Arnold v. McFall

839 F. Supp. 2d 1281, 2011 WL 6980847
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedDecember 14, 2011
DocketCase No. 11-80396-CIV
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 839 F. Supp. 2d 1281 (Arnold v. McFall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Arnold v. McFall, 839 F. Supp. 2d 1281, 2011 WL 6980847 (S.D. Fla. 2011).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS

DONALD M. MIDDLEBROOKS, District Judge.

THIS CAUSE comes before the Court on Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (DE 13) (“Motion”), filed May 9, 2011. The Court has reviewed the instant Motion, Plaintiffs’ Response (DE 19), Defendants’ Reply (DE 23), and is otherwise fully advised in the premises.

Plaintiffs assert the following counts against seven individual Defendants: (1) securities fraud pursuant to section 517.301 of the Florida Statutes; (2) securities fraud pursuant to section 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”); (3) negligent misrepresentation; (4) breach of fiduciary duties of care, good faith, and loyalty; (5) fraud in the inducement; (6) breach of contract; and (7) rescission. (See DE 1 — Attachment 1). Defendants move to dismiss Plaintiffs’ Complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for fail[1284]*1284ing to state a claim upon which relief can be granted and Rule 9(b) for failing to plead counts one through five and count seven with particularity.

I. Factual Background

Plaintiffs’ Complaint contains the following factual allegations, which are assumed to be true for the sole purpose of deciding the instant Motion under Rule 12(b)(6).

1. The Parties

Dr. Art Arnold, Larry Auerbach, Stephen Axelrod, Adrea Brier, Ralph Eckler, Richie Friedman, Margaret Heglund, Norman Charles Heglund, Kai Tak International Ltd., Ann Kueffner, Zvi Kurtzman, Cipora Lavut, Chana Kurtzman, Regina C. Lemmer, Macathel LP, Craig MacNab, Gregory McDaniel, Larry McNamara, Phyllis Poor, James Tiampo, and Wolfe Axelrod Weinberger Associates, LLC, (collectively “Plaintiffs”) filed their Complaint on March 14, 2011, in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Palm Beach County. (See DE 1 — Attachment 1 — Exhibit A).

Plaintiffs allege that Thomas A. McFall, David F. Hackett, Robert M. Brown (collectively, “the Officers”), Gary P. Arnold, Gary L. Fishman, and Richard R. Schreiber (collectively, “the Directors”), (collectively “Defendants”), each served at all relevant times as either a Director or Officer of Gulfstream International Group, Inc. (“Gulfstream”). (Id. at 2).

2. Defendants Alleged Actions

Purportedly, between 2008 and 2010, Defendants misrepresented material facts or omitted to state material facts in connection with the sale of Gulfstream’s securities. Plaintiffs allege “[d]uring 2010 and prior to filing its petition for Bankruptcy, Gulfstream marketed and ... entered into a series of financing transactions” including but not limited to selling securities to customers of Jesup and Lamont Securities Corporation (“Jesup”). (Id. at ¶ 14).

Plaintiffs claim that Jesup chose to raise capital on behalf of Gulfstream based upon statements supposedly made by the Officers to employees of Jesup. (Id. at ¶ 16). “In or about late 2009”, Plaintiffs purport that Defendant McFall had a conversation with a Jesup employee, in which he “acknowledged that for 2008 and early 2009, Gulfstream suffered losses due to the recession.” (Id. ¶ 15). Purportedly, McFall also stated during this conversation, and “on numerous other occasions” that “Gulf-stream had turned the corner to profitability.” (Id.). Plaintiffs fail to provide the exact date, time, and place Defendant McFall made these alleged statements; additionally, Plaintiffs fail to allege the manner in which these statements misled the Plaintiffs. Rather, Plaintiffs purport that these conversations took place between a non-party and Defendant McFall.

Jesup’s first round of financing (“First Round”) for Gulfstream allegedly took place in January 2010 and involved the sale of shares of Gulfstream common stock and warrants. (Id. at ¶ 17). In June 2010, allegedly to raise more equity, Gulfstream sold Series A Convertible Preferred Shares (“Second Offering”). (Id. at ¶ 18). Plaintiffs allege in February 2010 and June 2010, the Officers prepared and provided Jesup with investor presentations, which were distributed during presentations at Jesup’s branch offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and Boca Raton. (Id. at 19). Additionally, Plaintiffs allege that the Officers themselves made presentations to prospective investors, both in person and over the phone; however, Plaintiffs fail to include the precise statements made by the Officers or provide any facts that identify the date, time, and place that the Officers made these presentations. (Id. at 19). Al[1285]*1285legedly, Gulfstream filed its Form 10-Q in August 2010, which reflected Gulfstream’s second quarter ending June 30, 2010. (Id. at 20). Plaintiffs allege that Gulfstream’s Form 10-Q “substantially and broadly contradicts the representations made” during the presentations. (Id. at 20).

Specifically, Plaintiffs allege Defendants made the following material, and knowing, misrepresentations: (1) representations about Gulfstream’s future profitability; (2) representations that Gulfstream had an exclusive license to operate between the United States and Cuba; (3) representations concerning the amount of a civil penalty imposed on Gulfstream by the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”); and (4) representations in an e-mail sent from Defendant McFall to Plaintiff MacNab, which allegedly deceived Plaintiffs about the source of Gulfstream’s influx of capital (“E-mail”). However, except for the Email, Plaintiffs fail to set forth precisely what documents or oral representations were made to Plaintiffs by each Defendant. In fact, Plaintiffs repeatedly allege the presentations included misrepresentations or the Officers collectively made misrepresentations; however, Plaintiffs fail to allege which presentations included this information, who made the alleged statements, where the statements were made, the manner in which the Plaintiffs relied upon the alleged statements, and what Defendants obtained as a consequence of their alleged misstatements of material fact.

II. Legal Standard

A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) challenges the legal sufficiency of a complaint. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). In assessing the legal sufficiency of a complaint’s allegations, this Court is bound to apply the pleading standard articulated in Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly and Ashcroft v. Iqbal. Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) [hereinafter Twombly ]; Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) [hereinafter Iqbal ]. That is, the complaint “must ... contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Am. Dental Ass’n v. Cigna Corp., 605 F.3d 1283, 1289 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
839 F. Supp. 2d 1281, 2011 WL 6980847, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arnold-v-mcfall-flsd-2011.