Sands Harbor Marina Corp. v. Wells Fargo Insurance Services of Oregon, Inc.

156 F. Supp. 3d 348, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4275, 2016 WL 160721
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedJanuary 13, 2016
Docket09-CV-3855(JS)(AYS)
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 156 F. Supp. 3d 348 (Sands Harbor Marina Corp. v. Wells Fargo Insurance Services of Oregon, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sands Harbor Marina Corp. v. Wells Fargo Insurance Services of Oregon, Inc., 156 F. Supp. 3d 348, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4275, 2016 WL 160721 (E.D.N.Y. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM & ORDER

SEYBERT, District Judge

Pending before the Court are five motions filed by Defendants for judgment on the pleadings and to dismiss the Third Amended Complaint (“TAC”). (Docket Entries 157, 177, 182, 189, 196). For the reasons that follow, these motions are GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.

BACKGROUND1

Plaintiffs Sands Harbor Marina Corp., Sands Harbor Marina LLC, The Sands Harbor Marina Operating Corp., Sands Marina Operating LLC (collectively “Sands Harbor”); and Greg W. Eagle (“Eagle”), Pine Creek Ranch, LLC, and University 1248, LLC’s (collectively “the Eagle Plaintiffs” and together with Sands Harbor, “Plaintiffs”) commenced this action on September 4, 2009 against Defendants Tisdale and Nicholson, LLP (“Tis-dale & Nicholson”); Jeffrey A. Tisdale, Esq. (“Tisdale”); Guy C. Nicholson, Esq. (“Nicholson” and collectively the “T & N Defendants”); Michael D. Reis (“Reis”), Wells Fargo Insurance Services of Oregon, Inc. (“WFIS”); Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (“WFB” and together with WFIS, “Wells Fargo”); EVMC Real Estate Consultants, Inc. (“EVMC”); Larry Esacove; the estate of Aida Esacove; David P. Guilot (“Gui-lot”); and Anthony B. Chopra (“Chopra” and collectively “Defendants”).

Plaintiffs are companies and individuals engaged in the business of property acquisition. (TAC ¶¶ 4-10.) All of the Sands Harbor Plaintiffs are corporations and limited liability companies organized under the law of the State of Florida, except Sands Harbor Marina Corp., which is organized under the laws of the State of New York. The Sands Harbor Plaintiffs have their principle places of business in New York. (TAC ¶ 3.) Eagle is a businessman domiciled in Florida, while Pine Creek Ranch, LLC and University 1248, LLC are limited liability companies organized under the laws of the State of Florida. (TAC ¶ 5.) Plaintiffs claim that Defendants stole than $44 million from them through a fraudulent scheme. (TAC ¶ 1.)

At some point before August 2006, Defendants created EVMC, a shell corporation that held itself out as a legitimate financing company. (TAC ¶¶ 13, 18.) Defendants then composed false documentation misrepresenting EVMC’s ability to fund development projects. (TAC ¶¶ 18-23.) Plaintiffs assert that they were led to believe that EVMC could provide them with acquisition and construction financing to develop land in Florida. (TAC ¶ 1.) Based on this false premise, Plaintiffs were induced to make payments to the law firm of Tisdale & Nicholson, believing that the payments were necessary to pay expenses EVMC was incurring to obtain the requested financing. (TAC ¶ 2.) Yet EVMC did nothing to obtain the promised financing — Defendants simply divided Plaintiffs’ money among themselves. (TAC ¶ 2.)

Each Defendant played a unique role in the scheme. Plaintiffs allege that Larry and Aida Esacove were the “masterminds” behind the fraud and received approximately $8.3 million from the scheme. (TAC ¶ 24.) Mrs. Esacove, in particular, directed distribution of the scheme proceeds and instructed the co-Defendants regarding the scheme’s general operations. (See, e.g., TAC ¶¶ 43(c), 68, 70, 73-74, 76.)

