Boling v. Prospect Funding Holdings, LLC

324 F. Supp. 3d 887
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Kentucky
DecidedMay 25, 2018
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 1:14–CV–00081–GNS–HBB
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 324 F. Supp. 3d 887 (Boling v. Prospect Funding Holdings, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Boling v. Prospect Funding Holdings, LLC, 324 F. Supp. 3d 887 (W.D. Ky. 2018).

Opinion

Greg N. Stivers, Judge

This matter is before the Court on Plaintiff's Third Motion for Summary Judgment with Motion for Attorneys' Fees and Sanctions Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1927 (DN 93) and Defendant's Second Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (DN 96). For the reasons discussed below, both motions are GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART .

I. STATEMENT OF FACTS AND CLAIMS

The pending motions center on Defendant Prospect Funding Holdings, LLC's ("Defendant") efforts to recoup monies it loaned to Plaintiff Christopher Boling ("Plaintiff"). (See, e.g. , Def.'s Mem. Law Opp'n Pl.'s Third Mot. Summ. J. Supp. Def's Second Cross-Mot. Summ. J. 1-7, DN 96 [hereinafter Def.'s Mem. Supp. Mot.] ). The relevant facts are as follows:

Plaintiff filed a personal injury lawsuit and, he used the prospective recovery from that suit as collateral to obtain and secure loans from Cambridge Management Group, LLC ("CMG") and Defendant over a four-year period.1 (Compl. Exs. A-D, DN 1-1 to 1-4). As this Court has previously noted, the transactions can be summarized as follows:

*891Date of Agreement Lender Amount of Loan & Fees October 2009 CMG $10,000.00 plus fees of $1,075.00 plus additional costs March 2010 CMG $5,000.00 plus fees of $525.00 plus additional costs May 2012 Prospect $5,000.00 plus fees of $1,025.00 plus additional costs April 2013 Prospect $10.000.00 plus, fees of $1,800.00 plus additional costs

(See Mem. Op. & Order 2, DN 31; Berlin Aff. ¶¶ 10, 15, 20-21).

The loan agreements governing the transactions provided that Plaintiff would not become obligated to pay off the loans until he obtained a favorable settlement in his personal injury action. (Compl. Exs. A-D, F, DN 1-1 to 1-4, 1-6). The agreements further stated that each loan accrued interest at a rate of 4.9% per month, and that any disputes arising from: (1) the first two agreements were to be governed by New Jersey law and resolved via arbitration; (2) the third agreement was to be litigated in courts located in Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and (3) the fourth agreement would be litigated in New York County, New York. (Compl. Exs. A-D, F).

After Plaintiff obtained a favorable settlement in his personal injury action, Defendant notified him that he owed $340,304.00, thereby prompting him to file a declaratory judgment action in this Court. (Compl. ¶¶ 43, 45, DN 1). Specifically, Plaintiff sought a judgment declaring that: (1) Kentucky law governed his action, and (2) the loan agreements were void pursuant to Kentucky's prohibition on champerty and usurious interest rates. (Compl. ¶¶ 1-40).

Defendant raised several counterclaims in response to the Complaint. In particular, it alleged that Plaintiff's failure to pay off the loans amounted to: a breach of contract, a breach of the implied duty of good faith and fair dealing, negligent misrepresentation, and conversion.2 (Def.'s Countercl. ¶¶ 44-48, 58-74). Defendant also asserted that, in the event the loan agreements were held unenforceable, it would be entitled to equitable relief-i.e., recoupment of the $30,000.00 it loaned to Plaintiff plus $4,625.00 in fees-pursuant to principles of unjust enrichment and promissory estoppel. (Def.'s Countercl. ¶¶ 49-57).

This Court ultimately issued two judgments in Plaintiff's favor. In the first, this Court held that Kentucky law governed the interpretation and enforcement of the loan agreements. (Mem. Op. & Order 10-14, DN 31). In the second, this Court found the loan agreements unenforceable due to Kentucky's prohibition on champerty and usurious interest rates, but nonetheless reasoned that Defendant could pursue its equitable claims in order to recoup the funds that it loaned to Plaintiff. (Mem. Op. & Order 4-13, 16, DN 83). This Court also held that Defendant could pursue its claims for breach of the implied duty of good faith and fair dealing, negligent misrepresentation, and conversion. (Mem. Op. & Order 4-13, 16, DN 83).

Not long after this Court entered its two judgments, Plaintiff and Defendant filed *892competing motions for summary judgment on Defendant's counterclaims. (See Pl.'s Mem. Supp. Third Mot. Summ. J. Mot. Att'ys' Fees & Sanctions, DN 93-1 [hereinafter Pl.'s Mem. Supp. Mot.]; Def.'s Mem. Supp. Mot.). Plaintiff argued in his motion that Defendant's counterclaims fail as a matter of law, and that Defendant's "gamesmanship" through the course of this litigation entitles him to sanctions and fees pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1927. (Pl.'s Mem. Supp. Mot. 4-16). Defendant asserted that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on each of its counterclaims, and that Plaintiff's motion for sanctions is meritless. (Def.'s Mem. Supp. Mot. 1-23). The motions are ripe for adjudication.

II. JURISDICTION

This Court has subject-matter jurisdiction of this matter based upon diversity jurisdiction. See 28 U.S.C. § 1332.

IV. DISCUSSION

A. Defendant's Counterclaims

The parties move for summary judgment on Defendant's remaining counterclaims. Summary judgment is appropriate when "the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). "[A] party moving for summary judgment may satisfy its burden [of showing] that there are no genuine issues of material fact simply 'by pointing out to the court that the [non-moving party], having had sufficient opportunity for discovery, has no evidence to support an essential element of his or her case.' " Minadeo v. ICI Paints , 398 F.3d 751, 761 (6th Cir. 2005) (quoting Street v. J.C. Bradford & Co. , 886 F.2d 1472, 1479 (6th Cir. 1989) ). After the movant shows "that there is an absence of evidence to support the nonmoving party's case," the non-moving party must identify specific facts that can be established by admissible evidence, which create a genuine issue for trial. See

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Bluebook (online)
324 F. Supp. 3d 887, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/boling-v-prospect-funding-holdings-llc-kywd-2018.