Can Capital Asset Servicing Inc v. Azket E-Intelligence LLC

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedJune 17, 2021
Docket3:20-cv-03212
StatusUnknown

This text of Can Capital Asset Servicing Inc v. Azket E-Intelligence LLC (Can Capital Asset Servicing Inc v. Azket E-Intelligence LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Can Capital Asset Servicing Inc v. Azket E-Intelligence LLC, (N.D. Tex. 2021).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS DALLAS DIVISION CAN CAPITAL ASSET SERVICING, § INC., formerly known as NewLogic § Business Loans, Inc., § § Plaintiff, § § v. § CIVIL ACTION NO. 3:20-CV-3212-B § AZKET E-INTELLIGENCE LLC, doing § business as Azket E-Intelligence, and § HENRY CROCKETT, also known as D. § Crockett Henry, § § Defendants. § MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER Before the Court is Plaintiff Can Capital Asset Servicing, Inc. (CCAS)’s Motion for Default Judgment (Doc. 13), filed on May 11, 2021. For the reasons discussed below, the Court GRANTS IN PART and DENIES IN PART CCAS’s motion. I. BACKGROUND1 This case arises from a loan agreement between CCAS and Defendants Azket E-Intelligence LLC (“Azket E-Intelligence” or “Borrower”) and Henry Crockett (“Crockett” or “Guarantor”).2 Azket E-Intelligence entered into a “Business Loan Agreement” (“the Agreement”) with WebBank 1 The Court draws the facts from CCAS’s complaint (Doc. 1). 2 Throughout this Order, the Court refers to Azket E-Intelligence and Crockett collectively as “Defendants.” - 1 - (“Lender”) on or about August 8, 2019. Doc. 1, Compl., ¶ 7. Pursuant to the Agreement, WebBank loaned $133,340.00 to Azket E-Intelligence. Id. Also pursuant to the Agreement, Azket E-Intelligence agreed to repay Lender “through Weekday ACH Debits” in the amount of $456.35

until Lender received all amounts due. Id. ¶ 9; Doc. 1-1, Business Loan Agreement, 1. As part of the Agreement, Crockett executed a personal guaranty (the “Personal Guaranty”) for Azket E-Intelligence’s payments to Lender. Doc. 1, Compl., ¶ 11. WebBank later assigned the Agreement to CCAS. Id. ¶ 8. After September 30, 2019, Azket E-Intelligence stopped making payments, breaching the Agreement and triggering Crockett’s liability. Id. ¶ 12. CCAS has demanded that Defendants cure their breach by paying CCAS, but they have failed to do so. Id. ¶ 13. CCAS filed a complaint in this Court on October 21, 2020, bringing three causes of action:

breach of contract, breach of guaranty, and judicial foreclosure on collateral listed in the Agreement. Id. ¶¶ 16–24. CCAS seeks actual damages pursuant to the Agreement in the amount of $156,061.30; reasonable attorney’s fees; court costs; post-judgment interest; and judicial foreclosure and possession of the collateral at issue. Id. ¶ 26. Defendants were properly served on February 1, 2021. See Doc. 7, Return of Service, 2; Doc. 8, Return of Service, 2. Defendants failed to answer or otherwise defend this lawsuit. Consequently, on April 2, 2021, the Clerk of Court entered default against Defendants.

See generally Doc. 12, Clerk’s Entry of Default. CCAS filed a motion for default judgment (Doc. 13) on May 11, 2021. CCAS’s motion is now ripe for review. II. LEGAL STANDARD Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55 provides for the entry of default judgments in federal court. Rule 55 states that “[w]hen a party against whom a judgment for affirmative relief is sought - 2 - has failed to plead or otherwise defend, . . . the clerk must enter the party’s default.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(a). Once default has been entered, the Court may enter a default judgment against the defaulting defendant upon motion by the plaintiff. Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(b)(2). However, default judgments are

