Cambridge Rental Properties LLC v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Company

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Louisiana
DecidedNovember 20, 2024
Docket2:23-cv-06169
StatusUnknown

This text of Cambridge Rental Properties LLC v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Company (Cambridge Rental Properties LLC v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cambridge Rental Properties LLC v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, (E.D. La. 2024).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA

CAMBRIDGE RENTAL PROPERTIES, LLC CIVIL ACTION

VERSUS NO. 23-6169

STATE FARM FIRE AND CASUALTY CO., SECTION: D(5) ET AL.

ORDER AND REASONS Before the Court is a Supplemental Motion to Dismiss Pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) filed by Defendants Chad Wood Insurance Agency, LLC (“Wood”) and State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. (“State Farm”) (collectively, “Defendants”).1 Plaintiff Cambridge Rental Properties, LLC (“Cambridge”) opposes the Motion. After careful consideration of the parties’ memoranda, the record, and the applicable law, the Court GRANTS the Motion and DISMISSES with prejudice Cambridge’s claims against Wood. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND This case stems from an insurance coverage dispute as a result of Hurricane Ida damage to Cambridge’s property.2 Cambridge alleges that at the time of the storm, it was insured under a policy issued by State Farm and sold to Cambridge by Wood.3 Following the storm, Cambridge filed a claim with State Farm, and, after inspection of the property, State Farm unconditionally tendered a check to Cambridge.4 Then, days later, State Farm “advised [Cambridge], for the first time,

1 R. Doc. 21. 2 R. Doc. 20 at ¶¶ 2-5. 3 Id. at ¶¶ 3, 49. 4 Id. at ¶¶ 7, 12. that it was changing its position on coverage, was denying [Cambridge’s] claim, and demanding the unconditional tender be returned.”5 Thereafter, Cambridge filed suit against State Farm, alleging breach of contract and bad faith claims and against

Wood.6 State Farm removed the matter to this Court on October 13, 2023, on the basis of diversity jurisdiction.7 In its Notice of Removal, State Farm omitted Wood’s citizenship, arguing that it should be disregarded for purposes of diversity because it is a fraudulently joined defendant.8 State Farm and Wood then filed a Motion to Dismiss Pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), arguing that Cambridge failed to plead facts

sufficient to support a claim for breach of fiduciary duty against Wood.9 In an oral ruling following oral argument, the Court granted Defendants’ motion, explaining that Cambridge’s allegations as to Wood were conclusory and unsupported by factual claims or statements.10 However, further finding that amendment would not be futile and that it would not delay the proceedings, the Court afforded Cambridge an opportunity to file an amended complaint.11 Cambridge timely filed a First Supplemental and Amending Complaint (the

“Amended Complaint”), maintaining its original claims against Defendants, but supplementing those claims with additional factual allegations.12 Relevant to this

5 Id. at ¶¶ 13-14 (emphasis omitted). 6 Id. at ¶¶ 30-44, 46-48. 7 R. Doc. 1 at 1. 8 Id. at ¶ 19. 9 R. Doc. 7-1 at 4-6. 10 R. Doc. 19. 11 Id. 12 R. Doc. 20. For purposes of this Motion, the Court relies on the First Supplemental and Amending Complaint. Motion, Cambridge argues that it asked Wood to procure a stand-alone policy for wind, hurricanes, tornadoes, and hailstorms and that despite being led to believe that Wood had procured this insurance, it did not.13

In response to Cambridge’s Amended Complaint, Defendants filed the instant Supplemental Motion to Dismiss Pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6). 14 In its Motion, Defendants revive their original argument that Cambridge fails to allege facts showing that Wood breached its fiduciary duties as an insurance agent.15 Defendants also assert, as a new and independent basis for dismissal, that Cambridge’s claims against Wood are perempted.16

In its opposition, Cambridge argues that Defendants’ Motion is improper because Defendants were instructed at oral argument not to file another motion to dismiss in response to Cambridge’s Amended Complaint.17 Based on what it considered to be an “instruction to not re-brief the arguments already heard,” Cambridge simply realleges its opposition to Defendants’ original motion to dismiss and restates the allegations pertaining to Wood that it alleges in its Amended Complaint.18 These allegations, Cambridge argues, “clearly state a claim against

Wood.”19 As to Defendants’ peremption argument, Cambridge argues that it is based on information outside the pleadings and that in deciding the instant Motion, the

13 Id. at ¶¶ 44-51. 14 R. Doc. 21. 15 R. Doc. 21-1 at 2-5. 16 Id. at 5-9. 17 Id. at 1. 18 Id. at 2-4. 19 Id. at 2. Court is limited to the four corners of the Amended Complaint.20 Finally, Cambridge appears to argue that granting Defendants’ Motion would be premature because discovery has not yet taken place.

In their reply, Defendants maintain their original arguments and further contend that Cambridge failed to address its substantive arguments in its opposition.21 Defendants also argue that the Court may properly consider documents attached to either a motion to dismiss or an opposition to that motion when the documents are referred to in the pleadings and are central to the plaintiff’s claims.22 II. LEGAL STANDARD

Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction and may hear “any civil action brought in a State court of which the district courts of the United States have original jurisdiction.”23 When original jurisdiction is based on diversity of citizenship, as it is here, the cause of action must be between “citizens of different states” and the amount in controversy must exceed the “sum or value of $75,000, exclusive of interest and costs.”24 The fraudulent joinder doctrine is a narrow exception to the complete diversity requirement and allows a nondiverse party’s citizenship to be disregarded

for purposes of diversity if it has been fraudulently joined.25 A defendant can establish fraudulent joinder by demonstrating either “(1) actual fraud in the pleadings of jurisdictional facts, or (2) inability of the plaintiff to

20 Id. at 4. 21 R. Doc. 27. 22 Id. at 2. 23 Perez v. McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C., 45 F.4th 816, 821 (5th Cir. 2022); 28 U.S.C. § 1441(a). 24 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)–(a)(1). 25 Smallwood v. Ill. Cent. R.R. Co., 352 F.3d 220, 222 (5th Cir. 2003) (“Smallwood I”). establish a cause of action against the non-diverse party in state court.”26 When a defendant alleges fraudulent joinder under the second element, the court considers “whether the defendant has demonstrated that there is no possibility of recovery by

the plaintiff against an in-state defendant, which stated differently means that there is no reasonable basis for the district court to predict that the plaintiff might be able to recover against an in-state defendant.”27 “In analyzing whether a plaintiff has demonstrated a reasonable possibility of recovery, the district court may ‘conduct a Rule 12(b)(6)-type analysis, looking initially at the allegations of the complaint to determine whether the complaint states a claim under state law against the in-state

defendant.’”28 When conducting this inquiry, if a plaintiff “has misstated or omitted discrete facts that would determine the propriety of joinder,” the Court may “pierce the pleadings and conduct a summary inquiry.”29 The Court must resolve all “contested issues of fact” and all “ambiguities of state law” in favor of the party opposing a finding of fraudulent joinder.30 The burden of persuasion on those who claim fraudulent joinder is a heavy one.31 To survive dismissal under the familiar Rule 12(b)(6) standard, “a complaint

must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’”32 “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads

26 Smallwood v. Ill. Cent. R.R.

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Cambridge Rental Properties LLC v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cambridge-rental-properties-llc-v-state-farm-fire-and-casualty-company-laed-2024.