Galvin v. Jaffe

25 Mass. L. Rptr. 274
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedJanuary 27, 2009
DocketNo. 09179BLS2
StatusPublished

This text of 25 Mass. L. Rptr. 274 (Galvin v. Jaffe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Galvin v. Jaffe, 25 Mass. L. Rptr. 274 (Mass. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

Neel, Stephen E., J.

Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin (Secretary) seeks an order, pursuant to G.L.c. 110A, §407(c), compelling defendant Robert Jaffe (Jaffe) to comply with a subpoena to testily in connection with the Secretary’s investigation of Bernard Madoff (Madoff) and Madoff Investment Securities LLC (Madoff LLC). For the reasons stated below, the Court will order Jaffe to comply with the Secretary’s subpoena.

BACKGROUND

The record before the Court, including the complaint, the parties’ respective legal memoranda, and two affidavits submitted on behalf of Jaffe discloses the following, which the Court takes to be true for present purposes.

Shortly after Madoff s reported disclosure to federal agents, on December 10, 2008, that he had been conducting a Ponzi scheme and that his firm’s liabilities were estimated at $50 billion, the Secretary opened an investigation into Madoff, LLC and related persons. In connection with his investigation the Secretary learned that a number of Massachusetts investors, including charitable entities, had lost multiple millions of dollars through Madoffs scheme. Some of those investors reported to the Secretary that Jaffe “was the person who made representations concerning Mr. Madoff and participated in investing their funds or who directed that they invest their funds with Mr. Madoff.” Complaint, para. 3.

Jaffe is a Massachusetts registered representative of, and an owner of, defendant Cohmad Securities Corporation (Cohmad), a Massachusetts registered broker-dealer. Because of Jaffe’s reported close personal and professional ties to Madoff, the Secretary believes that Jaffe may have “significant information material to his investigation into Mr. Madoff.” Id., para. 5.

On December 17, 2008, the Secretary issued a subpoena commanding Jaffe to appear before the Massachusetts Securities Division on January 6,2009 and give sworn testimony “in the matter of: Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities” (subpoena). The Secretary issued the subpoena in connection with his investigation of Madoff, and pursuant to the Massachusetts Uniform Securities Act, G.L.c. 110A (Act). He caused it to be served on Jaffe, apparently by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, addressed to Jaffe at Cohmad’s New York office. The proof of service attached to the complaint bears the signature of “J. Larsen” on December 19, 2008.

Jaffe learned of the subpoena no later than December 18, when his counsel “contacted Secretary Galvin’s office to seek an adjournment.” Affidavit of Stanley S. Arkin (Arkin Aff.), para. 13. Between December 18 and December 24, Jaffe retained new counsel, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP in New York. “Based on conversations occurring on December 24, 2008 between Mr. Jaffe’s [new] counsel and the Secretary, the date on which Mr. Jaffe was to appear was adjourned from January 6, 2009, to January 13, 2009.” Id., para. 14. The one-week “adjournment” of Jaffe’s appearance was an accommodation to Jaffe’s newly-retained counsel.

[275]*275On January 9, Jaffe’s counsel alerted the Secretary that Jaffe was suffering health problems that might affect his availability to testify on January 13. After sending doctor’s notes and verifying Jaffe’s brief hospitalization and release, Jaffe’s attorneys requested additional time to make up for their inability to consult with Jaffe because of his medical condition. Jaffe’s counsel stated, in an emailed letter to the Secretary dated January 12, that

Mr. Jaffe is not available to testify until he has been cleared to do so by [his doctor], until he has had a reasonable period of time to respond to the adjustment of his medications and until he has had sufficient time to consult with his attorneys . . . Mr. Jaffe’s medical condition has impacted his availability to consult with us. This is an independent reason that you should delay Mr. Jaffe’s appearance . . . Mr. Jaffe would need time to prepare after getting medical clearance ... In view of the foregoing, Mr. Jaffe does not intend to appear for testimony tomorrow. We ask that you tentatively schedule Mr. Jaffe’s testimony for either January 21, 2009 or January 22, 2009, subject to revision based on the factors set forth above.

Arkin Aff., Ex. O. Later that evening, Jaffe’s counsel sent by email a doctor’s note, “consistent with our letter tonight,” stating that Jaffe “can resume his usual travel and activities as of January 19, 2009.”

On January 13, 2009, the Secretary responded to Jaffe’s counsel by faxed letter: “In response to the information you provided last night indicating that Mr. Jaffe will be available to testify as of January 19,2009, the Massachusetts Securities Division is rescheduling Mr. Jaffe’s testimony for Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at 10:00 am at the offices of the Division. The testimony is pursuant to the initial subpoena served on December 17, 2008.” Arkin Aff., Ex. R.

Thus, as of January 13, nearly four weeks after receiving the subpoena, not only had Jaffe not asserted any objection to service of the subpoena or the Secretary’s jurisdiction over him, he had twice affirmatively agreed to appear, first at the January 13 adjournment of the original January 6 date, and then — again by agreement with the Secretary, and health permitting — at the January 21 adjournment, a date selected by his attorney.

On January 14, the Secretary filed this action. The Court issued an order of notice for hearing on January 21 at 2 p.m. On January 15, Jaffe was served with the summons, complaint, order of notice, and other papers (including a copy of the subpoena, attached to the complaint) at his residence in Florida, and at Cohmad’s offices, by process servers for each of those respective states.

On January 16, Jaffe apparently discharged Paul, Hastings, and retained his present counsel. On January 19, new counsel met with Jaffe. Also on that day, one month after Jaffe learned of the subpoena, his new counsel “notified the Secretary that Mr. Jaffe would not be appearing for his deposition then scheduled for January 21, 2009 because not only did the complexify of the situation require more time to prepare Mr. Jaffe, but serious Constitutional issues are raised by the Secretary’s subpoena.” Arkin Aff., para. 30.

On January 20, Jaffe’s counsel set forth in a faxed letter to the Secretary five reasons why Jaffe would not appear the next day. Those reasons may be summarized as (1) failure of service and “subsequent written or oral modifications to the administrative subpoena ... fatal even if it had been legally served”; (2) violation of the U.S. Constitution; (3) inadequate time for new counsel to prepare; (4) the burden on Jaffe if the Secretary does not coordinate his investigation with other regulators; and (5) intentional misconduct in the form of press leaks by the Secretaiy’s office. Arkin Aff., Ex. T. Each of the grounds, except for inadequate time for counsel preparation, was new; none asserted that Jaffe had any health problem which would affect his ability to appear on January 21.

Jaffe failed to appear at the Secretaiy’s office at the scheduled time of 10 a.m. on January 21, and the matter was heard by Court that day at 2:00 p.m.

DISCUSSION

Jaffe’s principal challenge to the Secretaiy’s application is that neither the Secretary nor the Court have jurisdiction over his person such that he, allegedly a Florida resident, may be required to appear in Massachusetts in response to the Secretary’s subpoena.

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Bluebook (online)
25 Mass. L. Rptr. 274, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/galvin-v-jaffe-masssuperct-2009.