STEVE C. JONES, District Judge.
This matter is before the Court on the Plaintiff's Motion for Reconsideration and Partial Summary Judgment, or in the Alternative to Certify the Order for Interlocutory Appeal under 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) [Doc. No. 92].
The Plaintiff has moved for the Court to reconsider Section I.B.2 of its February 27, 2012 order [Doc. No. 84, pp. 14-19, 2012 WL 8503168] on the Defendants' Motion to Dismiss/Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings
Under Local Rule 7.2, motions for reconsideration are not to be filed "as a matter of routine practice," but only when "absolutely necessary." L.R. 7.2(E), NDGa. Such absolute necessity arises where there is "(1) newly discovered evidence; (2) an intervening development or change in controlling law; or (3) a need to correct a clear error of law or fact." Boone v. Corestaff Support Servs., Inc., 805 F.Supp.2d 1362, 1368 (N.D.Ga.2011). However, a motion for reconsideration may not be used "to present the court with arguments already heard and dismissed or to repackage familiar arguments to test whether the court will change its mind." Id. Further, a party "may not employ a motion for reconsideration as a vehicle to present new arguments or evidence that should have been raised earlier, introduce novel legal theories, or repackage familiar arguments to test whether the Court will change its mind." Brogdon v. Nat'l Healthcare Corp., 103 F.Supp.2d 1322, 1338 (N.D.Ga.2000).
Plaintiff moves for reconsideration on three alleged errors, as follows:
In the February 27, 2012 ruling, the Court held that the Defendants' citations of authority (specifically Flexible Products Co. v. Ervast, 284 Ga.App. 178, 643 S.E.2d 560 (2007) and Brock Built, LLC v. Blake, 300 Ga.App. 816, 686 S.E.2d 425 (2009)
As set out in the Court's February ruling:
In Flexible Products Co. v. Ervast, the Georgia Court of Appeals stated:
In Brock Built, LLC v. Blake, the Georgia Court of Appeals explained the business judgment rule as follows:
The Brock Built court further stated: "[T]he business judgment rule is a policy of judicial restraint born of the recognition that [officers] are, in most cases, more qualified to make business decisions than are judges." Id. at 823 and 686 S.E.2d at 431 (quoting In re The Bal Harbour Club, 316 F.3d 1192, 1194-95(II) (11th Cir.2003)).
As stated above, Plaintiff moves for reconsideration on the ground that by holding that an ordinary negligence count can never survive the BJR and eliminating any inquiry into whether the allegations in the Complaint rebut the presumption of good faith, the Court created an irrebuttable presumption of good faith for ordinary negligence in cases that is contrary to the plain language of the case of the Brock Built case.
The crux of the present motion for reconsideration involves the proper interpretation of the Flexible Products and Brock Built cases.
There is also Eleventh Circuit authority which holds that:
Silverberg v. Paine, Webber, Jackson & Curtis, Inc., 710 F.2d 678, 690 (11th Cir. 1983) (emphasis added); see also State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Duckworth, 648 F.3d 1216, 1224 (11th Cir.2011) (recognizing that the process is not exact and reviewing relevant precedent to guide analysis) and Versiglio v. Bd. of Dental Exam'rs of Ala., 651 F.3d 1272 (11th Cir. 2011), vacated and superseded on rehearing by Versiglio v. Bd. of Dental Exam'rs of Ala., 686 F.3d 1290 (11th Cir.2012) (recognizing the practice of giving ordinary deference to state courts when they interpret matters of state concern and declining to interpret state law in a way that was diametrically opposed to the findings of the state appeals court).
In light of the above-stated authority, the Court finds that it is bound to adhere to the business judgment rule holdings set out in the Flexible Products and Brock Built cases, absent some indication that the Georgia Supreme Court would decide the issue otherwise.
Plaintiff argues that there is persuasive data which indicates that the Georgia Supreme Court would decide contrary to the Georgia Court of Appeals based upon the plain language of O.C.G.A. § 7-1-490. Plaintiff also references the Eleventh Circuit's opinion in FDIC v. Stahl, 89 F.3d 1510 (11th Cir.1996) concerning an interpretation of a similar Florida statute. For the foregoing reasons and the specific reasoning found in section I(C) of this order,
The Court further notes that it appears that while there is no Georgia case directly stating that the business judgment rule is applied in the banking context, there is a general principle "fixed in [Georgia] jurisprudence that `the courts will not interfere in matters involving merely the judgment of a majority in exercising control over corporate affairs.'" Millsap v. Am. Family Corp., 208 Ga.App. 230, 233, 430 S.E.2d 385, 388 (1993). The Georgia Supreme Court has also specifically held in the banking litigation context in which negligence and misconduct allegations were made that "[t]he mere exercise by directors of poor judgment in making loans is not sufficient to form a basis of liability; for the directors merely assume the obligations to manage the affairs of the institution with diligence and good faith." Mobley v. Russell, 174 Ga. 843, 847, 164 S.E. 190, 193 (1932). While not a specific declaration of the business judgment rule, the Mobley case (together with the above-stated fixed jurisprudence of Georgia), lead the Court to conclude that the business judgment rule is applied in Georgia in the banking context.
