Simon v. Pierre

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedNovember 19, 2024
Docket1:24-cv-24469
StatusUnknown

This text of Simon v. Pierre (Simon v. Pierre) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simon v. Pierre, (S.D. Fla. 2024).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

MIAMI DIVISION

CASE NO. 24-CV-24469-WILLIAMS/GOODMAN

DOMINIQUE SIMON,

Plaintiff, v.

ROGER PIERRE,

Defendant.

________________________________/

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON SUA SPONTE DISMISSAL OF PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT AND RECOMMENDING CONSOLIDATION WITH LOWER-NUMBERED CASE

Dominique Simon (“Plaintiff” or “Simon”) filed a pro se Application to Proceed in District Court Without Prepaying Fees or Costs (Long Form) [ECF No. 3] and a Complaint [ECF No. 1 (“Complaint”)]. United States District Judge Kathleen M. Williams referred “all discovery disputes and non-dispositive pretrial motions” to the Undersigned. [ECF No. 7]. For the reasons stated herein, the Undersigned respectfully recommends that the District Court dismiss without prejudice Plaintiff’s Complaint [ECF No. 1] (except that the money laundering count should be dismissed with prejudice), deny as moot without prejudice to renew (if necessary) the instant motion to proceed in forma pauperis [ECF No. 3], and consolidate this case with Simon v. Desir, Case No. 24-cv-24467-BB (S.D. Fla. Nov.

12, 2024) pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42(a). I. Background On November 12, 2024, Plaintiff initiated two separate lawsuits: Case No. 24-cv- 24467-BB against Marie Carole Desir (“Desir”) and the instant action (Case No. 24-cv-

24469-KMW) against Roger Pierre (“Pierre” or “Defendant”). Although Plaintiff filed these actions separately, a review of both complaints establishes that the cases stem from the same set of facts and plead the same causes of action (i.e., money laundering,

conspiracy, fraud; larceny by tricks, and fraudulent misrepresentation). Compare [ECF No. 1] with [ECF No. 1 in Case No. 24-cv-24467-BB]. For these reasons, and as discussed in more detail below, the Undersigned respectfully recommends that the Court

consolidate the actions. A. The Instant Action (24-cv-24469-KMW) Plaintiff’s Complaint alleges that, on or about March 2011, Desir introduced him to her business partner, Pierre. [ECF No. 1, ¶ 3]. “Pierre presented himself as an honest,

successful businessman who owned a [t]axi[ ]cab [c]ompany and . . . several [a]partment [b]uildings in . . . Canada” and used the proceeds from his businesses to purchase assets in the United States. Id. at ¶¶ 4–5 (emphasis omitted). “Pierre complimented ‘Plaintiff Simon for the outstanding work Plaintiff has [sic] done” and “stated that, Do everything you can brother Simon, ‘businesses in your hand. I will pay you whatever owing to you!’” Id. at ¶ 6 (emphasis added; grammar and syntax

errors in original). On or about May 2011, Pierre asked Desir “to request that[ ] Plaintiff . . . collect[ ] rents from the Tenant of Apartment #1- for deposit[ ] into [a] BB&T[ ] [b]ank [a]ccount

[ending in 0997].” Id. at ¶ 12. Additionally, “Defendant instructed Plaintiff to [c]ollect $950.00 sent from Montreal Canada, through C.A.M. transfer,1·for deposit[ ] into [the] BB&T[ ] [b]ank [a]ccount [ending in 0997].” Id. at ¶ 13 (footnote added).

“In November 2011, after all due transactions went successfully[,] . . . Desir made an affirmative offer to pay Plaintiff” and “Pierre agreed and confirmed the offers as: do it as usual brother Simon, do everything you can brother Simon, ‘businesses on your hand[.]’ I will pay you whatever owing for your services.” Id. at ¶ 14 (grammar and

syntax errors in original). On that same day, Pierre sent another $950.00 money transfer. This time, he instructed Plaintiff to deposit $700.00 in the BB&T bank account ending in 0997 and

$250.00 in a Chase bank account ending in 6351, belonging to Desir. Id. at ¶¶ 15; 73(b). From November 2011 through 2024, Plaintiff performed the following tasks for Pierre’s businesses: (1) collect cash payments from the tenants in Apartment 1; (2) convert

1 Although not explained in the Complaint, C.A.M., LLC is a money transfer company. See https://www.camtransfer.com. “C.A.M. transfer” likely refers to money transfers using this company. those cash payments to personal checks; and (3) deposit those checks in the BB&T bank account ending in 0997. Id. at ¶ 17(1). He would also collect cash sent from Canada

through C.A.M. transfer, convert the money into personal checks, and deposit those checks in the BB&T bank account ending in 0997. Id. at ¶ 17(2). Additionally, Plaintiff would deposit some of the money collected from the tenants or from the C.A.M transfers

into Desir’s bank account (the Chase bank account ending in 6351). Id. at ¶¶ 73(b); 74(b). During this time, Plaintiff also performed “general maintenance and [s]ervices such as: ceiling drops, [a]ir [c]onditioning, [k]etchen [sic] [s]ink repairs, [b]athroom leak[

