Federal Trade Commission v. Citigroup Inc.

239 F. Supp. 2d 1302, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22149, 2001 WL 34050695
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedDecember 27, 2001
DocketNo. CIV.A.1:01-CV-606-JT
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 239 F. Supp. 2d 1302 (Federal Trade Commission v. Citigroup Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia 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. Citigroup Inc., 239 F. Supp. 2d 1302, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22149, 2001 WL 34050695 (N.D. Ga. 2001).

Opinion

ORDER

CAMP, District Judge.

This case is before the Court on Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss [# 12-1] and Plaintiffs Motion for Rule 16(b) Scheduling Order and to Initiate Discovery [# 16-1].

I. BACKGROUND

The Federal Trade Commission (“Commission”) brings this action under Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (“FTC Act”) to “secure permanent injunctive relief and other equitable relief, including rescission, restitution, reformation, and disgorgement.” (Comply 1). Defendant Associates First Capital Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary, Defendant Associates Corporation of North America (collectively “the Associates”), offered finance products and services to consumers who are considered to be greater credit risks. (Comp.lffl 7, 8,12). However, the Associates allegedly engaged in numerous deceptive acts or practices in order to induce consumers to take out or refinance loans with high interest rates, costs and fees and to purchase high-cost credit insurance. (Comply 15). According to the Commission, these deceptive practices violated the FTC Act, the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”).

On November 30, 2000 Defendant Citigroup acquired the Associates and merged the domestic consumer finance business of the Associates into the consumer finance business of Defendant CitiFinancial, a wholly owned subsidiary of Citigroup. (Compl.1ffl 5-6). As a result of this acquisition and merger, Plaintiff alleges that Defendants Citigroup and CitiFinancial are “successor corporations to the Associates and are hable for the illegal practices alleged in [the] Complaint.” (Comply 6).

Soon after the Complaint was filed, Defendants jointly moved to dismiss it pursuant to Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. According to Defendants, the underlying Complaint is deficient for several reasons. First, Defendants contend that the Court lacks jurisdiction over this action because the Complaint fails to allege facts which would permit the Court to grant injunctive relief. Second, Defendants assert that Citigroup and CitiFinancial are not proper parties to the action because they cannot be held hable for the acts committed by the Associates. Finally, Defendants assert that the Complaint fails to allege a violation of either the Truth in Lending Act or the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

II. SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION

Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act “authorizes the FTC to seek, and the district courts to grant, preliminary and permanent injunctions against practices that violate any of the laws enforced by the Commission.” FTC v. Gem Merch. Corp., 87 F.3d 466, 468 (11th Cir.1996); 15 U.S.C. § 53(b). Pursuant to this statute, the Commission may bring suit for injunctive relief when it has reason to believe “that any person, partnership, or corporation is violating, or is about to violate, any provision of law enforced by the Federal Trade Commission.” 15 U.S.C. § 53(b)(1). The authority to grant permanent injunctive relief also includes the power to grant any ancillary [1305]*1305relief necessary to accomplish complete justice. GEM Merch., 87 F.3d at 468-70.

Defendants move to dismiss this case, asserting that the Court does not have subject matter jurisdiction. According to Defendants, “the Complaint fails to assert the FTC’s entitlement to injunctive relief.” (Def.’s Mot. to Dismiss at 12). Without a valid claim for such relief, Defendants assert that Section 13(b) of the FTC Act is inapplicable, and the Court lacks jurisdiction to bring this action before the district court.

While Defendant has moved to dismiss the Complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Defendants’ motion actually challenges an element of the underlying claim and the sufficiency of the Complaint. ‘Where the defendant’s challenge to the Court’s jurisdiction is also a challenge to the existence of a cause of action, the proper course of action for the district court is to find that jurisdiction exists and deal with the objection as a direct attack on the merits of the plaintiffs case.” Williamson v. Tucker, 645 F.2d 404, 415 (5th Cir.1981). In such cases, the defendant is forced to proceed under either Rule 12(b)(6) or Rule 56—both of which provide a greater level of protection to the plaintiff. Id.

In this case, Defendants’ challenge to the Court’s jurisdiction is also a challenge to the existence of a federal cause of action. If the Complaint fails to state a claim for injunctive relief under Section 13(b), there is not only no federal jurisdiction to hear the case but also no federal cause of action on the stated facts. See Williamson, 645 F.2d at 416 (“In this case it is clear that the jurisdictional. issue reaches the merits of Plaintiffs case: if the joint venture interests and notes are not securities there is not only no federal jurisdiction to hear the case but also no federal cause of action on the stated facts”). Therefore, the Court examines Defendants’ “jurisdictional” challenge pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

III. FAILURE TO STATE A CLAIM

The purpose of a Rule 12(b)(6) motion is to determine whether the plaintiffs complaint adequately states a claim for relief. A motion to dismiss concerns only the complaint’s legal sufficiency and is not a procedure for resolving factual questions or for addressing the merits of the case. See 5A Charles A. Wright & Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 1356 (2d ed.1990). Consequently, the Court’s inquiry is limited to the contents of the complaint. GSW, Inc. v. Long County, 999 F.2d 1508, 1510 (11th Cir.1993).

A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) is viewed with disfavor and is rarely granted. Wright & Miller, § 357 at 321. The Supreme Court has determined that a complaint should not be dismissed for failure to state a claim “unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts” which would entitle plaintiff to relief. Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 102, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957). Furthermore, the court should not grant a motion to dismiss merely because the complaint does not state with precision every element of the offense necessary for recovery. In fact, a complaint is sufficient if it contains “allegations from which an inference can be drawn that evidence on these material points will be introduced at trial.” 5 Wright & Miller, § 1216 at 154, 156-59.

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Bluebook (online)
239 F. Supp. 2d 1302, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22149, 2001 WL 34050695, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/federal-trade-commission-v-citigroup-inc-gand-2001.