for equitable accounting fails to allege any facts showing a fiduciary duty; (11) the unjust enrichment claim fails to allege the existence of an express contract; (12) the FDUPTA claim cannot apply to transactions outside of Florida; (13) the conspiracy claim fails because the underlying tort fails to state a cause of action; (14) the constructive fraud claim does not allege facts showing a fiduciary duty owed by SARC; (15) the piercing the corporate veil claims fails because it is conclusory in nature and (16) Plaintiffs lack standing for a RICO claim.
Rule 8(a)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires "a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). The Supreme Court has held that "[w]hile a complaint attacked by a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss does not need detailed factual allegations, a plaintiff's obligation to provide the `grounds' of his `entitlement to relief' requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do. Factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level."
"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."
As for Defendants' argument for dismissal because the documents attached to the Complaint contradict some of the allegations in the Complaint regarding the alleged misrepresentations, the Court finds this argument unpersuasive, particularly at the pleading stage. Even assuming
Defendants contend that the allegations raised in the common law and securities fraud claims fall short of the pleading requirements of Rule 9(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Specifically, Defendants demand that the Complaint must provide the date, time and place of the fraud. While the Court recognizes these type of details satisfy the Rule 9(b) pleading requirements, the Eleventh Circuit has acknowledged that alternative means are also available to satisfy the rule.
With respect to the securities fraud claims, Defendants argue that these claims are barred by the "bespeaks caution doctrine."
Lastly, Defendants argue that no securities fraud claims have been pled as to USREDA. In response, Plaintiffs have cited to several paragraphs of the Complaint they claim properly allege this claim against USREDA. (DE 130 at 20.) The Court has examined these paragraphs and they do not stand for the allegations Plaintiffs claim. Thus, the Court will allow Plaintiffs leave to amend this count against USREDA.
Defendants contend that equitable relief is only available when there is no adequate remedy at law available. To the extent these Defendants possess the funds or have purchased items with these funds that can be traced, this claim is viable pursuant to Florida Statute § 812.035(6).
Defendants point to section 7.6 of the Limited Partnership Agreement attached to the Complaint which provides that dissolution of the company cannot occur before the end of the fifth year after admission of the last EB-5 Limited Partner. Defendants state that the five years have not passed. The Court cannot resolve this issue on a motion to dismiss as it requires a factual inquiry not appropriate at this stage.
Defendants contend that Plaintiffs cannot bring this claim against SARC as a "purported" general partner because either SARC is a general partner or it is not a general partner. If SARC is not a general partner, then SARC had not fiduciary duty to Plaintiffs. The Court cannot resolve this issue on a motion to dismiss as it requires a factual inquiry not appropriate at this stage.
The Court agrees that these counts impermissibly lump Defendants together and does nothing more than provide a formulaic recitation of the elements. Given that many Defendants are referenced in these counts, the Complaint should identify what role each Defendant possessed with respect to these claims. Thus, these claims are dismissed with leave to amend.
"To state a claim for an equitable accounting, the plaintiff must allege that the contract demands between litigants involve extensive or complicated accounts and it is not clear that the remedy at law is as full, adequate and expeditious as it is in equity."
Defendants move to dismiss this claim on several bases. First, the Complaint alleges that there is an express contract with SARC and Plaintiffs, and Plaintiffs have not challenged the validity of the limited partnership agreement. Plaintiffs disagree, stating that they were never provided with the limited partnership agreement and, even if they were, the agreement would just between SARC and Plaintiffs, not USREDA. Plaintiffs also contend that the unjust enrichment claim seeks to recover funds that Defendant Walsh recovered from PNC bank and distributed to other Defendants and is outside the scope of the limited partnership agreement.
The elements of a cause of action for unjust enrichment are: (1) plaintiff has conferred a benefit on the defendant, who has knowledge thereof; (2) defendant voluntarily accepts and retains the conferred benefit; and (3) the circumstances are such that it would be inequitable for the defendant to retain the benefit without paying the value thereof to the plaintiff.
As pled, this count seeks recovery for stolen funds taken unlawfully by Walsh and retained by Defendants. As such, it has properly stated a claim for unjust enrichment against Defendants.
Defendants move to dismiss these claims on the basis that the claims are negated by the terms of the escrow agreement and the claim does not specify the location of the deceptive conduct which is required because FDUTPA only covers conduct in the state of Florida.
With respect to the first argument, the Court adopts the reasoning
A review of the citations provided by Plaintiffs as to Florida conduct by Defendants reference various new facts that are not contained in the Complaint. The Court will Plaintiffs leave to amend this count to clarify Defendants' actions in Florida that give rise to liability under FDUTPA.
Defendants move to dismiss the civil conspiracy claim because such a claim relies upon an independent tort, and the Complaint fails to state claims for fraud and theft.
Under Florida law, in order to state a claim for civil conspiracy, a plaintiff must allege: "(a) an agreement between two or more parties, (b) to do an unlawful act or to do a lawful act by unlawful means, (c) the doing of some overt act in pursuance of the conspiracy, and (d) damage to plaintiff as a result of the acts done under the conspiracy."
Here, Plaintiffs rely upon tort claims which the Court has found viable. Hence, the Court denies Defendant's motion to dismiss this claim.
Defendants SARC and USREDA move to dismiss this count because there are no facts that they occupied any position of trust or confidence.
Constructive fraud exists where a duty under a confidential or fiduciary relationship has been abused, or where an unconscionable advantage has been taken.
Here, the Complaint alleges that Plaintiffs are foreign nationals who desired to provide their families with an opportunity for a better life in the United States through the EB-5 program. While the vast majority of cases of constructive fraud involve a fiduciary relationship, the Florida Supreme Court has explained that "[c]onstructive fraud is simply a term applied to a great variety of transactions which equity regards as wrongful . . .It is not necessary that there should have been a fiduciary relation between the parties, nor that it be positively shown that the one was not left to act upon his own free will, in order to constitute constructive fraud; but inadequacy of consideration, coupled with such a degree of mental weakness as would justify the inference that advantage had been taken of that weakness, will furnish sufficient ground for equitable interference."
Based on the allegations, the Court finds that the Complaint alleges that an unconscionable advantage has been taken against Plaintiff by SARC and USREDA.
Defendants seek to dismiss this count. The Court agrees and relies upon
For this reason, the Court will dismiss this as a separate count, but permit Plaintiffs to plead allegations regarding alter ego liability in the body of the Complaint.
The Court adopts its reasoning set forth in the Court's Order on the Motion to Dismiss of Defendants Joseph Walsh, Joseph Walsh, Jr. and JJW Consultancy, Ltd. as the basis to dismiss these claims. Thus, the RICO claims are dismissed without leave to amend because amendment would be futile.
Accordingly, it is hereby