] repair[s], . . . [s]eptic [t]ank maintenance, [c]leaning. trimming [t]rees, [picking up] fall[en] [t]rees . . . [and] [c]oconuts [ ] debris, and [hurricane clean up].” Id. at ¶ 50. Between 2016 and 2023, Pierre did not directly communicate with Plaintiff and instead used his other business partners, Desir and Vladimir Pierre (“Vladimir”). Id. at ¶

19. In June 2019, Plaintiff became impatient and irritated by the unfulfilled promises and Pierre responded that at the end of the year, he would settle with Plaintiff and asked

Plaintiff to be patient. Id. at ¶¶ 20–22. Plaintiff agreed to wait, in good faith. Id. Beginning in 2020, Pierre would send the C.A.M. transfers using the name “Valencia Pierre” or “Valencie Pierre.” Id. at ¶ 25. When Plaintiff questioned Pierre about this change, Pierre would not respond to his question and instead started to complain

about the COVID-19 pandemic. Id. at ¶¶ 26–27. On or about November 14, 2023, Plaintiff approached Pierre, hoping to be compensated. Id. at ¶ 30. On November 19, 2023, Pierre told Plaintiff “that there would

be enough time to discuss the matter when Plaintiff returned from church.” Id. at ¶ 32. But when Plaintiff returned from church that day, he learned that Pierre had left to Canada. Id.

On January 20, 2024, Pierre called Plaintiff and asked him to “mak[e] some adjustment on some recent transactions.” Id. at ¶ 35. When Plaintiff refused on the ground that Pierre’s business transactions lacked transparency and Plaintiff believed that the

transactions violated the money laundering statutes, Pierre, Desir, and Vladimir “reacted by [r]etaliation of an extreme violence.” Id. at ¶ 39. Plaintiff received a death threat from Vladimir, which Plaintiff reported to the police. Id. at ¶¶ 40–41. Immediately thereafter, Pierre returned from Canada and

“threatened physical force to remove Plaintiff from the [p]roperty.” Id. at ¶ 42. Despite an attempt by a pastor to “calm[ ] the situation down,” “Plaintiff was forced to move out [of the property] on June 30, 2024” due to the “threat of extreme violence, harassment,

intimidation, and embarrassment.” Id. at ¶ 44. The Complaint alleges that, as a result of Pierre’s conduct, Plaintiff “has suffered substantial losses and . . . substantial financial hardship [such] as: losses of times [sic] consumption, [e]xpenses incurred, used of car [sic], maintenance on the [p]roperty [sic],

long standing in lines [sic] waiting outside the [b]anks during [the] pandemic crisis, and other losses incurred related to [the] [b]anking transactions.” Id. at ¶ 58. Plaintiff includes an itemized list of losses totaling $183,590.00. Id. at ¶ 108.

B. Plaintiff’s lawsuit against Desir (24-cv-24467-BB) In the lawsuit filed against Desir, Plaintiff includes many of the same factual allegations made in the instant Complaint [ECF No. 1]. Plaintiff met Desir in March 2011. [ECF No. 1 in Case No. 24-cv-24467-BB, ¶ 3].

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Young v. City of Augusta Ex Rel. DeVaney
59 F.3d 1160 (Eleventh Circuit, 1995)
Mitchell v. Farcass
112 F.3d 1483 (Eleventh Circuit, 1997)
Tannenbaum v. United States
148 F.3d 1262 (Eleventh Circuit, 1998)
Bilal v. Driver
251 F.3d 1346 (Eleventh Circuit, 2001)
Davis v. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated
516 F.3d 955 (Eleventh Circuit, 2008)
Landis v. North American Co.
299 U.S. 248 (Supreme Court, 1936)
Thomas v. Arn
474 U.S. 140 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Neitzke v. Williams
490 U.S. 319 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Aubrey Hendrix v. Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc.
776 F.2d 1492 (Eleventh Circuit, 1985)
Kenneth Henley v. Willie E. Johnson, Warden
885 F.2d 790 (Eleventh Circuit, 1989)
Bingham v. Thomas
654 F.3d 1171 (Eleventh Circuit, 2011)
Jackson v. Okaloosa County
21 F.3d 1531 (Eleventh Circuit, 1994)
Vibe Micro, Inc. v. Igor Shabanets
878 F.3d 1291 (Eleventh Circuit, 2018)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Simon v. Pierre, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simon-v-pierre-flsd-2024.