Jairett v. First Montauk Securities Corp.

203 F.R.D. 181, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9687, 2001 WL 793249
District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania·Decided July 6, 2001·No. CIV.A. No. 00-1889·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

LOWELL A. REED, Jr., Senior District Judge.

Plaintiffs brought this law suit after losing money in an allegedly fraudulent investment scheme.1 Defendants Monument Financial Services Group, Inc., Hatfield Financial Group, Inc., Hatfield Capital Management, Inc., and Ronald V. Hatfield (collectively referred to as the “Hatfield defendants”) filed a second amended answer to the complaint,2 asserting cross-claims of fraudulent misrepresentation and conspiracy to defraud against defendants United Bank of Philadelphia (“United Bank” or “the Bank”), Hubert Burkat, and Eric Keck. United Bank filed an answer to the complaint, asserting cross-claims of fraudulent misrepresentation against the Hatfield defendants. Presently before the court is the motion of United Bank to dismiss the Hatfield defendants’ cross-claims (Document No. 62) and the motion of the Hatfield defendants to dismiss United Bank’s cross-claims (Document No. 66), both filed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Upon consideration of the motions to dismiss, and the responses and replies thereto, for the following reasons, both motions will be denied.

I. BACKGROUND

The facts of this case are complex, and I mention here only those facts necessary to adjudicate these motions to dismiss. According to the complaint, around 1998, defendants Hatfield, Burkat, and Keck3 founded and became partners in Monument Financial Services Group, Inc. (“Monument Financial”), a licensed consumer discount company, with Hatfield as “President,” and Keck as “Secretary.”4 In early 1999, plaintiffs invested money with Monument Financial after being told that it purchased collateralized mortgage rollover and offered a full array of mortgage services. Each plaintiff received a security equal to the amount of their respective investment, and the security agreements between plaintiffs and Monument Financial listed United Bank as the depository bank. The total amount paid by plaintiffs and deposited with United Bank was $450,000.

Monument Financial opened an account for the investment funds at United Bank on or about January 22, 1999,5 and directed the bank to disburse the funds only upon the dual authorization of Hatfield and Keck.6 Plaintiffs and the Hatfield defendants claim that, contrary to those instructions, five checks bearing only the signature of Keck, totaling approximately $132,000, were honored by the bank in February, 1999, and that additional disbursements may have been made without proper authorizations. Ac[184]*184cording to United Bank, the first of these checks, which was honored on February 10, 1999, “contained the signatures of both Hatfield and Kack.” (United Bank’s Ans. at ¶ 56.) Furthermore, according to United Bank, “the instructions were changed from time to time” (Id.) and Monument Financial “through its duly authorized representatives, authorized the Bank to pay checks on Kack’s signature.” (Id. at ¶ 57). According to the Bank, Hatfield represented to United Bank, on or about February 12, 1999, that Kack “was authorized to issue Monument funds on his signature alone.” (United Bank’s Am. Cross-cl. at ¶ 3(b)(4).) United Bank eventually froze the account. According to the Hatfield defendants, the improperly drawn funds were diverted by Burkat and Keck to non-investment entities, without the knowledge of plaintiffs or the Hatfield defendants. According to United Bank, the funds went toward restaurants that were nominally owned by Burkat, and in which Hatfield was a partner, or at least had some financial interest. In any event, the money was not invested in collateralized mortgage rollover, and the plaintiffs’ security interests were not perfected. As a result, on April 11, 2000, plaintiffs brought numerous civil claims against United Bank, the Hatfield defendants, and others. On March 15, 2001, Magistrate Judge M. Faith Angelí granted the Hatfield defendants leave to amend their second amended answer and assert additional cross-claims of fraudulent misrepresentation and conspiracy to defraud against United Bank, Burkat, and Keck. On March 30, 2001, the Hatfield defendants filed another second amended answer and cross-claim. On April 12, 2001, United Bank filed an answer to the complaint, with cross-claims asserted against the Hatfield defendants. United Bank and the Hatfield defendants now bring these motions to dismiss. United Bank subsequently amended its cross-claims of fraudulent misrepresentation against the Hatfield defendants, thereby attempting to cure any defects in its original cross-claims and moot the Hatfield defendants’ motion to dismiss.

II. ANALYSIS

A Standard for Motion to Dismiss

Rule 12(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (2001) provides that “the following defenses may at the option of the pleader be made by motion: ... (6) failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” In deciding a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), a court must take all well pleaded facts in the complaint as true and view them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. See Jenkins v. McKeithen, 395 U.S. 411, 421-422, 89 S.Ct. 1843, 1849, 23 L.Ed.2d 404, 416-417 (1969). Because the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure require only notice pleading, the complaint need only contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a). A motion to dismiss should be granted if “it is clear that no relief could be granted under any set of facts that could be proved consistent with the allegations.” Hishon v. King & Spalding, 467 U.S. 69, 73, 104 S.Ct. 2229, 2232, 81 L.Ed.2d 59, 65 (1984). In considering a motion to dismiss, the proper inquiry is not whether a plaintiff will ultimately prevail, but rather whether a plaintiff is permitted to offer evidence to support its claims. See Children’s Seashore House v. Waldman, 197 F.3d 654, 658 (3d Cir.1999), cert. denied, 530 U.S. 1275, 120 S.Ct. 2742, 147 L.Ed.2d 1006 (2000) (quoting Nami v. Fauver, 82 F.3d 63, 65 (3d Cir.1996)). The court may consider the allegations in the complaint, as well as any exhibits attached thereto. See Pension Benefit Guar. Corp. v. White Consol. Indus. Inc., 998 F.2d 1192, 1196 (3d Cir.1993). The defendant bears the burden of showing that plaintiffs have failed to state a claim for which relief can be granted. See Gould Elec. Inc. v. U.S., 220 F.3d 169, 178 (3d Cir.2000).

B. United Bank’s Motion to Dismiss

1.

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Jairett v. First Montauk Securities Corp., 203 F.R.D. 181, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9687, 2001 WL 793249 (E.D. Pa. 2001).

203 F.R.D. 181 (Jairett v. First Montauk Securities Corp.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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