Pathak v. Trivedi

61 Va. Cir. 572
CourtVirginia Circuit Court
DecidedApril 6, 2001
DocketCase No. CH00001075-00
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 61 Va. Cir. 572 (Pathak v. Trivedi) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Virginia Circuit Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pathak v. Trivedi, 61 Va. Cir. 572 (Va. Super. Ct. 2001).

Opinion

By Judge Cleo E. Powell

This matter came before the Court on Defendant Gunvant Trivedi, Trustee of the Trivedi Children’s Trust, and Gunvant Trivedi, Trustee of the Raj Trivedi Trust (hereinafter, “Trustee Defendants”), Demurrer to the Amended Bill of Complaint (hereinafter “ABOC”) of Nita K. Pathak, Trustee of the Sharad Saraiya Present Interest Trust.

Relevant Facts

In 1995, defendant Mukesh Trivedi formed Trivedi L.L.C. (“the LLC”). The LLC owns and operates a hotel in Chesterfield County. There are several members of the LLC with varying ownership interests as follows: Mukesh Trivedi (57%); Trivedi Children’s Trust (5%); Raj Trivedi Trust (10%); Ramesh D. Shial and Kusum R. Shial (5%); Navinchandra Saraiya [573]*573Trust (10%); GSLLC (6%); Sharad Saraiya Present Interest Trust (5%); and Devi Trivedi (2%>). Plaintiff became a member of the LLC pursuant to the July 30,1998, operating agreement. Pursuant to statute, Plaintiff became a member of the LLC when her admission was reflected on the records of the LLC (July 30,1998), not when she made her capital contribution. (ABOC, ¶ 25.) See Va. Code § 13.1-1038.1(B).

Plaintiffs Amended Bill of Complaint seeks recovery on counts of I: Failure to Deliver Capital Contribution; II: Breach of Contract; HI: Fraud; IV: Conversion and Misappropriation; V: Breach of Fiduciary Duty; VI: Punitive Damages; and VII: Injunctive Relief.

Plaintiffs factual claims against Trustee Defendants are that Trustee Defendants were required to make a capital contribution of $150,000.00 each in exchange for their individual membership interests in the LLC. (ABOC ¶ 6(b), (c).) Plaintiff also alleges that they failed to make their contributions. (ABOC ¶¶ 45,47,78, 81.) Further, Plaintiff alleges that in May 1997, Mukesh Trivedi caused the LLC to encumber the Hotel Property to secure a $300,000.00 loan for the benefit of the Raj Trivedi Trust. (ABOC ¶ 55.)

The Trustee Defendants demurred to the ABOC on the grounds that Plaintiff lacks standing and that the claims alleged in paragraphs II through VE have not been pleaded with sufficient specificity. The Court agrees.

I. Plaintiff Lacks Standing

Virginia Code § 13.1-1043 provides as follows:

In a derivative action, the plaintiff shall be a member at the time of bringing the action and (i) shall have been a member at the time of the transaction of which he or it complains or (ii) his or its status as a member shall have devolved upon him or it by operation of law or pursuant to the terms of the articles of organization of an operating agreement from a person who also was a member at the time of the transaction.

Plaintiff did not become a member until July 30,1998.1 Therefore, Plaintiff is not a proper party regarding any acts that are alleged to have occurred prior to that date. Furthermore, Plaintiff has not alleged that her status as a member [574]*574devolved upon her by operation of law, nor who was a member at the time of those alleged acts. Accordingly, as to such acts, Plaintiffs derivative action is dismissed with prejudice.

II. The Breach of Contract Claim Is a Mirror of the Failure to Make Capital Contributions Claim

Plaintiffs Breach of Contract claim is indistinguishable from her claim of Failure to Make Capital Contributions. Indeed, the claim that the Trustee Defendants failed to make a capital contribution is in fact a Breach of Contract claim. On this issue the Demurrer is sustained, and the Breach of Contract count is dismissed.

III. Fraud

The facts stated in support of Plaintiff s Fraud count all relate to actions allegedly taken by Mukesh Trivedi. (ABOC ¶¶ 88-92.) As such, they fail to state a claim against the Trustee Defendants. This count is dismissed as to the Trustee Defendants, with leave to amend.

Plaintiffs allegations that the Trustee Defendants failed to make their capital contributions cannot support an independent tort action of fraud, as the duty, if one exists, arises solely from a contract. See, Richmond Metropolitan Auth. v. McDevitt Street Bovis, Inc., 256 Va 553, 507 S.E.2d 344 (1998). Furthermore, to the extent Plaintiff seeks to allege fraud based on the “executing and recording [of] a deed of trust dated May 12,1997, to secure a loan in the amount of $300,000.00 for the benefit of the Raj Trivedi Trust... .” (ABOC ¶ 90(1)), that claim is barred by the two-year statute of limitation.2 See, Schonfeld v. Toll Bros., Inc., 51 Va. Cir. 134 (1999). A deed of trust is a public document, the existence of which Plaintiff could have discovered within two years of its filing, had she exercised due diligence. There is no evidence that Plaintiff searched for the Deed of Trust, nor that had she searched, she would not properly have been apprised of its existence and contents. The Court concludes that she failed to exercise due diligence. See, STB Marketing Corp. v. Zolfaghari, 240 Va. 140, 393 S.E.2d 394 (1990).

[575]*575IV. Conversion and Breach of Fiduciary Duty

Plaintiff has failed to allege any acts of the Trustee Defendants that support an action for conversion or a breach of a fiduciary duty. The Demurrer is sustained with leave to amend. Plaintiffs allegation that the Trustee Defendants failed to make a capital contribution fails to state a separate tort claim of conversion or breach of fiduciary duty. (See, argument in Section III, supra.)

V. Punitive Damages

Plaintiff is granted leave to amend her punitive damages claim consistent with the rulings herein.

VI. Injunctive Relief

As to the arguments on injunctive relief, the parties are referred to this Court’s order dated January 8, 2001.

January 9, 2003

Plaintiff filed her original Bill of Complaint on September 7,2000. The claims raised by Plaintiff arose out of obligations alleged to have derived from a July 30,1998, Operating Agreement and acts or failures to act on behalf of Mukesh Trivedi from 1983 through the date of filing. Plaintiff filed a second Amended Bill of Complaint on June 20,2001. The following issues are before the Court:

1. Which version of the proposed Order from the June 24, 2002, hearing is accurate;

2. Whether Counts V, VI, VII, and IX of the Second Amended Bill of Complaint are barred by the Statute of Limitations;

3. Whether a declaratory judgment action is proper regarding the issue of whether Devi Trivedi was required to make a capital contribution;

4. Whether specific performance is proper when there exists an adequate remedy at law;

5. Whether the plaintiff can sue in her individual capacity and receive damages individually in a derivative action.

The Court rules on these issues as follows.

[576]*5761. The Correct Version of the Disputed Order

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Bluebook (online)
61 Va. Cir. 572, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pathak-v-trivedi-vacc-2001.