Brooks v. Gomez et al
Filing
62
ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART 49 MOTION to Dismiss filed by Advisory Financial Consultants, Inc., Ruthe Gomez. Case Management Conference set for 2/20/2013 03:30 PM. VIA TELEPHONE. Signed by Judge ARMSTRONG on 2/5/13. (lrc, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 2/7/2013)
1
2
3
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
4
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
5
OAKLAND DIVISION
6
7
8
ELLEN BROOKS,
Plaintiff,
9
vs.
10
11
RUTHE GOMEZ, et al.,
Case No: C 10-01873 SBA
ORDER GRANTING IN PART
AND DENYING IN PART
MOTION TO DISMISS
Docket 49
Defendants.
12
13
Plaintiff Ellen Brooks ("Plaintiff") brings this action against Defendants arising from
14
the management of her retirement account. The parties are presently before the Court on
15
Defendants Ruthe Gomez ("Gomez") and Advisory Financial Consultants, Inc.'s ("AFC")
16
motion to dismiss. Dkt. 49. Plaintiff opposes the motion. Dkt. 56. Having read and
17
considered the papers filed in connection with this matter and being fully informed, the
18
Court hereby GRANTS IN PART and DENIES IN PART the motion to dismiss, for the
19
reasons stated below. The Court, in its discretion, finds this matter suitable for resolution
20
without oral argument. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 78(b); N.D. Cal. Civ. L.R. 7-1(b).
21
I.
BACKGROUND
22
A.
23
Plaintiff is a retired teacher who invested in a 403(b) retirement plan for over 30
24
years. Second Am. Compl. ("SAC") ¶ 1. AFC is a financial consulting business owned
25
and operated by Gomez, who managed Plaintiff's investments for over thirty years,
26
including in parts of 2007 and 2008. Id. ¶¶ 2-3. Gomez was also an agent or employee of
27
28
Factual Summary
1
TradeRight Securities, Inc. ("TradeRight"),1 which is a registered brokerage through which
2
Enterprise Trust Company ("Enterprise") traded securities and made other financial
3
investments. Id. ¶¶ 3-4. Legent Clearing, LLC ("Legent") is a "clearing house" that
4
performed the traditional functions of a "clearing broker." Id. ¶ 5.
5
Plaintiff generally alleges that Defendants "betrayed" her interests and breached
6
their respective duties to her by "engaging in an elaborate fraudulent scheme to use [her
7
investment] money as margin collateral for their own risky investments," including
8
speculative options and short trading. SAC ¶¶ 7, 24. According to Plaintiff, the "intended
9
purpose and effect of [Defendants'] acts . . . is, and has been, to defraud [her] of finances
10
for their own benefit." Id.
11
Although not entirely clear, Plaintiff alleges that her retirement account was
12
transferred to the brokerage company Enterprise in December 2006 and then to the
13
"clearing house" Legent on or about February 2007. See SAC ¶¶ 10, 13-14, 19. According
14
to Plaintiff, Gomez and AFC failed to perform due diligence before transferring her account
15
to Enterprise; specifically, they failed to determine whether the account was being
16
transferred to a trustworthy business. See id. ¶¶ 14-16, 19.2 In fact, Plaintiff asserts that
17
"the company to which the accounts were being transferred had already been found to be
18
unlawfully making trades without a license, and Gomez and AFC knew or should have
19
known of such unlawful activities and should have refused to transfer [her] account . . . to
20
Enterprise." Id.
21
Instead, in January 2007, Gomez and AFC sent a letter to Plaintiff misrepresenting
22
that Enterprise was a trustworthy company and would handle her account "without any
23
significant changes." SAC ¶ 15. According to Plaintiff, "the intent and purpose of the
24
25
26
1
Although named as a Defendant in this action, TradeRight has not been served or
otherwise been involved in this action.
2
Plaintiff alleges that Gomez and AFC have lost their registered representative
license because they failed to make the lawful disclosures to the Securities Exchange
Commission related to the transfer of Plaintiff's account and other accounts to Enterprise,
28 TradeRight, and Legent. SAC ¶ 39.
27
-2-
1
letter was to convey a continued sense of trust and was intended to induce [her] . . . to
2
transfer [her] account without question." Id. Plaintiff alleges that Gomez and AFC failed
3
to explain to her that the transfer of her account gave Enterprise, TradeRight, and Gomez
4
"full discretion" to invest her funds without consulting her and without obtaining
5
authorization or approval before making trades or otherwise disposing of her assets, thereby
6
breaching their duty to disclose a material change to her account. Id. ¶ 16-17. According
7
to Plaintiff, because her account was a "full discretion" account, each of the Defendants
8
undertook a special relationship of trust and confidence, which imposed upon them
9
fiduciary responsibilities to her as it provided them with full control over her account. Id. ¶
10
18.
11
Plaintiff claims that, soon after Gomez and AFC transferred her account to
12
Enterprise, "Enterprise, TradeRight, Gomez and Legent swept [her] account without her
13
knowledge or consent into an omnibus account that Defendants used as margin collateral to
14
fund risky investments," which was unlawful and contrary to the account agreements. See
15
SAC ¶¶ 19, 21-22, 24-27, 36.3 According to Plaintiff, at the time her funds were "swept"
16
into the omnibus account, Gomez was the registered representative that was responsible for
17
her account, and, as such, had actual or constructive knowledge of the activities (i.e., risky
18
investments) but failed to disclose this information to Plaintiff. Id. ¶ 34. Throughout 2007,
19
Legent, TradeRight, and Gomez allegedly used the funds from Plaintiff's qualified
20
retirement account as collateral for margin trading, including speculative options and short
21
trading, even though they knew that the paperwork signed by Plaintiff did not permit
22
margin trading and that the law prohibits qualified accounts to be used for margin trading.
