Wachovia Securities, LLC v. Jahelka

586 F. Supp. 2d 972, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 86023, 2008 WL 4690516
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedOctober 22, 2008
Docket04 C 3082
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 586 F. Supp. 2d 972 (Wachovia Securities, LLC v. Jahelka) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wachovia Securities, LLC v. Jahelka, 586 F. Supp. 2d 972, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 86023, 2008 WL 4690516 (N.D. Ill. 2008).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

VIRGINIA M. KENDALL, District Judge.

Defendant Loop Corp. (“Loop”) traded stock on margin using an account at Pru *978 dential Securities Incorporated (“Prudential”). Stip. ¶ 2. Plaintiff, Wachovia Securities, LLC (“Wachovia”) is Prudential’s successor in interest. 1 Id. On May 22, 2001, the stock collapsed resulting in a $1.9 million debt. Wachovia subsequently obtained an NYSE Arbitration Award, which was reduced to judgment against Loop in the amount of $2,478,418.80. Stip. ¶ 17,18; PTX 38. Seven years later, the debt remains unpaid and Wachovia contends that Defendants Andrew A. Jahelka (“Jahel-ka”), Richard O. Nichols (“Nichols”), and Leon A Greenblatt, III (“Greenblatt”) looted Loop by transferring its assets to themselves, insiders, and related entities, which made it impossible for Wachovia to collect. Dk. 319 at 3. Wachovia now seeks to hold Jahelka, Nichols, and Greenblatt 2 jointly and severally liable for the obligations of Loop, as the alter ego of Loop, under the doctrine of piercing the corporate veil (Counts II and IV) and seeks all remedies available under the Illinois Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, 740 ILCS 160/5(a)(l) (“UFTA”) against Loop, Banco Panamericano (“Banco”), Loop Properties, Inc. (“Loop Properties”), and Scattered Corp. (“Scattered”) (Counts VII through X). 3 Wachovia also seeks actual costs and attorneys fees incurred since September 22, 2005 through the date of judgment. 4

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On November 29, 2007, this Court denied Wachovia’s Motion for Summary Judgement as to Neuhauser and Green-blatt with respect to Count I and granted summary judgment in favor of Neuhauser, Jahelka, Nichols, and Greenblatt with respect to Counts I and VI. Additionally, the Court granted in part and denied in part Neuhauser, Jahelka, Nichols, and Green-blatt’s Motion for Summary Judgment as to Counts II through V. Specifically, the motion was denied as to Loop, Greenblatt, Jahelka, and Nichols; granted as to Loop and Neuhauser; and granted as to NOLA, LLC and Neuhauser, Jahelka, Nichols, and Greenblatt. Finally, the Court denied Banco, Loop Properties, and Scattered’s Motion for Summary Judgment as to Counts VII through X brought under the Illinois Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act.

From January 7, 2008 to January 16, 2008, the court conducted a bench trial to resolve the remaining claims. After listening to the testimony presented by both parties and reviewing the documents entered into evidence at trial, the following constitutes the Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 52.

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

I. Background

A. The Parties

Wachovia is a banking and financial lending institution. Stip. ¶ 2. Defendant *979 Loop is a small, closely-held company owned by Defendants Greenblatt, Jahelka, and Nichols, or their respective family trusts or estate planning entities. 5 (Stip-¶ 19). Loop’s respective ownership interests are: Greenblatt (50%), Jahelka (30%), and Nichols (20%). Id. Jahelka is Loop’s President, Nichols is it’s Treasurer, and Greenblatt was the company’s Secretary. Id.; Tr. Vol. 4-B, Pg. 168.

On September 28, 2000, Neuhauser, acting on behalf of Loop and at Greenblatt’s direction, opened a margin account at Wa-chovia in the name of “Loop Corp.” Stip. ¶ 13. Loop’s account was used exclusively to acquire shares of stock in Health Risk Management, Inc. (“HRMI”) on margin. Stip. ¶ 15; PTX 37. On May 22, 2001, the NASDAQ halted trading in HRMI and the value of the Loop account at Wachovia fell into a debit balance. Stip. ¶ 16. As a result, Defendants’ Loop account incurred a margin debt of $1,885,751.44 resulting almost entirely from holdings in HRMI. Id.; Stip. ¶ 17. Although Wachovia subsequently obtained an NYSE Arbitration Award which was reduced to a judgment against Loop in the amount of $2,478,418.80, Loop has not paid the judgment. Stip. ¶ 17,18; PTX 38.

After the margin debt came due, Loop transferred over a million dollars in assets and made a number of payments to its shareholders and companies such as Ban-co, Resource Technology Corporation (“RTC”), H & M Partners, EZ Links, Scattered, 200 West Partners, Telegraph Properties, and Loop Telecom, LP. PTX 26.

B. The Companies

Greenblatt, Jahelka, and Nichols either own, operate, or have an interest in a web of corporate entities including Loop, Scattered, Banco, and Loop Properties and operate them out of a suite of interconnected offices on the seventh floor of a building located at 330 South Wells in Chicago (the “Wells Building”).

Loop was incorporated in South Dakota on September 12, 1997 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rumpelstiltskin USA, Corp. (“Rumpelstiltskin”). Tr. Vol. 4-B, Pg. 170; PTX 1. Loop maintains its registered office in Suite 711 of the Wells Building. Stip. ¶ 20. Loop was “spun off’ from Rumpelstiltskin to Greenblatt, Nichols and Jahel-ka with the same 50%, 30%, and 20% ownership structure. Tr. Vol. 4-B, Pg. 171; Tr. Vol. 5B, Pg. 147-149. The “spin off’ documents were purportedly a part of Loop’s corporate records — records that Greenblatt was responsible for maintaining as Loop’s Secretary. Tr. Vol. 4-B, Pgs. 168,171-173.

Defendant Banco is a South Dakota corporation with its principal place of business in adjoining Suite 718 of the Wells Building. Stip. ¶ 32. Banco is wholly-owned by one of Mr. Greenblatt’s family trusts. Id.; Tr. Vol. 4-B, Pg. 188. Green-blatt is the sole officer, director and employee of Banco. Id. Defendant Scattered was also incorporated under South Dakota law and operates out of Suite 711 (the same Suite as Loop) of the Wells Building. Stip. ¶ 9. Like Loop, Scattered’s owners are Greenblatt (50%), Jahelka (30%), and Nichols (20%). Stip. ¶ 54; Tr. Vol. 4-B, Pg. 186. Greenblatt’s 50% share of Scattered is held by the same family trust that *980 owns Banco and the trustee of that trust is Defendant Nichols. Tr. Vol. 4-B, Pg. 186. Defendant Loop Properties is an Illinois corporation operating out of Suite 711 of the Wells Building. Stip. ¶ 8. Loop Properties is owned 90% by Scattered and 10% by Loop. Tr. Vol. 4-B, pg. 185.

In addition to Loop, Greenblatt owns and controls a number of related companies, and operates them out of the seventh floor of the Wells Building. RTC is owned 100% by Rumpelstiltskin. Tr. Vol. 4B, pg. 190. RTC’s address is “c/o Scattered Corp.” Id. Rumpelstiltskin, in turn, is owned by Greenblatt (50%), Jahelka and Nichols (collectively 50%). Tr. Vol. 4-B, Pg. 191.

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Bluebook (online)
586 F. Supp. 2d 972, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 86023, 2008 WL 4690516, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wachovia-securities-llc-v-jahelka-ilnd-2008.