JANE TRICHE MILAZZO, District Judge.
Before the Court is a Motion to Partially Dismiss Cross Claim filed by Twin Towers Trading Sit Management, LLC; Donald Porges; and Porges and Eisenberg CPA, LLC (Doc. 51). For the following reasons, this Motion is
This is a declaratory judgment action on a promissory note removed from the 29th Judicial District Court for the Parish of St. Charles. On November 11, 2013, Defendants KCI Investments, LLC ("KCI"), Kenneth Antos, and David Becklean executed a Secured Promissory Note (the "Note") with Plaintiff Magnolia Financial Group, LLC, ("Magnolia") for the principal sum of $2,000,000 with an interest rate of 15% per annum. Defendant Becklean also executed a Pledge and Security Agreement (the "Security Agreement") in favor of Magnolia, wherein he pledged his interest in the proceeds of a Settlement Agreement dated September 22, 2012 among Twin Towers Trading Site Management, LLC, Jeffrey Brandon, Eric Scholer, Becklean, and SMG Group (the "Settlement Agreement"). This pledge was recorded. Subsequently, on January 13, 2015, Defendants entered into a second agreement to borrow an additional $100,000 from Magnolia (the "Second Note"). Plaintiff contends that no principal payments were paid on the Notes by the maturity date and contends that $2,457,805.60 of principal and interest remains due and owing on the Notes. Plaintiff filed the instant suit seeking a declaratory judgment recognizing its rights under the Note and the Security Agreement.
Plaintiff filed a Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, seeking a judgment (1) defining the undisputed amount owed on the promissory note, (2) recognizing its appointment as attorney-in-fact for purposes of carrying out the pledge, and (3) establishing its right to collect attorneys' fees at the termination of the litigation. The Court denied the motion relative to defining an undisputed amount owed on the promissory note but granted it with respect to recognizing Plaintiff as attorney-in-fact and establishing Plaintiff's right to collect attorneys' fees at the termination of the litigation.
Following the Court's ruling on the Motion for Summary Judgment, Twin Towers intervened in this action and filed an interpleader complaint relative to a portion of the settlement proceeds. Plaintiff responded, averring that Twin Towers is not entitled to interpleader relief. Plaintiff also brought cross claims against, inter alia, Twin Towers, Donald Porges, and Porges & Eisenberg CPA, LLC (collectively the "Porges Defendants") for tortious interference with contractual relations, fraud, and bad faith breach of conventional obligation. These claims stem from the Porges Defendants' alleged failure to forward the settlement proceeds to Plaintiff upon Defendants' default. The Porges Defendants have moved to dismiss Plaintiff's cross claims for tortious interference with contractual relations and bad faith breach of conventional obligation. Plaintiff responds in opposition.
To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss, a plaintiff must plead enough facts "to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face."
To be legally sufficient, a complaint must establish more than a "sheer possibility" that the plaintiff's claims are true.
The Porges Defendants have challenged the sufficiency of Plaintiffs claims for bad faith breach of a conventional obligation and tortious interference with contractual relations. The Court will address these claims separately.
Plaintiff's cross claim alleges that the Porges Defendants were obligated to forward to it the proceeds of the Settlement Agreement upon Defendants' default and that their failure to do so was in bad faith. "In order to recover for breach of contract under Louisiana law, the plaintiff must prove: (1) the obligor's undertaking of an obligation to perform; (2) that the obligor failed to perform the obligation (i.e. breach); and (3) that the breach resulted in damages to the oblige."
In support of its contention that the Porges Defendants were under an obligation to forward to it the disputed settlement payments, Plaintiff has attached a letter from Donald K. Porges dated November 13, 2013 (the "Porges Letter"). Therein, Porges indicates that Antos and Becklean authorized him, in case of default, to make the settlement payments to Magnolia Financial Group, LLC. The Porges Defendants argue that this claim should be dismissed because this letter is insufficient evidence of a contract between the Porges Defendants and Plaintiff. Whether or not Plaintiff can produce sufficient evidence indicating the existence of a contract is a question better suited to a summary judgment motion following completion of discovery.
Plaintiff also alleges that the Porges Defendants' actions relative to the settlement proceeds constitute tortious interference with contract. In 9 to 5 Fashions, Inc. v. Spurney, 538 So.2d 228, 234 (La. 1989), the Louisiana Supreme Court recognized an extremely limited cause of action for tortious interfere with contract, requiring allegations of the following elements:
Absent factual allegations relative to each of these elements, a claim for tortious interference with contract must fail. "Tortious interference with contract was recognized in a limited fashion by the Supreme Court of Louisiana. . . and to date the holding has been restricted to the precise cause of action it explicates: that is a situation involving a corporation, an officer of the corporation, and a contract between the corporation and a third party."
For the foregoing reasons the Porges Defendants' Motion to Dismiss is