Jersey Realty & Investment Co. v. EMCO Manufacturing Co.

187 F.R.D. 649, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10130, 1999 WL 446822
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedMay 27, 1999
DocketCiv.A. No. 98-2542-KHV
StatusPublished

This text of 187 F.R.D. 649 (Jersey Realty & Investment Co. v. EMCO Manufacturing Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jersey Realty & Investment Co. v. EMCO Manufacturing Co., 187 F.R.D. 649, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10130, 1999 WL 446822 (D. Kan. 1999).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

VRATIL, Judge.

Jersey Realty and Investment Company [“Jersey”] brings this action against EMCO [650]*650Manufacturing Company, Inc. [“EMCO”], Modernfold, Inc. [“Modernfold”], and Mod-ernfold Holdings, Inc. [“Modernfold Holdings”], alleging breach of a lease contract and fraudulent conveyance of assets. This matter comes before the Court on defendants EMCO and Modernfold’s Motion To Dismiss Pursuant [To] Rule 9(b) (Doc. #28) filed April 7, 1999, and defendant Modernfold Holdings’ Motion To Dismiss Pursuant [To] Rule 9(b) (Doe. #34) filed April 15, 1999. Defendants ask the Court to dismiss plaintiffs fraudulent conveyance claim (Count III of plaintiffs First Amended Complaint) on the ground that plaintiff has failed to plead fraud with the requisite specificity under Rule 9(b), Fed.R.Civ.P. For reasons stated more fully below, the Court finds that defendants’ motions should be overruled.

Requirements For Pleading Fraud

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) provides: “In all averments of fraud or mistake, the circumstances constituting fraud or mistake shall be stated with particularity. Malice, intent, knowledge, and other conditions of mind of a person may be averred generally.” Following the “straightforward language” of Rule 9(b), the Tenth Circuit has held that “Rule 9(b) requires only the identification of the circumstances constituting fraud, and that it does not require any particularity in connection with an averment of intent, knowledge or condition of mind.” Schwartz v. Celestial Seasonings, Inc., 124 F.3d 1246, 1252 (10th Cir.1997) (citing Seattle-First Nat’l Bank v. Carlstedt, 800 F.2d 1008, 1011 (10th Cir.1986)).

Simply stated, Rule 9(b) requires plaintiff to set forth “the time, place and contents of the false representation, the identity of the party making the false statements and the consequences thereof.” Schwartz, 124 F.3d at 1252 (citations omitted). See also Nal II, Ltd. v. Tonkin, 705 F.Supp. 522, 525-26 (D.Kan.1989) (Rule 9(b) requires plaintiff to set forth “who, what, where, and when” of alleged fraud); Smith v. MCI Tele-comms. Corp., 678 F.Supp. 823, 825 (D.Kan. 1987) (fraud claim must describe time, place and content of false representation; identity of person making representation; and what was obtained or given thereby). The Court must read the requirements of Rule 9(b) in conjunction with Rule 8, which calls for pleadings to be “simple, concise, and direct, ... and to be construed as to do substantial justice.” See Schwartz, 124 F.3d at 1252; see also Seattle-First, 800 F.2d at 1011; Cayman Exploration Corp. v. United Gas Pipe Line Co., 873 F.2d 1357, 1362 (10th Cir.1989) (Rule 9(b) must be read in harmony with simplified notice pleading provisions of Rule 8).

The purpose of Rule 9(b) is “to afford defendant fair notice of plaintiffs claims and the factual ground upon which [they] are based ...” Schwartz, 124 F.3d at 1252 (citing Farlow v. Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., 956 F.2d 982, 987 (10th Cir.1992); Ross v. Bolton, 904 F.2d 819, 823 (2d Cir.1990)). See also VNA Plus, Inc. v. Apria Healthcare Group, Inc., 29 F.Supp.2d 1253, 1258 (D.Kan.1998); N.L. Indus., Inc. v. Gulf & Western Indus., Inc., 650 F.Supp. 1115, 1129-30 (D.Kan.1986) (purpose of Rule 9(b) to enable defending party to prepare effective response to charges of fraud and to protect defending party from unfounded charges of wrongdoing which might injure its reputation and goodwill).