Having settled the issues regarding the applicability of the business judgment rule, the Court returns to the crux of the present motion for reconsideration — specifically, the proper interpretation of the Flexible Products and Brock Built cases and the application of the business judgment rule in the case sub judice.
Plaintiff asks the Court to apply a contextual reading of the Flexible Products and Brock Built cases. Plaintiff states that there is a due care and good faith prerequisite to application of the business judgment rule and that the allegations of the Complaint support a reasonable inference that neither due care or good faith prerequisites have been met. Doc. No. 92-1, p. 16. Plaintiff states that Brock Built, provides that "defendants cannot avoid liability if, as here, the presumption of good faith has been rebutted...." Doc. No. 119, p. 6. Plaintiff argues that Flexible Products and Brock Built should be read to mean that "the BJR protects Defendants when plaintiffs establish only negligent conduct but no bad faith or abuse of discretion." Doc. No. 119, p. 10.
In response, Defendants state that the case law cited by Plaintiff "provides no basis for a conclusion that the application of the business judgment rule is contingent upon a preliminary or `prerequisite' finding of due care." Doc. No. 110, p. 21. Defendants state: "a rebuttal of the business judgment rule's presumption does not mean a plaintiff can pursue claims based in ordinary negligence...." Doc. No. 110, p. 13. Defendants state that Plaintiff has taken the analysis of Brock Built "out of context" in that said analysis was "limited to whether the plaintiff's allegations of mere negligence were sufficient to overcome the protection of the business judgment rule and to establish a breach of fiduciary duty." Doc. No. 110, p. 16.
The Court has spent significant time reviewing the Flexible Products and Brock Built cases. After review, the Court finds that the most logical conclusion as to how the business judgment rule applies in Georgia is as stated by Defendants in their initial reply brief: "[g]iven the standard of care set forth in these statutes, a cause of action for ordinary negligence against an officer or director exists, but only theoretically. When Georgia's business judgment rule is applied to claims for ordinary negligence, Georgia courts hold that such claims are not viable."
This is illustrated by the language of both the Flexible Products and Brock Built cases, as well as the specific statement in Brock Built that "[a]llegations amounting to mere negligence, carelessness, or `lackadaisical performance' are insufficient as a matter of law." 300 Ga. App. at 822, 686 S.E.2d at 430-31. The Court recognizes that Plaintiff argues that the word "insufficient" refers "to the fact that such allegations were insufficient because they were not coupled with a showing of bad faith, not because there was some categorical rule against ordinary negligence...." Doc. No. 119, p. 10. However, in neither of the two cases at issue did the Georgia Court of Appeals make such a statement.
Plaintiff further argues that in holding that an ordinary negligence count can never survive the BJR and in eliminating any inquiry into whether the allegations in the Complaint rebut the presumption of good faith, the Court created an irrebuttable presumption of good faith for ordinary negligence that is contrary to the plain language of the case of the Brock Built case, 300 Ga.App. at 816, 686 S.E.2d 425. In reading and considering the Brock Built and Flexible Products cases, the Court is unable to agree that the presumption is irrebuttable. It appears that based on Georgia law, once the presumption is rebutted, then liability arises in claims based upon fraud, bad faith, or abuse of discretion — not in ordinary negligence. See, e.g., State v. Brawner, 297 Ga.App. 817, 820, 678 S.E.2d 503, 506 (2009) ("Georgia courts have required more than negligent or careless conduct to support a finding of bad faith.") and Hendon v. DeKalb Cnty., 203 Ga.App. 750, 758, 417 S.E.2d 705, 712 (1992) ("`Bad faith' is not simply bad judgment or negligence ....").
