Wachovia Securities, LLC v. Neuhauser

528 F. Supp. 2d 834, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 88041, 2007 WL 4246894
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedNovember 29, 2007
Docket04 C 3082
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 528 F. Supp. 2d 834 (Wachovia Securities, LLC v. Neuhauser) 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. Neuhauser, 528 F. Supp. 2d 834, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 88041, 2007 WL 4246894 (N.D. Ill. 2007).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

VIRGINIA M. KENDALL, District Judge.

Plaintiff, Wachovia Securities, LLC (“Wachovia”) brings a ten-count Revised *839 Second Amended Complaint against Defendants, David Neuhauser (“Neuhauser”), Andrew A. Jahelka (“Jahelka”), Richard O. Nichols (“Nichols”), Leon A Greenblatt, III (“Greenblatt”) (collectively “the Individual Defendants”), Banco Panamericano (“Banco”), Loop Corp. (“Loop”), Loop Properties, Inc. (“Loop Properties”), and Scattered Corp. (“Scattered”) (collectively “the Defendants”) seeking damages for common law fraud, breach of contract and all remedies available under the Illinois Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (“UFTA”). Wachovia also seeks a declaratory judgment that Neuhauser, Jahelka, Nichols, and Greenblatt (the “Individual Defendants”) are jointly and severally liable for the obligations of their alter egos, Loop and NOLA, LLC (“NOLA”).

Wachovia moves for Partial Summary Judgment against Neuhauser and Green-blatt. Neuhauser and Greenblatt moves to strike several paragraphs and two exhibits associated with Wachovia’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. Banco, Loop, Loop Properties, and Scattered (the “Corporate Defendants”) and the Individual Defendants move for summary judgment against Wachovia on all counts of the Revised Second Amended Complaint.

For the reasons stated herein, Defendants’ Motion to Strike Paragraphs 31-36 and 39-43 and Exhibits 9 and 12 of Wacho-via’s Amended Statement of Material Facts is granted. Plaintiffs Motion for Partial Summary Judgment is denied. The Individual Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment as to Counts I and VI is granted. The Individual Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment as to Counts II through V is denied as to Loop, Greenblatt, Jahelka, and Nichols, granted as to Loop and Neuhauser, and granted as to NOLA and the Individual Defendants. The Corporate Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment as to Counts VII through X brought under the Illinois Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act is denied. Additionally, the Individual Defendants’ Motion to Bar Wachovia’s New Fraud Claim is granted and the Corporate Defendants’ Motion to Bar Alleged Fraudulent Conveyances not in the Complaint is denied.

I. Background

Wachovia is a lending and banking institution and a successor to Prudential Securities Incorporated 1 (“Prudential”). Prudential’s customer debits became Wa-chovia’s assets after a July 2003 merger. PI. 56.1 Resp. ¶ l. 2 Wachovia is a limited liability company and a voluntary contract creditor. PI. Resp. Ind. 56.1 ¶ 31, 41. Neuhauser, at Greenblatt’s direction, opened two trading accounts at Wachovia using two entities, Loop and NOLA. The Individual Defendants began acquiring HRMI stock through the Loop and NOLA accounts on margin, and in doing so, incurred a substantial margin debt. *840 Subsequently, the NASDAQ halted trading of HRMI stock, the stock plummeted, and the Loop and NOLA margin accounts became due. After the margin call, Wa-chovia contends that the Individual Defendants looted Loop by transferring its assets to the Individual Defendants, insiders, and related entities making it impossible for Wachovia to collect on its $2,900,000 margin call. Wachovia contends that Loop and NOLA were shell corporations and that the Individual Defendants are liable for the unpaid margins either directly or as alter egos of the two entities.

