Todd v. Oppenheimer & Co.

78 F.R.D. 415, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18687
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMarch 30, 1978
DocketNo. 77 Civ. 3058-CSH
StatusPublished
Cited by98 cases

This text of 78 F.R.D. 415 (Todd v. Oppenheimer & Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Todd v. Oppenheimer & Co., 78 F.R.D. 415, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18687 (S.D.N.Y. 1978).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

HAIGHT, District Judge:

The defendants Oppenheimer & Company, Inc. (“Oppenheimer”) and Fields have moved: a) to dismiss certain portions of the complaint pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 9(b) for failing to allege fraud with particularity; b) to stay any judicial determination of that portion of the complaint not based on federal securities laws, pursuant to Section 3 of the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 3; and c) to stay the above-mentioned arbitration pending this Court’s resolution of the federal securities law claims. Plaintiffs opposed the first two motions. After having carefully reviewed the complaint and all the papers submitted by the parties, it is the decision of this Court that: a) Counts1 1, 4 through 9, 11 and 12 of the complaint, insofar as they purport to allege fraud, should be dismissed with leave to replead within thirty (30) days of the date of filing of this Memorandum Opinion and Order, and b) an evidentiary hearing is to be held to determine whether the plaintiff Jacqueline Todd signed the agreement to arbitrate. If such a hearing should result in a finding by the Court that the plaintiff signed the agreement, then 1) all proceedings pursuant to claims in this complaint, as it stands after the plaintiffs have had the opportunity to replead, which are not based on the federal securities laws will be stayed pending arbitration, but 2) said arbitration is not to commence prior to the resolution in this Court of the federal securities law claims herein.

Factual Summary2

In May 1972 the plaintiff Jacqueline Todd (“Todd”) received an inheritance from her late sister and was introduced to the defendant Fields. At this meeting in New York City Todd explained her desire for a “conservative investment program in order to obtain economic security and to provide regular income for the education and support of [her] children [the other plaintiffs].” Todd Affidavit at 2.

Apparently in response Mr. Fields outlined a plan whereby Oppenheimer and Fields would assume management of a fund which would produce regular income to the plaintiffs. Todd also insists that Fields promised a conservative investment pro[418]*418gram restricted to “high quality securities” with a minimum of speculative risk.

Pursuant to this arrangement Todd turned over $259,000 in the form of a bank account together with an unspecified amount of stocks and bonds (with an unspecified value) to the defendants. This exchange created a “discretionary account” and apparently occurred in May 1972 or shortly thereafter. It was at this time and in June 1972 that the Customer’s Agreement Forms of Oppenheimer were purportedly executed by the parties and upon which the signatures of a “Jacqueline Todd” are affixed.3 It is paragraph 16 of these forms which contains the arbitration agreement the defendants rely on in their motion under 9 U.S.C. § 3 discussed infra.

In February 1973 the defendants advised Todd in writing that her account as of December 31, 1972 “showed a net sum of approximately $447,500.” Todd Affidavit at 3. It would appear that in June 1974 or thereabouts Todd established another account of an unspecified amount with the defendant and plaintiffs contend the total investment amounted to approximately $500,000. It is unclear to this Court whether this amount represents the sum invested by plaintiffs or the maximum value said investments realized during the life of the accounts. However, although the details of the events which transpired during this period have not been presented to the Court, Todd became dissatisfied with the accounts by December 1974 and withdrew her funds, allegedly having sustained a loss of $230,-000.

The Complaint

In June 1977 the plaintiffs filed a complaint of approximately 55 pages containing fourteen “causes of action” against both defendants alleging violations of both federal securities laws and common law. They are sketched briefly here, those characteristics which are material to these motions being examined in more detail in the “Discussion” section of this memorandum opinion.

The first claim asserts fraud on the part of both defendants essentially by virtue of their representations of expertise in investment-fund management and guarantees of particular practices or returns while they never intended such performance.

The second and third claims sound essentially in negligence; the plaintiffs alleging defendants mismanaged the accounts. The fourth claim contains allegations of many forms of misconduct on the part of the defendants and includes, inter alia, fraud and “churning”. The fifth claim alleges that the concealment of the churning constitutes fraud.

The sixth claim alleges breach of fiduciary duties insofar as the defendants committed the fraud which the plaintiffs describe in the earlier claims. The sixth claim also alleges mismanagement, conflict of interest, negligence and other improvident investment practices.

The seventh claim alleges a violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), 15 U.S.C. § 78j(b), and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, 17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5. The basis for this contention rests primarily on the factual allegations included with the first six claims.

The eighth claim asserts violations of Sections 9 and 15(c)(1) of the Exchange Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 78i and 78o (c)(1), and Rule 15cl-2 as promulgated under Section 15, 17 C.F.R. § 240.15cl-2. The factual premises alleged herein are the fraud as described in the other claims. The ninth claim alleges liability under Sections 12 and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C. §§ 777 and 77q(a), based on the “activities, misstatements and omissions” described above.

The tenth claim avers violations of Sections 1, 2, 18 and 27 of the National Association of Securities Dealers (“NASD”) Rules of Fair Practice and also violations of Rules 401, 405, 408 and 435 of the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange rules”) due [419]*419to the defendants’ breaches of both the agreement with Todd and their fiduciary duties. The eleventh and twelfth claims allege violations of the above-mentioned NASD sections and the Exchange rules respectively, due to fraud as articulated in earlier claims.

The thirteenth claim alleges a breach of contract and is on behalf of Todd’s children (also plaintiffs herein) apparently as third-party beneficiaries.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
78 F.R.D. 415, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18687, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/todd-v-oppenheimer-co-nysd-1978.