Case v. Clivilles

216 F. Supp. 3d 367, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 147114, 2016 WL 6238608
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedOctober 24, 2016
Docket12-cv-8122 (TPG)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 216 F. Supp. 3d 367 (Case v. Clivilles) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Case v. Clivilles, 216 F. Supp. 3d 367, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 147114, 2016 WL 6238608 (S.D.N.Y. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION

Thomas P. Griesa, U.S. District Judge

The claims in this litigation pertain to a recording agreement (“Agreement”) between artist Michelle Case and a production company known as Cole/Clivilles Music Enterprises (“CCME”), The production company was owned and operated by Robert Clivilles and David Cole. Case asserts claims of breach of contract, accounting, fraud, and professional negligence. The defendants in this litigation are Robert Cli-villes, the David Cole Trusts (“Cole Trusts”), and attorney Jonathan Blank.

Two motions are pending before the Court. Defendants Robert Clivilles and the Cole Trusts, through trustee Barbara Warren-Pace, have filed a motion for summary judgment pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56. Defendant Jonathan Blank has filed a motion to dismiss the second amended complaint (“Complaint”) [370]*370pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6).

The Court grants summary judgment for Case against Clivilles on one of her breach of contract claims. The Court grants summary judgment for defendants Clivilles and the Cole Trusts on all other claims asserted against them by Case. Defendant Blank’s motion to dismiss the Complaint is also granted.

Background

A. Factual History

I. Royalties Due Pursuant to the Agreement

Plaintiff Michelle Case is a singer. She entered into the recording Agreement with CCME in 1992. Defendants Robert Cli-villes and David Cole owned and operated CCME as a partnership at the time of the Agreement.

In 1992, while she was a party to the Agreement, Case co-wrote and performed lead vocals on the song “It’s Gonna be a Lovely Day” (“Song”). CCME signed a contract with Artista Records, Inc., to distribute the Song. The contract required Artista to pay CCME royalties for such distribution. Pursuant to the Agreement, CCME was obligated to pay Case 7/17 of the royalties CCME received from Artista for the Song.

When Cole died in 1995, the CCME partnership was dissolved by operation of law. Cole left his interest in CCME to the Cole Trusts. Upon CCME’s dissolution, Clivilles retained a 1/2 interest in CCME’s contracts and obligations and the Cole Trusts held the other 1/2 interest. From 2003 to the present, Artista has paid 1/2 of the royalties for the Song to Clivilles and the other 1/2 of the royalties for the Song to the Cole Trusts. Clivilles and the Cole Trusts are each responsible for paying 1/2 of the royalties Case is entitled to earn in connection with the Song.

Case received the royalties she was entitled to from 1992 to 2003, but she stopped receiving royalties in 2003. Case alleges Clivilles destroyed the post-2003 royalty statements from Artista.

In 2008, Case contacted the trustee of the Cole Trusts, Warren-Pace, to complain that she had not received royalties for the Song since 2003. Warren-Pace sent Case royalty statements from Artista, which reflected the royalties paid to the Cole Trusts and Clivilles. Warren-Pace used those royalty statements to calculate the royalties owed to Case from July 1, 2005 to December 31, 2012. Case was entitled to $1,443.86 in royalties for that time period. Warren-Pace paid Case $721.93, representing the Cole Trusts’ portion (1/2) of the royalties owed to Case. Warren-Pace did not pay Case for royalties due between 2003 and July 1, 2005.

Clivilles also owed Case $721.93 in royalties for the period of July 1, 2005 to December 31, 2012. Clivilles has not paid Case the $721.93 in royalties he owed to her for that time period. Clivilles admits that he owes her $721.93 plus interest.

In 2009, Case emailed Clivilles to obtain information about her royalties for her American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (“AFTRA”) account. In the email, Case also asked Clivilles to add her name to the Artista account for the Song so that she could receive royalties directly. Clivilles did not help her with her AFTRA account. He told her that he did not deal with anything related to Cole/Clivilles Music Enterprises (CCME) anymore and that CCME no longer existed. Clivilles did not inform Case that, in 2007, he started a business with a similar name called C & C Music Factory Records, Inc., which is still operational.

[371]*371II. Other Agreement Provisions

Several other provisions of the Agreement are at issue in this litigation.

First, the Agreement allowed CCME to deduct the full cost of any music videos from Case’s royalties. In 1992, Case made a video for the Song and CCME’ deducted the full cost of that video from her royalties the same year.

Second, the Agreement stated that if CCME audited Artista, CCME must pay Case her pro rata share of any outstanding royalties discovered through the audit. At some point between 2003 and 2005, Case alleges that the lawyer representing CCME, Jonathan Blank, informed her that Clivilles was having Artista audited. Cli-villes apparently did not have Artista audited. Case was not informed about the status of the audit.

Third, the Agreement required CCME to make four Master recordings (“Masters”) of Case’s music while the Agreement was in operation. By its terms, the Agreement lasted, at most, 162 months. In the 1990s CCME made one Master of Case’s music. Case alleges that, in 2000, Clivilles informed her that her Master had been lost in a flood.

III. Blank’s Professional Role

Attorney Jonathan Blank represented CCME in connection with the Song and the Agreement. An unexecuted version of the Agreement states that Case was represented by attorney David Mantel in conjunction with the Agreement. Blank did not represent Case in conjunction with the Agreement.

From 1996 to 2003, Blank continued to represent CCME in conjunction with the Agreement. In that role, Blank processed the royalty checks from Artista and distributed royalty checks to Case for her share.

Blank has, on occasion, represented Case in conjunction with legal matters other than the Agreement. Blank has not represented Case in conjunction with legal matters involving CCME or Clivilles.

In 2009, Case had a meeting with Blank. He allegedly informed her: 1) that Cli-villes had directed Blank to stop paying royalties to. Case for the Song in 2000, and 2) that Clivilles knew he was not supposed to deduct the full cost of the video for the Song from Case’s royalties in 1992.

B. Procedural History

I. The Complaint

Case initiated'this litigation on May 7, 2012, asserting various claims, including fraud and infliction of emotional distress, against defendants Clivilles and the Cole Trusts. Clivilles and the Cole Trusts moved to dismiss the fraud and infliction of emotional distress claims. On September 26, 2013, this Court granted the motion to dismiss those claims. Two of Case’s fraud allegations were dismissed without prejudice, allowing her an opportunity to re-plead the claims. The Court dismissed without prejudice Case’s allegation ’ that Clivilles defrauded her by stating that CCME was no longer in existence in 2009 and that he no longer dealt with that business.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
216 F. Supp. 3d 367, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 147114, 2016 WL 6238608, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/case-v-clivilles-nysd-2016.