Securities & Exchange Commission v. iShopnomarkup.com, Inc.

126 F. Supp. 3d 318, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117928
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 3, 2015
DocketNo. 04-CV-4057 (DRH)(ARL)
StatusPublished

This text of 126 F. Supp. 3d 318 (Securities & Exchange Commission v. iShopnomarkup.com, 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
Securities & Exchange Commission v. iShopnomarkup.com, Inc., 126 F. Supp. 3d 318, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117928 (E.D.N.Y. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

HURLEY, Senior District Judge:

Having heard testimony over approximately fourteen trial days, the jury in this case returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff the Security Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “plaintiff’) and against defendant Anthony Knight1 (“Knight” or “defendant”) on the two claims before it. With regard to the first claim, the jury found that Knight violated Sections 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (“the Securities Act”) (15 U.S.C. § 77q(a)), Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“the Exchange Act”), and Rule 10b-5 thereunder (15 U.S.C. § 78j(b) and 17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5). With respect to the second claim, the jury found that Knight violated “Section 5(a) or 5(c) of the Securities Act” (15 U.S.C. §§ 77e(a), 77e(c)). (Verdict Sheet, DE 257 at 2.)

Presently before the Court is defendant’s post-trial motion seeking judgment as a matter of law or a new trial, pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 50(b) and 59, respectively. Additionally before the Court is plaintiffs motion for post-trial relief. For the reasons set forth below, the defendant’s motion is denied and the plaintiffs motion is granted to the extent developed more fully below.

BACKGROUND

I. Overview

The background of this action is set forth in the prior decisions of this Court. Familiarity with those decisions is presumed.

In terms of the relevant statutory language, sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act generally prohibit the use of interstate commerce to sell or deliver securities unless a registration statement filed with the SEC is in effect as to the securities, or to offer to sell securities unless a registra[323]*323tion statement has been filed with the SEC as to the securities. Sections 17(a), 10(b), and 10b-5 generally prohibit fraud in connection with the sale of securities. More specifically, Section 17(a) reads:

It shall be unlawful for any person in the offer or sale of any securities ... by the use of any means or instruments of transportation or communication in interstate commerce or by use of the mails, directly or indirectly (1) to employ any device,- scheme, or artifice to defraud, or (2) to obtain money or property by means of any untrue statement of a material fact or any omission to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (3) to engage in any transaction, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon the purchaser.

Similarly, Section 10(b) makes it unlawful for any person “directly or indirectly, by the use of any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce or of the mails” to:

Use or employ, in connection with the purchase or sale of any security ... any manipulative or deceptive device or contrivance in contravention of such rules and regulations as the Commission may prescribe as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors.

Finally, Rule 10b-5 provides as follows:

It shall be unlawful for any person, directly or indirectly, by the use of any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce, or of the mails ... (a) To employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud, (b) To make any untrue statement of material fact or to omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in the light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading, or (c) To engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon any person, in connection with the purchase or sale of any security.

II. Legal Standard

A. Rule 50

Rule 50 “imposes a heavy burden on a movant, who will be awarded judgment as a matter of law only*when ‘[the adverse] party has been fully heard on an issue during a jury trial and the court finds that a reasonable jury would not have a legally sufficient evidentiary basis to find for the party on that issue.’ ” Cash v. County of Erie, 654 F.3d 324, 333 (2d Cir.2011), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 132 S.Ct. 1741, 182 L.Ed.2d 528 (2012) (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(a)(1)); accord Bucalo v. Shelter Island Union Free Sch. Dish, 691 F.3d 119, 127-28 (2d Cir.2012). The “burden is particularly heavy where, as here, the jury has deliberated in the case and actually returned its verdict in favor of the non-movant.” Cash, 654 F.3d at 333 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted); accord Cross v. N.Y. City Transit Auth., 417 F.3d 241, 248 (2d Cir.2005). “Under such circumstances, the district court may set aside the verdict only where there is such a complete absence of evidence supporting the verdict that the jury’s findings could only have been the result of sheer surmise and conjecture, or there is such an overwhelming amount of evidence in favor of the movant that reasonable and fair minded [persons] could not arrive at a verdict against him.” Cross, 417 F.3d at 248 (citations, alterations, and internal quotation marks omitted); accord Stampf v. Long Island R.R. Co., 761 F.3d 192, 197-98 (2d Cir.2014); see also, e.g., Zellner v. Summerlin, 494 F.3d 344, 371 (2d Cir.2007) (stating that a [324]*324Rule 50 motion may be granted only if the court concludes that “a reasonable juror would have been compelled to accept the view of the moving party” (internal quotation marks omitted)).

In deciding a motion under Rule 50, the Court must disregard any evidence that weighs against the jury’s verdict unless the jury was required to believe it. Zellner, 494 F.3d at 870 (citing Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing, 530 U.S. 133, 150-51, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000)). The question is whether, if credibility assessments are made against the moving party and all reasonable inferences are drawn against the moving party, a reasonable jury nevertheless would have no choice but to find in the movant’s favor. Zellner, 494 F.3d at 370-71 (citing Piesco v. Koch, 12 F.3d 332, 343 (2d Cir.1993)).

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Related

Zellner v. Summerlin
494 F.3d 344 (Second Circuit, 2007)
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Bucalo v. Shelter Island Union Free School District
691 F.3d 119 (Second Circuit, 2012)
Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc.
530 U.S. 133 (Supreme Court, 2000)
Cash v. County of Erie
654 F.3d 324 (Second Circuit, 2011)
Stampf v. Long Island Railroad
761 F.3d 192 (Second Circuit, 2014)
United States v. Landau
155 F.3d 93 (Second Circuit, 1998)
Securities & Exchange Commission v. Tourre
4 F. Supp. 3d 579 (S.D. New York, 2014)
Manley v. Ambase Corp.
337 F.3d 237 (Second Circuit, 2003)
Nimely v. City of New York
414 F.3d 381 (Second Circuit, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
126 F. Supp. 3d 318, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117928, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/securities-exchange-commission-v-ishopnomarkupcom-inc-nyed-2015.