ROBERT H. JACOBVITZ, Bankruptcy Judge.
THIS MATTER is before the Court on Defendant Cunningham's Motion to Dismiss ("Motion to Dismiss"), filed by Michelle Cunningham, by and through her attorney of record, Law Offices of Brian A. Thomas, P.C. (Brian A. Thomas). See Docket No. 9. Plaintiff, Judith A. Wagner, Chapter 11 Trustee of the bankruptcy estate
Defendant Michelle Cunningham (Ms. Cunningham), seeks to dismiss the Complaint under Rule 12(b)(6), Fed.R.Civ.P., made applicable to adversary proceedings by Rule 7012, Fed.R.Bankr.P. for failure to state a claim, arguing that the allegations fail to meet the pleading standards enunciated by the Supreme Court in Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) and Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). Ms. Cunningham also asserts that the allegations in the Complaint fail to satisfy the heightened pleading requirements under Rule 9, Fed.R.Civ. P., applicable to fraud claims.
After consideration of the Motion and the Opposing Brief in light of the Complaint, and being otherwise sufficiently informed, the Court finds that the allegations in the Complaint are sufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss as to Counts 2 through 6 of the Complaint. Count 7 is deficient. The Motion does not sufficiently address Counts 1, 8, and 9. The Court will, therefore, deny the Motion as to Counts 2 through 6, grant the Motion as to Count 7, and deny the Motion, without prejudice, as to Counts 1, 8 and 9.
A motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim is governed by Rule 12(b)(6), Fed. R.Civ.P., made applicable to adversary proceedings by Rule 7012, Fed.R.Bankr.P. In considering a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), the Court accepts as true all well pleaded facts and evaluates those facts in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Moore v. Guthrie, 438 F.3d 1036, 1039 (10th Cir.2006). The applicable standard for assessing a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim under Rule 12(b), Fed.R.Civ.P. is found in Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) and Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). Under Twombly, in order to survive a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), Fed.R.Civ.P., the complaint must contain enough facts to state a cause of action that is "plausible on its face." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955. In other words, the plaintiff must "nudge [his] claims across the line from conceivable to plausible." Id. "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. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955). A pleading that contains only "`labels and conclusions,'" a "`formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action'" or "`naked assertions' devoid of `further factual enhancement'" is insufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555 and 557, 127 S.Ct. 1955). Under this standard, "the tenet that a court must
The Tenth Circuit has observed that there is some disagreement among Circuit Courts as to whether the new standard enunciated by Twombly results in a minimal change, or whether the new standard, in fact, requires a significantly higher standard of pleading. Khalik v. United Air Lines, 671 F.3d 1188, 1191 (10th Cir.2012) (comparing In re Travel Agent Comm'n Antitrust Litig., 583 F.3d 896, 911 (6th Cir.2009) (finding that, to satisfy the Twombly standard, the plaintiff must plead enough specific facts "to raise a reasonable expectation that discovery will reveal evidence") with id. at 912 (Merritt, J., dissenting) and Tamayo v. Blagojevich, 526 F.3d 1074, 1083 (7th Cir.2008) (stating that Twombly "did not ... supplant the basic notice-pleading standard")). The Tenth Circuit instructs that the Twombly standard is "a middle ground between heightened fact pleading, which is expressly rejected, and allowing complaints that are no more than labels and conclusions or a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action, which the Court stated will not do." Robbins v. Oklahoma, 519 F.3d 1242, 1247 (10th Cir.2008) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). In short, within the Tenth Circuit, the notice pleading requirement under "Rule 8(a)(2) still lives." Khalik, 671 F.3d at 1191. With these principles in mind, the Court will evaluate the sufficiency of the Complaint in light of the Motion.
The Complaint contains eighty-five numbered paragraphs and consists of nine separate counts. Paragraphs 1 through 47 include allegations regarding the nature of the proceeding, jurisdiction and venue, the actions of Ms. Cunningham, the alleged fraudulent transfers to Ms. Cunningham by VCR, and the fraudulent Ponzi scheme allegedly perpetrated by Douglas Vaughan and his company, VCR. The allegations relating to Ms. Cunningham's actions include the following:
Paragraphs 48 through 85 of the Complaint incorporate by reference the allegations previously set forth in the Complaint and set forth each claim as a separate count. The counts are:
Pursuant to Rule 9(b), Fed.R.Civ. P., made applicable to adversary proceedings by Rule 7009, Fed.R.Bankr.P., a party alleging fraud "must state with particularity the circumstances constituting fraud[,]" though "[m]alice, intent, knowledge and other conditions of a person's mind may be alleged generally." Rule 9(b), Fed. R.Civ.P. A party asserting a claim for actual fraud under either 11 U.S.C. § 548(a)(1) or applicable state law is subject to the heightened pleading requirements of Rule 9(b), Fed.R.Civ.P.