23
Id. ¶ 24.
24
25
3
Specifically, Plaintiff alleges that, on March 2, 2007, Gomez worked with Legent
and TradeRight to transfer $240,331.51 worth of Plaintiff's shares in Pioneer Fund A and
$326,782.72 worth of Plaintiff's shares in Pioneer Government Income Fund A into one
27 omnibus account at Legent. SAC ¶¶ 25-26. In addition, on May 30, 2007, Gomez
allegedly worked with Legent and TradeRight to transfer $169,959.66 worth of Plaintiff's
28 shares of Pioneer Equity Income Fund A into the Legent omnibus account. Id. ¶ 27.
26
-3-
1
Plaintiff alleges that she never authorized Defendants to engage in such a trading
2
scheme, nor did she ever become aware of the risks of margin trading or that Legent,
3
TradeRight, and Gomez used her account as collateral for margin trading. SAC ¶ 20. She
4
further alleges that Legent, TradeRight, and Gomez failed to disclose and intentionally
5
concealed that her qualified account was being used as margin collateral and that Legent
6
had taken a security interest in her qualified account. Id. ¶ 30. According to Plaintiff, the
7
margin trading engaged in by Defendants did not and was not intended to benefit her. Id. ¶
8
33. If the trading was unsuccessful, Plaintiff's assets were at risk. However, if the trading
9
was successful, the benefits would be allocated to Defendants. See id. ¶¶ 35-36, 38.
10
In March 2008, a receiver was appointed for Enterprise, and Plaintiff's account was
11
frozen. SAC ¶ 37. According to Plaintiff, she has only received $250,000 from the
12
receiver out of the "approximately $600,000 she should have received." Id.
13
B.
14
On March 5, 2010, Plaintiff commenced the instant action in the Superior Court of
15
California, County of Alameda, against Gomez, AFC, Legent, and TradeRight, as well as
16
TradeRight employees Kimble Mason and George Dragel. See Compl., Dkt. 1. On April
17
30, 2010, the action was removed to this Court based on federal question jurisdiction.
18
Notice of Removal, Dkt. 1.
19
Procedural History
On August 25, 2010, Plaintiff filed a first amended complaint ("FAC") alleging
20
seven claims for relief. See FAC. Thereafter, motions to dismiss were filed by Legent and
21
Gomez and AFC. Dkt. 15, 16. On December 13, 2010, the Court granted Legent's motion
22
to dismiss in its entirety, and granted Gomez and AFC's motion to dismiss in part, while
23
granting leave to amend those claims found to be deficient. Dkt. 26.
24
On January 4, 2011, Plaintiff filed a SAC, which only names as Defendants Gomez,
25
AFC, Legent and TradeRight. See SAC. The SAC alleges the same claims as alleged in
26
the FAC: (1) fraud; (2) conspiracy to commit fraud/aiding and abetting fraud; (3) breach of
27
fiduciary duty; (4) conspiracy to breach fiduciary duty/aiding and abetting breach of
28
-4-
1
fiduciary duty; (5) negligence; (6) violation of securities laws and California Blue Sky
2
Laws; and (7) violation of Business and Professions Code § 17200, et seq. Id.
3
On August 4, 2011, this Court issued an Order staying the case for ninety (90) days.
4
Dkt. 45. On October 25, 2011, the parties stipulated to dismiss Legent based on a class
5
action settlement involving Legent and Enterprise clients in the U.S. District Court for the
6
Northern District of Illinois. Dkt. 46.
7
On November 4, 2011, Gomez and AFC filed a motion to dismiss the SAC. Dkt. 49.
8
Plaintiff filed an opposition on March 6, 2012. Dkt. 56. A reply was filed on March 16,
9
2012. Dkt. 59.
10
II.
DISCUSSION
11
A.
12
A complaint may be dismissed under Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim if the
Legal Standard
13
plaintiff fails to state a cognizable legal theory, or has not alleged sufficient facts to support
14
a cognizable legal theory. Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep't, 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir.
15
1990). Under Rule 8(a)(2), a complaint must contain a "short and plain statement of the
16
claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2). The complaint
17
must "give the defendant fair notice of what the claim is and the grounds upon which it
18
rests." Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007).
19
In determining whether a complaint states a claim on which relief may be granted,
20
the Court "accept[s] as true all well-pleaded allegations of material fact, and construe[s]
21
them in the light most favorable to the non-moving party." Daniels–Hall v. National Educ.
22
Ass'n, 629 F.3d 992, 998 (9th Cir. 2010). However, the Court is not required to accept as
23
true "allegations that are merely conclusory, unwarranted deductions of fact, or
24
unreasonable inferences." In re Gilead Sciences Securities Litigation, 536 F.3d 1049, 1055
25
(9th Cir. 2008). The complaint is properly dismissed if it fails to plead "enough facts to
26
state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570. A claim is
27
plausible on its face "when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw
28
the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged." Ashcroft
-5-
1
v. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009). Thus, "for a complaint to survive a motion to
2
dismiss, the non-conclusory 'factual content,' and reasonable inferences from that content,
3
must be plausibly suggestive of a claim entitling the plaintiff to relief." Moss v. U.S. Secret
4
Serv., 572 F.3d 962, 969 (9th Cir. 2009).
