Mindy Weiss Party Consultants, Inc. v. Carl

285 F. Supp. 3d 560
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedJanuary 26, 2018
DocketCV 17–850
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 285 F. Supp. 3d 560 (Mindy Weiss Party Consultants, Inc. v. Carl) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mindy Weiss Party Consultants, Inc. v. Carl, 285 F. Supp. 3d 560 (E.D.N.Y. 2018).

Opinion

WEXLER, District Judge:

This is a breach of contract action arising out of unpaid bills pertaining to the planning of Defendants' daughter's wedding. Before the Court is Defendants' motion to dismiss Plaintiff's Complaint, based upon Plaintiff's legal capacity to sue or, in the alternative, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for failure to state a cause of action. Plaintiff opposes the motion. For the following reasons, Defendants' motion to dismiss is denied.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff, Mindy Weiss Party Consultants, Inc. ("MWPC"), is a California corporation engaged in event planning for affairs such as weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs. (Compl. ¶ 1.) MWPC is wholly-owned by Mindy Weiss, who is a resident of California. (Id. ¶¶ 1, 7.)

On or about May 21, 2014, MWPC met with Defendants, Bernard and Joan Carl, to discuss the provision of event planning services for the upcoming wedding of their daughter, Alex. (Id. ¶ 11.) Defendants expressed interest in an extravagant affair, never mentioning the word "budget." (Id. ¶ 12.)

On or about June 6, 2014, the parties entered into a consultation agreement with MWPC (the "Consultation Contract"), pursuant to which MWPC would be paid $95,450.00 in "professional fees." (Id. ¶¶ 14, 18.) The Consultation Contract also provided that Defendants would pay for expenses incurred by MWPC in rendering its event planning services, which amounted to $50,037.43. (Id. ¶¶ 19-20.) To date, Defendants have paid $25,000 to MWPC toward the professional fees and expenses, leaving a balance due of $120,787.43. (Id. ¶ 21.)

Subsequently, the parties entered into a second contract, the "Vendor Advance Contract," by which it was agreed that MWPC would directly contract with the wedding vendors selected for the event. (Id. ¶ 24.) Under this agreement, MWPC would pay the wedding vendors directly and Defendants would reimburse MWPC for such payments. (Id. ) MWPC paid the applicable wedding vendors a total of $267,064.48. (Id. ¶ 28.) Defendants have paid MWPC $47,508 toward the Vendor *563Advance Contract, leaving a balance due of $219,556.48. (Id. ¶ 29.)

Despite several attempts to receive payment from Defendants prior to the wedding taking place, Defendants only made one partial payment. (Id. ¶¶ 30-41.) Notwithstanding, MWPC performed all of its agreed-upon services and the wedding took place over the course of the weekend of June 19-21, 2015, which included a rehearsal dinner, the wedding and reception-attended by hundreds of guests-and a post-wedding brunch. (Id. ¶¶ 4-5, 42.)

MWPC made multiple requests for payment after the wedding, but did not receive the balance due from Defendants. (Id. ¶ 43.) MWPC then retained the services of a professional debt collector, which attempted to collect the outstanding balance from Defendants. (Id. ¶ 44.) Defendant Bernard Carl responded to the debt collector with a twenty-page letter detailing why he does not believe he owes MWPC any money. (Id. ¶¶ 45-46.)

MWPC thereafter commenced the within diversity action on February 15, 2017, alleging the following causes of action: (1) breach of contract; (2) breach of implied contract; (3) quantum meruit; (4) promissory estoppel; (5) quasi contract; and, (6) unjust enrichment. MWPC seeks damages in the amount $340,343.91, which it alleges are the balances due and owing under the Consultation Contract and the Vendor Advance Contract.

Defendants now move to dismiss MWPC's Complaint based upon Plaintiff's lack of legal capacity to sue since it is not registered to do business in New York. In the alternative, Defendants assert that Plaintiff's Complaint fails to state a claim pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6). Specifically, Defendants argue that Joan Carl was not a party to the underlying contract and as such, should be dismissed from the action. Finally, Defendants assert that MWPC's quasi contract claims should be dismissed since there is no dispute that the parties entered into an express written contract. MWPC opposes the motion in its entirety.

DISCUSSION

I. Legal Standard

"To survive a motion to dismiss [pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) ], a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to 'state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.' " Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) ). "Facial plausibility" is achieved when the "the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged." Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937 (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955 ). As a general rule, the court is required to accept as true all of the allegations contained in the complaint, see Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937 ; Kassner v. 2nd Ave. Delicatessen, Inc., 496 F.3d 229, 237 (2d Cir. 2007), and to "draw[ ] all reasonable inferences in the plaintiff's favor." Troni, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79670, at *5 (quoting In re NYSE Specialists Sec. Litig., 503 F.3d 89, 95 (2d Cir. 2007) ).

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Bluebook (online)
285 F. Supp. 3d 560, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mindy-weiss-party-consultants-inc-v-carl-nyed-2018.