Colón v. Blades

914 F. Supp. 2d 181, 2011 WL 6792759
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedDecember 27, 2011
DocketCivil No. 07-1380 (BJM)
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 914 F. Supp. 2d 181 (Colón v. Blades) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Colón v. Blades, 914 F. Supp. 2d 181, 2011 WL 6792759 (prd 2011).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

BRUCE J. McGIVERIN, United States Magistrate Judge.

Ruben Blades Productions, Inc. (“RBPI”) brought a cross-claim against Robert Morgalo (“Morgalo”) and Martinez, Morgalo & Associates, LLC (“MM & A”), seeking to recover money allegedly owed under contracts for two concerts. MM & A defaulted (Docket No. 128), and a partial final judgment was entered for $133,168.16. (Docket No. 229). Before the court are (1) RBPI’s motion for summary judgment against Morgalo (Docket No. 234), and (2) Morgalo’s motions to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and for summary judgment against RBPI.1 (Docket No. 285). For the reasons [184]*184that follow, RBPI’s motion for summary judgment is denied. Morgalo’s motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction is denied, and his motion for summary judgment is granted.2

PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

William Anthony Colon (“Colon”) sued Ruben Blades (“Blades”), Morgalo, and MM & A to recover a fee allegedly owed for a 2003 musical performance featuring Blades and Colon (the “Siembra concert”). (Docket No. 45). Ultimately, Colon voluntarily dismissed his claims. (Docket Nos. 194, 196). In the meantime, Blades brought a crossclaim against Morgalo and MM & A to recover the Siembra concert fee, as well as a deposit for a canceled 2002 concert with Cheo Feliciano (the “Cheo concert”). (Docket No. 56). The cross-claim alleged six causes of action: (1) breach of contract and fiduciary duty; (2) implied indemnity; (3) comparative indemnity; (4) declaratory relief; (5) equitable indemnity; and (6) contribution. (Id.). Blades voluntarily dismissed his second through sixth causes of action after Colon dismissed his claims. (Docket No. 233, p. 1-2).

Morgalo moved for summary judgment on Blades’s crossclaim, arguing that RBPI, not Blades, was the real party in interest, and that Blades lacked standing to bring the claim. (Docket No. 230). The court denied Morgalo’s motion, but ordered Blades to substitute RBPI for himself as cross-plaintiff. (Docket No. 245). Blades moved for summary judgment on the crossclaim’s first cause of action. (Docket No. 234). The court denied Blades’s motion, but later agreed to reconsider its ruling. (Docket Nos. 234, 281). Following RBPI’s substitution (Docket No. 280), Morgalo opposed RBPI’s motion for summary judgment, moved for summary judgment again, and moved to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. (Docket No. 285-2). RBPI has not opposed Morgalo’s motions.

MOTION TO DISMISS FOR LACK OF SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION

Morgalo first moves to dismiss the crossclaim, arguing that the requirements of diversity jurisdiction are not met, alleging that both RBPI and Morgalo are both citizens of Florida. “[Fjederal jurisdiction is never presumed.” Viqueira v. First Bank, 140 F.3d 12, 16 (1st Cir.1998). Rather, “the .party invoking the jurisdiction of a federal court carries the burden of proving its existence.” Puerto Rico Tel. Co. v. Telecomm’s Reg. Bd. of Puerto Rico, 189 F.3d 1, 7 (1st Cir.1999). Challenges to subject matter jurisdiction come in two varieties. A defendant may challenge the legal sufficiency of the facts offered by the plaintiff, while assuming their accuracy; in that case, the court credits the plaintiffs factual allegations and draws reasonable inferences in its favor. Valentin v. Hospital Bella Vista, 254 F.3d 358, 363 (1st Cir.2001). Alternatively, the movant may challenge the truth of the plaintiffs facts and proffer contrary evidence; the court then weighs the evidence to reach a conclusion. Id.

A district court has original jurisdiction of a civil action where the amount in controversy is at least $75,000 and the parties are citizens of different [185]*185states. 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a). Importantly, a party’s citizenship is fixed at the time an action is commenced. Valentin, 254 F.3d at 361. A natural person is a citizen of the state where he is domiciled; that is, the state where he is physically present, with the intent to make that state his home. Rodriguez-Diaz v. Sierra-Martinez, 853 F.2d 1027, 1029 (1st Cir.1988). A corporation is deemed a citizen of “any State by which it has been incorporated and of the State where it has its principal place of business .... ” § 1332(c)(1). In general, the substitution of a non-diverse party destroys diversity jurisdiction. Am. Fiber & Finishing, Inc. v. Tyco Healthcare Group, LP, 362 F.3d 136, 141-142 (1st Cir.2004).

Morgalo alleges that RBPI is a New York corporation with a principal place of business in Florida, which RBPI admitted in the context of a different complaint consolidated with this case. (Docket No. 285-2, p. 4; Docket No. 73, ¶ 3; see S.D.N.Y. Civil No. 08-4079, Docket No. 1, ¶ 3). In both the original and amended crossclaims, Blades alleged Morgalo was a Pennsylvania citizen. (Docket No. 49, ¶ 4; Docket No. 56, ¶ 4). Though Morgalo argues that he is a citizen of Florida, Morgalo has not disputed that he was a Pennsylvania citizen when the case was filed. Indeed, Morgalo’s answer to the amended crossclaim admitted that he resided in Pennsylvania “at the time of the filing of this action,” but added that he had since become a resident of Florida. (Docket No. 67, ¶ 4). There is some ambiguity to this, as Morgalo does not indicate whether “this action” refers specifically to Blades’s cross-complaint, or merely to Colon’s complaint. But since Morgalo has never disputed Blades’s allegation that he had Pennsylvania citizenship when the cross-complaint was filed on June 5, 2008, and has proffered no evidence to the contrary, there is no factual dispute; I therefore construe Morgalo’s motion to dismiss as raising a sufficiency challenge. Taking the crossclaim’s allegations as true for the purposes of this challenge, I find that RBPI is a citizen of New York and Florida, Morgalo is a citizen of Pennsylvania, and the amount in controversy is over $75,000. The court therefore has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1332.

MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

I. Summary Judgment Framework

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 fact is material only if it “might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law,” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986), and “[a] ‘genuine’ issue is one that could be resolved in favor of either party.” Calero-Cerezo v. U.S.

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Related

Colón v. Blades
914 F. Supp. 2d 193 (D. Puerto Rico, 2012)

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Bluebook (online)
914 F. Supp. 2d 181, 2011 WL 6792759, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/colon-v-blades-prd-2011.