Van Vechten v. Elenson

920 F. Supp. 2d 1284, 2013 WL 359750, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11777
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedJanuary 29, 2013
DocketCase No. 12-80668-Civ
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 920 F. Supp. 2d 1284 (Van Vechten v. Elenson) 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
Van Vechten v. Elenson, 920 F. Supp. 2d 1284, 2013 WL 359750, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11777 (S.D. Fla. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER ON MOTIONS TO DISMISS

ROBERT N. SCOLA, JR., District Judge.

THIS MATTER is before the Court upon the Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction [ECF No. 33], filed by Defendant Brian Elenson (“Elenson”), and the Motions to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim [ECF Nos. 8, 32], filed by Defendants Atlas Media Corporation (“Atlas Media”), Bruce David Klein (“Klein”), Time Warner Inc. (“Time Warner”), Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (“Turner Broadcasting”), and Courtroom Television Network, LLC (“TruTV”) (together, the “Media Defendants”) and by Defendant 2MuchStuff4Me, Inc. (“2MuchStuff4Me”). For the reasons set forth below, Elenson’s Motion is denied, the Media Defendants’ Motion is granted in part, and 2Mu-chStuff4Me’s Motion is granted. Plaintiffs Jay and Lowell Van Vechten (the “Van Vechtens”) shall be given leave to file an Amended Complaint consistent with this Order.

Factual Allegations

This lawsuit arises from an estate sale that went awry when Elenson and his company, 2MuchStuff4Me, allegedly stole countless valuable objects from the Van Vechtens’ home in Palm Beach County, Florida. Atlas Media is a television reality show production provider for numerous programs and networks, including TruTV. Compl. ¶ 12. In late 2010, the Van Vechtens contacted Atlas Media after learning that it was in search of a Florida home for an estate sale to be filmed for a reality television program on TruTV. Id. ¶ 10. The Van Vechtens agreed to allow Atlas Media to bring in a production crew to film the estate sale, which would be conducted by Elenson and his company, 2Mu-chStuff4Me. Id. ¶ 13. Atlas Media agreed to handle all aspects of the sale, including promotion, advertising, set up, take down, selling, and clean up. Id. ¶ 11. The Van Vechtens were to be paid 70% of the proceeds from the estate sale, and were promised a minimum of $250,000 by Elenson. Id. ¶¶ 11,16.

[1288]*1288From February 7, 2011 to February 15, 2011, Elenson, his staff, and the Atlas Media crew “took over” the Van Vechten home for the estate sale. Id. ¶ 15. The Van Vechtens put up for auction, and turned over to Elenson, property — including jewelry and fíne art — valued at $400,000. Id. ¶ 17. The Van Vechtens were sent to a hotel during the filming and were not permitted to attend the sale, enter their house, or otherwise participate other than to secure personal belongings and tag any items they did not want sold. Id. ¶ 14. Elenson did not maintain any records or receipts of the sales transactions, and the Van Vechtens were presented with only $53,318 in proceeds from the auction. Id. ¶ 18.

After the filming was complete, the Van Vechtens found many valuable items from their home missing and unaccounted for. Id. ¶21. In the days that followed, the Van Vechtens also learned from “dozens of people” of various irregularities observed during the auction — namely, that nothing was priced at the sale, that Elenson had questionable knowledge of the antiques, art, and jewelry being sold, and that security was lax or absent during the filming. Id. ¶¶ 19, 20. On the day the program was scheduled to air, May 17, 2011, the Van Vechtens learned from an “anonymous call” that Elenson had stolen many of their belongings and placed them in a warehouse. Id. ¶ 22. When the Van Vechtens watched the show, they saw numerous objects sold for a fraction of their value and were “stunned” to see several of the sales were staged for television and that the items actually remained in their home. Id. ¶ 23. At the program’s end, Elenson announced into the camera that the auction had generated $192,628 in sales. Id. ¶ 24. Yet, the Van Vechtens were allegedly given only $53,318, as opposed to the 70% of total sales they were promised. Id.

The Complaint sounds in seven counts. Counts I and II allege conversion and civil theft against Elenson; and Counts III, IV, V, VI, and VII allege negligent selection of Elenson by Atlas Media, Klein, Time Warner, Turner Broadcasting, and TruTV. While Elenson’s company, 2Mu-chStuff4Me, is named as a Defendant in the Complaint, no causes of action are asserted against it.

Elenson, a citizen of New York, moves to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2), while the Media Defendants move to dismiss for failure to state a claim under Rule 12(b)(6). 2MuchStuff4Me moves to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) on the grounds that it is not named in any of the counts in the Complaint.

Legal Standards

A. Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2) governs motions to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. “A court must dismiss an action against a defendant over which it has no personal jurisdiction.” Verizon Trademark Servs., LLC v. Producers, Inc., 810 F.Supp.2d 1321, 1323-24 (M.D.Fla.2011) (Hernandez Covington, J.). To withstand a motion to dismiss, the plaintiff must plead sufficient facts to establish a prima facie case of jurisdiction over the non-resident defendant’s person. Virgin Health Corp. v. Virgin Enters. Ltd., 393 Fed.Appx. 623, 625 (11th Cir.2010). The district court must accept the facts alleged in the complaint as true, to the extent they are uncontroverted by the defendant’s affidavits. See Consol. Dev. Corp. v. Sherritt, Inc., 216 F.3d 1286, 1291 (11th Cir.2000). If the defendant sustains its burden of challenging the plaintiffs allegations through affidavits or other competent evidence, the plaintiff must substantiate the jurisdictional allegations in the [1289]*1289complaint by affidavits, testimony, or other evidence of his own. Future Tech. Today, Inc. v. OSF Healthcare Sys., 218 F.3d 1247, 1249 (11th Cir.2000). The plaintiff must do more than “merely reiterate the factual allegations in the complaint.” Id. (quoting Prentice v. Prentice Colour, Inc., 779 F.Supp. 578, 583 (M.D.Fla.1991) (Kovachevich, J.)). Where the evidence conflicts, however, the district court must construe all reasonable inferences in favor of the plaintiff. See PVC Windoors, Inc. v. Babbitbay Beach Const., N.V., 598 F.3d 802, 810 (11th Cir.2010). “If such inferences are sufficient to defeat a motion for judgment as a matter of law, the court must rule for the plaintiff, finding that jurisdiction exists.” Id.

“Whether the court has personal jurisdiction over a defendant is governed by a two-part analysis.” Verizon Trademark Servs., 810 F.Supp.2d at 1324. First, the court must determine whether the applicable state long-arm statute is satisfied. Future Tech. Today, 218 F.3d at 1249. “When a federal court uses a state long-arm statute, because the extent of the statute is governed by state law, the federal court is required to construe it as would the state’s supreme court.” Lockard v. Equifax, Inc., 163 F.3d 1259, 1265 (11th Cir.1998); see also Stubbs v. Wyndham Nassau Resort & Crystal Palace Casino,

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920 F. Supp. 2d 1284, 2013 WL 359750, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11777, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/van-vechten-v-elenson-flsd-2013.