II. Statement of Facts

Relationships between the Individual and Corporate Defendants

Greenblatt, Jahelka, and Nichols either own, operate, or have an interest in a web of corporate entities including Loop, Scattered, Banco, and Loop Properties. Loop is a small, closely-held company incorporated on September 12,1997 and owned by Greenblatt, Jahelka, and Nichols. Neu-hauser Resp. 56.1(b) ¶¶ 1, 6. Loop’s shareholders are Greenblatt, Jahelka, and Nichols. Neuhauser Resp. 56.1(b) ¶¶ 1-2. Its officers are Greenblatt (Secretary), Jahel-ka (President), and Nichols (Treasurer). Neuhauser Resp. 56.1(b) ¶2; PI. Resp. Ind. 56.1 ¶ 34. Loop is a “holding company” and until September 2002, it held ownership interests in limited partnerships which in turn, owned various parcels of commercial real estate in Chicago. Neu-hauser Resp. 56.1(b) ¶ 8. Loop operates out of the 7th Floor of 330 South Wells, Chicago, Illinois (the “Wells building”). Neuhauser Resp. 56.1(b) ¶ 7. Neuhauser is Loop’s “agent.” Neuhauser Rep. 56.1(b) ¶ 28.

NOLA is a small, closely-held company that was organized on July 27, 1994. Neu-hauser Resp. 56.1(b) ¶ 14. NOLA’s “members” are Greenblatt’s, Jahelka’s, and Nichols’s fathers. PI. Resp. Ind. 56.1 ¶ 27. NOLA’s manager is Teletech Systems, Inc. (“Teletech”). PL Resp. Ind. 56.1 ¶27; Neuhauser Resp. 56.1(b) ¶ 17. Teletech operates out of the Wells building. Neu-hauser Resp. 56.1(b) ¶ 17. Teletech had the authority to manage NOLA’s assets limited only by the provisions of the Limited Liability Company Act. Neuhauser Resp. 56.1(b) ¶ 16. Greenblatt was Tele-tech’s sole officer and employee, and therefore, made day-to-day decisions on NOLA’s behalf including whether NOLA would enter into trades. Neuhauser Resp. 56.1(b) ¶ 16, 18. Greenblatt, though never a shareholder of Teletech, acted at times as its Secretary during the relevant time period. Greenblatt became NOLA’s registered agent on June 6, 2001. Id.

Scattered is owned by Greenblatt, Jahel-ka and Nichols and also operates out of the Wells building. Corp. Rep. 56.1 ¶ 26; Ind. Rep. 56.1 ¶ 13. Loop Properties is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Loop. PL Resp. Corp. 56.1 ¶ 20. Loop Properties’ officers and directors are Greenblatt (Secretary), Jahelka (President), and Nichols (Treasurer). Corp. Rep. 56.1 ¶ 29. Banco is wholly owned by one of Greenblatt’s family trusts. Neuhauser Resp. 56.1(b) ¶ 12. Greenblatt is solely responsible for running Banco’s day-to-day operations. Corp. Rep. 56.1 ¶ 28. When Loop deals with Banco, it does so through Greenblatt. Id. Banco operates out of the Wells building and its only employee is Greenblatt. Neu-hauser Resp. 56.1(b) ¶ 13; Ind. Rep. 56.1 ¶ 23.

Loop held an ownership interest in EZ Links Golf, Inc. (“EZ Links”) when EZ Links was established. Corp. Rep. 56.1 ¶ 40. Greenblatt and Jahelka have an interest in EZ Links via their ownership of Loop. Ind. Rep. 56.1 ¶ 27.

*841 Shared Office Space

Loop, Loop Properties, Banco, Scattered, Loop Telecom, Resource Technology Corporation (“RTC”), and EZ Links operate out of the Wells building. Ind. Rep. 56.1 ¶ 13,18, 20. Greenblatt, Jahelka and Nichols worked out of the Wells building and each had only one phone number. Id. Neuhauser described the 7th Floor of the Wells building as “a little cluster of offices” that are all “basically connected.” Ind. Rep. 56.1 ¶ 18. Scattered rented the 7th floor suites from 200 West Partners, LLP. The general partner of 200 West Partners is 200 West Properties, Inc. and the owner of 200 West Properties is Loop. Id. Jahelka signed Scattered’s lease. Id. Scattered did not make rental payments from 1999 to 2003. Id.

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528 F. Supp. 2d 834, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 88041, 2007 WL 4246894, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wachovia-securities-llc-v-neuhauser-ilnd-2007.