Warad West, LLC v. Sorin CRM USA Inc.

119 F. Supp. 3d 1294, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 105391, 2015 WL 4743067
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedAugust 11, 2015
DocketCivil Action No. 14-cv-3242-WJM-KLM
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 119 F. Supp. 3d 1294 (Warad West, LLC v. Sorin CRM USA Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Warad West, LLC v. Sorin CRM USA Inc., 119 F. Supp. 3d 1294, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 105391, 2015 WL 4743067 (D. Colo. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO DISMISS FOR LACK OF JURISDICTION AND MOTION TO DISMISS FOR FAILURE TO STATE A CLAIM

William J. Martinez, United States District Judge

Plaintiffs Warad West, LLC, and Anthony Caforio (together, “Caforio”) allege breach of contract and related causes of action against Defendants Sorin CRM USA Inc. (“Sorin CRM”), Sorin Group USA, Inc. (“Sorin USA”), Sorin Group Ita-lia SrL (“Sorin Italia”), and Sorin SpA (“Sorin SpA”) (collectively, “Defendants”). Before the Court is Sorin Italia’s and Sorin SpA’s Motion to Dismiss Pursuant to Rules 12(b)(2) and 12(b)(6) (“Rule 12(b)(2) Motion”). (ECF No. 18.) Also before the Court is Sorin CRM’s and Sorin USA’s Motion to Dismiss Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) (“Rule 12(b)(6) Motion”). (ECF No. 16.) For the reasons explained below, the Court grants both motions without prejudice.

[1297]*1297I. BACKGROUND

The Court may consider more materials when resolving the Rule 12(b)(2) Motion than it may consider when resolving the Rule 12(b)(6) Motion. (Compare Part II. A.1, infra, with Part II.B.1, infra.) The Court will therefore reserve a more detailed statement of facts for below, in the context of analyzing each motion. Nonetheless, the following general background appears undisputed.

Sorin CRM is in the business of cardiac rhythm management products such as pacemakers. (ECF No. 18 at 3.) Sorin CRM (a Delaware corporation) is wholly owned by Sorin USA (also a Delaware corporation), which is wholly owned by Sorin Italia (an Italian limited liability company), which is majority-owned by So-rin SpA (an Italian corporation). (ECF No.l ¶¶ 4-6.) This lawsuit presents a dispute between Sorin CRM and Caforio, who worked for many years as a independent salesman, for Sorin CRM. (Id. ¶ 8.)

II. ANALYSIS

A. Rule 12(b)(2) Motion

1. Personal Jurisdiction Standard

The purpose of a motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2) is to test whether the Court has personal jurisdiction over the named parties. The Tenth Circuit has established a two-part test for personal jurisdiction: “First, we ask whether any applicable statute authorizes service of process on defendants. Second, we examine whether the exercise of statutory jurisdiction comports with constitutional due process demands.” Dudnikov v. Chalk & Vermilion Fine Arts, Inc., 514 F.3d 1063, 1070 (10th Cir. 2008).

Colorado’s long-arm statute “confers the maximum jurisdiction permissible consistent with the Due Process Clause.” Archangel Diamond Corp. v. Lukoil, 123 P.3d 1187, 1193 (Colo.2005) (citing Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-1-124). Thus, the Court need only address the constitutional question of whether the' exercise of personal jurisdiction over Sórin Italia and Sorin SpA (the “Italian Entities”) comports with due process. Dudnikov, 514 F.3d at 1070 (noting that the inquiry into whether any statute authorizes service of process “effectively collapses into the second, constitutional, analysis” in Colorado).

The plaintiff bears the burden of establishing personal jurisdiction over a defendant. Behagen v. Amateur Basketball Ass’n, 744 F.2d 731, 733 (10th Cir.1984). When the district court does not hold an evidentiary hearing before ruling on jurisdiction, “the plaintiff need only make a prima facie showing” of personal jurisdiction to defeat a motion to dismiss. Id. A prima facie showing is made where the plaintiff has demonstrated facts that, if true, would support jurisdiction over the defendant. OMI Holdings, Inc. v. Royal Ins. Co. of Can., 149 F.3d 1086, 1091 (10th Cir.1998). To defeat the plaintiffs prima facie case, a defendant “must present a compelling case demonstrating that the presence of some other considerations would render jurisdiction unreasonable.” Id: (internal quotation marks omitted).

The Court will accept the well-pleaded allegations (namely, the plausible, nonconelusory, and nonspeculative facts) of the complaint as true to determine whether the plaintiff has made a prima facie showing that personal jurisdiction exists. Dudnikov, 514 F.3d at 1070. Any factual conflicts must be resolved in the plaintiffs favor. Wenz v. Memery Crystal, 55 F.3d 1503, 1505 (10th Cir.1995).

2- Personal Jurisdiction Analysis

Caforio does not attempt to establish the Italian Entities’ individual contacts with Colorado but instead relies on an [1298]*1298alter ego theory by which he hopes to attribute Sorin CRM’s and Sorin USA’s contacts to the Italian Entities. (ECF No. 36 at 1.) "When a subsidiary of a foreign corporation is carrying on business in a particular jurisdiction, the parent company is- not automatically subject to jurisdiction in that state because of the presumption of corporate separateness.” 4A Charles Alan Wright et al., Federal Practice & Procedure § 1069.4 (3d ed., Apr. 2015 update) (“Wright & Milled’). Nonetheless, Caforio’s alter ego theory of personal jurisdiction has-been “consistently acknowledged” in the federal courts. Patin v. Thoroughbred Power Boats, Inc., 294 F.3d 640, 653 (5th Cir.2002); see also 4A Wright & Miller § 1069.4 n.12 (citing cases). Thus, where a subsidiary may be said to be “doing the business of the parent” in a particular state, the. parent may be subject to personal jurisdiction in that state. Quarles v. Fuqua Indus., Inc., 504 F.2d 1358, 1364 (10th Cir.1974).

To succeed on this theory of jurisdiction, “the plaintiff bears the burden of demonstrating a prima facie case.” First Horizon Merck. Sews., Inc. v. Wellspring Capital Mgmt., LLC, 166 P.3d 166, 178 (Colo.App. 2007). Although the requirement to present a prima facie case could be interpreted as a requirement to present a prima facie case of all elements of a veil-piercing or alter ego claim, the Court does not believe it extends that far. The Tenth Circuit has instructed district courts “to keep the [Rule] 12(b)(2) and [Rule] 12(b)(6) analyses distinct.” Newsome v. Gallacher, 722 F.3d 1257, 1270 (10th Cir.2013). Requiring a prima facie case of all veil-piercing elements in a jurisdictional (Rule 12(b)(2)) analysis would almost certainly destroy that distinction.

Of course, “facts going to the merits of [an alter ego claim] are likely to surface in the context of trying to establish jurisdiction [on the same basis].” Hargrave v. Fibreboard Corp., 710 F.2d 1154, 1161 (5th Cir.1983).

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119 F. Supp. 3d 1294, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 105391, 2015 WL 4743067, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/warad-west-llc-v-sorin-crm-usa-inc-cod-2015.