Pirundini v. J.P. Morgan Inv. Mgmt. Inc.

309 F. Supp. 3d 156
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedFebruary 14, 2018
Docket17 Civ. 3070 (GBD)
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 309 F. Supp. 3d 156 (Pirundini v. J.P. Morgan Inv. Mgmt. Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pirundini v. J.P. Morgan Inv. Mgmt. Inc., 309 F. Supp. 3d 156 (S.D. Ill. 2018).

Opinion

GEORGE B. DANIELS, United States District Judge *159Plaintiff Joan Pirundini brings this shareholder action under Section 36(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 ("ICA"), 15 U.S.C. § 80a-35, on behalf and for the benefit of the JP Morgan U.S. Large Cap Core Plus Fund (the "Fund"), against Defendant J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. ("JPMIM"), the Fund's investment adviser. (See Compl., ECF No. 1, ¶¶ 1-2, 12.) Plaintiff asserts that JPMIM owed a fiduciary duty to the Fund under Section 36(b) and that it breached that duty by charging the Fund excessively high fees in exchange for investment advisory services. (Id. ¶¶ 2-4.) Plaintiff seeks a declaration that JPMIM breached its fiduciary duty under Section 36(b), as well as damages, including restitution of the excessive fees, lost profits, and interest. Plaintiff also seeks rescission of the investment advisory agreement governing JPMIM's provision of services to the Fund. (Id. at 102.)

Defendant moves to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. (Mot. to Dismiss, ECF No. 14; Def.'s Mem. in Supp. of Mot. to Dismiss ("Mem."), ECF No. 15, at 1-3.)

Defendant's motion to dismiss is GRANTED.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

A. The Fund

The Fund is one of a series of mutual funds housed within the JPMorgan Trust I (the "JPM Trust"), a management investment company established by Defendant JPMIM and non-party JPMorgan Chase & Co. ("JPMC") in 2004.1 (Compl. ¶¶ 14, 37-38.) Like all other mutual funds housed within the JPM Trust, the Fund has no employees of its own. Rather, its operations are carried out exclusively by external service providers who provide services to each of the JPM Trust's mutual funds, including the Fund, pursuant to separate contracts with the JPM Trust. (Id. ¶ 40.)

JPMIM is one such service provider. (Id. ¶ 41.) Under the terms of an Investment Advisory Agreement ("IAA") executed by and between JPMIM and the JPM Trust in August 2006, JPMIM provides the Fund with investment advisory services as described below.2 (Id. ¶ 41.) In addition to its obligations under the IAA, JPMIM provides administrative services to the Fund pursuant to a separate agreement. (Id. ¶ 46.) As the Fund's administrator, JPMIM maintains the necessary office space for the Fund's operations and prepares various reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). (Id. ¶¶ 47-48.) JPMIM is compensated *160separately for the investment advisory and administrative services it provides pursuant to those separate contracts. (Id. ¶¶ 49, 57.)

The additional services the Fund requires to function, such as regulatory and shareholder-facing services, are provided by other external service companies, each of which are also separately compensated pursuant to their respective agreements with the JPM Trust. (See id. ¶¶ 43-45, 50-55.) For example, J.P. Morgan Distribution Services, Inc. ("JPMDS"), which serves as the distributor and shareholder servicing agent for each fund housed within the JPM Trust, has the authority to solicit and accept orders to purchase the Fund's shares. (Id. ¶¶ 50-51.) JPMDS also responds to shareholder inquiries, provides shareholders with information, and assists shareholders with other Fund-related services. (Id. ¶¶ 52-54.) JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. ("JPMC Bank"), which serves as custodian and fund accounting agent for each of the mutual funds housed within the JPM Trust, provides the Fund with an array of custodial and accounting services. (Id. ¶ 45.)

The Fund also has a board of trustees (the "Board") which oversees the Fund's activities, monitors its external service providers, and is charged with annually reviewing and approving the service agreements, including the fees charged to the Fund by such providers. (Id. ¶ 56.) The Board is comprised of twelve individuals, each of whom also serves as a trustee for 153 other mutual funds established by JPMIM and JPMC and housed within the JPM Trust and similar entities. (Id. ¶ 176.)

B. JPMIM's Investment Advisory Services

As the Fund's investment adviser, JPMIM provides a number of services related to the selection and management of the Fund's investment portfolio. For instance, JPMIM is responsible for researching potential investments for the Fund and deciding which securities to purchase or sell, at which times, and in what amounts. As the Fund's investment adviser, JPMIM also provides minor administrative and compliance-related services, as well as periodic reports to the Fund's shareholders and the Board concerning JPMIM's provision of portfolio selection services. (Id. ¶ 57.)

According to the Fund's November 1, 2016 prospectus, the Fund's investment objective is "to provide a high total return from a portfolio of selected equity securities." (Id. ¶ 60.) JPMIM seeks to accomplish that objective by pursuing a set of "principal investment strategies" which includes taking both long and short positions in domestic equity securities and derivatives.3 Although the overall investment strategy employed by JPMIM for the Fund is "quite common," the use of short positions as well as long ones is "less common." (Id. ¶¶ 61-63.)

From 2005 through 2015, the Fund's investments were overseen by only two JPMIM portfolio managers. During that *161time period, the Fund's net assets increased significantly from under $1 billion to more than $10 billion. (Id. ¶¶ 66, 126(a); see also id., Ex. E, ECF No. 1-6.) A third portfolio manager was added in 2016. (Id. ¶ 66.) The Fund's three portfolio managers are all managing directors of JPMIM and each is responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of a portion of the Fund's investments. (Id. ) The Fund's portfolio managers rely on a team of twenty-seven research analysts. (Id. ¶ 67.) The same analysts provide research to those portfolio managers responsible for managing the investment portfolios of other funds to which JPMIM provides investment advisory services. (Id. )

In addition to those services it provides to the Fund, JPMIM also provides investment advisory services to several other mutual funds and portfolios, such as the JPMorgan U.S. Equity Fund (the "JPM Equity Fund") and the PSF Select Fund (the "PSF Fund"). (Id. ¶ 85(a).) The JPM Equity Fund is a mutual fund housed within the JPM Trust and with whom the Fund shares many of the same external service providers. (Id. ¶ 89(a).) The PSF Fund is a registered investment company that, like the JPM Trust, houses within it multiple funds and portfolios. (Id. ¶ 95.) JPMIM was retained by the PSF Fund's investment adviser to provide sub-advisory services to the PSF Fund's Long/Short Large-Cap Portfolio (the "PSF Sub-Advised Fund"). (Id. )

C. JPMIM's Fee

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Bluebook (online)
309 F. Supp. 3d 156, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pirundini-v-jp-morgan-inv-mgmt-inc-ilsd-2018.