5
Where a complaint or claim is dismissed, leave to amend generally is granted, unless
6
further amendment would be futile. See Chaset v. Fleer/Skybox Int'l, 300 F.3d 1083, 1087-
7
1088 (9th Cir. 2002); see also Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1127 (9th Cir. 2000) (if a
8
court dismisses the complaint, it should grant leave to amend, unless it determines that the
9
pleading could not possibly be cured by the allegation of other facts).
10
B.
11
In connection with their motion to dismiss, Gomez and AFC filed a request for
Judicial Notice
12
judicial notice pursuant to Rule 201 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. Dkt. 49-2. They
13
request the Court take judicial notice of two documents: (1) an opinion from the United
14
States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, entitled "Securities and Exchange
15
Commission v. Enterprise Trust Company"; and (2) a motion filed in the case Philip L.
16
Stern, Receiver for Enterprise Trust Co. v. Legent Clearing, LLC, entitled "Receiver's
17
Motion for Order Approving Proposed Settlement Agreement and for Ancillary Orders."
18
Id. Plaintiff does not object to the Court taking judicial notice of the existence of these
19
documents.
20
A court may judicially notice a fact that is not subject to reasonable dispute because
21
it: (1) is generally known within the trial court's territorial jurisdiction; or (2) can be
22
accurately and readily determined from sources whose accuracy cannot reasonably be
23
questioned. Fed.R.Evid. 201(b). A court may take judicial notice of court filings and other
24
matters of public record. See Reyn's Pasta Bella, LLC v. Visa USA, Inc., 442 F.3d 741,
25
746 n. 6 (9th Cir. 2006). Accordingly, Gomez and AFC's request for judicial notice is
26
GRANTED. The Court notes, however, that it does not take judicial notice of the veracity
27
of any arguments or facts presented in the documents subject to judicial notice. See Wyatt
28
v. Terhune, 315 F.3d 1108, 1114 n. 5 (9th Cir. 2003) (factual findings in one case ordinarily
-6-
1
are not admissible for their truth in another case through judicial notice); Lee v. City of Los
2
Angeles, 250 F.3d 668, 690 (9th Cir. 2001) (a court may take judicial notice of another
3
court's opinion, but not of the truth of the facts recited therein).
4
5
6
C.
Motion to Dismiss
1.
Fraud Claim
The SAC alleges facts that sound in fraud and fraudulent concealment. Under
7
California law, the elements of a claim for fraud are: (1) a misrepresentation (false
8
representation, concealment or nondisclosure); (2) knowledge of the falsity (or "scienter");
9
(3) intent to defraud, i.e., intent to induce reliance; (4) justifiable reliance; and (5) resulting
10
damages. Small Frits Cos., Inc., 30 Cal.4th 167, 173 (2003). To state a claim for
11
fraudulent concealment a plaintiff must plead five elements: (1) the defendant must have
12
concealed or suppressed a material fact; (2) the defendant must have been under a duty to
13
disclose the fact to the plaintiff; (3) the defendant must have intentionally concealed or
14
suppressed the fact with the intent to defraud the plaintiff; (4) the plaintiff must have been
15
unaware of the fact and would not have acted as he did if he had known of the concealed or
16
suppressed fact; and (5) as a result of the concealment or suppression of the fact, the
17
plaintiff must have sustained damage. Kaldenbach v. Mutual of Omaha Life Ins. Co., 178
18
Cal.App.4th 830, 850 (2009).
19
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) requires that, when fraud is alleged, "a party
20
must state with particularity the circumstances constituting fraud. . . ." Fed.R.Civ.P. 9(b).
21
The circumstances must "be specific enough to give defendants notice of the particular
22
misconduct . . . so that they can defend against the charge and not just deny that they have
23
done anything wrong." Kearns v. Ford Motor Co., 567 F.3d 1120, 1124 (9th Cir. 2009)
24
(internal citations omitted). "Averments of fraud must be accompanied by 'the who, what,
25
when, where, and how' of the misconduct charged." Id. A party alleging fraud must "set
26
forth more than the neutral facts necessary to identify the transaction." Id. Where a
27
plaintiff asserts claims based on fraudulent conduct against multiple defendants, the
28
plaintiff is required to "identify the role of each defendant in the alleged fraudulent
-7-
1
scheme." Swartz v. KPMG LLP, 476 F.3d 756, 765 (9th Cir. 2007) (internal brackets and
2
citation omitted). "A pleading is sufficient under Rule 9(b) if it identifies the circumstances
3
constituting fraud so that the defendant can prepare an adequate answer from the
4
allegations." Neubronner v. Milken, 6 F.3d 666, 671-672 (9th Cir. 1993).
5
In support of her fraud claim, the SAC alleges that "[f]rom December 2006 through
6
March 2008, Gomez, Legent, and TradeRight failed to disclose, and intentionally concealed
7
that they had swept [Plaintiff's] money into an account that they used as margin collateral
8
and leverage to make risky investments on their own behalf and to earn fees from making
9
such investments." SAC ¶ 43. In addition, the SAC alleges that, in January 2007, Gomez
10
and AFC sent her a letter in in which they "misrepresented . . . that Enterprise was a
11
trustworthy company that would handle [Plaintiff's] account without any significant
12
changes." Id. ¶ 44. The SAC further alleges that "[u]pon the transfer of [Plaintiff's]
13
account, Gomez and AFC failed to disclose and intentionally concealed that Enterprise and
14
TradeRight were not trustworthy companies and that they were recommending that [she]
15
transfer her account to Enterprise and TradeRight because Gomez and AFC received
16
financial gain from doing so." Id. ¶ 45. The SAC also alleges that Gomez and AFC
17
"concealed and failed to disclose that the account was being transferred . . . to give
18
Enterprise and Gomez full discretion over the account." Id.
