McHale v. Silicon Valley Law Group

919 F. Supp. 2d 1045, 2013 WL 322528, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11266
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedJanuary 28, 2013
DocketCase No. 3:10-cv-04864-JCS
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 919 F. Supp. 2d 1045 (McHale v. Silicon Valley Law Group) 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
McHale v. Silicon Valley Law Group, 919 F. Supp. 2d 1045, 2013 WL 322528, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11266 (N.D. Cal. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT SILICON VALLEY LAW GROUP’S MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT [Dkt. No. 98].

JOSEPH C. SPERO, United States Magistrate Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff Gerald A. McHale, Jr., P.A., Liquidation Trustee for 1031 Debtors Liquidation Trust (“Trustee” or “Plaintiff’), brings this legal malpractice action against Defendant Silicon Valley Law Group (“SVLG” or “Defendant”). The Trustee asserts SVLG was negligent in conducting due diligence in connection with the sale of 1031 Advance to Edward Okun, who ultimately looted 1031 Advance of its assets. Before the Court is SVLG’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment as to the Measure of Damages which Plaintiff may request at the upcoming trial (“Motion”). In the Motion, SVLG argues that Plaintiff may not recover the amount of Exchange Funds which were stolen from 1031 Advance because the Exchange Funds represent a particularized injury to 1031 Advance’s clients, and not an injury to 1031 Advance itself. The Motion came on for hearing January 25, 2013, at 9:30a.m. For the reasons stated below, the Motion is DENIED.1

II. BACKGROUND

A. Undisputed Facts

This action arises in the aftermath of a Ponzi scheme orchestrated by Edward Okun (“Okun”). Okun has been convicted of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the 1031 Debtors — the bankrupt estates formally under Okun’s control — and is currently serving a 100-year federal prison sentence for his crimes. Plaintiff is the Trustee for the 1031 Debtors, and brings this action on behalf of 1031 Advance, one of the 1031 Debtors. Defendant Silicon Valley Law Group represented 1031 Advance prior to Okun’s purchase of the company.

1031 Advance, like all the 1031 Debtors, was in the business of conducting section 1031 exchanges. Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code permits owners of investment property to defer the capital gains tax that would otherwise be due and owing upon sale, conditioned upon timely application of the sale proceeds to the purchase of an identified replacement investment property. Joint Statement of Undisputed Facts (“JSUF”) ¶ 1. In a typical section 1031 exchange, an exchanger [1047]*1047sells a piece of real estate, has forty-five days from the date of the sale to identify a replacement property, and has 180 days from that date of sale to close on the purchase of the replacement property. To preserve the tax benefit of avoiding capital gains taxes on the sale of the property, an exchanger may not take possession of the sale proceeds. JSUF ¶ 2. Under the regulations that apply to Section 1031, the use of a qualified intermediary in connection with a 1031 Exchange is a “safe harbor” that will result in a determination that the taxpayer is not in actual or constructive receipt of money or other property for the purposes of Section 1031. JSUF ¶ 3; 26 C.F.R. § 1.1031(k)—1(g)(4).

Prior to the sale of 1031 Advance to Okun, 1031 Advance acted as a qualified intermediary, conducting typical exchanges in accordance with section 1031 and the regulations promulgated thereunder. JSUF ¶ 4. Clients of 1031 Advance (hereafter “Exchangers”), signed Exchange Agreements with 1031 Advance, an example of which is attached as Exhibit A to the Sturmer Declaration. See JSUF ¶ 5; Declaration of Debra Steel Sturmer in Support of SVLG’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (“Sturmer Deck”) Exh. A. Under the Exchange Agreements, the Exchangers agreed to transfer their interests in the sale proceeds of relinquished property to 1031 Advance in consideration for 1031 Advance’s subsequent transfer to the Exchangers of like-kind replacement property. Id. ¶ 1.

Sale proceeds from the relinquished property (“Exchange Funds”) were held in 1031 Advance’s bank accounts in the name of 1031 Advance. JSUF ¶ 8. The parties have stipulated that 1031 Advance did not hold the Exchange Funds in trust for the Exchangers, and that the Exchange Funds were off-balance sheet assets of 1031 Advance. JSUF ¶ 9. By operation of law, 1031 Advance was not acting as an agent for the Exchangers. See 26 C.F.R. § 1.1031 (k)—1 (g)(4)(i)-(ii). Pursuant to the terms of the Exchange Agreement, an Exchanger “conditionally assigns all of its right, title and interest in the Sale Contract and certain of its obligations thereunder to [1031 Advance].” Sturmer Decl., Exh. A ¶ 2.1. An exchanger had no right to request or receive anything other than like-kind property before the expiration of the exchange period, or obtain any benefits from the Exchange Funds, including interest. Id. ¶ 7.1.

In October 2006, the owners of 1031 Advance became interested in selling their company. Complaint (“Compl.”) ¶ 29. They retained lawyers from SVLG to advise them regarding the sale, and ultimately, to perform due diligence for 1031 Advance regarding the sale to 1031 Tax Group LLC, the parent company of the 1031 Debtors of which Okun was the sole shareholder. Compl. ¶¶ 29-39. The Trustee’s malpractice claim against SVLG is based upon the theory that in conducting due diligence for 1031 Advance, SVLG should have discovered that Okun was a thief. Compl. ¶¶ 43-55. The sale of 1031 Advance to 1031 Tax Group closed on December 18, 2006, and SVLG’s representation of 1031 Advance ended that same day. At the time of the Stock Purchase and Sale Agreement, the Business Enterprise Value of 1031 Advance was $23.3 million plus the value of equity interest in 1031 Advance. JSUF ¶ 10.

After purchasing 1031 Advance, Okun looted the Exchange Funds and took actions adverse to the company. JSUF ¶ 12. On December 19, 2006, the day after the sale of 1031 Advance closed, Okun directed transfer of $23,245,850.42 of the Exchange Funds in 1031 Advance’s bank accounts to other entities owned indirectly by Okun. JSUF ¶ 19. On December 29, 2006, another $4,769.41 of the Exchange Funds were [1048]*1048taken from 1031 Advance’s bank accounts. Between April 5, 2007 and May 10, 2007', another $11,663,965.21. Id. Okun used the misappropriated funds to fund Okun’s lavish lifestyle, to pay bonuses to other participants in the wrongdoing, to invest in commercial real estate, and to complete some exchange transactions in order to conceal wrongdoing. JSUF ¶ 15.

On May 10, 2007, 1031 Advance filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy along with the other 1031 Debtors. As of the date of bankruptcy filing, $32,229,228 was the deficit in funds that 1031 Advance need to close exchanges for the Exchangers. JSUF ¶ 20.

B. Procedural History

Several lawsuits arose after the 1031 Debtors filed for bankruptcy. On October 27, 2010, the Trustee filed the instant lawsuit asserting a malpractice claim against SVLG and seeking to recover damages from Okun’s looting of 1031 Advance, including the stolen Exchange Funds. In Hunter v. Citibank, the Exchangers associated with all the 1031 Debtors filed a class action lawsuit against various defendants. After Judge Ware denied class certification and several parties settled their claims, the remaining parties (SVLG and the Exchangers) agreed to dismiss that lawsuit with prejudice. See Hunter v. Citibank, Case No. 09-2079-JW, Dkt. Nos. 566, 615. In ASM Capital v. Okun,

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Bluebook (online)
919 F. Supp. 2d 1045, 2013 WL 322528, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11266, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mchale-v-silicon-valley-law-group-cand-2013.