a “drastic remedy” and thus are only used by courts in “extreme situations.” Sun Bank of Ocala v. Pelican Homestead & Sav. Ass’n, 874 F.2d 274, 276 (5th Cir. 1996) (citations omitted). As such, a party is not entitled to a default judgment merely because the defendant is technically in default. Ganther v. Ingle, 75 F.3d 207, 212 (5th Cir. 1996) (citations omitted). A default judgment is rather “committed to the discretion of the district court.” United States v. 1998 Freightliner Vin # 1FUYCZYB3WP886986, 548 F. Supp. 2d 381, 384 (W.D. Tex. 2008) (citing Mason v. Lister, 562 F.2d 343, 345 (5th Cir. 1977)).

In determining whether to enter default judgment against a defendant, courts in the Fifth Circuit employ a three-part analysis. See, e.g., id. (citations omitted). First, courts consider whether the entry of default judgment is procedurally warranted. See Lindsey v. Prive Corp., 161 F.3d 886, 893 (5th Cir. 1998). The factors relevant to this inquiry include: (1) “whether material issues of fact” exist; (2) “whether there has been substantial prejudice”; (3) “whether the grounds for default are clearly established”; (4) “whether the default was caused by a good faith mistake or excusable

neglect”; (5) “the harshness of a default judgment”; and (6) “whether the court would think itself obliged to set aside the default on the defendant’s motion.” Id. Second, courts assess the substantive merits of the plaintiff’s claims and determine whether there is a sufficient basis in the pleadings for the judgment. See Nishimatsu Constr. Co., Ltd. v. Hous. Nat’l Bank, 515 F.2d 1200, 1206 (5th Cir. 1975) (noting that “default is not treated as an absolute confession by the defendant of his liability and of the plaintiff’s right to recover”). In doing so, courts - 3 - are to assume that due to the defendant’s default, the defendant admits all well-pleaded facts in the plaintiff’s complaint. Id. However, “[t]he defendant is not held to admit facts that are not well-pleaded or to admit conclusions of law.” Id.

Third, courts determine what form of relief, if any, the plaintiff should receive. Ins. Co. of the W. v. H & G Contractors, Inc., 2011 WL 4738197, at *4 (S.D. Tex. Oct. 5, 2011) (“A defendant’s default concedes the truth of the allegations of the Complaint concerning the defendant’s liability, but not damages.” (citing Jackson v. FIE Corp., 302 F.3d 515, 524-25 (5th Cir. 2002))). Courts normally should not award damages “without a hearing or a demonstration by detailed affidavits establishing the necessary facts.” See United Artists Corp. v. Freeman, 605 F.2d 854, 857 (5th Cir. 1979) (per curiam) (citations omitted). However, if “the amount claimed is a liquidated sum” or

damages can be determined with mathematical calculation “by reference to the pleadings and supporting documents,” a hearing is unnecessary. James v. Frame, 6 F.3d 307, 310-11 (5th Cir. 1993) (citations omitted). The plaintiff still must “provide an evidentiary basis for the damages it seeks.” Broad. Music, Inc. v. Bostock Billiards & Bar Assoc., 2013 WL 12126268, at *3 (N.D. Tex. Jan. 18, 2013). Courts have found that copies of contracts, invoices, purchase orders, emails with payment details, and statements of anticipated costs, together with computations and affidavits, are a

sufficient evidentiary basis for damages. See Genesis Servs., Inc. v. Screens Plus, Inc., 2016 WL 7036791, at *6 (W.D. La. Nov. 7, 2016) (relying upon copies of invoices and affidavits to calculate damages); Jetstream of Hous., L.L.P. v. Cajun Pressure Control, L.L.P., 2016 WL 3024751, at *4 (W.D. La. Apr.

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Can Capital Asset Servicing Inc v. Azket E-Intelligence LLC, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/can-capital-asset-servicing-inc-v-azket-e-intelligence-llc-txnd-2021.