In regard to Plaintiff's arguments concerning the analysis found in Brock Built (specifically that there was a detailed appellate court analysis of whether the facts rebutted a presumption of good faith. Doc. No. 92-1, p. 12), the Court has interpreted the Brock Built analysis somewhat differently. The Court notes that in considering the application of the business judgment rule as to a breach of fiduciary duty claim, the Georgia Court of Appeals began by identifying two general categories of conduct: (1) improper motive and (2) neglect. The Court of Appeals thereafter set out the business judgment rule and in its first sentence after setting out the rule, stated: "[claimant] has not alleged conduct that rises to the level of fraud, bad faith or an abuse of discretion sufficient to establish a claim for breach of fiduciary duty." 300 Ga.App. at 822, 686 S.E.2d 425. This sentence leads this Court to believe that the Court of Appeals concluded that claims for breach of fiduciary duty post-application of the business judgment rule are based upon fraud, bad faith, or an abuse of discretion. The Court of Appeals thereafter performed an "[e]ven if" analysis as to whether improper motive could be a breach of fiduciary duty. Id. The Court of Appeals next considered the neglect category and stated: the conduct at issue "at best" amounted to a "showing of negligent or careless performance of ... duties, which is insufficient to show breach of fiduciary duty as a matter of law." Id. at 823, 686 S.E.2d 425. The Court of Appeals concluded by stating that the "allegations in the complaint in conjunction with the record
Plaintiff further argues that there is no support in a conclusion that only gross negligence claims can survive the BJR in that the words "gross negligence" never appear in Brock Built or Flexible Products. Doc. No. 119, p. 9. Plaintiff states that "it is difficult to believe that Brock Built and Flexible Products wanted to announce a rule that only gross negligence cases can survive the BJR without ever saying so." Doc. No. 119, p. 10. The Court notes that it has not specifically held that the only claim that can survive the business judgment rule is gross negligence, as the Brock Built case stated that: "officers may be held liable where they engage in fraud, bad faith, or an abuse of discretion." 300 Ga.App. at 822, 686 S.E.2d at 430.
An additional argument that Plaintiff advances is that the BJR is peculiarly a question of fact, wholly inappropriate for consideration at the motion to dismiss stage. Plaintiff also argues that a vast majority of courts do not decide BJR issues at the motion to dismiss stage. The Court notes that the case sub judice is at both the motion to dismiss stage (as to some defendants) and motion for judgment on the pleadings stage (as to the remaining defendants). While the Court recognized in the context of its original order that the application of the BJR at this early stage in the litigation is debatable, the Court also could not ignore the language of Flexible Products and Brock which renders the decision more of law, than of fact — so that a ruling at this time would not be inappropriate.
Plaintiff argues that the Court omitted the ordinary diligence portion of O.C.G.A. § 7-1-490 from its ruling when it stated: "O.C.G.A. § 7-1-490 provides in relevant part that `[a] director or officer who so performs his duties [essentially in good faith] shall have no liability by reason of being or having been a director or officer of the bank or trust company.'" Doc. No. 84, p. 16. Plaintiff argues that omitting the statutory "due care" requirement was reversible error; however, the Court notes that said referenced sentence is not to the standard of care in Georgia, but is to the statutory "no liability" standard. The Court correctly set forth the statutory standard of care on pages 14-15 of its order when it stated: "Georgia law provides in relevant part that "Directors and
In regard to the "no liability" statutory standard set forth above, in the interest of caution, the Court hereby vacates said sentence in its February 27, 2012 order [at Doc. No. 84, p. 16] and inserts the following sentence in its place:
In conclusion, the Court specifically notes that it was fully aware of the standard of care, as illustrated above, as well as the statutory standard of "no liability" in making its initial decision.
Plaintiff's motion for reconsideration on this ground is hereby
Plaintiff argues that reconsideration is warranted because a court-created presumption of good faith cannot repeal the statutory ordinary negligence standard and transform it into gross negligence. Doc. No. 92-1, p. 17.
Georgia's applicable banking statute, O.C.G.A. § 7-1-490(a), states in relevant part: "Directors and officers of a bank or trust company shall discharge the duties of their respective positions in good faith and with that diligence, care, and skill which ordinarily prudent men would exercise under similar circumstances in like positions." (emphasis added). Said code section further provides that: "[a] director or officer who so performs his duties [essentially in good faith and with that diligence, care, and skill which ordinarily prudent men would exercise under similar circumstances in like positions] shall have no liability by reason of being or having been a director or officer of the bank or trust company." Id.
Plaintiff argues that "any interpretation of the BJR that would allow defendants to avoid liability if they acted in good faith but without due care would violate [O.C.G.A. § 7-1-490], which states that defendants `shall have no liability' only if they act both in good faith and with due care.'" Doc. No. 119, p. 7 (emphasis omitted). Plaintiff also argues that "Brock Built and Flexible Products must be read to be consistent with the ordinary negligence standard established by the Georgia Legislature, or else be disregarded." Doc. No. 119, p. 13. Plaintiff argues that "[i]f only gross negligence can survive the BJR, then the standard of care is essentially gross negligence, which violates O.C.G.A. § 7-1-490's prescription that the standard of care is ordinary negligence." Doc. No. 119, p. 14. Plaintiff states that "[o]nly the Georgia legislature may raise the standard of care for directors and officers to gross negligence." Doc. No. 119, p. 17.
To this regard, Plaintiff cites the case of FDIC v. Stahl, 89 F.3d 1510 (11th Cir.
Id. at 1518.