19
According to Plaintiff, Gomez, Legent, and TradeRight's activities in support of their
20
fraud allowed each of them to avoid risk, earn generous commissions from the margin
21
trading, thus providing the requisite intent to defraud. SAC ¶ 46. Plaintiff asserts that she
22
would never have transferred her account and would have immediately revoked it from
23
Gomez, AFC, Legent, and TradeRight if they would have disclosed to her "the above
24
facts." Id. ¶ 47. Instead, Plaintiff alleges that she reasonably relied upon their
25
misrepresentations and concealments to her detriment by allowing them to continue to
26
manage her account. Id. She further alleges that as a proximate result of the "above" false
27
representations and concealment, she has suffered and will continue to suffer, damages in
28
excess of $600,000. Id. ¶ 49.
-8-
1
Gomez and AFC move to dismiss Plaintiff's fraud claim on the ground that it is
2
factually impossible that "from December 2006 through March 2008, Gomez . . .
3
intentionally concealed that [she] had swept [Plaintiff's] money into an account . . . used for
4
margin collateral and leverage to make risky investments" because Plaintiff alleges that her
5
account was transferred to Legent in January 2007 and Gomez was never a Legent
6
registered representative. Defs.' Mtn. at 9. According to Gomez and AFC, Gomez had no
7
custody, control, or duty with respect to Plaintiff's accounts after they were transferred to
8
Legent in January 2007. Id. In addition, Gomez and AFC move to dismiss Plaintiff's fraud
9
claim on the ground that there are no allegations in the SAC demonstrating that they had
10
knowledge of the untrustworthiness of Enterprise and TradeRight. Id. Finally, Gomez and
11
AFC argue that dismissal of Plaintiff's fraud claim is appropriate because Plaintiff failed to
12
plead the required "who, what, when, where, and how" to support all of the elements of this
13
claim. Id. at 10.
14
The Court finds that Gomez and AFC have failed to demonstrate that dismissal of
15
Plaintiff's fraud claim on the ground of "factual impossibility" is warranted. Although the
16
SAC is not a model of clarity, accepting as true the well-pleaded allegations of material fact
17
as required on a motion to dismiss, Plaintiff has alleged sufficient facts demonstrating that
18
it is plausible that Gomez had custody, control, and/or a duty with respect to Plaintiff's
19
account after it was transferred to Legent in or around February 2007. Specifically, the
20
SAC alleges that Gomez managed Plaintiff's investments for over 30 years, including in
21
parts of 2007 and 2008, that Gomez was Plaintiff's registered agent "through at least
22
September 2007," that Gomez was an agent or employee of TradeRight, that Legent
23
enabled TradeRight to misuse accounts, that Gomez worked with TradeRight and Legent to
24
transfer shares from Plaintiff's account into an omnibus account at Legent in March and
25
May 2007, that Gomez was Plaintiff's registered representative responsible for Plaintiff's
26
account at the time Plaintiff's funds were "swept" into the omnibus account, that
27
"[t]hroughout 2007 Legent, TradeRight, and Gomez used the funds from Plaintiff's
28
qualified retirement account as collateral for margin trading, including speculative options
-9-
1
and short trading," and that "Gomez knew that the paperwork signed by [Plaintiff] did not
2
permit margin trading and the law prohibits qualified accounts to be used for margin
3
trading." SAC ¶¶ 3, 5, 13, 24-27. Accordingly, Gomez and AFC's motion to dismiss the
4
fraud claim on the ground of "factual impossibility" is DENIED.4
5
To the extent Gomez and AFC move to dismiss Plaintiff's fraud claim on the ground
6
that there are no allegations in the SAC demonstrating that they had knowledge of the
7
untrustworthiness of Enterprise and TradeRight, the Court finds that dismissal is
8
appropriate. The allegations in the SAC are insufficient to establish the element of
9
knowledge. While Rule 9(b) requires a party to state with particularity the circumstances
10
constituting fraud, malice, intent, knowledge, and other conditions of a person's mind may
11
be alleged generally. Fed.R.Civ.P. 9(b). This does not mean, however, that conclusory
12
allegations of knowledge will suffice. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1954. Rather, Rule 9(b) merely
13
excuses a party from pleading scienter under an elevated pleading standard; the "less
14
rigid—though still operative—strictures of Rule 8" must be satisfied. Id.
15
A review of the allegations in the SAC regarding Gomez and AFC's knowledge of
16
the trustworthiness of Enterprise reveal that they are largely identical to the allegations that
17
the Court found insufficient in the FAC. The SAC alleges that in January 2007 Gomez and
18
AFC misrepresented to Plaintiff that Enterprise was a trustworthy company that would
19
handle her account without any significant changes. SAC ¶ 44. The SAC further alleges
20
that, upon the transfer of her account, Gomez and AFC failed to disclose and intentionally
21
concealed that Enterprise and TradeRight were not trustworthy companies and that they
22
were recommending that Plaintiff transfer her account to Enterprise and TradeRight
23
because they received financial gain from doing so. Id. ¶ 45. The SAC also alleges that
24
Gomez and AFC concealed and failed to disclose that Plaintiff's account was being
25
4
To the extent that Gomez and AFC argue that it is not possible that AFC could
have "swept Plaintiff's Legent accounts into an omnibus account at Legent in March 2007,
27 or wrongfully used Plaintiff's Legent accounts as collateral for margin trading 'throughout
2007,' " the Court notes that Plaintiff's fraud claim does not allege that AFC engaged in this
28 conduct.
