Colkitt v. JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A.

CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 19, 2025
Docket2:24-cv-01482
StatusUnknown

This text of Colkitt v. JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. (Colkitt v. JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Colkitt v. JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., (W.D. Pa. 2025).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

MARCY L. COLKITT, a Pennsylvania resident, Plaintiff, Civil Action No. 2:24-cv-1482 v. Hon. William S. Stickman IV JPMORGAN CHASE BANK N.A. and J.W. KORTH & COMPANY, LP, Defendants.

MEMORANDUM OPINION WILLIAM S. STICKMAN IV, United States District Judge Plaintiff Marcy L. Colkitt (‘Colkitt”) brought this action against Defendants JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. (“JPMorgan”) and J.W. Korth & Company, LP (“Korth”) (collectively, ‘Defendants”) asserting claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, and violations of the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (“UTPCPL”). (ECF No. 28).! The asserted claims arise out of the sale of a certificate of deposit (“CD”) to Colkitt’s late mother and the alleged failure of JPMorgan to redeem the CD. Defendants filed motions seeking to dismiss Colkitt’s claims. (ECF Nos. 32, 35). For the reasons explained below, the Court will grant in part and deny in part Defendants’ motions. The Court holds that Colkitt adequately pled a breach of contract claim against JPMorgan, and breach of fiduciary duty and negligent misrepresentation claims against Korth. It will dismiss all other claims against JPMorgan and Korth.

' The operative complaint is the second amended complaint. (ECF No. 28).

L FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND JPMorgan is a bank incorporated in Delaware with a principal place of business in New York. (ECF No. 28, § 2). Korth is a brokerage firm and a Michigan limited partnership (/d. 43). Colkitt is the daughter of the deceased Mary Jean Colkitt (“M.J. Colkitt”) and pleads, “upon information and belief” to be the successor in interest to assets from an account in M.J. Colkitt’s name. (Jd. § 1). Colkitt alleges that her mother asked her son, and Colkitt’s brother, Douglas Colkitt (“D. Colkitt”), to assist with her investments as a part of estate planning. (/d. { 8). M.J. Colkitt had an account with Korth. Korth is alleged to have contacted D. Colkitt and solicited M.J. Colkitt to purchase a long-term CD which would not mature until she was approximately 105 years old. (Jd. 10). Colkitt alleges that because Korth knew that M.J. Colkitt was elderly, it “solicited her to buy the CD because it had a death put/survivor option and advised her to open a new brokerage account specifically to buy and hold that CD.” (Ud. { 11). Colkitt alleges that “[t]he death put/survivor benefit was the central feature that made the CD of value to [M.J.] Colkitt who, given her age, was almost certain to die before it matured. (/d. {{ 19). She purchased the CD for $250,000.00. (id. § 23). It has a maturity date in November 2035.

Colkitt alleges that the CD included a death put/survivor option that allows for redemption at its full value upon the death of the buyer, rather than upon the stated maturity date. (id. § 13). Based on Korth’s advice, M.J. Colkitt purchased the CD which was issued by JPMorgan. (Jd. § 16). Colkitt pleads that “[u]pon information and belief, no contracts were executed by [M.J] Colkitt with . . . JPMorgan in connection with her purchase of a CD.” Ud. § 17). She alleges that Korth did not provide M.J. or D. Colkitt with any prospectuses, disclosures, or similar documents before the CD was purchased. (/d. { 18).

Following the purchase, the brokerage account holding the CD was transferred from Korth to non-party Edward Jones. (id. § 26). M.J. Colkitt died on May 26, 2024, at the age of 94. Cd. § 30). Colkitt alleges that Edward Jones informed her that the ownership of the CD transferred to her. (/d. § 31). She alleges that “JPMorgan has refused to execute the death put” but that she lacks any documents from JPMorgan explaining its reasons for refusal. (Id. § 34). I. STANDARD OF REVIEW A motion to dismiss filed under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (“Rule”) 12(b)(6) tests the legal sufficiency of the complaint. Kost v. Kozakiewicz, 1 F.3d 176, 183 (3d Cir. 1993). A plaintiff must allege sufficient facts that, if accepted as true, state a claim for relief plausible on its face. See Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007); see also Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). A court must accept all well-pleaded factual allegations as true and view them in the light most favorable to a plaintiff. See Doe v. Princeton Univ., 30 F.4th 335, 340 (Gd Cir. 2022); see also Fowler v. UPMC Shadyside, 578 F.3d 203, 210 (3d Cir. 2009). Although a court must accept the allegations in the complaint as true, it is “not compelled to accept unsupported conclusions and unwarranted inferences, or a legal conclusion couched as a factual allegation.” Baraka v. McGreevey, 481 F.3d 187, 195 (3d Cir. 2007) (internal citations omitted). The “plausibility” standard required for a complaint to survive a motion to dismiss is not akin to a “probability” requirement but asks for more than sheer “possibility.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556). In other words, the complaint’s factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level, on the assumption that all the

2 Colkitt’s pleading is bereft of any documentary support. She does not attach the CD to the operative complaint, or any prior complaint. JPMorgan purports to offer the relevant terms of the CD, but Colkitt disputes JPMorgan’s assertions.

allegations are true even if doubtful in fact. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555. Facial plausibility is present when a plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that a defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. Even if the complaint’s well-pleaded facts lead to a plausible inference, that inference alone will not entitle a plaintiff to relief. Jd. at 682. The complaint must support the inference with facts to plausibly justify that inferential leap. Id. if. ANALYSIS A. The Court will deny JPMorgan’s motion to dismiss Colkitt’s breach of contract claim at Count One. JPMorgan argues that Colkitt has failed to plead a plausible breach of contract claim. It contends that Colkitt’s claim must be dismissed because it is contradicted by the terms and conditions of the CD. (ECF No. 33, p. 6). It also highlights that Colkitt alleges that “no contracts were executed by [M.J] Colkitt with [JPMorgan] in connection with her purchase of the CD.” Cd. at 3, 8). Colkitt did not attach the CD or any related documentation to the second amended complaint (or any of her previous complaints). In contrast, JPMorgan purports to have accessed documentation detailing the terms and conditions of the CD. (/d. at 4). It argues that the terms outlined in the CD’s term sheet (“Term Sheet”) foreclose Colkitt’s theory of liability. (Ud. at 6- 7). Colkitt disputes the accuracy of the Term Sheet proffered by JPMorgan. (ECF No. 38, pp. 5- 8). She contends that this Term Sheet does not apply to the CD at issue. (d.). “To decide a motion to dismiss, courts generally consider only the allegations contained in the complaint, exhibits attached to the complaint[,] and matters of public record.” Schmidt v. Skolas, 770 F.3d 241, 249 (3d Cir. 2014).

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