Davis v. RiverSource Life Insurance Co.

240 F. Supp. 3d 1011, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 145008, 2017 WL 2713405
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedFebruary 21, 2017
DocketCase No. 16-cv-02801-JSW
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 240 F. Supp. 3d 1011 (Davis v. RiverSource Life Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. RiverSource Life Insurance Co., 240 F. Supp. 3d 1011, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 145008, 2017 WL 2713405 (N.D. Cal. 2017).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART MOTION TO DISMISS FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT

JEFFREY S. WHITE, United States District Judge

Now pending before the Court is Defendants RiverSource Life Insurance Company (“RiverSource”) and Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.’s (“Ameriprise”) motion to dismiss Plaintiff Paul M. Davis’s First Amended Complaint (“FAC”). Having carefully reviewed all parties’ papers and considered the arguments and the relevant legal authority, and good cause appearing, the Court finds that all pending motions are appropriate for decision without oral argument. See N.D. Cal. Civil L.R. 7-l(b). The Court hereby rules as follows.1

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Paul M. Davis alleges that he is an individual resident of the County of San Mateo, California, who was over the age of 65 at all times relevant to this action. (FAC ¶ 10.) Davis “was and still is” the sole trustee, settlor, grantor, and direct, non-contingent beneficiary of the Paul M. Davis Revocable Trust of 2011 (“Trust”). (Id. ¶ 11.)

Plaintiff alleges that “[d]uring December 2013 through February 2014,” he was solicited by Defendants’ licensed agent to purchase deferred annuity contracts. (Id. ¶27.) He purchased six deferred annuity policies from RiverSource. (Id.) “Plaintiff funded all six policies through payments made to Defendants by the Trust. For all six policies, Plaintiff is the annuitant.” (Id.)

Plaintiff alleges that the deferred annuity contracts provide a 10-day “free look” period, not a 30-day “free look” period as required by California Insurance Code Section 10127.10. (Id. at ¶¶23, 28.) Additionally, Plaintiff alleges that Defendants did not, in their deferred annuity contracts, disclose the surrender information to California seniors in the manner required by California Insurance Code section 10127.13. (Id. ¶¶ 24, 29.)

Plaintiff filed the Complaint in this action on May 24, 2016. (Dkt. No. 1.) On or about May 25, 2016, Plaintiff “withdrew needed funds from one of the six annuity policies” and “incurred a surrender charge of $303.99.” (FAC ¶27.) After Defendants filed a motion to dismiss, Plaintiff filed the FAC on August 10, 2016. (Dkt. Nos. 28, 31.) In the FAC, Plaintiffs allege two causes of action: (1) violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code ¶ 17200 et seq. (“UCL”); and (2) Financial Elder Abuse, Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code ¶ 15600 et seq. This motion to dismiss followed.

The Court shall address additional facts as necessary in its analysis.

ANALYSIS

A. Legal Standards Applicable to the Motion to Dismiss.

A motion to dismiss is proper under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) where the complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. The [1014]*1014Court’s “inquiry is limited to the allegations in the complaint,, which are accepted as true and construed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.” Lazy Y Ranch LTD v. Behrens, 546 F.3d 580, 588 (9th Cir. 2008). Even under the liberal pleadings standard of Rule 8(a)(2), “a plaintiffs obligation to provide the ‘grounds’ of his ‘entitle[ment] to relief requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Trombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (citing Papasan v. Allain, 478 U.S. 265, 286, 106 S.Ct. 2932, 92 L.Ed.2d 209 (1986)).

Pursuant to Twombly, a plaintiff must not merely allege conduct that is conceivable but must allege “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Id. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955. “A claim has facial plausibility when the Plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the Defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955). From these decisions, the following “two principles” arise: “First, to be entitled to the presumption of truth, allegations in a complaint or counterclaim may not simply recite the elements of a cause of action but must contain sufficient allegations of underlying facts to give fair notice and to enable the opposing party to defend itself effectively. Second, the factual allegations that are taken as true must plausibly suggest an entitlement to relief, such that it is not unfair to require the opposing party to be subjected to the expense of discovery and continued litigation.” Starr v. Baca, 652 F.3d 1202, 1216 (9th Cir. 2011); see also McHenry v. Renne, 84 F.3d 1172, 1177-78 (9th Cir. 1996) (a complaint must make clear “who is being sued, for what relief, and on what theory, with enough detail to guide discovery”).

As a general rule, “a district court may not consider material beyond the pleadings in ruling on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion.” Branch v. Tunnell, 14 F.3d 449, 453 (9th Cir. 1994), overruled on other grounds, Galbraith v. County of Santa Clara, 307 F.3d 1119 (9th Cir. 2002) (citation omitted). However, documents subject to judicial notice may be considered on a motion to dismiss. In doing so, the Court does not convert a motion to dismiss to one for summary judgment. See Mack v. South Bay Beer Distrib., 798 F.2d 1279, 1282 (9th Cir. 1986), overruled on other grounds by Astoria Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass’n v. Solimino, 501 U.S. 104, 111 S.Ct. 2166, 115 L.Ed.2d 96 (1991). For example, the Court can take judicial notice of the existence of public records or court documents, but it may not take judicial notice of disputed facts in those documents. See, e.g., Lee v. City of Los Angeles, 250 F.3d 668, 689-90 (9th Cir. 2001); Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 2 v. Vista Inn Management Co., 393 F.Supp.2d 972, 978 (N.D. Cal. 2005); Fed. R. Evid. 201.

If the allegations are insufficient to state a claim, a court should grant leave to amend, unless amendment would be futile. See, e.g. Reddy v. Litton Indus., Inc., 912 F.2d 291, 296 (9th Cir. 1990); Cook, Perkiss & Liehe, Inc. v. N. Cal. Collection Serv., Inc., 911 F.2d 242, 246-47 (9th Cir. 1990).

B. Plaintiff Has Alleged that He Is Within the Class of Persons Protected by the California Insurance Code, and May Sue in his Individual Capacity.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
240 F. Supp. 3d 1011, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 145008, 2017 WL 2713405, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-riversource-life-insurance-co-cand-2017.