Hempel v. Blunt, Ellis & Loewi, Inc.

123 F.R.D. 313, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16226, 1988 WL 127621
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedOctober 25, 1988
DocketNo. 87-C-384
StatusPublished

This text of 123 F.R.D. 313 (Hempel v. Blunt, Ellis & Loewi, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hempel v. Blunt, Ellis & Loewi, Inc., 123 F.R.D. 313, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16226, 1988 WL 127621 (E.D. Wis. 1988).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

AARON E. GOODSTEIN, United States Magistrate.

On March 31, 1987, plaintiff Elaine Hempel filed her complaint against Blunt, Ellis & Loewi and one of its brokers, Scott Nennig alleging violations of § 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 of the Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. The complaint also alleged violations of the rules of the New York Stock Exchange and National Association of Securities Dealers, together with pendent state law claims for fraud and breach of, fiduciary duty.

This case had been assigned to Judge Joseph P. Stadtmueller who, on March 21, 1988, issued a decision and order granting the defendants’ motion to dismiss, but giving plaintiff leave to file an amended complaint within thirty days. On April 20, 1988, plaintiff filed her amended complaint, and defendants again moved to dismiss.

On July 6, 1988, Judge Stadtmueller transferred the case to this court for all further proceedings, all parties having consented to the exercise of the magistrate’s jurisdiction. This court then conducted a telephone status conference at which it was agreed that the defendants’ motion to dismiss should be resolved before establishing pretrial deadlines.

The defendants’ motion, which sets forth six reasons for dismissal, has been fully briefed. An appropriate starting point for the court’s discussion would be the plaintiff’s amended complaint.

I. The Amended Complaint

At the outset, it should be noted that the amended complaint is much better organized than its predecessor and its four causes of action are now clearly delineated. The amended complaint alleges that the plaintiff, an elderly widow, opened an account with Blunt, Ellis & Loewi, Inc. in the early 1970’s. She placed approximately $102,000.00, which represented most of her life savings, in the account. She was placed in the “conservative” investment category, and she remained in this category until her relationship with Blunt, Ellis & Loewi terminated in 1987. The amended complaint characterizes plaintiff as an “unsophisticated investor” who relied upon the purported expertise of the defendants.

There was limited investment activity in plaintiff’s account between 1971 and December, 1984, when the events which are the subject matter of this lawsuit commenced. At that time, plaintiff was approached by defendant Scott Nennig, a securities salesman employed by Blunt, Ellis & Loewi. He allegedly falsely advised plaintiff that plaintiff’s current broker was no longer with the company. Plaintiff then met with Nennig who allegedly advised her that her current holdings were no longer appropriate for her needs and objectives and suggested replacement investments.

Plaintiff alleges that Nennig misrepresented the posture of her present investments and the character of the proposed securities. She claims he misrepresented the urgency of the situation, failed to discuss the risks involved and other available alternatives. Plaintiff authorized Nennig to proceed with the suggested changes.

The amended complaint sets forth the particulars of the resultant transactions. In July of 1985, Nennig again contacted the plaintiff and allegedly stated that some of the securities purchased the previous De[315]*315cember were no longer appropriate for her investment objectives. Plaintiff claims that Nennig made misrepresentations of a similar nature pertaining to the proposed transactions at this time. Plaintiff permitted Nennig to consummate the transactions, and the amended complaint again sets forth the particulars of same.

Needless to say, not all went well for the plaintiff. The value of her portfolio dropped by at least $50,000. In addition, she was charged approximately $7800 in commissions and fees in regard to these transactions. Plaintiff alleges that Nennig failed to advise her that the July, 1985 transactions could have been structured in a different manner which would have reduced the total commission.

Her amended complaint contains the following causes of action: 1) alleged violations of Rule 10b-5 (17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5) which was promulgated pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; 2) alleged violations of certain rules established by the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and National Association of Securities Dealers (“NASD”); 3) a state law claim based upon fraud; and 4) a state law claim based upon a breach of fiduciary duty. Plaintiff seeks punitive damages in regard to the state law claims.

The court will now address each of the grounds presented by the defendants for dismissal.

II. Statute of Limitations

Defendants have raised the issue of the statute of limitations as it pertains to plaintiffs federal claims under § 10(b) and Rule 10b-5. Neither the securities act nor the regulations contain any provision establishing a period of limitations for private actions. The defendants urge that the period of limitations found in companion sections of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 govern this case. Those sections provide that no action shall be maintained unless brought within one year after the discovery of facts constituting the violation and within three years after such violation. See, 15 U.S.C. §§ 77m, 78i(e) and 78r(c).

In support of their position, defendants cite the recent case of In re Data Access Systems Securities Litigation, 843 F.2d 1537 (3rd Cir.1988), in which the Third Circuit decided that a uniform rule based upon the federal scheme should be applied to private actions under § 10(b) and Rule 10b-5. Id. at 1550. The plaintiff submits that the rule enunciated by the Third Circuit is not binding on this court, and that the Wisconsin six year limitation’s period for fraud actions applies.

This is an issue which Judge Stadtmueller did not comment on since it was first raised by defendants in response to the amended complaint. This court finds neither of the positions taken by the parties persuasive for the following reasons. First of all, while the court in In re Data Access makes a compelling argument for uniformity, the position taken by the Seventh Circuit is different. In Norris v. Wirtz, 818 F.2d 1329 (7th Cir.1987), Judge Easter-brook, writing for the majority, expressed displeasure with the current rule of requiring the court to find the most analogous state statute of limitations when the federal statute is silent. He proclaims, “[njever has the process been more enervating than in securities law.” Id. at 1332. However, Judge Easterbrook then states,

Only Congress or the Supreme Court can bring uniformity and predictability to this field; we have vowed to stand pat rather than make things worse by exchanging one conflict for another.

Id.

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123 F.R.D. 313, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16226, 1988 WL 127621, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hempel-v-blunt-ellis-loewi-inc-wied-1988.