Daniel Risis v. U.S. Trustee Department, et al.

CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedDecember 10, 2025
Docket2:24-cv-07922
StatusUnknown

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Daniel Risis v. U.S. Trustee Department, et al., (D.N.J. 2025).

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY

DANIEL RISIS, Plaintiff, Case No. 2:24-cv-7922 (BRM) (CF) v. OPINION U.S. TRUSTEE DEPARTMENT, et al., Defendants.

MARTINOTTI, DISTRICT JUDGE

Before the Court are three motions. Defendant the Honorable Joseph V. Isabella, J.S.C. (Ret.) (“Judge Isabella”) moves to dismiss (“Judge Isabella Motion to Dismiss”) Plaintiff Daniel Risis’s (“Risis”) Amended Complaint (ECF No. 50) for lack of jurisdiction in accordance with this Court’s April 30, 2025, Order and Opinion, for failure to state a claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (“Rule”) 12(b)(6), as well as under the Rooker-Feldman Doctrine, the litigation privilege, res judicata, and collateral estoppel (ECF No. 51). Defendant Richard Trenk (“Trenk”) moves to dismiss (“Trenk Motion to Dismiss”) the Amended Complaint for violating a final order of the Bankruptcy Court (“Bankruptcy Court Order”) expressly denying Risis authority to commence litigation, or, alternatively, under the doctrines of claim and issue preclusion, or for failure to state a claim pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6). (ECF No. 53.) Defendants Anthony Sodono, III (“Sodono”), Donald Biase (“Biase”), and Brian Boms (“Boms”) move to join the Trenk Motion to Dismiss. (ECF No. 54.)1 Risis filed an Omnibus Brief in Opposition (“Opposition”) to Moving

1 Two additional motions to dismiss were recently filed—several months after the Judge Isabella Motion to Dismiss and Trenk Motion to Dismiss were set to be heard: Defendants West Orange Chief of Police James Abbott and West Orange Mayor Susan McCarthy filed a Motion to Dismiss Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss. (ECF No. 55.) Trenk filed a letter brief in reply. (ECF No. 56.) Having reviewed and considered the parties’ submissions filed in connection with the Motions and having declined to hold oral argument pursuant to Rule 78(b), for the reasons set forth below and for good cause having been shown, Moving Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss are

GRANTED, and the Amended Complaint is DISMISSED without prejudice and with leave to amend consistent with the guidance in this Opinion. I. BACKGROUND For purposes of these Motions, the Court accepts the factual allegations in the Complaint as true and draws all inferences in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. See Philips v. Cnty. of Alleghany, 515 F.3d 224, 228 (3d Cir. 2008). The Court also considers any “document integral to or explicitly relied upon in the complaint.” In re Burlington Coat Factory Sec. Litig., 114 F.3d 1410, 1426 (3d Cir. 1997) (citation omitted). Given Risis is proceeding pro se, the Court attempts to glean his factual allegations and legal claims through liberal construction of his pleading. See Alexander v. Gennarini, 144 F. App’x

(“Township Motion to Dismiss”) (ECF No. 62) on November 26, 2025, and Defendant Chris Gengaro filed a Motion to Dismiss (“Gengaro Motion to Dismiss”) (ECF No. 63) on December 4, 2025. The Township Motion to Dismiss was accompanied by a Certification of Counsel “request[ing] that the Court accept [the Township Motion to Dismiss] nunc pro tunc, in lieu of a formal motion to extend time to answer.” (ECF No. 62-1 ¶ 8.) However, for the reasons set forth in this Opinion, the Court is dismissing the Amended Complaint as to all Defendants. Therefore, without making any determination as to the merits or timeliness of the Township Motion to Dismiss or Gengaro Motion to Dismiss, the Court DENIES same as moot.

