JUAN R. SÁNCHEZ, District Judge.
Plaintiff House of David Preservation, Inc. (HDP) brings this action against Defendant Guild House West, Inc. (Guild) seeking specific performance, declaratory relief, or, in the alternative, damages stemming from an alleged breach of an agreement between the parties for the purchase and sale of property. Guild filed a motion to dismiss, asserting HDP's claims are moot and HDP is barred from seeking relief because it has failed to satisfy conditions precedent to the agreement. Guild's motion to dismiss will be denied in its entirety for the reasons set forth below.
Guild is a non-profit corporation and owns a multifamily apartment complex in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania located on and around Fairmount Avenue. On October 21, 2014, HDP and Guild entered into a Property Purchase and Sale Agreement (Agreement) for the sale and purchase of the apartment complex.
Under the Agreement,
Agreement ¶ 2. HDP and Guild now dispute the purchase price under the Agreement and have refused to proceed to closing. The parties specifically dispute the meaning of "assumption of the Mortgage Debt" and whether HDP is entitled to credit the amount of Capital Advance Loan— $4,259,000—to the purchase price.
In its motion to dismiss, Guild initially asserts HDP's claims for specific performance and declaratory judgment are moot because HDP did not file its Complaint until nine weeks after the May 20, 2015, closing deadline.
Guild also asserts HDP's claims based on Guild's alleged anticipatory breach should be dismissed for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted because HDP has not satisfied conditions precedent to the Agreement. To survive a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), "a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to `state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.'" Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). A claim is facially plausible when the facts pleaded "allow[] the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged." Id. In evaluating a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, a court first must separate the legal and factual elements of the plaintiff's claims. See Fowler v. UPMC Shadyside, 578 F.3d 203, 210 (3d Cir. 2009). The court "must accept all of the complaint's well-pleaded facts as true, but may disregard any legal conclusions." Id. at 210-11. The court must then "determine whether the facts alleged in the complaint are sufficient to show that the plaintiff has a `plausible claim for relief.'" Id. at 211 (quoting Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679).
A condition precedent is "an event, not certain to occur, which must occur, unless its nonoccurrence is excused, before performance under a contract becomes due." Pac. Emp'r Ins. Co. v. Global Rein. Corp. of Am., 693 F.3d 417, 430 n.6 (3d Cir. 2012) (quoting Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 224). If a condition precedent remains unfulfilled, "the contract lays dormant and no damages are due for non-performance." Shovel Transfer & Storage, Inc. v. Pa. Liquor Control Bd., 739 A.2d 133, 139 (Pa. 1999); see Keystone Tech. Grp., Inc. v. Kerr Grp., Inc., 824 A.2d 1223, 1227-28 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2003) ("[I]t is well settled that if a contract contains a condition precedent, the condition precedent must occur before a duty to perform under the contract arises.").
Yet, the non-occurrence of conditions precedent by a promisee may be excused where the promisor repudiates the contract. See Jonnet Dev. Corp. v. Dietrich Indus., Inc., 463 A.2d 1026, 1033 n.7 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1983) ("[W]here a party's repudiation contributes materially to the non-occurrence of a condition of one of his duties, the non-occurrence is excused." (quoting Restatement (Second) of Contracts) (alteration in original)). Under Pennsylvania law, to constitute repudiation, or anticipatory breach, "there must be an absolute and unequivocal refusal to perform or a distinct and positive statement of an inability to do so." Edwards v. Wyatt, 335 F.3d 261, 272 (3d Cir. 2003) (quoting 2401 Pa. Ave. Corp. v. Fed. of Jewish Agencies of Greater Phila., 489 A.2d 733, 737 (Pa. 1985)). This standard is strict, and Pennsylvania courts have "reject[ed] any argument suggesting a dilution of [the] long recognized standard." 2401 Pa. Ave, 489 A.2d at 737.
In its motion to dismiss, Guild asserts HDP is not entitled to any relief because it has not fulfilled several conditions precedent to closing; notably, the Agreement requires HDP to (1) submit an application for loan assumption within sixty days of the Agreement
An appropriate Order follows.
Under the Agreement, the closing date shall take place "on the earlier of (i) six (6) months following the last day of the Inspection Period and (ii) thirty (30) days following HUD Preliminary TPA Approval." Agreement ¶ 7. Because neither party alleges HUD Preliminary TPA Approval has been secured—indeed, Guild asserts HDP has failed to obtain such approval—this Court will measure the closing date at six months following the last day of the Inspection Period. The Agreement provides for a thirty-day inspection period beginning the date of the Agreement, October 24, 2014. Agreement ¶ 4(a)(ii). Thus, the Court finds the inspection period continued until November 20, 2014, establishing a closing date of May 20, 2015.
Agreement ¶ 5A(d).