26
- 10 -
1
transferred in such a manner to give Enterprise and Gomez full discretion over the account.
2
Id. ¶ 45.
3
These allegations do not show that Gomez and AFC had knowledge of the
4
untrustworthiness of Enterprise, and therefore, also had knowledge of the falsity of their
5
representations regarding Enterprise. While the SAC alleges that Gomez and AFC should
6
have refused to transfer Plaintiff's account to Enterprise because Enterprise "had already
7
been found to be unlawfully making trades without a license, and Gomez and AFC knew or
8
should have known of such unlawful activities," SAC ¶ 14, the SAC does not set forth any
9
facts supporting this conclusion. As such, the Court finds that Plaintiff has not pled
10
sufficient facts establishing that Gomez or AFC had actual knowledge that Enterprise or
11
TradeRight was an untrustworthy company. See Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1950 (conclusory
12
allegations or allegations that are no more than a statement of a legal conclusion are not
13
entitled to the assumption of truth). Plaintiff's conclusory claim that Gomez and AFC knew
14
or should have known that Enterprise was not a trustworthy company is "devoid of further
15
factual enhancement," and, without more, is insufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss.
16
Id. at 1949 ("A pleading that offers 'labels and conclusions' or 'a formulaic recitation of the
17
elements of a cause of action will not do.' Nor does a complaint suffice if it tenders 'naked
18
assertion[s]' devoid of 'further factual enhancement.' ") (citation omitted). Plaintiff has not
19
pled sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to establish that it is plausible that
20
Defendant had knowledge that Enterprise or TradeRight was untrustworthy. Id.
21
Accordingly, to the extent Plaintiff's fraud claim is predicated on AFC and Gomez's
22
misrepresentation and concealment regarding the trustworthiness of Enterprise and
23
TradeRight, it is DISMISSED. However, because it is not clear at this juncture that the
24
SAC cannot possibly be cured by the allegation of other facts, Plaintiff is granted leave to
25
amend her fraud claim.
26
Finally, as for Gomez and AFC's conclusory contention that Plaintiff has not pled
27
the required "who, what, when, where, and how" to support all of the elements of her fraud
28
claim, the Court finds that they have failed to show Plaintiff's fraud claim should be
- 11 -
1
dismissed on this ground. The two-sentence argument made in support of this contention is
2
woefully inadequate to demonstrate that dismissal is appropriate. Gomez and AFC's
3
motion papers do not explain why specific allegations of fraud or concealment fail to
4
satisfy the pleading standard under Rule 9(b). Specifically, they have failed to explain why
5
the allegations do not adequately notify them of the particular misconduct alleged to enable
6
them to prepare an adequate answer. Accordingly, because this argument is unsupported, it
7
is uncompelling. It is not the role of the Court to make the parties' arguments for them.
8
See Indep. Towers of Wash. v. Wash., 350 F.3d 925, 929 (9th Cir. 2003) ("Our adversarial
9
system relies on the advocates to inform the discussion and raise the issues to the court.").
10
2.
Conspiracy Claims
11
Plaintiff's second and fourth claims allege a conspiracy to commit fraud and a
12
conspiracy to breach fiduciary duty, respectively. To establish a civil conspiracy, a plaintiff
13
must show: (1) the formation and operation of a conspiracy; (2) wrongful conduct in
14
furtherance of a conspiracy; and (3) damages arising from the wrongful conduct. Kidron v.
15
Movie Acquisition Corp., 40 Cal.App.4th 1571, 1581 (1995). Civil conspiracy is not an
16
independent tort, but requires a showing that two or more persons have agreed to a common
17
plan or design to commit a tortious act. Id. at 1581-1582. Conspiring defendants must
18
have actual knowledge that a tort is planned, concur in the tortious scheme with knowledge
19
of its unlawful purpose, and intend to aid in its commission. Id. at 1582. Where a plaintiff
20
alleges a conspiracy to commit fraud, Rule 9(b) requires more than conclusory allegations
21
of conspiracy, and a plaintiff must allege with sufficient particularity that defendants
22
reached some explicit or tacit understanding or agreement. Fidelity Nat. Title Ins. Co. v.
23
Castle, 2011 WL 6141310, at *7 (N.D. Cal. 2011) (internal citations omitted).
24
With respect to Plaintiff's second claim for conspiracy to commit fraud, the SAC
25
alleges that Gomez, Legent, and TradeRight "actively aided, abetted, and conspired with
26
each other to perform the acts or omissions detailed above, with full knowledge of the false
27
representations and deliberate material omissions, all for their own personal gain and
28
benefit." SAC ¶ 52. The SAC further alleges that Gomez, Legent, and TradeRight
- 12 -
1
"defrauded Plaintiff" by using her "assets for margin trading . . . to her detriment" and that
2
"[e]ach of them had knowledge of this through their work together in that endeavor and
3
each provided substantial assistance to the other to that end." Id. ¶ 53. The SAC also
4
alleges that Gomez and AFC "work[ed] together to defraud Plaintiff" when they "failed to
5
disclose the untrustworthiness of Legent and TradeRight prior to the transfer of [her]
6
account." Id. ¶ 54.
7
With respect to Plaintiff's fourth claim for conspiracy to breach fiduciary duty, the
8
SAC alleges that "Gomez, AFC, Legent, and TradeRight actively aided, abetted, and
9
conspired with each other to perform the acts or omissions detailed above, with full
10
knowledge of the special common law duties of trust and confidence owed to [Plaintiff] and
11
with the intent to aid in the breach of those obligations, all for their own personal gain and
12
benefit." SAC ¶ 69. The SAC further alleges that Gomez, Legent, and TradeRight
13
"breached their fiduciary duty to Plaintiff" by using her "assets for margin trading . . . to her
14
detriment," and that "[e]ach of them had knowledge of this through their work together in
15
that endeavor and each provided substantial assistance to the other to that end." Id. ¶ 70.