For purposes of this Opinion, Defendants Abbott, McCarthy, and Gengaro are referred to collectively as “Non-Moving Defendants.” Judge Isabella, Trenk, Sodono, Biase, and Boms are referred to collectively as the “Moving Defendants.” See Risis v. Risis, Civ. A. No. 23-3429, 2025 WL 3123931, at *1, *1 n.2 (D.N.J. Nov. 7, 2025) (categorizing defendants into “Moving Defendants” and “Non-moving Defendants” in addressing motion to dismiss Plaintiff Risis’s amended complaint). Together, Moving Defendants and Non-Moving Defendants are referred to as “Defendants.” 924, 926 (3d Cir. 2005); Cooke v. Experian Info. Sols., Inc., Civ. A. No. 22-05375, 2024 WL 1142214, at *2 (D.N.J. Mar. 15, 2024) (“When considering a motion to dismiss the complaint of a pro se litigant, courts must bear in mind that such pleadings are held to less stringent standards than more formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.” (emphasis added)); Huff v. Atl. Cnty. Just.

Facility, Civ. A. No. 20 9761, 2021 WL 307303, at *2 (D.N.J. Jan. 29, 2021) (“Court personnel reviewing pro se pleadings are charged with the responsibility of deciphering why the submission was filed, what the litigant is seeking, and what claims she may be making.” (emphasis added)). As the factual and procedural backgrounds of this matter are well-known to the parties, the Court incorporates the extensive factual and procedural history section in its April 30, 2025, Opinion (ECF No. 48 at 2–8)2 for purposes of judicial economy and will address only the facts pertinent to this Opinion. Risis alleges a conspiracy and fraud scheme by Defendants stemming from a bankruptcy proceeding. (Id. at 3; see generally ECF No. 50.) He asserts Defendants “participated in a wide-ranging conspiracy to deprive him of constitutional rights, defraud him of over $31 million in property and business assets, orchestrate illegal evictions and arrests, and

suppress all legal efforts to expose and correct these wrongs.” (ECF No. 50 at 1.) On April 30, 2025, this Court granted the Defendants’ motions to dismiss Risis’s Complaint and dismissed the Complaint without prejudice. (ECF No. 48.) Risis filed the Amended Complaint on May 26, 2025. (ECF No. 50.) Judge Isabella moved to dismiss the Amended Complaint on June 6, 2025. (ECF No. 51.) Trenk moved to dismiss the Amended Complaint on June 13, 2025. (ECF No. 53.) On June 16, 2025, Sodono, Biase and Boms moved to join the Trenk Motion to Dismiss. (ECF No. 54.) The

2 (See ECF No. 51-1 at 2 (“[T]he Court’s [April 30, 2025] Opinion dismissing this matter set forth an extensive factual background and procedural history.”).) Court reads the motions as arguing Risis fails to sufficiently plead the first two elements of Rule 8(a); namely, Risis does not show jurisdictional grounds to justify review and fails to include sufficient statements of the claims plausibly showing he is entitled to relief. (See ECF No. 51-1 at 4, 8–14; ECF No. 53-1 at 26–28, 34–39.) Risis filed his Opposition to Moving Defendants’

Motions to Dismiss on June 16, 2025. (ECF No. 55.) Trenk filed a letter brief in reply on June 30, 2025. (ECF No. 56.) II. LEGAL STANDARD A. Rule 8(a) Under Rule 8(a), a complaint “must contain: (1) a short and plain statement of the ground for the court’s jurisdiction . . . [;] (2) a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief; and (3) a demand for the relief sought[.]” The purpose of a complaint is to put the adverse party on notice of the claims against them and inform the court of the nature of the claims, any defenses being asserted, and the relief requested. See United States ex rel. FLFMC, LLC v. TFH Publ’ns, Inc., 855 F. Supp. 2d 300, 304 (D.N.J. 2012). The Supreme Court

has explained “a short and plain statement of the claim,” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2), entails pleading sufficient factual matter that would “raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” Bell Atl. Corp. v.

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