After review, the Court is not sure if Stahl, Flexible Products, and Brock Built can be completely reconciled; however, the Court does note, as correctly stated by Defendants, it would not be proper for a federal court to ignore state court decisions (issued by Georgia courts) in favor of a federal appellate decision analyzing a different state's substantive law. Doc. No. 110, p. 23.
The Court is also well aware of the black letter law which holds that in the context of statutory interpretation,
The comments to Georgia's corporate code, O.C.G.A. § 14-2-830, which as stated above, is similar to the banking code (O.C.G.A. § 7-1-490(a)), also provide insight to this regard. In these comments, the writers note that "[t]he elements of the business judgment rule and the circumstances for its application are continuing to be developed by the courts. In view of that continuing judicial development, [this code section] does not try to codify the business judgment rule or to delineate the differences, if any, between that rule and the standards of director conduct set forth in this section. That is a task left to the courts." O.C.G.A. § 14-2-830 cmt.
As stated above, it appears that when Georgia's business judgment rule is applied to claims for ordinary negligence, Georgia courts hold that such claims are not viable.
In conclusion, the Court finds the absence of a clear error of law so as to render reconsideration appropriate. Accordingly, the Plaintiff's Motion for Reconsideration is hereby
Plaintiff moves for summary judgment on three defenses raised in the Answer of Defendants Ernest, Hartsfield, Murphy, and Reynolds (i.e., failure to mitigate, reliance, and estoppel) on the ground that they are barred by the "no duty" rule as a matter of law.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(a) provides "[t]he court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movement is entitled to judgment as a matter of law."
A factual dispute is genuine if the evidence would allow a reasonable jury to find for the nonmoving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). A fact is "material" if it is "a legal element of the claim under the applicable substantive law which might affect the outcome of the case." Allen v. Tyson Foods, Inc., 121 F.3d 642, 646 (11th Cir.1997).
The moving party bears the initial burden of showing the court, by reference to materials in the record, that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact that should be decided at trial. Hickson Corp. v. N. Crossarm Co., 357 F.3d 1256, 1260 (11th Cir.2004) (citing Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986)). The moving party's burden is discharged merely by
Once the moving party has adequately supported its motion, the non-movant then has the burden of showing that summary judgment is improper by coming forward with specific facts showing a genuine dispute. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986).
All reasonable doubts should be resolved in the favor of the non-movant. Fitzpatrick v. City of Atlanta, 2 F.3d 1112, 1115 (11th Cir.1993). When the record as a whole could not lead a rational trier of fact to find for the nonmoving party, there is no "genuine [dispute] for trial." Id. (citations omitted).
In the case sub judice, Plaintiff states that the present issue is a "purely legal issue" for which there are no material facts which are relied upon and/or are otherwise relevant. Doc. No. 93, pp. 1-2. In their responsive brief, Defendants have not alleged that there are material facts for consideration in the context of the present motion.
Plaintiff argues that the "no duty" rule should be applied here and the Court should grant partial summary judgment — declaring that the following defenses asserted in the Answer of Defendants Ernest, Hartsfield, Murphy, and Reynolds [Doc. No. 29] are unavailable as a matter of law: failure to mitigate (third defense); reliance upon bank examiners (eighth defense); and estoppel (fourteenth defense). Doc. No. 92-1, p. 23. Plaintiff argues that by asserting said defenses, Defendants are seeking to reduce their culpability based upon actions FDIC took as a receiver.
Plaintiff argues that the three defenses at issue are barred as a matter of law under the "no duty" rule, as they relate to FDIC-R's post-receivership conduct.
"The question of whether affirmative defenses may be asserted against the FDIC has been a contentious matter for some time." FDIC v. Bierman, 2 F.3d 1424, 1438 (7th Cir.1993)
As stated in this Court's order on the Plaintiff's motion to strike [Doc. No. 84], prior to 1994, the majority rule categorically precluded the directors of a failed bank from asserting such defenses against the FDIC. Bierman, 2 F.3d at 1438-39 (holding that affirmative defenses such as failure to mitigate may not be asserted against the FDIC in its receivership capacity) and FDIC v. Mijalis, 15 F.3d 1314, 1323 (5th Cir.1994) ("The great majority of the district courts is in accord with the conclusion reached by the Bierman court."). The courts that developed the rule insulated the FDIC from these defenses as a matter of federal common law, reasoning that: (1) the FDIC owes no duty to former directors of a failed bank, (2) public policy dictates that the directors who allegedly caused the bank's failure bear the risk of any errors of judgment, and (3) the FDIC's discretionary conduct within the meaning of the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) in fulfilling its statutory mandate is not subject to judicial second-guessing.
