Seiler v. E.F. Hutton & Co.

102 F.R.D. 880, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24341
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedAugust 15, 1984
DocketCiv. A. No. 83-2706
StatusPublished
Cited by47 cases

This text of 102 F.R.D. 880 (Seiler v. E.F. Hutton & Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Seiler v. E.F. Hutton & Co., 102 F.R.D. 880, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24341 (D.N.J. 1984).

Opinion

OPINION

BROTMAN, District Judge.

This action is brought by a purchaser of securities against E.F. Hutton & Company, Inc. (“Hutton”), a securities broker, alleging violations by the defendant of § 10(b) of the 1934 Securities Exchange Act, Rule 10b-5 of the Securities Exchange Commission, and common law principles of fraud and misrepresentation. This court’s jurisdiction is based on 15 U.S.C. § 78aa. On January 11, 1984, this court denied defendant’s motion to dismiss, finding that plaintiff had stated an actionable claim against Hutton under the securities laws and under common law principles of fraud. Seiler v. E.F. Hutton, 584 F.Supp. 607 (D.N.J.1984).

After this court denied defendant’s motion to dismiss, Hutton filed a third-party complaint for indemnity and contribution. Named as third-party defendants are the Texas International Company (“TEI”) which was the issuer of the stock purchased by the plaintiff through Hutton, and two individual officers of TEI.1 Hutton claims in its third-party complaint that if it is held liable to the plaintiff, it is in turn entitled to partial or total recovery from TEI.

Presently before the court are three motions. Defendant Hutton moves for an order adding TEI as a party defendant. Third-party defendant TEI moves for an order dismissing the third-party complaint. Plaintiff moves for class certification. The court will consider these motions seriatim.

I. HUTTON’S MOTION TO ADD TEI AS A PARTY DEFENDANT

The court turns first to Hutton’s motion to add TEI as a party defendant. Hutton hopes through this motion to realign TEI from its present position of derivative liability as a third-party defendant to a position as a co-defendant directly liable to the plaintiff.

TEI vigorously opposes this motion, arguing in part that Hutton is seeking improperly to manipulate Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 19 (“Rule 19”) in an effort to make TEI—rather than Hutton—the focus of this lawsuit. Similarly, plaintiff opposes the addition of TEI as a direct defendant, arguing that this action is solely a lawsuit by an alleged defrauded investor against his brokerage firm, and that he should not be compelled to sue the issuer of the stock in question.2

The section of Rule 19 on which defendant Hutton relies in this motion provides as follows:

(a) Persons to be joined if feasible. A person who is subject to service of process and whose joinder will not deprive the court of jurisdiction over the subject matter of the action shall be joined as a party in the action if ... (2) he claims an interest relating to the subject of the action and is so situated that the disposition of the action in his absence may (i) as a practical matter impair or impede his ability to protect that interest or (ii) leave any of the persons already parties to a substantial risk of incurring double, multiple or otherwise inconsistent obligations by reason of his claimed interest.

Hutton argues that TEI has an “interest” in this litigation, since (in Hutton’s view) an essential issue in this case is the accuracy of the factual statements made by TEI to Hutton. Hutton argues further that it should not have to bear “sole responsibility” for the plaintiff’s damages. Finally, Hutton contends that TEI’s absence from this lawsuit would create multiple and inconsistent relief or obligations.

[884]*884The court rejects Hutton’s arguments. As is obvious from the text of the section of the rule quoted above, the prerequisite for joinder under Rule 19(a)(2) is rthat the absent party “claim[] an interest .relating to the subject of the action...” Rule 19(a); 3A Moore’s Federal Practice § 19.07-1[2] at 19-129 (2d ed. 1984). TEI, the party sought to be joined, emphatically disclaims any interest in the subject matter of this litigation, which is in essence an action for damages by an allegedly defrauded purchaser of securities against a defendant brokerage firm.

Hutton’s arguments in support of this motion fail to articulate coherently TEI’s “interest” in the subject of this action within the meaning of Rule 19(a). Rather, its submissions reveal that the interest at stake in this motion is Hutton’s, i.e., an interest in shifting the primary focus of this lawsuit from its own communications to its client, the plaintiff, to the communications of TEI to Hutton. Although the latter communications may prove relevant in Hutton’s third-party action against TEI, they do not lead to a conclusion that this action should be refashioned—over the objections of the plaintiff—to a lawsuit against both the issuer and the broker of the stock purchased by the plaintiff.3

The court finds Hutton’s other arguments equally unpersuasive. Even assuming that TEI has an “interest” in this litigation within the meaning of Rule 19(a), Hutton has made no showing that TEI cannot protect its interest by defending against Hutton’s third-party complaint. Nor has Hutton shown that it risks double, multiple of inconsistent obligations to the plaintiff (or any third party) if TEI is not made a co-defendant. If Hutton is not found liable to the plaintiff, it will have no obligation to him at the conclusion of this lawsuit. If it is found liable to the plaintiff, and some of that liability is appropriately shared by TEI, Hutton’s third-party complaint for contribution will vindicate Hutton’s rights as against TEI.

Hutton draws the court’s attention to certain language in Provident Tradesmen Bank & Trust Co. v. Patterson, 390 U.S. 102, 88 S.Ct. 733, 19 L.Ed.2d 936 (1968), wherein the Supreme Court noted that one of several factors to be considered in determining joinder under Rule 19 is the defendant’s interest in avoiding “multiple litigation, or inconsistent relief, or sole responsibility for a liability he shares with another.” Id. at 110, 88 S.Ct. at 738 (emphasis supplied by the defendant). From this language, Hutton argues that Rule 19 provides an appropriate mechanism under the facts of this case for joinder of TEI so that Hutton does not bear “sole responsibility” for the plaintiff’s injuries.

The court cannot accept defendant’s efforts to extend the cited language in Provident Tradesmen to cover the facts of this case. First, Provident Tradesmen is a case which governs situations where a person who should be joined under Rule 19(a) cannot be made a party. As explained above, Rule 19(b) is inapplicable to the facts of this case; Rule 19(a) is therefore not called into play. See Field v. Volkswagenwerk AG, 626 F.2d 293, 300 (9th Cir.1980). (“Rule 19(b) itself is applicable only if a person who could be joined under the provisions of Rule 19(a) cannot be made a party for some reason”). Second, even assuming that the “sole responsibility” language in Provident Tradesmen is somehow relevant, Hutton can vindicate its rights (if any) through its third-party complaint, thereby ensuring that it does not undeservingly bear sole responsibility for plaintiff’s alleged injuries.

Despite Hutton’s disclaimers to the contrary, the court believes that Hutton is [885]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
102 F.R.D. 880, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24341, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seiler-v-ef-hutton-co-njd-1984.