Federal Trade Commission v. AMG Services, Inc.

CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedAugust 24, 2022
Docket2:12-cv-00536
StatusUnknown

This text of Federal Trade Commission v. AMG Services, Inc. (Federal Trade Commission v. AMG Services, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Federal Trade Commission v. AMG Services, Inc., (D. Nev. 2022).

Opinion

1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

2 DISTRICT OF NEVADA

3 FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, ) Case No.: 2:12-cv-00536-GMN-VCF 4 ) Plaintiff, ) ORDER 5 vs. ) ) 6 AMG SERVICES, INC., et al., ) 7 ) Defendants. ) 8 ) 9 10 Pending before the Court is the Motion for Discharge of Monitor, (ECF No. 1365), filed 11 by court-appointed monitor Thomas W. McNamara (“the Monitor”). Monitor Entities1 AMG 12 Capital Management, LLC; Level 5 Motorsports, LLC; Black Creek Capital Corporation; 13 Broadmoor Capital Partners, LLC; Scott A. Tucker; and Park 296, LLC (collectively “Monitor 14 Entities”) and Relief Defendant Kim Tucker2 filed Responses, (ECF Nos. 1371, 1373, and 15 1382). The Monitor filed a Reply, (ECF No. 1377). 16 17 18 19 1 The Monitor Order defines “Monitor Entities” as: (a) the corporate defendants and corporate relief defendant: AMG Capital Management, LLC, Level 5 Motorsports, LLC, Black Creek Capital Corporation, Broadmoor 20 Capital Partners, LLC, Park 269, LLC; and their successors, assigns, affiliates, and subsidiaries; (b) BA Services LLC, C5 Capital LLC, DF Services Corp., DFTW Consolidated [UC] LLC, Impact BP LLC, Level 5 Apparel 21 LLC, Level 5 Capital Partners LLC, Level 5 Eyewear LLC, Level 5 Scientific LLC, NM Service Corp. (f/k/a/ National Money Service), PSB Services LLC, Real Estate Capital LLC (f/k/a/ Rehab Capital I, LLC), Sentient 22 Technologies, ST Capital LLC, Westfund LLC, Eclipse Renewables Holdings LLC, Scott Tucker Declaration of Trust, dated February 20, 2015, West Race Cars, LLC, and Level 5 Management LLC, and their successors, 23 assigns, affiliates, and subsidiaries; and (c) any other entity identified by the Monitor that, upon motion granted by the Court, is found to be a proper Monitor Entity because, for example, such entity holds Assets of a 24 Defendant or existing Monitor Entity, or is owned or controlled by a Defendant or Monitor Entity. (Monitor Order 3:17–4:6, ECF No. 1099). 25 2 Kim Tucker is Defendant Scott Tucker’s ex-wife. 1 Also pending before the Court are the Monitor’s Motions for Attorney Fees, (ECF Nos. 2 1366 and 1378). The Monitor Entities and Kim Tucker filed Responses, (ECF Nos. 1371, 3 1373, and 1382), and the Monitor filed a Reply, (ECF No. 1377). 4 Also pending before the Court is Paul C. Ray’s Motion to Enforce Attorney’s Lien, 5 (ECF No. 1386). The Monitor, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the United States, and 6 Kim Tucker filed Responses, (ECF Nos. 1387, 1388, 1389, and 1391). Paul C. Ray filed a 7 Reply, (ECF No. 1393). 8 Also pending before the Court is the Motion to Vacate Judgment, (ECF No. 1341), filed 9 by David Feingold, Dylan, Jagger Investment Co., Inc., Homeowners Realty, LLC, UMR 10 Building, LLC, and United Material Recovery, LLC (collectively, “Feingold Parties”). Kim 11 Tucker filed a Response, (ECF No. 1359). 12 For the reasons discussed below, the Court GRANTS the Monitor’s Motion for 13 Discharge of Monitor, GRANTS the Monitor’s Motions for Attorney Fees, DENIES Paul C. 14 Ray’s Motion to Enforce Attorney Lien, and DENIES the Feingold Parties’ Motion to Vacate 15 Judgment. 16 I. BACKGROUND 17 This action was brought by the FTC, asserting that the “high-fee, short-term payday 18 loans” offered by former Defendants AMG Services, Inc., SFS, Inc., Red Cedar Services, Inc., 19 and MNE Services, Inc. violated section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914, 15 § 20 U.S.C. 45(a)(1), the Truth in Lending Act of 1968, 15 U.S.C. § 1601(a), and Regulation Z, 12 21 C.F.R. § 1026(a). (Am. Compl. 15:1–20:6, ECF No. 386). Defendant Scott Tucker controlled, 22 founded, or was president of a host of short-term payday loan marketing and servicing