Similarly, N.M.S.A.1978 § 56-10-18(A)(1) includes the requirement that the debtor made the transfer "with actual intent to hinder, delay or defraud any creditor of the debtor." Defendants assert that Plaintiff's Complaint falls short of Rule 9(b)'s specificity requirement because the allegations merely state that "Ms. Cunningham invested $102,000 and was paid different amounts at different times based on a consistent interest rate." Motion to Dismiss, p. 9. Ms. Cunningham asserts further that the allegations consist only of Plaintiff's opinion that Ms. Cunningham should have known about certain unspecified facts or should completed her own unspecified investigations. Motion to Dismiss, p. 6.
To satisfy the heightened pleading requirement under Rule 9, Fed.R.Civ. P., a plaintiff must plead the factual grounds upon which the fraud is based sufficiently to afford the defendant fair notice of the fraud claim, including, generally, the time, place, and contents of the alleged fraudulent representation, the identity of the party who made the misrepresentation, and the consequences of the false representation. Koch v. Koch Indus., Inc., 203 F.3d 1202, 1236 (10th Cir.2000) (citation omitted).
When there is sufficient evidence of a Ponzi scheme, the "actual intent to defraud" element necessary to recover a transfer as actually fraudulent under either § 548(a)(1)(A) or applicable state law can be established based on a "Ponzi scheme presumption." See, e.g., Perkins v. Haines, 661 F.3d 623, 626 (11th Cir. 2011) ("With respect to Ponzi schemes, transfers made in furtherance of the scheme are presumed to have been made with the intent to defraud for purposes of recovering the payments under §§ 548(a) and 544(b).") (citations omitted); In re AFI Holding, Inc., 525 F.3d 700, 704 (9th Cir.2008) ("`the mere existence of a Ponzi scheme' is sufficient to establish actual intent under 548(a)(1) or a state's equivalent to that section.")(quoting Hayes v. Palm Seedlings Partners-A (In re Agricultural Research and Tech. Group, Inc.), 916 F.2d 528, 535 (9th Cir.1990)); S.E.C. v. Resource Dev. Int'l, LLC, 487 F.3d 295, 301 (5th Cir.2007) ("In this circuit, proving that IERC operated as a Ponzi scheme establishes the fraudulent intent behind the transfers it made.") (citation omitted). See also Ivey v. Swofford (In re Whitley), 463 B.R. 775, 781-782 (Bankr.M.D.N.C.2012) (finding that the Ponzi scheme presumption applicable to 11 U.S.C. § 548 should likewise be applied to the North Carolina fraudulent transfer statute).
The allegations in the Complaint describing the promissory note program and VCR's method of conducting business and securing new investors plausibly describe a Ponzi scheme.
"The fraud consists of funneling proceeds received from new investors to previous investors in the guise of profits from the alleged business venture, thereby cultivating an illusion that a legitimate profit-making business opportunity exists and inducing further investment." Wyle v. C.H. Rider & Family (In re United Energy Corp.), 944 F.2d 589, 590 n. 1 (9th Cir. 1991) (citations omitted). Thus, in a typical Ponzi scheme, (1) the debtor receives funds from investors (which can include parties loaning money to generate a return); (2) investors are promised large returns for their investments; (3) initial investors are actually paid the promised returns, which attracts additional investors; (4) returns to investors are not financed through the success of the underlying business venture, if any, but are taken from principal sums received from newly attracted investments; and (5) the debtor induces investments through an illusion of paying returns to investors from legitimate business activities. For a compilation of factors courts consider to determine whether a Ponzi scheme exists, see Kathy Bazoian Phelps and Hon. Steven Rhodes, The Ponzi Scheme Book: A Legal Resource for Unraveling Ponzi Schemes, § 2.03[1][b] (2012).
The Complaint generally describes the alleged Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Douglas F. Vaughan through VCR and other entities in which Mr. Vaughan held an interest. For example, Plaintiff alleges that VCR issued promissory notes to investors with promised returns that were too good to be true, that the notes were allegedly secured by certain real estate, other investments, and Mr. Vaughan's personal wealth, but that, in fact the money
The allegations in the Complaint also sufficiently connect Ms. Cunningham to the alleged Ponzi scheme. The Complaint identifies Ms. Cunningham's investments, the rate of return, and the total amounts that Plaintiff alleges were transferred to Ms. Cunningham during each look-back period. Absent the incorporation by reference of all previous numbered allegations, including the allegations regarding Ms. Cunningham's investment and the alleged transfers to her, the Court agrees that the individual counts in the Complaint would be insufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss under the Iqbal standard.
Claims to recover transfers under a constructive fraud theory generally require the plaintiff to demonstrate a lack of reasonably equivalent value to the debtor in exchange for the transfer and that the lack of equivalent value received harmed creditors in one of the ways set forth in the applicable statute.