[353]*353Defendant Reis was Vice President of WFIS and received approximately $600,000 for his role in the conspiracy. (TAC ¶ 29.) Reis sold his access to Wells Fargo letterhead and, more specifically, created false and misleading documentation, including “proof-of-funds” letters on Wells Fargo letterhead, which purported to show EVMC accounts blocked for Plaintiffs’ transactions. (TAC ¶ 31.) The impression that Wells Fargo could vouch for EVMC’s financial soundness created the illusion that EVMC was a legitimate business. (TAC ¶ 31.) At various points, Reis also represented that the transactions were moving toward closing by informing Plaintiffs that he was working on an insurance structure with London-based Wells Fargo partners. (TAC ¶¶ 32-33.) In addition to Reis, Wells Fargo employee Kathy Maloney emailed fraudulent proof-of-funds letters to Plaintiffs. (TAC ¶ 31.)

The T & N Defendants allegedly contributed to the scheme by laundering money through their firm’s attorney trust account. The T & N Defendants received funds into their attorney trust account, and the attorneys then distributed the funds to the co-conspirators, or paid the Esacove’s personal expenses. (TAC ¶¶ 60, 78.) The T & N Defendants also used their reputations to bolster the legitimacy of the conspiracy. (TAC ¶ 69.)

The first of four allegedly fraudulent transactions detailed in the TAC took place in August 2006. (TAC ¶ 86.) Plaintiffs allege that the Wells Fargo Defendants, the T & N Defendants, and the Esacoves convinced the Eagle Plaintiffs to wire $1,500,000 to EVMC for acquisition and construction financing. (TAC ¶ 89.) As part of this transaction, Reis provided the Eagle Plaintiffs with documentation, sent by U.S. mail and email, indicating that Wells Fargo supported the deal. (TAC ¶ 87.) On August 31, 2006, the Eagle Plaintiffs wired $1,500,000 to EVMC to apply for a $150,000,000 acquisition and construction loan. (TAC ¶ 89.) Twenty-two days after the $1,500,000 transfer, the T & N Defendants dispersed $624,598.81 of the amount to the conspirators. (TAC ¶ 94.)

A second transaction also took place in August 2006. This time, however, Sands Harbor was the victim. Reis sent Sands Harbor literature, by U.S. mail and email, representing that Wells Fargo had a relationship with EVMC and that EVMC could provide large-scale financing. (TAC ¶¶ 97-101.) Reis participated in a conference call on September 25, 2006 with Aida Esacove and David Guilot in an effort to convince Sands Harbor to wire money to Tisdale & Nicholson. (TAC ¶ 101.) Specifically, Reis reassured Sands Harbor that, after their money was wired, he would send letters confirming that Wells Fargo was in the process of finalizing the loan application. (TAC ¶ 101.) Reis also advised Sands Harbor that Wells Fargo had a corporate “Client Services Agreement” with EVMC under which Wells Fargo provided consulting services to EVMC’s funding transactions. (TAC ¶ 102.) On October 10, 2006, Sands Harbor wired $1,000,221 to Tisdale & Nicholson. (TAC ¶ 103.) Once again, the T & N Defendants disbursed the funds amongst the conspirators. (TAC ¶ 104.) At various times, Reis assured Sands Harbor that the transaction was moving along smoothly. (TAC ¶¶ 107-112.) However, Sands Harbor never received financing from EVMC. (TAC ¶ 116.)

The third transaction took place during November and December 2006. The conspirators sought an additional $500,000 from the Eagle Plaintiffs and, after receiving assurances from Reis, the Eagle Plaintiffs wired Tisdale & Nicholson the additional monies. (TAC ¶¶ 117, 121, 124, 126, 133, 141.) Subsequently, in or about March 2007, EVMC and Wells Fargo provided Plaintiffs and other victims with false as[354]*354surances of performance. (TAC ¶ 148.) For example, on March 29,2007, Reis knowingly created and delivered false proof-of-funds letters to Plaintiffs. (TAC ¶¶ 158, 164.)

Defendants then conducted one more transaction with Eagle, in which Defendants asked to be paid an additional $6,375,000 from the Eagle Plaintiffs. On September 6, 2007, Reis emailed the Eagle Plaintiffs and advised that he had recently discovered the Eagle Plaintiffs needed development funds in addition to acquisition funds. (TAC ¶ 219.) On November 27, 2007, the Eagle Plaintiffs, relying on various representations made by Reis, wired $6,375,000 to Tisdale & Nicholson.

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156 F. Supp. 3d 348, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4275, 2016 WL 160721, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sands-harbor-marina-corp-v-wells-fargo-insurance-services-of-oregon-inc-nyed-2016.