23 companies, including, inter alia, National Money Service, Inc., CLK Management LLC, and 24 Universal Management Services, Inc. (Exs. 1–2, 4–5, 14 to Singhvi Decl., ECF Nos. 908-1–2, 25 4–5, 14). 1 On September 20, 2019, the Court granted summary judgement in favor of the FTC, 2 awarding both injunctive and monetary equitable relief based on the long-held Ninth Circuit 3 precedent that Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. § 53(b), permits 4 a panoply of equitable remedies, including monetary equitable relief in the form of restitution 5 and disgorgement. See Pantron I Corp., 33 F.3d at 1103 n.34; F.T.C. v. Figgie Int’l, Inc., 994 6 F.2d 595, 606–08 (9th Cir. 1993); H.N. Singer, 668 F.2d at 1113; (Order 19:22–26:4, ECF No. 7 1057). Defendants appealed the FTC’s monetary equitable relief award. (Notice of Appeal, 8 ECF No. 1097). 9 The Ninth Circuit originally affirmed this Court’s Order, but the Supreme Court 10 reversed, holding that “[section] 13(b) as currently written does not grant the [FTC] authority to 11 obtain equitable monetary relief.” AMG Capital Management, LLC v. FTC, 141 S. Ct. 1341, 12 1352 (2021); FTC v. AMG Captial Management, LLC, 910 F.3d 417, 426–27 (9th Cir. 2018); 13 FTC v. AMG Services, Inc., No. 2:12-cv-00536-GMN-VCF, 2016 WL 5791416, at *11–13 (D. 14 Nev. Sept. 30, 2016); (Order, ECF No. 1057). The Ninth Circuit subsequently vacated its 15 affirmation of the FTC’s monetary award, reversing this Court’s Order and remanding for 16 further proceedings consistent with the Supreme Court’s opinion. See FTC v. AMG Capital 17 Management, LLC, 998 F.3d 897, 897–98 (9th Cir. 2021). On remand, the Court amended its 18 original Order to deny the FTC’s request for equitable monetary relief. (Second Am. Order 19 22:18–20, ECF No. 1338). 20 During the pendency of Defendants’ appeal the parties jointly moved to (1) stay the 21 FTC’s collection of the monetary relief award; (2) freeze Defendants’ assets; and (3) appoint 22 the Monitor to “oversee the asset freeze and the orderly sale of certain assets the Tucker

23 Defendants3 have agreed to liquidate while the appeal is pending.” (See Order Appointing 24

25 3 The Monitor Order defines “Tucker Defendants” as: Scott A. Tucker, AMG Capital Management, LLC, Level 5 Motorsports, LLC, Black Creek Capital Corporation, Broadmoor Capital Partners, LLC, and their successors, 1 Monitor (“Monitor Order”) 1:14–15, ECF No. 1099). The Monitor’s purpose was to “preserve 2 the status quo during the pendency of the appeal, and to facilitate the liquidation of assets that 3 absent such liquidation would waste in value during the pendency of the appeal.” (Id. 2:6–8). 4 Additionally, the Monitor initiated numerous lawsuits and settlement negotiations to recover 5 debts owed to Scott Tucker and the Monitor Entities and clawback fraudulent transfers or ill- 6 gotten gains. (Monitor’s Final Report 9:9–13, ECF No. 1364). As a result of the Monitor’s 7 efforts, the Monitorship Estate currently holds $14,452,645.57 in net cash. (See Final Status 8 Report 20:10–12, ECF No. 1364). 9 The parties agree that the Monitor’s authority to act on behalf of the Monitorship Estate 10 ended with the conclusion of the appeal. Accordingly, the Court’s Second Amended Order, 11 (ECF No. 1338), provided instructions for the orderly wind-down of the Monitorship Estate. 12 Most of the assets in the Monitorship Estate, including the net cash, are subject to a Preliminary 13 Order of Forfeiture (“POOF”) in the District Court for the Southern District of New York 14 (“SDNY”) in relation to Scott Tucker’s criminal money judgment of $3.5 billion.

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

Related

FTC v. Amg Capital Management, LLC
910 F.3d 417 (Ninth Circuit, 2018)
FTC v. Amg Capital Management, LLC
998 F.3d 897 (Ninth Circuit, 2021)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Federal Trade Commission v. AMG Services, Inc., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/federal-trade-commission-v-amg-services-inc-nvd-2022.