Peace and Order Trading Corporation v. Fairyland Investment, LLC

District Court, Northern Mariana Islands·Decided December 16, 2021·No. 1:20-cv-00034·Unknown

Opinion

FILED Clerk District Cour DEC 16 2021 1 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT __ for the NortherryMayiana Islan FOR THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS _ By pe □□ 2 (D&hu Clerk) 3 PEACE AND ORDER TRADING Case No. 1:20-CV-00034 CORPORATION, 4 Plaintiff, DECISION AND ORDER 5 VS. (1) GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO APPOINT ° FAIRYLAND INVESTMENT, LLC, LIMITED RECEIVER, AND 4 (2) SETTING TERMS OF Defendant. RECEIVERSHIP 8 9 10 On September 9, 2021, Plaintiff Peace and Order Trading Corporation (“Peace and 11 || Order”) filed its Second Motion for Appointment of Receiver, seeking the Court’s appointment 12 Ronnie D. Hodges (“Hodges”) as limited receiver to auction Fairyland’s leasehold interest for *3 |! Lot 019 D 61 and Lot 019 D 83 located in Navy Hill, Saipan. (ECF Nos. 31, 32.) Defendant did 14 not file a response. This matter came before the Court on September 29, 2021 for a hearing. (Min., 15 ECF No. 36.) Defendant Fairyland Investment, LLC (“Fairyland”) was not present. (/d.) Based 16 Fairyland’s non-opposition, Peace and Order’s briefs and supporting documents, Hodges’ 1g || testimony, as well as the applicable law, the Court GRANTED Peace and Order’s second motion 19 || for a receiver and appointed Hodges as limited receiver. (Min., ECF No. 36.) The Court now 20 || memorializes its reasons in writing and sets forth the terms of the limited receivership. I. BACKGROUND 22 In 2018, Fairyland hired Peace and Order to provide renovation and construction work at 23 Fairyland’s apartment building complex in Navy Hill, Saipan, located on Lot 019 D 61 and Lot 24 019 D 83. (Compl. 9 12-14, ECF No. 1.) As a result of Fairyland’s continuous failures to pay 26 || Peace and Order for its performance under their written contract, Peace and Order stopped its _l- 27