The United States Supreme Court called this reasoning into question in its 1994 decision, O'Melveny & Myers v. FDIC, 512 U.S. 79, 114 S.Ct. 2048, 129 L.Ed.2d 67 (1994). In O'Melveny the FDIC, acting in its capacity as receiver for a failed bank, sued a third party law firm alleging professional negligence and breach of fiduciary duty in the firm's representation of the bank. O'Melveny, 512 U.S. at 81-82, 114 S.Ct. at 2052. The rules of decision at issue in O'Melveny involved "the FDIC's rights and liabilities, as receiver, with respect to primary conduct on the part of private actors that ha[d] already occurred." Id. at 88, 114 S.Ct. at 2055. The issue for the Court was: "whether, in a suit by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver of a federally insured bank, it is a federal-law or rather a state-law rule of decision that governs the tort liability of attorneys who provided services to the bank." Id. at 80-81, 114 S.Ct. at 2051. The Supreme Court held that with rare exceptions "there is no federal general common law." Id.
In making this decision, the Supreme Court noted that the FDIC's brief attempted to show that federal common law governed the issue. Id. at 84, 114 S.Ct. at 2053. The Court noted that the FDIC's brief indicated that nonattribution to the corporation of dishonest officers' knowledge was the rule applied in the vast bulk of decisions from 43 jurisdictions ranging from Rhode Island to Wyoming. Id. In considering the FDIC's argument, the Court held that there was no federal common law on the issue of nonattribution and even if there were, it saw "no reason why it would necessarily conform to that `independently... adopted by most jurisdictions.'" Id.
The Court explained that, except as otherwise delineated in FIRREA, state law governs the FDIC's rights and liabilities as receiver. Id. at 88, 114 S.Ct. at 2055. The Court held that the FDIC's argument that FIRREA as a whole demonstrates a high federal interest that confirmed the Court's authority to promulate common law was "demolished" by the provisions of FIRREA that specifically created special federal rules of decision regarding claims by and defenses against FDIC, as receiver. Id. at 86, 114 S.Ct. at 2054. The Court then delineated examples (within FIRREA) of the specially created rules and stated: "to create additional `federal common law' exceptions is not to `supplement' the scheme, but to alter it." Id. at 87, 114 S.Ct. at 2055. The Court concluded that this was not one of those extraordinary cases in which judicial creation of a federal rule of decision was warranted. Id. at 89, 114 S.Ct. at 2056.
The Court also referenced section 1821(d)(2)(A)(i) of FIRREA, providing for powers and duties of the FDIC as receiver, and stated that "[t]his language appears to indicate that the FDIC as receiver `steps into the shoes of the failed [bank]... obtaining the rights `of the insured depository institution' that existed prior to
The Court also stated that it had no authority to create a new federal common law cause of action to enrich the deposit insurance fund, as "there is no federal policy that the fund should always win." Id. at 88, 114 S.Ct. at 2055.
Following O'Melveny, there is now a split among district courts as to whether O'Melveny allows defendants to assert an affirmative defense against the FDIC as receiver. Resolution Trust Corp. v. Massachusetts Mut. Life Ins. Co., 93 F.Supp.2d 300, 305 (W.D.N.Y.2000). Many district courts have reconsidered whether federal common law can be applied to insulate the FDIC from affirmative defenses that are otherwise available under state law. See FDIC v. Gladstone, 44 F.Supp.2d 81, 85-87 (D.Mass.1999) and FDIC v. Raffa, 935 F.Supp. 119, 124-26 (D.Conn.1995). Some courts have distinguished cases in which the FDIC's own conduct is at issue from the facts in O'Melveny, which involved the conduct of a third party law firm. See Raffa, 935 F.Supp. at 124-26 and FDIC v. Healey, 991 F.Supp. 53, 61 (D.Conn.1998). These courts have held that federal common law survives in those cases where the FDIC's own conduct is at issue because of the potential for a "significant conflict" between the federal interests at stake and state law affirmative defenses that permit or require judicial scrutiny of the FDIC's discretionary actions. See Healey, 991 F.Supp. at 61.
Applying O'Melveny more broadly, other courts have held that the FDIC in its receivership capacity is subject to state law affirmative defenses except when FIRREA expressly provides otherwise. Gladstone, 44 F.Supp.2d at 86; see also Ornstein, 73 F.Supp.2d at 282, 284 (E.D.N.Y. 1999). These courts emphasize O'Melveny's clearly expressed rejection of the notion that federal common law should apply in an area that is otherwise governed by the detailed and comprehensive statutory scheme of FIRREA. Gladstone, 44 F.Supp.2d at 86. As one court summarized the primary holding of O'Melveny:
Ornstein, 73 F.Supp.2d at 284 (quoting RTC v. Liebert, 871 F.Supp. 370, 372 (C.D.Cal.1994)).
It appears undisputed that FIRREA does not impose a no duty rule.
