Vieira v. Hill (In re KNH Aviation Services, Inc.)

549 B.R. 356
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. South Carolina
DecidedApril 12, 2016
DocketC/A No. 15-01641-DD; Adv. Pro. No. 15-80170-DD
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 549 B.R. 356 (Vieira v. Hill (In re KNH Aviation Services, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vieira v. Hill (In re KNH Aviation Services, Inc.), 549 B.R. 356 (S.C. 2016).

Opinion

Order Denying Motion to Dismiss

David R. Duncan, Chief US Bankruptcy Judge, District of South Carolina

This matter is before the Court on a Partial Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs Amended Complaint filed by defendants Michael Hill, Donald Kamenz, Derek Nice, Carol Drew, and Jesper Lundberg (collectively, “Defendants”) on February 1, 2016 [Docket Nos. 31, 32]. Plaintiff Michelle Vieira (“Plaintiff’) filed an objection to the Motion to Dismiss on March 11, 2016 [Docket No. 38]. A hearing was held on March 22, 2016. At the hearing, the Court gave the parties ten (10) additional days to prepare and file supplemental memoranda. Both parties filed a supplemental memorandum on April 1, 2016 [Docket Nos. 40, 41]. After consideration of the pleadings and the arguments of the parties made at the March 22 hearing, for the reasons set forth below, Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss is denied.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

KNH Aviation Services, Inc. (“Debtor”) began operations as a maintenance, repair, and overhaul aviation company in or around September 2010, when it acquired the assets of a predecessor company. Defendants Hill, Kamenz, Drew, and Nice were officers and directors of Debtor beginning in September 2010. Lundberg became a director of Debtor in February 2012. Debtor filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy case on March 24, 2015, and Plaintiff was appointed the chapter 7 trustee for Debt- or’s case on the same date. Plaintiff commenced this adversary proceeding on September 1, 2015, asserting eleven causes of action against defendants Hill, Kamenz, Nice, and Drew [Doeket No. 1]. Plaintiff has twice amended her complaint, most recently, on January 18, 2016 [Docket No. 26], The amended complaint adds Lund-berg as a defendant and asserts fifteen causes of action against Defendants.1

[359]*359Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss seeks to dismiss the first, second and third causes of action asserted in Plaintiffs amended complaint. The first cause of action is for breach of fiduciary duties of care relating to the alleged undercapitalization and insolvency of Debtor, and the second and third causes of action are for breach of fiduciary duties of care by Hill, Kamenz, Drew, and Nice relating to sale and lease agreements entered into between Debtor and Sun Air of Scandinavia A/S (“Sun Air”) on November 22, 2011. Defendants first assert that all three causes of action are time-barred. With respect to the first cause of action, Defendants argue that Plaintiff has alleged separate, wrongful acts by Defendants in each fiscal quarter, and therefore, any alleged breaches of fiduciary duty occurring prior to the relevant date for the statute of limitations are time-barred. With respect to the second and third causes of action, Defendants argue that the breach of fiduciary duty complained of by Plaintiff, consummation of the sale and lease agreements, occurred prior to the relevant date for the statute of limitations. Defendants argue that Plaintiff has not alleged adequate facts to establish that any tolling exception to the statute of limitations applies, and therefore all three causes of action are time-barred. Finally, Defendants argue that the first cause of action fails to state a claim because Delaware law does not recognize a cause of action for breach of fiduciary duty based on failure to adequately capitalize a company.

Plaintiffs objection to the Motion to Dismiss responds that with respect to the first cause of action, the alleged breaches of fiduciary duty were continuing wrongful acts, occurring both prior to and after the relevant date, and therefore are not time-barred. To the extent they are, Plaintiff argues that the amended complaint adequately pleads the applicability of tolling exceptions to the statute of limitations. With respect to the second and third causes of action, Plaintiff does not dispute that the conduct complained of falls outside of the statute of limitations period, but argues that the amended complaint adequately pleads the applicability of tolling exceptions for both causes of action. Finally, Plaintiff argues that the first cause of action adequately states a claim for breach of fiduciary duty under Delaware law, because the alleged undercapi-talization of Debtor is just one of many factors which, taken together, constitute breach of fiduciary duty.

LEGAL STANDARD

Fed. R, Civ. Pro. 8(a)(2)2 requires a pleading requesting relief to contain a “short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” A party may challenge the sufficiency of this pleading by filing a motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed. R. Civ.P. 12(b)(6)3. Edwards v. City of Goldsboro, 178 F.3d 231, 243 (4th Cir.1999). “To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court [360]*360to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955). “When there are well-pleaded factual allegations, a court should assume their veracity and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement to relief.” Id. at 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937.

DISCUSSION

The parties agree that the relevant statute of limitations is under Delaware law. Claims involving fiduciary duties of corporate officers and directors are governed by the laws of the state of incorporation. In re Infinity Bus. Grp., Inc., 497 B.R. 794, 804 (Bankr.D.S.C.2013) (quoting Menezes v. WL Ross & Co., LLC, 392 S.C. 584, 709 S.E.2d 114, 117 (Ct.App.2011)). Debtor is a Delaware corporation. Delaware’s statute of limitations on claims asserting breach of fiduciary duty is three years beginning from the time of accrual of the cause of action. See In re Bridgeport Holdings, Inc., 388 B.R. 548, 560 (Bankr.D.Del.2008). The parties also agree that the relevant date for purposes of this statute of limitations is March 24, 2012, three years prior to the filing of Debtor’s bankruptcy petition.

I. First Cause of Action

Defendants argue that the first cause of action in Plaintiffs amended complaint should be dismissed because any breach of fiduciary duty occurring prior to March 24, 2012 is time-barred, Plaintiff has not alleged any tolling exception applies, and because the cause of action lacks a legal basis under Delaware law. First, the Court notes that the amended complaint does not contain any allegations regarding a tolling exception for the first cause of action; therefore, if the statute of limitations has expired as to the first cause of action, it is time-barred.

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549 B.R. 356, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vieira-v-hill-in-re-knh-aviation-services-inc-scb-2016.