16
The SAC also alleges that Gomez and AFC "worked together to breach their fiduciary duty
17
to Plaintiff" when they "failed to disclose the untrustworthiness of Legent and TradeRight
18
prior to the transfer of [her] account." Id. ¶ 71.
19
The Court finds that the foregoing allegations are insufficient to support a
20
cognizable claim for conspiracy. The allegations in support of Plaintiff's conspiracy claims
21
are essentially a reiteration of the allegations alleged in support of Plaintiff's claims for
22
fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, with the added language that Defendants "conspired
23
with each other" and "worked together." The SAC, like the FAC, does not allege sufficient
24
facts establishing the formation of a conspiracy. Instead, the SAC contains conclusory
25
allegations of a conspiracy, which are insufficient to state a cognizable claim for relief.
26
Specifically, as for Plaintiff's conspiracy to commit fraud claim, the allegations in
27
the SAC do not satisfy the pleading standard under Rule 9(b). The SAC does not allege
28
with sufficient particularity facts establishing that Gomez, Legent, TradeRight, and AFC
- 13 -
1
reached some explicit or tacit understanding or agreement to defraud her through false
2
representations or material omissions. See Benson v. JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A., 2010
3
WL 1526394, at *6 (N.D. Cal. 2010) (dismissing conspiracy claim where the complaint
4
lacked factual allegations showing an agreement between defendants to defraud plaintiff).
5
The SAC lacks factual allegations showing that Gomez and any of the corporate entities
6
agreed to a common plan or design to defraud Plaintiff through misrepresentations or the
7
concealment of material facts. Instead, the SAC contains the conclusory assertion that
8
Gomez, Legent, and TradeRight "conspired with each other" to defraud Plaintiff by using
9
Plaintiff's assets for margin trading, and that "[e]ach of them had knowledge of this through
10
their work together in that endeavor and each provided substantial assistance to the other to
11
that end." SAC ¶¶ 52-53. The SAC also contains the conclusory assertion that Gomez and
12
AFC "work[ed] together" to defraud Plaintiff when they "failed to disclose the
13
untrustworthiness of Legent and TradeRight prior to the transfer of [her] account." Id. ¶ 54.
14
These conclusory assertions are insufficient to satisfy the pleading requirements under Rule
15
9(b).
16
As for Plaintiff's conspiracy to breach fiduciary duty claim, the allegations in the
17
SAC fail to satisfy the pleading standard under Rule 8. Plaintiff's claim for conspiracy to
18
breach a fiduciary duty is not supported by sufficient facts to infer that an agreement was
19
made to commit a tortious act. The SAC does not allege facts plausibly suggesting that
20
Gomez and any of the corporate entities agreed to a common plan or design to breach a
21
fiduciary duty owed to Plaintiff. Instead, the SAC contains conclusory assertions devoid of
22
further factual enhancement. For instance, the SAC asserts that Gomez, Legent, and
23
TradeRight "conspired with each other" to breach their fiduciary duty to Plaintiff through
24
their "work together" in using Plaintiff's assets for margin trading. SAC ¶¶ 69-70. The
25
SAC also asserts that Gomez and AFC "work[ed] together" to breach their fiduciary duty to
26
Plaintiff when they "failed to disclose the untrustworthiness of Legent and TradeRight prior
27
to the transfer of [her] account." Id. ¶ 71. These conclusory assertions are insufficient to
28
satisfy the pleading requirements under Rule 8. See Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949 ("A pleading
- 14 -
1
that offers 'labels and conclusions' or 'a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of
2
action will not do' "); see also Twombly, 550 U.S. at 557 (a complaint is insufficient if it
3
tenders "naked assertions" devoid of "further factual enhancement"). In short, because the
4
SAC lacks factual matter to plausibly suggest that an agreement was made to breach a
5
fiduciary duty owed to Plaintiff, it fails to state a claim for unlawful conspiracy to breach a
6
fiduciary duty. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555-556.
7
Accordingly, for the reasons stated above, Plaintiff's second and fourth claims for
8
conspiracy are DISMISSED. However, because it is not clear at this juncture that Plaintiff
9
cannot amend the SAC to state cognizable claims for conspiracy to commit fraud and
10
conspiracy to breach a fiduciary duty, these claims are dismissed with leave to amend.
11
12
3.
Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claim
To state a claim for breach of fiduciary duty, a plaintiff must allege facts showing:
13
(1) the existence of a fiduciary relationship; (2) a breach of that duty; and (3) resulting
14
damages. See Brown v. Cal. Pension Admin. & Consult. Inc., 45 Cal.App.4th 333, 347-
15
348 (1996). "[B]efore a person can be charged with a fiduciary obligation, he must either
16
knowingly undertake to act on behalf and for the benefit of another, or must enter into a
17
relationship which imposes that undertaking as a matter of law." City of Hope Nat. Med.
18
Ctr. v. Genentech, Inc., 43 Cal.4th 375, 386 (2008) (internal quotation marks omitted).
19
The SAC alleges that "Defendants" each owed an "extremely high fiduciary duty to
20
[Plaintiff] by virtue of their relationship to her, their total and complete discretion over her
21
finances, and their longstanding relationship of trust and confidence." SAC ¶ 59. The SAC
22
further alleges that "Defendants" owed a fiduciary duty to Plaintiff to "manage the assets in
23
her best interests, pursuant to her financial goals and the authorized level of risk." Id. ¶ 60.