As stated above, in Motorcity, the Eleventh Circuit considered whether the federal common law D'Oench doctrine was preempted by FIRREA in the context of a negligence suit brought by an automobile dealership (and its principal) against a failed bank, for which the FDIC was acting as receiver. The D'Oench doctrine is a federal common law doctrine of estoppel
The Eleventh Circuit held that the more appropriate guiding authority in the context of previously established federal common law is the Supreme Court's ruling in United States v. Texas, 507 U.S. 529, 113 S.Ct. 1631, 123 L.Ed.2d 245 (1993) in which the Supreme Court held that the previously established federal common-law doctrine was presumed to survive congressional action unless a congressional intent to the contrary was evident. Id. The Eleventh Circuit stated that the Texas case "reaffirmed the principles that Congress legislates against the background of the existing common law, and that Congress has legislated with an expectation that [the common] law will apply except when a statutory purpose to the contrary is evident." Id. at 1331. The Court concluded by holding that Congress did not intend to preempt the prior federal common law D'Oench doctrine. Id. at 1333.
After review, this Court agrees that the Eleventh Circuit has interpreted the O'Melveny opinion narrowly — as applying to the creation of a new federal common law rule and carrying forward the "presumption in favor of retaining existing federal common law unless a statutory purpose to the contrary is evident." 120 F.3d at 1143. In light of Motorcity, it appears to the Court that if the no duty rule is determined to be a matter of existing federal common law, in the absence of a statutory purpose to the contrary
The question of whether the no duty rule was existing and/or well-established
Plaintiff argues that the "rule has been applied to the FDIC as early as 1979 ...." and cites First State Bank of Hudson Cnty. v. United States, 599 F.2d 558 (3d Cir.1979) to this regard. The Court notes that the First State Bank case did not address "no duty" in the context of raising affirmative defenses against the FDIC and did not involve FDIC in its receivership capacity. The no duty holding of the First State Bank case is as follows: "[w]e hold that the Federal Deposit Insurance Act imposes no duty on the FDIC to warn the officers and directors of a bank about wrongdoing committed by one of its officials and discovered by the FDIC. The duty to discover fraud in their institutions is upon bank directors and they may not transfer it to the FDIC by the easy expedient of purchasing insurance protection from it." Id. at 563-64.
It has been held that the position that the FDIC-R is insulated from affirmative defenses attacking its conduct is derived from the 1988 district court case of Federal Sav. and Loan Ins. Corp. v. Roy, No. 87-1227, 1988 WL 96570, at *1 (D.Md. Jun. 28, 1988). See FDIC v. Gladstone, 44 F.Supp.2d 81, 85 (D.Mass.1999) (reviewing history of no duty rule in the affirmative defenses context).
In reviewing Eleventh Circuit precedent, it is clear that to date, there is no Eleventh Circuit opinion adopting the no duty rule and accordingly, the no duty rule was not well established in the Eleventh Circuit pre-FIRREA.
Plaintiff has cited no authority (and the Court has found no so authority) which shows that the common law adopted in other circuits is binding upon this Court. In fact, this Court is only bound by decisions of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. The Court is, however, permitted to look to the decisions of other district courts and circuits, as persuasive authority. See McGinley v. Houston, 361 F.3d 1328, 1331 (11th Cir.2004) ("The general rule is that a district judge's decision neither binds another district judge nor binds him, although a judge ought to give great weight to his own prior decisions. A circuit court's decision binds the district courts sitting within its jurisdiction while a decision by the Supreme Court binds all circuit and district courts.") and Roe v. Michelin North America, Inc., 613 F.3d 1058, 1062 (11th Cir.2010) ("we consider decisions from other circuits as persuasive authority.").
In answering the Court's own question, it appears to the Court that use of common law is an independent determination for each court/circuit. It also appears to the Court that it should not blindly apply the non-binding common law of other jurisdictions without first considering guiding principles (as to common law and FIRREA/FDIC policy) of the appellate courts under which it is bound. Cf. O'Melveny 512 U.S. at 84, 114 S.Ct. at 2053 ("[i]f there were a federal common law on such a generalized issue ..., we see no reason why it would necessarily conform to that `independently ... adopted by most jurisdictions.'"). Accordingly, the Court will first consider Eleventh Circuit precedent concerning the propriety of common law and FIRREA/FDIC policy.
In Resnick v. Uccello Immobilien GMBH, Inc., 227 F.3d 1347, 1350 n. 4 (11th Cir.2000), the Eleventh Circuit stated: "
In Harrison, the FDIC filed suit against two guarantors of a promissory note. The notes had been purchased by FDIC, as receiver for an insolvent bank. The FDIC made a demand on the note. One of the guarantors contacted the FDIC to find out the total amount of his liability and was informed that he need only pay his own note and would not be held liable for the guaranty. The guarantor sent a confirmation letter to this regard and a check marked "payment in full" which was cashed without protest. Over eighteen months later, the FDIC sent another demand letter on the guaranty and then, filed suit.