1 work. On December 7, 2020, Peace and Order filed a complaint with this Court, asserting two 2 causes of action, breach of contract and unjust enrichment (Compl., ECF No. 1.) On January 15, 3 2021, Peace and Order caused to be served the Complaint and Summons to Fairyland’s registered 4 agent, Gloria DLG. Sablan. (See Decl. of Service, ECF No. 4.) Despite being served, Fairyland 5 failed to answer or otherwise appear, and the Clerk thereafter entered default against Fairyland 6 upon Peace and Order’s motion. (Mot. for Default, ECF No. 15; Entry of Default, ECF No. 18.) 7 8 On April 12, 2021, this Court held a default judgment hearing and thereafter directed the entry of 9 default judgment, which was issued in favor of Peace and Order and against Fairyland in the 10 principal amount of $767,697.50, plus attorney’s fees and costs, plus the applicable federal 11 interest rate for post-judgment interest on the date of the order. (Min., ECF No. 23; Order, ECF 12 No. 24; J., ECF No. 25.) Peace and Order subsequently moved for an appointment of a receiver 13 (ECF No. 27), but the Court denied that initial motion for failure to serve Defendant Fairyland of 14 the motion as required by this Court’s Local Rule 63.1(a)(2) (Min., ECF No. 30; Mem. Decision, 15 16 ECF No. 34). 17 On September 9, 2021, Peace and Order filed a Second Motion for Appointment of 18 Receiver. (ECF No. 31.) A proof of service showing the service of the Motion to Fairyland’s 19 registered agent, Gloria DLG. Sablan, was filed on September 29, 2021. (ECF No. 35.) A hearing 20 on the matter was held on September 29, 2021 where Ronnie D. Hodges (“Hodges”) as the 21 proposed individual receiver appeared at the hearing. (Min., ECF No. 36.) Hodges was sworn and 22 Peace and Order’s counsel, along with the Court, queried Hodges as to his qualifications and the 23 24 proposed method in which he would sell Defendant’s interest in the apartment complex. Fairyland 25 did not appear at the hearing and failed to oppose Peace and Order’s proposal. The Court 26 1 thereafter granted Peace and Order’s second motion for a receiver and appointed Ronnie D. 2 Hodges to act as a receiver in the sale of Fairyland’s leasehold interests in Lot 019 D 61 and Lot 3 019 D 83. (Id.) 4 II. LEGAL STANDARD 5 “[F]ederal law governs the issue of whether to appoint a receiver in a diversity action.” 6 Canada Life Assur. Co. v. LaPeter, 563 F.3d 837, 843 (9th Cir. 2009). Rule 66 of the Federal 7 8 Rules of Civil Procedure provides that “the practice in administering an estate by a receiver or a 9 similar court-appointed officer must accord with the historical practice in federal courts or with a 10 local rule.” Under the Local Rules of this Court, a receiver “may be appointed after notice and 11 hearing upon an order to show cause.” L.R. 63.1(a)(2). Upon notice, “[t]he defendant must 12 provide to the temporary receiver [or plaintiff] within seven (7) days after being served with the 13 order a list of defendant’s creditors and their addresses.” Id. At least five days before the hearing 14 regarding receivership, the temporary receiver or plaintiff must mail the creditors the notice of 15 16 the hearing and file proof of said notice. Id. Upon appointment, the Court may require the receiver 17 to furnish a bond “in an amount which the judge deems reasonable.” L.R. 63.1(b). Local Rule 18 63.1 provides other parameters and requirements in the appointment of a receivership. Requiring

19 courts to adhere to the “normative standard” of historical practice in federal courts ensures 20 uniform appointment of receivers. LaPeter, 563 F.3d at 842. 21 “Under federal law, appointing a receiver is an extraordinary equitable remedy, which 22 should be applied with caution.” Id. at 844 (internal quotation marks omitted). Although “there is 23 24 no precise formula for determining when a receiver may be appointed,” federal courts consider 25 the following factors in making this determination: 26 1 (1) whether [the party] seeking the appointment has a valid claim; (2) whether there is fraudulent conduct or the probability of fraudulent conduct, by the defendant; (3) 2 whether the property is in imminent danger of being lost, concealed, injured, diminished in value, or squandered; (4) whether legal remedies are inadequate; (5) 3 whether the harm to plaintiff by denial of the appointment would outweigh injury to the party opposing appointment; (6) the plaintiff’s probable success in the action 4 and the possibility of irreparable injury to plaintiff’s interest in the property; and, 5 (7) whether [the] plaintiff’s interests sought to be protected will in fact be well- served by receivership. 6 Id. The Ninth Circuit has applied other factors including “whether the defendant was of doubtful 7 8 financial standing” and “whether the property was of insufficient value to insure payment.” Id. 9 The Court, however, “has broad discretion in appointing a receiver” and “no one factor is 10 dispositive.” Id. at 845. 11 III. DISCUSSION 12 Peace and Order claims that the Court should appoint a limited receiver for the following 13 reasons: (1) judgment has already been entered and Peace and Order’s probability of success is 14 100%, and it has a valid claim to the subject property; (2) due to Fairyland’s failures, the Property 15 16 remains unfinished, exposed to the elements, and with no noticeable maintenance or any other 17 activity such that it appears abandoned and diminishing in value; and (3) because of the current 18 local economic conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a local sheriff’s sale of the property 19 is unlikely to result in the recovery of the full value of the property as opposed to a receiver. 20 (Mem. at 1-5, ECF No. 32.) Peace and Order further argues that there is evidence of Fairyland’s 21 insolvency and Peace and Order is “unable to identify any assurances that legal remedies will be 22 adequate.” (Id.

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