Croteau v. National Better Living Ass'n

290 F.R.D. 521, 2013 WL 3030629, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87792
CourtDistrict Court, D. Montana
DecidedMay 30, 2013
DocketNo. CV 12-200-M-DWM
StatusPublished

This text of 290 F.R.D. 521 (Croteau v. National Better Living Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Montana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Croteau v. National Better Living Ass'n, 290 F.R.D. 521, 2013 WL 3030629, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87792 (D. Mont. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER

DONALD W. MOLLOY, District Judge.

Three Motions to Dismiss are before the Court in this matter. Defendant Albert Cor[525]*525mier Solutions, LLC (ACS) brings a Motion to Dismiss claims against it pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) and 9(b). (Doc. 56.) Defendants The National Better Living Association (NBLA), Allied Health Benefits, Inc. (AHB), George E. Spalding, Jr., Susan Spalding, Timothy Siewert, G. Daniel Siewert, Barry Shaw, Jr., and John Fabbrini (the Individual Defendants) bring a Motion to Dismiss claims against them pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2), 12(b)(6), 8(a)(2), 8(c)(1), and 9(b). (Doe. 58.) Defendant the United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York (USLI) brings a Motion to Dismiss claims against it pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). (Doc. 60.) Plaintiffs First Amended Complaint (doc. 82) was filed May 21, 2013. Defendants’ motions are considered in relation to the now-operative First Amended Complaint.

I. Albert Cormier Solutions, LLC’s Motion to Dismiss

A. Capacity to Be Sued

Defendant ACS argues its legal existence was terminated and assets distributed prior to the filing of Plaintiffs complaint and, thus, it lacks the capacity to be sued and must be dismissed. (Doc. 57 at 2-3.) In August 2010 ACS was administratively dissolved by the Tennessee Secretary of State. (Id. at 3.) A year later, ACS filed articles of termination with the Tennessee Secretary of State. (Id.; Doc. 57, ex. B.) The Articles of Termination stipulate that all assets were distributed to creditors and members.1 (Id.) ACS argues that under Tennessee law, claims against dissolved entities are only enforceable to the extent of the organization’s undistributed assets, citing Tenn.Code Ann. § 48—249—611(d)(1). Therefore, Defendant ACS argues, since the company was administratively dissolved and filed articles of termination, there are no enforceable claims against it and Plaintiffs’ complaint must be dismissed. (Doc. 57 at 3-4.)

Plaintiffs do not dispute that ACS completed the winding-up of its business and filed Articles of Termination in August 2011. Plaintiffs argue that even if ACS is correct in-whole or in-part regarding its representations of the legal existence of the organization, Plaintiffs are entitled to discovery regarding insurance coverage, the circumstances of dissolution, and possible successor liability. (Doc. 68 at 3.)

Both arguments miss the mark. Defendant ACS misinterprets Tennessee law regarding notification of claims on dissolution of an LLC. Plaintiffs’ statement that their claim should proceed is vacant of any supporting legal authority. An investigation of Tennessee corporations law reveals Plaintiffs’ claims against ACS may proceed on a theory of successor liability.

Rule 17(b)(2) provides a corporation’s capacity to be sued is determined by the state law under which it was organized. Fed.R.Civ.P. 17(b). It is undisputed that Defendant ACS was organized under the law of the state of Tennessee. (Doc. 57, ex. A.) Defendant ACS argues Tennessee Code Annotated § 48-249-611(d)(l) bars Plaintiffs’ claims because filing of Articles of Termination demonstrate all assets of the LLC have been distributed. ACS claims § 48-249—611(d) provides that creditors whose claims are not barred by the general claim termination provisions of § 48-249-611 may only proceed against the dissolved LLC to the extent of its undistributed assets. (Doc. 57 at 4.) This conclusion is legally incorrect because § 48-249-611(d) is phrased in the disjunctive. In the event a dissolved LLC provided neither specific notice to creditors under § 48-249-611(b) nor notice by publication under § 48-249-611(c), a creditor may proceed against either the dissolved LLC to the extent of its undistributed assets, Tenn. Code Ann. § 48-249-611(d)(l), or against members or holders of financial rights of the dissolved LLC within three years of the filing of Articles of Termination, Tenn.Code Ann. § 48-249-611(d)(2).

Defendant ACS does not lack capacity to be sued because, even though all the assets [526]*526of the LLC have been distributed, Plaintiffs’ claims may proceed against members or holders of financial rights of the dissolved LLC pursuant to § 48-249-611(d)(2). In conjunction with its Motion to Dismiss, Defendant ACS did not produce information regarding termination of creditors’ claims by specific notice or publication. ACS’s Articles of Termination were filed in August 2011 and this action commenced in December 2012. (See doc. 57, ex. B; doc. 1.) Plaintiffs’ claims on a theory of successor liability are therefore legally sufficient under § 48-249-611(d)(2) as they are brought within three years of the filing of the filing of articles terminating the existence of ACS. ACS’s Motion to Dismiss on these grounds is denied.

While Plaintiffs’ claims are not barred as a matter of law for lack of capacity as to ACS, if discovery reveals information supporting claims against members or holders of financial rights of the now-dissolved entity, Plaintiffs are reminded that joinder of such individuals or entities may be required under Rule 19. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 19(a)(1).

B. Adequate Factual Allegations

Defendant ACS claims Plaintiffs have failed to plead their fraud and RICO claims with particularity and therefore they must be dismissed. Plaintiffs argue their complaint sufficiently pleads fraud and RICO claims and dismissal is inappropriate.

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a) simply requires a pleading that states a valid claim for relief to contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief[.]” Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2). “To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (citing Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). On a party’s Motion to Dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule 12(b)(6), a reviewing court accepts factual allegations in the complaint as true and construes the pleadings in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Knievel v. ESPN,

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Bluebook (online)
290 F.R.D. 521, 2013 WL 3030629, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87792, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/croteau-v-national-better-living-assn-mtd-2013.