24
According to Plaintiff, "Defendants" breached their fiduciary duty to her "by investing her
25
assets in speculative investment strategies that were contrary to the agreed-upon objectives
26
of [Plaintiff]. TradeRight, Legent, and Gomez used [her] assets to provide margin
27
collateral for trading strategies that were not intended to benefit [Plaintiff], which caused
28
her to suffer financial loss." Id. Furthermore, the SAC alleges that "Defendants" breached
- 15 -
1
their fiduciary duty to her "by employing an investment strategy that was not reasonably
2
intended to benefit [her], and caused her financial loss." Id. The SAC also alleges that
3
"Defendants" breached their fiduciary duty to Plaintiff by placing their interest ahead of
4
Plaintiff's for their own financial gain at her expense. Id. ¶ 61.
5
The Court finds that Plaintiff has sufficiently pled a cognizable breach of fiduciary
6
duty claim against Gomez. The SAC alleges that Gomez managed Plaintiff's investments
7
for over thirty years, including in parts of 2007 and 2008, and that she undertook a special
8
relationship of trust and confidence in managing Plaintiffs account, which provided her
9
with "full discretion" as to how the account was managed. SAC ¶¶ 3, 18. The SAC further
10
alleges that Gomez breached her fiduciary duty to Plaintiff by, among other things,
11
investing in speculative investment strategies that were contrary to Plaintiff's objectives and
12
by employing an investment strategy that was not reasonably intended to benefit Plaintiff,
13
and caused her financial loss. Id. ¶ 60. Accordingly, Gomez and AFC's motion to dismiss
14
the breach of fiduciary claim as to Gomez is DENIED.
15
Plaintiff, however, has failed to sufficiently plead a breach of fiduciary claim against
16
AFC. As set forth above, the allegations in support of this claim establish that it is
17
predicated on the investment of Plaintiff's assets in speculative investment strategies. See
18
SAC ¶ 60. However, the SAC does not specifically allege that AFC was involved in
19
investing Plaintiff's assets in speculative investment strategies. Indeed, the SAC alleges
20
that the investment in speculative investment strategies took place after AFC transferred
21
Plaintiff's account to Enterprise. The SAC alleges that "[s]oon after Gomez and AFC
22
transferred [Plaintiff's] account to Enterprise, Enterprise, TradeRight, Gomez and Legent
23
swept [her] account without her knowledge or consent into an omnibus account that
24
Defendants used as margin collateral to fund risky investments." Id. ¶ 19. Accordingly, the
25
breach of fiduciary claim as to AFC is DISMISSED. However, because it is not clear at
26
this juncture that Plaintiff cannot amend the SAC to state a cognizable claim for breach of
27
fiduciary duty against AFC, this claim is dismissed with leave to amend.
28
///
- 16 -
1
2
4.
Negligence Claim
"The elements of a cause of action for negligence are . . . (a) a legal duty to use due
3
care; (b) a breach of such legal duty; [and] (c) the breach as the proximate or legal cause of
4
the resulting injury." Ladd v. County of San Mateo, 12 Cal.4th 913, 917-918 (1996)
5
(internal quotation marks omitted). Here, like the FAC, the SAC sufficiently alleges a
6
claim of negligence against Gomez and AFC. Specifically, the SAC alleges that Gomez
7
and AFC owed her a duty to use reasonable care in managing her finances because Gomez
8
was her registered representative until at least September 2007, while AFC was her
9
financial advisor and broker of record until at least January of 2007. SAC ¶¶ 76-77.
10
Further, the SAC alleges that Defendants, including Gomez and AFC, breached that duty
11
by "acting irresponsibly, failing to perform due diligence, failing to supervise her portfolio
12
or those managing her portfolio, failing to inquire about the margin investing by Enterprise,
13
failing to make prudent investments and failing to inform [her]." Id. ¶ 78. As a result of
14
Defendant's conduct, Plaintiff alleges that she has suffered damages in excess of $600,000.
15
Id. ¶ 79.
16
To the extent Gomez and AFC move to dismiss Plaintiff's negligence claim on the
17
ground that it is time-barred, the Court rejects this argument, for the reasons discussed in its
18
Order dated December 13, 2010. The Court previously determined that this claim is not
19
time-barred and Gomez and AFC have not demonstrated that the Court's previous
20
determination is incorrect or that dismissal of this claim is appropriate based on the
21
allegations added to the SAC. Accordingly, Gomez and AFC's motion to dismiss Plaintiff's
22
negligence claim is DENIED.
23
5.
Violations of Securities Laws and California State Blue Sky
Laws
24
25
26
27
28
Plaintiff's sixth claim for relief alleges that "[t]he acts alleged herein are violations of
15 U.S.C. §§ 77q(a)(1)-(3) and 15 U.S.C. § 77l(a)(2) (provisions of the Securities Act of
1933), 15 U.S.C. § 78j(b) (the provision of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934), 17
C.F.R. § 240.10b-5, and California Corporate Code §§ 25216(a)-(b) (provisions of the
- 17 -
1
Corporate Securities Law of 1968)." SAC ¶ 81. Plaintiff further alleges that, "in
2
connection with the purchase or sale of any security," Defendants "employ[ed] a device
3
scheme, or artifice to defraud [Plaintiff] as alleged above by making untrue statements of a
4
material fact and by omitting material facts in light of the circumstances under which they
5
were made; . . . engage[d] in the acts, practices, and courses of business alleged above, all
6
of which consisted of a fraud or deceit upon Plaintiff." Id. ¶ 82.