Analysis

Defendants argue that plaintiffs “bare bones allegations” merely restate the general elements which plaintiff must prove to establish fraudulent conveyance and do not allege any facts in support of the claim. The elements for a fraudulent conveyance claim in Kansas are that (1) the grantor intended to hinder, delay, or defraud his or her creditors, and (2) the grantee participated in or had constructive or actual knowledge of the fraudulent scheme. See K.S.A. § 33-102;1 Snodgrass v. Baumgart, 25 Kan. [651]*651App.2d 812, 818, 974 P.2d 604, 609 (1999) (citing Arkansas City v. Anderson, 16 Kan. App.2d 174, 180, 804 P.2d 1026, 1031-32, rev. denied, 248 Kan. 994 (1991)). Cf. Golconda Screw, Inc. v. West Bottoms Ltd., 20 Kan. App.2d 1002, 1008, 894 P.2d 260, 266 (1995) (to prevail in action to set aside fraudulent conveyance pursuant to K.S.A. § 33-102, plaintiff must prove conveyance was made with intent to hinder, delay, or defraud creditors or to defraud or deceive grantee.)

Defendants complain that plaintiffs allegations do not meet the requirements of Rule 9(b), in that they do not inform defendants who in particular fraudulently transferred assets, where such transfer took place, when it took place, and the nature of the “assets” defendants allegedly transferred. Defendants contend that these inadequacies present them with an “insurmountable hurdle in responding” to plaintiffs fraudulent conveyance claim.

In the First Amended Complaint plaintiff alleges as follows:

9. EMCO agreed that the rental payments were to commence May 1, 1996 and continue through the term of the Lease, ... ending April 30, 2001.
10. Based upon plaintiffs information and knowledge, Modernfold Holdings purchased all of EMCO’s stock by execution of the Stock Purchase Agreement dated May 31, 1996 and the Amerlded and Restated Stock Agreement dated August 31, 1996....
11. Based upon plaintiffs information and knowledge, the commercial lease at issue, and obligations thereunder, between plaintiff and EMCO were known to Modernfold Holdings at the time of the Stock Purchase Agreement.
* * * * * *
50. EMCO continued to make rental payments to plaintiff through May 1997, in accordance with the terms of the Lease, following execution of the Stock Purchase Agreement.
51. Upon information and belief, commencing in or about June 1997 and continuing through or about February 1998, Modernfold, at the direction and with the knowledge and consent of Modernfold Holdings, took possession of the premises or otherwise operated the business of EMCO and made the rental payments to plaintiff____
52.

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Related

Schwartz v. Celestial Seasonings, Inc.
124 F.3d 1246 (Tenth Circuit, 1997)
Atlanta Shipping Corporation, Inc. v. Chemical Bank
818 F.2d 240 (Second Circuit, 1987)
David Farlow v. Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co.
956 F.2d 982 (Tenth Circuit, 1992)
In Re Glenfed, Inc. Securities Litigation
42 F.3d 1541 (Ninth Circuit, 1994)
Fed. Sec. L. Rep. P 99,478
111 F.3d 138 (Ninth Circuit, 1997)
Golconda Screw, Inc. v. West Bottoms Ltd.
894 P.2d 260 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1995)
Snodgrass v. Baumgart
974 P.2d 604 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1999)
City of Arkansas City v. Anderson
804 P.2d 1026 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1991)
Smith v. MCI Telecommunications Corp.
678 F. Supp. 823 (D. Kansas, 1987)
Atlanta Shipping Corp., Inc. v. Chemical Bank
631 F. Supp. 335 (S.D. New York, 1986)
Nal II, Ltd. v. Tonkin
705 F. Supp. 522 (D. Kansas, 1989)
VNA Plus, Inc. v. Apria Healthcare Group, Inc.
29 F. Supp. 2d 1253 (D. Kansas, 1998)
City of Garden City v. Lot Nine, Block Three
819 P.2d 1250 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1991)
Ross v. A. H. Robins Co.
607 F.2d 545 (Second Circuit, 1979)
Ross v. Bolton
904 F.2d 819 (Second Circuit, 1990)

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Bluebook (online)
187 F.R.D. 649, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10130, 1999 WL 446822, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jersey-realty-investment-co-v-emco-manufacturing-co-ksd-1999.