To sufficiently state a fraudulent transfer claim based on constructive fraud, a Plaintiff need not satisfy Rule 9's heightened pleading requirements. Rule 9 is inapplicable to constructive fraud claims because claims for constructive fraud do not require proof of intent to defraud. See, e.g., Tronox, 429 B.R. at 95-96 (stating that, "[s]ince a claim based on constructive fraudulent conveyance need not include any allegations of fraud, the overwhelming weight of authority is that the heightened pleading requirements of Rule 9(b) are inapplicable.")(collecting cases).
Plaintiff bears the burden of demonstrating insolvency.
The Complaint includes the following allegations regarding VCR's insolvency:
Such allegations sufficiently set forth facts that could establish an insolvency element under a theory of constructive fraud, whether under the Bankruptcy Code or applicable New Mexico fraudulent transfer law, and the requirements of N.M.S.A.1978 § 56-10-18(A)(2).
Count 7 of the Complaint is based on § 15-10-19(B) of the New Mexico Fraudulent Transfer Act. That section provides:
Ms. Cunningham did not specifically address Count 7 in her Motion, but requested dismissal of all claims on the ground that the allegations failed to meet the plausibility standard under Twombly. The Court agrees that the allegations set forth in Count 7 are deficient, even if the prior factual allegations in the Complaint are incorporated by reference into Count 7.
The fraudulent transfers described in N.M.S.A.1978 § 56-10-19(B) apply to a debtor's transfers to
The Motion does not expressly address nor specifically seek dismissal of Count 1 other than to describe Count 1 as an "initial claim for Accounting." Motion, p. 7. As for Count 8, Ms. Cunningham offers in a footnote an observation that Count 8 "appears to reserve the right to sue for transfers that are not known" such that Count 8 "should be deemed waived given the passage of the applicable statute of limitations, the Plaintiff's failure to amend their [sic.] complaint to state such claims, and the prejudice to Mrs. Cunningham inherent in Plaintiff reserving the right to sue her for other transfers at some point in the future." See Motion, p. 7 n. 2. Because the Court has found that the Complaint otherwise withstands Ms. Cunningham's request for dismissal, the Court declines to dismiss Counts 1 and 8 at this time and will deny the Motion as to Counts 1 and 8, without prejudice.
Count 9 of the Complaint requests disallowance of Ms. Cunningham's claim, or, alternatively, equitable subordination of Ms. Cunningham's clam. See Complaint, ¶¶ 82-85. In a footnote, Ms. Cunningham states that she has not addressed Count 9 in the Motion, but notes that Ms. Cunningham has not filed a claim in VCR's bankruptcy case. See Motion, p. 10, n. 4. Plaintiff has addressed Count 9 in her Opposing Brief, asserting that the Complaint contains allegations that Ms. Cunningham received a transfer that is voidable and that Ms. Cunningham has not returned the transfer to the trustee such that the claim of Ms. Cunningham should be disallowed under 11 U.S.C. § 502(d). See Opposing Brief, p. 11. Plaintiff also asserts that the Complaint contains allegations that Ms. Cunningham acted inequitably by failing to conduct reasonable due diligence in making her investment and that her conduct caused injury to other creditors or conferred an unfair advantage on Ms. Cunningham, which actions, Plaintiff contends, would support a claim for equitable subordination under 11 U.S.C. § 510(c). See Opposing Brief, pp. 12 — 13. The allegations in the Complaint appear to be insufficient to state a claim under either 11 U.S.C. § 502(d) or 11 U.S.C. § 510(c) because Ms. Cunningham has not file a proof of claim in the VCR bankruptcy case, and the claims bar date has run. However, because Ms. Cunningham did not expressly seek to dismiss Count 9, the Court declines to determine the sufficiency of Count 9 in deciding the instant Motion.
Based on the foregoing, the Court concludes that the Motion will be denied as to Counts 2 through 6, granted as to Count 7, and denied without prejudice as to Counts 1, 8, and 9. A separate order consistent with this Memorandum Opinion will be entered.
These allegations constitute a formulaic recitation of the statutory elements under 11 U.S.C. § 548(a)(1)(A) and are completely devoid of any factual descriptions of the actions that constitute the alleged fraudulent transfer.
Subsections (ii)(II) through (IV) are alternatives to the insolvency element found in subsection (ii)(I). Ms. Cunningham asserts that the allegations fail to satisfy the Iqbal and Twombly standard, but does not contend that Plaintiff has failed to allege one of the required elements under 11 U.S.C. § 548(a)(1)(B)(ii). The Court need not, therefore, consider the alternative elements in ruling on the Motion.
Similarly, under N.M.S.A.1978 § 56-10-18(A)(2), a transfer is fraudulent as to present and future creditors if it was made without receiving a reasonably equivalent value in exchange for the transfer or obligation, and the debtor:
And under N.M.S.A.1978 § 56-10-19(A), a transfer is fraudulent as to a present creditor of the debtor,