Royal Indemnity Co. v. Pepper Hamilton LLP

479 F. Supp. 2d 419, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20797, 2007 WL 881415
CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedMarch 22, 2007
DocketCivil Action 05-165-JJF
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 479 F. Supp. 2d 419 (Royal Indemnity Co. v. Pepper Hamilton LLP) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Royal Indemnity Co. v. Pepper Hamilton LLP, 479 F. Supp. 2d 419, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20797, 2007 WL 881415 (D. Del. 2007).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

JOSEPH J. FARNAN, JR., District Judge.

On March 31, 2006, the Court entered an Order (D.I. 122) granting in part Plaintiffs Motion To Compel And For Sanctions (D.I. 84) and denying the following motions to dismiss filed by the Defendants: 1) Motion To Dismiss for Failure To State A Claim filed by Freed Maxick & Battaglia CPA’s PC (D.I. 29); 2) Motion To Dismiss Based Upon Motion Of W. Roderick Gagné For The Dismissal Of Plaintiffs First Amended Complaint filed by W. Roderick Gagne (D.I. 32); 3) Motion To Dismiss Based Upon Motion Of Pepper Hamilton LLP For The Dismissal Of Plaintiffs First Amended Complaint filed by Pepper Hamilton LLP (D.I. 35); and 4) Motion To Dismiss For Failure To State A Claim filed by McGladrey & Pullen LLP and Michael Aquino (D.I. 58). The Court’s reasons are discussed herein.

*424 I. BACKGROUND

The following facts are alleged in Plaintiffs Amended Complaint (D.I. 14). Plaintiff is a Delaware Capital Stock Insurance Company with its principal place of business in North Carolina. Defendant Pepper Hamilton, LLP (“Pepper”) is a Pennsylvania limited liability general partnership which provides legal services. Defendant W. Roderick Gagne (“Gagné”) was, at the time of the filing of this action, a partner in the Philadelphia office of Pepper Hamilton, LLP. Defendants Freed Maxick & Battaglia CPAs, PC (“Freed”) and McGladrey & Pullen, LLP (“McGla-drey”) are accounting firms. Freed is headquartered in Buffalo, New York. McGladrey is headquartered in Blooming-ton, Minnesota. Defendant Michael Aquino (“Aquino”), was, at the time of filing of this action, a Managing Director and Partner with McGladrey.

The instant action relates to the operations of Student Finance Corporation (“SFC”), which was in the business of originating, purchasing, and selling tuition loans primarily to students of truck driving schools. 1 Defendants Pepper and Aquino became involved with SFC around 19 98 by providing legal and accounting services, respectively. In the summer of 1998, an insurance broker contacted Plaintiff on behalf of SFC regarding the opportunity to provide credit risk insurance to SFC. Thereafter, SFC communicated to Plaintiff information about its loan programs. Plaintiff alleges that these communications contained numerous material misrepresentations.

On January 22, 1999, Plaintiff issued to SFC a credit risk insurance policy with a liability limit of $75 million. The policy was intended to provide coverage for loan defaults by students. Plaintiff alleges that SFC made payments on behalf of its borrowers to conceal defaults, referring to them as “forbearance payments” or “ghost payments”. These payments were allegedly reported to Plaintiff as if they were made by the student borrowers, thus, distorting the actual rate of default. Plaintiff alleges the accountant Defendants (Freed, McGladrey, and Aquino) knowingly aided and abetted SFC in disguising that the payments were made by SFC itself. Plaintiff further alleges that Defendant Pepper knew the payments made by SFC manipulated the true performance of the loan activity.

Plaintiff alleges that, based on misrepresentations made by Defendants, it issued numerous additional credit risk insurance policies to cover SFC loans between 1999 and November 2001. Plaintiff alleges it relied on numerous documents drafted by the Defendants regarding SFC’s financial situation and its loan performance; specifically: 1) monthly “servicer reports” issued by SFC to Plaintiff regarding the performance of SFC loans; 2) an Independent Accountant’s Report issued in 2001 by McGladrey and Aquino which did not disclose that SFC was making “ghost payments”; 3) Private Placement Memoranda drafted by SFC and Pepper which failed to disclose the “ghost payments”; 4) an Independent Auditor’s Report issued in 2000 by Freed which certified SFC’s financial statements for 1998 and 1999; 5) an Independent Auditor’s Report issued in 2001 by McGladrey under Aquino’s supervision which certified SFC’s financial statements for 2000; and 6) notes with SFC’s 2000 financial statements for which McGladrey assisted with the drafting. Plaintiff also alleges that, after expressing concern for a high number of delinquent loans, it relied *425 on false statements knowingly made by Andrew N. Yao, owner of SFC, that the delinquencies were caused by students making advance payments. The statements were made in the presence of Gagne, who allegedly knew the statements were false.

On or around March 20, 2002, Mr. Yao admitted to Plaintiff that SFC had been making “forbearance payments” to reduce the number or appearance of defaulted student loans. On or around April 10, 2002, an SFC officer disclosed in an email to Plaintiff that SFC had made more than $50 million in “ghost payments” between January 2001 and March 2002 on policies which Plaintiff insured.

On March 18, 2005, Plaintiff filed its original Complaint. On April 12, 2005, Plaintiff filed its Amended Complaint (D.I. 14) asserting claims for fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, aiding and abetting fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, negligence and negligent misrepresentation in connection with the student loan financing operations of Student Finance Corporation. Plaintiff also asserted claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) against Defendants Gagne and Aquino.

II. LEGAL STANDARD

Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), the Court may dismiss a complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). The purpose of a motion to dismiss is to test the sufficiency of a complaint, not to resolve disputed facts or decide the merits of the case. Kost v. Kozakiewicz, 1 F.3d 176, 183 (3d Cir.1993). When considering a motion to dismiss, a court must accept as true all allegations in the complaint and must draw all reasonable factual inferences in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 326-27, 109 S.Ct. 1827, 104 L.Ed.2d 338 (1989); Piecknick v. Pennsylvania, 36 F.3d 1250, 1255 (3d Cir.1994). However, the Court is “not required to accept legal conclusions either alleged or inferred from the pleaded facts.” Kost, 1 F.3d at 183. Dismissal is only appropriate when “it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief.” Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957).

III. DISCUSSION

A. Motion To Compel And For Sanctions (D.I. 81)

By its Motion, Plaintiff contends that the Defendants McGladrey, Freed, and Aquino have not complied with the Court’s Order (D.I. 38) to commence written discovery on September 7, 2005.

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Bluebook (online)
479 F. Supp. 2d 419, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20797, 2007 WL 881415, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/royal-indemnity-co-v-pepper-hamilton-llp-ded-2007.