The district court concluded that the FDIC was equitably estopped from asserting its claim against the guarantors. In affirming the district court, the Eleventh Circuit recognized that "[f]ederal law on the question whether a government agency may be estopped has been unevenly shifting over the decades." 735 F.2d at 410. The Eleventh Circuit then considered the role (i.e., sovereign or proprietary) in which the FDIC was acting in this case. The Court concluded that the FDIC had acted in its proprietary capacity, which it defined as "essentially commercial transactions involving the purchase or sale of goods and services and other activities for the commercial benefit of a particular agency ... government activities ... analogous to those of a private concern." Id. at 411.
Id. at 412 (emphasis added). The Court also considered the effect on the public treasury in making its ruling, but noted that the prior precedent indicated that the FDIC's profits "do not inure to the benefit of the United States and its losses are not borne by the United States. The Corporation sustains itself principally through insurance premiums assessed against member banks." Id. at 412, n. 5. The Court concluded that the public treasury would be "unaffected by FDIC's success or failure in the action." Id.
In Jenkins, the Eleventh Circuit reviewed the issue of whether the FDIC was entitled to an absolute priority to assets of officers, directors and other third parties who may have been responsible for the failure of a bank, with such failure leading to a purchase and assumption transaction by the FDIC, acting as receiver. 888 F.2d at 1538. At the district court level, "[t]he FDIC ... sought a declaration that as a general creditor of [the failed bank] and assignee of any causes of action owned by [the failed bank], the FDIC's claims against the officers, directors and other defendants should have priority over the shareholder's claims against the parties." Id. at 1538-39. The FDIC's argument in favor of priority, inter alia, was that it "would best aid the FDIC in replenishing the permanent insurance fund." Id. at 1540-41. The district court found that none of the cases cited by the parties held that the FDIC had absolute priority over other claims; however, policy considerations supported the FDIC's position. The district court ruled in the FDIC's favor and granted an injunction which gave FDIC priority status over the claims at issue.
In reversing the district court, the Eleventh Circuit noted that its conclusion was based upon the recently enacted Financial Institution Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989. Id. at 1538, n. 1. The Eleventh Circuit agreed that the preservation of the permanent insurance fund is vital to the continued health of the nation's banking system, but further held that it could not "approve of judicial expansion of the express powers and rights granted to the FDIC in the Act by Congress." Id. at 1541. The Court stated: "[a]s the Federal Deposit Insurance Act contains no indication of an intention to create an absolute priority rule in favor of the FDIC, we must reverse the district court's finding based on policy considerations in favor of such a rule for the FDIC." Id. The Eleventh Circuit also declined
In Resolution Trust Corp. v. Artley, the RTC, as receiver of an insolvent bank,
Id. at 1103 (emphasis added).
In Gibson v. Resolution Trust Corp., the RTC
After reviewing the holdings of Harrison, Jenkins, Artley, and Gibson (and after recognizing their distinguishing factors), the Court generally concludes as follows in regard to the Eleventh Circuit: it has held that the FDIC should be accountable for the representations of its agents; it has allowed an equitable estoppel defense to go forward in a non-director/officer FDIC suit; it has considered FDIC policy statements and FIRREA and declined to approve judicial expansion of FDIC rights and powers granted by Congress; it has appeared to cite with approval, the language in O'Melveny providing that there is no federal policy that the FDIC fund should always win; and it has considered (without absolutely barring) promissory estoppel as a defense against the FDIC in a statutory claim for repudiation of a contract.
The Court also agrees with a fellow district court, which held that the Eleventh Circuit's post 1989 opinions suggest that it "does not take an expansive view of the public policy considerations underlying the passage of FIRREA." Resolution Trust
In a similar case, FDIC v. Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, 742 F.Supp. 612, 614 (M.D.Fla.1990), the district court reviewed the Eleventh Circuit's holdings in Jenkins and Harrison to form a conclusion that "the FDIC as plaintiff [as corporate assignee in a third party defendant action involving alleged negligent auditors] is acting in a normal commercial context and should be treated no differently than another other litigant."
In regard to the specific defenses at issue (i.e., failure to mitigate, reliance, and estoppel), of particular concern is the duty to mitigate defense — to which Defendants cite to O.C.G.A. § 51-12-11 (setting forth Georgia's duty to mitigate) and persuasive authority, which holds that "the duty to mitigate damages is not, literally speaking, a duty to any other party." FDIC v. Gladstone, 44 F.Supp.2d 81, 87 (D.Mass. 1999); see also Jeffrey K. Riffer and Elizabeth Barrowman, Recent Misinterpretations of the Avoidable Consequences Rule: The "Duty" to Mitigate and Other Fictions, 16 Harv. J.L. & Pub. Pol'y 411, 411 (1993). Plaintiff does not specifically negate Defendants' argument that the duty is more of a general duty, not owed to the other party, but argues that it is a distinction without difference in that imposing
After review, the Court agrees with Defendants that under Georgia law, the duty to mitigate appears to be a general duty and is not dependent on a duty owed by the FDIC to the Defendants. See O.C.G.A. § 51-12-11 ("When a person is injured by the negligence of another, he must mitigate his damages as far as is practicable by the use of ordinary care and diligence. However, this duty to mitigate does not apply in cases of positive and continuous torts.") and Butler v. Anderson, 163 Ga.App. 547, 547, 295 S.E.2d 216, 217 (1982) ("Under [Georgia code], an injured plaintiff is under a general duty to lessen damages as far as is practicable by the use of ordinary care and diligence.").
