Opinion Corp. v. Roca Labs, Inc.

312 F.R.D. 663, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 175602, 2015 WL 9915879
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedAugust 10, 2015
DocketCase No. 8:15-CV-00811-EAK-AEP
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 312 F.R.D. 663 (Opinion Corp. v. Roca Labs, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Opinion Corp. v. Roca Labs, Inc., 312 F.R.D. 663, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 175602, 2015 WL 9915879 (M.D. Fla. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER

ELIZABETH A. KOVACHEVICH, United States District Judge

This matter comes before the Court pursuant to Defendant’s, ROCA LABS, INC. (“Roca”), Motion to Dismiss, (Doe. #28), filed April 17, 2015, Plaintiffs’, OPINION CORPORATION (“Opinion”) and CONSUMER OPINION CORPORATION (“Consumer”), Response in Opposition, (Doe. #29), filed April 30, 2015, and Roea’s Reply, (Doc. # 38), filed May 18, 2015. For the reasons set forth, Defendant’s Motion is GRANTED.

BACKGROUND

On August 12, 2014, Plaintiffs sued Roca in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in a declaratory judgment action requesting declaration that Opinion was not infringing on Roca’s trademark and copyrights, and that Opinion was immune under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act1. (Doe. # 38 at 1). On August 15, 2014, Roca filed an action against Opinion in the 12th Judicial Circuit, in Sarasota County, Florida seeking damages for violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (“FDUTPA”)2, tortious interference with a business contract, tortious interference with a prospective economic relationship, defamation via pissedconsumer.com, defamation via Twitter, and declaratory relief. (Doc. # 38). The 12th Circuit Court case was removed to this Court on August 26, 2014, and docketed [666]*666as Roca Labs, Inc. v. Consumer Opinion Corp., et. al, Case No, 8:14-cv-02096-VMC-EAJ (“case 02096”). (Doc. # 38). On September 11, 2014, Opinion filed its Answer and Affirmative Defenses to Roca’s Complaint. (Doe. #38). On October 29, 2014, Roca transmitted a DMCA takedown notice3 to Opinion threatening to file a copyright infringement suit in response to posts on the pissedconsumer.com website, describing Roca as a highly litigious party. (Doc. # 1 at 2). On January 13, 2015, Roca emailed Opinion demanding an immediate retraction of the alleged defamatory statements.4 (Doc. 7-1).

On January 14, 2015, Opinion brought the instant action in the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, seeking damages for misrepresentation of copyright claims under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”), and a declaratory judgment that Opinion or Consumer had not defamed Roca. (Doc. # 1 at 2). On January 30, 2015, the United States District Court in the Southern District of New York entered an order transferring the New York declaratory judgment action to this Court docketed as Opinion Corp. v. Roca Labs, Inc., Case No. 8:15-cv-00263-SCB-TBM. (Doc. #38 at 2). On March 9, 2015, Opinion voluntarily dismissed the case transferred from the Southern District of New York. (Doc. # 38 at 2). On April 2, 2015, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida granted Roca’s motion to transfer the instant case to the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida. Id. On March 20, 2015, Roca filed its First Amended Complaint in Case 02096, and on April 15, 2015, Opinion filed their Answer to the Amended Complaint.

In the instant case Plaintiffs’ claims are as follows. Count I alleges that Roca knew or was “willfully blind to the material falsity of its representations with respect to copyright infringement” under the DMCA, 17 U.S.C. § 512, and “as a direct and proximate result of [Rocaj’s actions, Plaintiffs have been injured in an amount to be determined at trial.”5 (Doc, 1). Count II alleges further misrepresentation by Roca under the DMCA where Roca sent a DMCA shutdown notice of Opinion’s website because Opinion’s use of the words “Roca Labs” was an infringement. Id. Plaintiffs also assert in Count II that Roca either knew or was willfully blind to the material falsity of its representations in the DMCA notice of the violation of their rights under Title 17.6 Id. Count III alleges that Roca “willful[ly] and wontonfly] .., used the DMCA process, including a false sworn statement, to accomplish a purpose for which the DMCA notice and takedown procedure [667]*667was not designed.” 7 Id.

In Count IV Plaintiffs seek a declaratory-judgment to corroborate its assertions that use of the words “Roca Labs” in roca-labs.pissedeonsumer.com and use of a “Roca Labs” thumbnail image is fair use, or in the alternative, that it does not constitute infringement of a copyright lawfully owned or administered by Defendant. Id. More so, Plaintiffs seek a declaration from this Court that “Consumer Opinion Corp. does not own, operate, or otherwise have control over pissedeonsumer.com, and therefore, took no actions that could be deemed lawful or unlawful.” Id. In Count V Plaintiffs seek a declaration that they have not defamed Roca with the complained-of statements Opinion made on its website about Defendant8 and also seek “a judicial determination of their rights and duties.” Id. In Count VI Plaintiffs set out that Consumer owns the trademark “Pissed Consumer” and licenses this trademark to Opinion for use in conjunction with Opinion Corp.’s website pissedconsumer.eom. Id. Plaintiffs elaborate that “Consumer Opinion Corp. does not own, operate, or maintain control over the website pissed-consumer.com.” Id. Moreover, Roca knew that Consumer does not engage in website operations and that Roca cannot prove by clear and convincing evidence that Consumer made any of the statements with actual malice, as Consumer made no statements of or concerning Roca. Id.9 In Count VII Plaintiffs seek a declaration that Roca is the alter ego of Roca Labs Nutraceuticals (“RLN”), that the corporate veil protecting either of them as against the liabilities, claims or finances of the other should be pierced and that both are jointly and severally liable for Plaintiffs’ claims. Id

In the 02096 case, Roca accuses Plaintiffs — the Defendants in 02096 case — of numerous violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (“FDUT-PA”), tortious interference with contractual relationships, tortious interference with prospective economic relationships, defamation, and declaratory relief, all related to the ownership and operation of the website at issue in this litigation. These allegations were amended but filed March 20, 2016. Plaintiffs — again the Defendants in 02096 case— answered those allegations April 16, 2016. In their Answer, Plaintiffs denied substantially the allegations in the Amended Complaint and alleged eight affirmative defenses, including, inter alia, immunity under Communications Decency Act, truth, qualified privilege, contractual defenses, first-to-file rule, and failure to state a claim.

DISCUSSION

Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2), a Plaintiffs complaint must provide a “short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” A defendant may move to dismiss a complaint under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for “failure to state a claim on which relief can be granted.” To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss, a plaintiffs complaint must include “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.”

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Bluebook (online)
312 F.R.D. 663, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 175602, 2015 WL 9915879, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/opinion-corp-v-roca-labs-inc-flmd-2015.