Logtale, Ltd. v. Canton

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedMay 13, 2021
Docket4:20-cv-01207
StatusUnknown

This text of Logtale, Ltd. v. Canton (Logtale, Ltd. v. Canton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Logtale, Ltd. v. Canton, (N.D. Cal. 2021).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 5 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 7 LOGTALE, LTD., Case No. 20-cv-01207-DMR

8 Plaintiff, ORDER ON DEFENDANT INSTITUTE 9 v. FOR GLOBAL FUTURE’S MOTION TO DISMISS 10 JAMES CANTON, et al., Re: Dkt. No. 62 11 Defendants.

12 On February 18, 2020, Plaintiff Logtale, Ltd. (“Logtale”) filed this action against James 13 Canton, Gayle Canton, and the Institute for Global Futures (“IGF”). [Docket No. 1.] On October 14 1, 2020, the court granted IGF’s first motion to dismiss. [Docket No. 56.] Logtale filed an amended 15 complaint on October 30, 2020. [Docket No. 58 (“FAC”).] IGF now moves to dismiss the FAC. 16 [Docket Nos. 62 (“Mot.”), 69 (“Reply”).] Logtale opposes. [Docket No. 67 (“Opp.”).] The court 17 held a hearing on January 14, 2021. In addition to pursuing an alter ego theory of liability against 18 IGF, Logtale also asserts that IGF is directly liable to Logtale through the actions of its agent, James 19 Canton. Following the hearing, the court ordered supplemental briefing on the issue of whether 20 Logtale adequately alleged a theory of direct liability against IGF. [Docket No. 71.] The parties 21 filed supplemental briefing consistent with the court’s order. [Docket Nos. 72 (“Def. Supp. Br.”), 22 73 (“Pltf. Supp. Br.”), 74 (“Def. Supp. Reply”).] For the reasons stated below, IGF’s motion is granted in part and denied in part. 23 I. BACKGROUND 24 The primary allegations in this case are outlined in the court’s order denying Gayle Canton’s 25 motion to dismiss and are not repeated in full here. See Docket No. 43. In brief, Logtale obtained 26 a $2,083,334 judgment against James Canton in a breach of contract action. FAC ¶ 2; see Logtale, 27 1 months after the court in the Underlying Action entered the judgment, James and Gayle Canton 2 began divorce proceedings. Id. As part of the divorce case, they executed a Marital Settlement 3 Agreement (“MSA”) that divided their assets and debts. FAC, Ex. B. Logtale alleges that the MSA 4 “purposefully awarded James Canton only minimal assets . . . with the intent and purpose to shield 5 the vast bulk of the Cantons’ assets from payment of the judgment owed to Logtale in the Underlying 6 Action.” FAC ¶ 30. According to Logtale, the MSA constituted a fraudulent transfer with the intent 7 to deprive Logtale of the money James Canton owes on the judgment. 8 The FAC adds more allegations specific to IGF, which Logtale alleges is a “necessary, 9 willing, and active participant” in the Cantons’ fraudulent scheme. FAC ¶¶ 7, 37. James Canton 10 owns IGF and serves as its Chief Executive Officer, Secretary, Director, President, and Treasurer. Id. ¶¶ 7, 16-17. He also determines “how IGF operates,” including who it employs and how much 11 it pays those employees. Id. ¶ 7. According to Logtale, IGF is “knowingly employing Gayle Canton 12 and paying her wages specifically and intentionally to enable the defendants to evade the judgment 13 pending against James Canton.” Id. ¶ 7. James Canton testified in the Underlying Action that, 14 although Gayle Canton had worked for IGF before their divorce, she “only started drawing a salary 15 from the company after the divorce.” Id. ¶ 37. Allegedly, Gayle Canton’s work for IGF does not 16 warrant the compensation she receives and IGF pays her wages so that those funds cannot be used 17 to satisfy the judgment against James Canton. Id. ¶¶ 7, 9, 37. As part of its claim for relief against 18 IGF, Logtale asks the court to void the spousal support1 and wage payments that IGF has paid to 19 Gayle Canton. Id. ¶ 39. 20 Against all Defendants, Logtale brings claims for intentional and constructive fraudulent 21 transfer under California’s Uniform Voidable Transactions Act (“UVTA”),2 Cal. Civil Code § 3439 22 et seq., common law fraudulent conveyance, and conspiracy. Logtale also brings a restitution claim 23 against James and Gayle Canton. 24 Jurisdiction is based on diversity. 25 26 27 1 The FAC alleges that James Canton voluntarily agreed to an “exorbitant” monthly spousal support to Gayle Canton and that these payments come from the wages he receives from IGF. FAC ¶ 5. 1 II. LEGAL STANDARDS FOR RULE 12(B)(6) MOTIONS 2 A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) tests the legal sufficiency of the claims alleged in 3 the complaint. See Parks Sch. of Bus., Inc. v. Symington, 51 F.3d 1480, 1484 (9th Cir. 1995). When 4 reviewing a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, the court must “accept as true all of the 5 factual allegations contained in the complaint,” Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007) (per 6 curiam) (citation omitted), and may dismiss a claim “only where there is no cognizable legal theory” 7 or there is an absence of “sufficient factual matter to state a facially plausible claim to relief.” 8 Shroyer v. New Cingular Wireless Servs., Inc., 622 F.3d 1035, 1041 (9th Cir. 2010) (citing Ashcroft 9 v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 677-78 (2009); Navarro v. Block, 250 F.3d 729, 732 (9th Cir. 2001)) 10 (quotation marks omitted). A claim has facial plausibility when a plaintiff “pleads factual content 11 that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct 12 alleged.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (citation omitted). In other words, the facts alleged must 13 demonstrate “more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause 14 of action will not do.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 554, 555 (2007) (citing Papasan v. 15 Allain, 478 U.S. 265, 286 (1986)); see Lee v. City of L.A., 250 F.3d 668, 679 (9th Cir. 2001), 16 overruled on other grounds by Galbraith v. Cty. of Santa Clara, 307 F.3d 1119 (9th Cir. 2002). 17 As a general rule, a court may not consider “any material beyond the pleadings” when ruling 18 on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion. Lee, 250 F.3d at 688 (citation and quotation marks omitted). However, 19 “a court may take judicial notice of ‘matters of public record,’” id. at 689 (citing Mack v. S. Bay 20 Beer Distrib., 798 F.2d 1279, 1282 (9th Cir. 1986)), and may also consider “documents whose 21 contents are alleged in a complaint and whose authenticity no party questions, but which are not 22 physically attached to the pleading,” without converting a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) 23 into a motion for summary judgment. Branch v. Tunnell, 14 F.3d 449, 454 (9th Cir. 1994), overruled 24 on other grounds by Galbraith, 307 F.3d at 1125-26. The court need not accept as true allegations 25 that contradict facts which may be judicially noticed. See Mullis v. U.S. Bankr. Court, 828 F.2d 26 1385, 1388 (9th Cir. 1987). 27 III. DISCUSSION 1 pleaded.3 All of Logtale’s claims against IGF arise out of its allegations against James Canton. 2 Accordingly, whether the claims are adequately pleaded against IGF depends on whether Logtale 3 has articulated a viable theory of how IGF is liable for James Canton’s actions. In the hearing on 4 IGF’s first motion to dismiss, Logtale clarified that its claims against IGF are based on both an alter 5 ego and a direct theory of liability. Accordingly, the court will evaluate the claims under both 6 theories. 7 A.

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