The Court is unable to uphold Plaintiff's receiver/public function arguments, as FIRREA imposes a duty to minimize losses, and "these generalized statutory duties are entirely consistent with a duty to mitigate." FDIC v. Ornstein, 73 F.Supp.2d 277 (E.D.N.Y.1999); see 12 U.S.C. § 1821(13)(E) ("Disposition of assets. In exercising any right, power, privilege, or authority as conservator or receiver in connection with any sale or disposition of assets of any insured depository institution for which the Corporation has been appointed conservator or receiver, including any sale or disposition of assets acquired by the Corporation under section 1823(d)(1) of this title, the Corporation shall conduct its operations in a manner which — (i) maximizes the net present value return from the sale or disposition of such assets; (ii) minimizes the amount of any loss realized in the resolution of cases; (iii) ensures adequate competition and fair and consistent treatment of offerors; (iv) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, or ethnic groups in the solicitation and consideration of offers; and (v) maximizes the preservation of the availability and affordability of residential real property for low- and moderate-income individuals."). The Plaintiff's argument distinguishing particular and overall losses is unavailing. See also Resolution Trust Corp. v. Artley, 28 F.3d 1099, 1103 (11th Cir.1994) ("In this case, however, [FDIC-R] is not `regulating' a bank, at least not in the ordinary sense; instead, [FDIC-R] is a plaintiff, in possession of [a failed bank's] assets, pursuing claims on behalf of the institution." "[A] state statute cannot be considered `inconsistent' with federal law merely because the statute causes the plaintiff to lose the litigation.").
In addition, failure to proceed in accordance with the statute would render the FDIC acting contrary to its statutory mandate and in a non-discretionary manner. Id.
As to the other two defenses (i.e., reliance and estoppel), the Court notes that neither party has presented an actual statement of factual circumstances under which these two defenses were raised — thus, this Court's ruling is limited only as to the no duty issue. In the absence of the underlying factual circumstances, the Court makes no ruling as to the actual validity of said defenses.
On the whole, while the policy of the no duty rule is rationally based (and would seem to be appropriate in the context of a bank director being found liable for wrongdoings involving the bank), it is not for this Court to apply such a policy or rule in the absence of binding authority indicating that such application is proper. The Court's review of binding Eleventh Circuit authority shows that common law is generally disfavored in the absence of certain circumstances, not presented here. In addition, the Court's review of Eleventh Circuit authority leads to the conclusion that
The Plaintiff's motion for partial summary judgment [Doc. No. 92] is hereby
A district court may certify an order of interlocutory appeal under 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) if (1) it involves a "controlling question of law;" (2) there is "substantial ground for difference of opinion" with respect to that question; and (3) immediate appeal "may materially advance the ultimate termination of the litigation."
It is the opinion of this Court that this order involves a controlling question of law as to which there is a substantial ground for difference of opinion, and an immediate appeal from the order may materially advance the ultimate termination of the litigation.
The Plaintiff's Motion to Certify Orders for Interlocutory Appeal is hereby GRANTED.
Plaintiff's Motion for Reconsideration [Doc. No. 92] is hereby
The Court inserts the following sentence in its place:
Plaintiff's Partial Summary Judgment [Doc. No. 92] as to the application of the "no duty" rule to the three defenses of failure to mitigate, reliance, and estoppel is hereby
Plaintiff's Motion in the Alternative to Certify the Order for Interlocutory Appeal under 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) [Doc. No. 92] is hereby
It is also important to note that the business judgment rule could be considered a presumption, rather than an affirmative defense. See, e.g., In re Bal Harbour Club, Inc., 316 F.3d 1192, 1195 (11th Cir.2003) ("In using the word `presumption' or `presumed' in articulating the business judgment rule, the courts have not intended to create a presumption in the classical procedural sense-as a vehicle that puts the burden of going forward with the evidence on the party without the burden of proof. Rather, the courts are merely expressing the substantive rule of director liability.").
The Court also recognizes the FDIC-R's contrary position [Doc. No. 65, p. 10, n. 6] that its actions would not be in issue if the other bank were in the case, because it would not be involved. The Court recognizes this distinction, but it is not determinative, as whatever party is in the shoes of the failed bank would be performing some type of action for the failed bank, and it is those actions that are subject to review.