7
In the Court's prior Order dismissing the FAC, the Court dismissed this claim on the
8
ground that Plaintiff failed to give the Defendants fair notice of what the claim is and the
9
grounds upon which it rests because Plaintiff failed to identify with particularity the
10
provisions of the Acts that Defendants are alleged to have violated, or how each Defendant
11
is alleged to have violated such provisions. See Dkt. 26. A review of the SAC reveals that
12
the allegations with respect to this claim are largely identical to allegations in the FAC,
13
except that Plaintiff has identified four statutes and one federal regulation that Defendants
14
have violated.5 While Plaintiff corrected the deficiency regarding her failure to identify
15
with particularity the provisions of the Acts that Defendants have violated, she failed to
16
allege sufficient facts establishing how each Defendant (e.g., Gomez, AFC) is alleged to
17
have violated the provisions of each of the Acts identified. Thus, Plaintiff has failed to give
18
the Defendants fair notice of what the claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.
19
Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555; see also Jones v. Community Redevelopment Agency of City of
20
Los Angeles, 733 F.2d 646, 649 (9th Cir. 1984) (a pleading must give fair notice of what
21
the claim is and state the elements of the claim plainly and succinctly)
22
Indeed, this claim does not comply with Rule 8(a)(2)'s "short and plain statement"
23
requirement as it lumps together multiple securities law violations against multiple
24
Defendants under one claim for relief and then relies on the same factual allegations in
25
support of the disparate claims. Further, the claim does not comply with the requirement of
26
Rule 8(d)(1) that each allegation in support of a claim be "simple, concise, and direct." The
27
5
28
Plaintiff also substituted the word "Defendants" with "Legent, TradeRight, Gomez,
and AFC" in two places. SAC ¶¶ 85-86.
- 18 -
1
allegations in support of this claim are confusing insofar as Plaintiff has not separately pled
2
her different theories for relief, i.e., separated her different claims for relief and stated the
3
elements of each claim plainly and succinctly. See O'Donnell v. Elgin, J. & E. Ry. Co., 338
4
U.S. 384, 392 (1949) ("Pleadings will serve the purpose of sharpening and limiting the
5
issues only if claims based on [one theory of recovery] are set forth separately from those
6
based on [another theory of recovery].").
7
To the extent Gomez and AFC contend that Plaintiff's sixth claim for relief fails as a
8
matter of law because there is "no claim that there was any purchase or sale of security,"
9
the Court finds that they have failed to establish dismissal is warranted on this ground.
10
Gomez and AFC did not cite any case law or provide legal analysis demonstrating that
11
dismissal is appropriate. Accordingly, because this argument is unsupported, it lacks merit.
12
See Indep. Towers of Wash., 350 F.3d at 929.
13
Similarly, to the extent Gomez and AFC contend that this entire claim should be
14
dismissed on the ground that it is not pled with particularity, the Court finds that they have
15
failed to demonstrate that dismissal is appropriate. Other than argument in a footnote,
16
Gomez and AFC's moving papers fail to cite any authority or provide legal analysis
17
demonstrating that dismissal of Plaintiff's entire sixth claim for relief is appropriate on this
18
ground. As such, this argument lacks merit because it is unsupported. See Indep. Towers
19
of Wash. v. Wash., 350 F.3d at 929. With respect to the argument in the footnote, which
20
seeks dismissal of Plaintiff's sixth claim for relief to the extent it is predicated on a
21
violation of Rule 10b-5, the Court rejects this argument. "A footnote is the wrong place for
22
substantive arguments on the merits of a motion, particularly where such arguments
23
provide independent bases for dismissing a claim not otherwise addressed in the motion."
24
First Advantage Background Servs. Corp. v. Private Eyes, Inc., 569 F.Supp.2d 929, 935 n.
25
1 (N.D. Cal. 2008) (rejecting argument made in a footnote). The Court is not only
26
concerned with the location of the argument but with the substance of the argument. The
27
argument is conclusory and fails to demonstrate that dismissal is appropriate under the
28
- 19 -
1
pleading standard governing Rule 10b-5 claims set forth in Zucco Partners, LLC v.
2
Digimarc Corp., 552 F.3d 981, 990-991 (9th Cir. 2009).
3
Accordingly, for the reasons stated above, this claim is DISMISSED. However,
4
because it is not clear at this juncture that Plaintiff cannot amend this claim to state a
5
cognizable claim for relief, this claim is dismissed with leave to amend. Any amended
6
pleading shall not combine multiple legal theories into a single claim for relief. To the
7
extent Plaintiff seeks relief under more than one securities-related statute, she must present
8
her different theories for relief under separate claims for relief. Plaintiff must also state
9
with particularity the circumstances constituting fraud. See Zucco, 552 F.3d at 990 (Rule
10
11
12
9(b) "has long been applied securities fraud complaints").
6.
Violation of Business and Professions Code § 17200 et seq.
Plaintiff's seventh claim alleges that "Defendants" unfair and unlawful conduct
13
violated California's Unfair Competition Law ("UCL"), Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200.
14
SAC ¶¶ 92-93. Specifically, the SAC alleges that "[t]he conduct of Defendants was
15
unlawful under the UCL, because it violated the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory
16
Authority 'FINRA' and the Patriot Act as well as 15 U.S.C. §§ 77q(a)(1)-(3) and 15 U.S.C.
17
§ 77l(a)(2) (provisions of the Securities Act of 1933), 15 U.S.C. § 78j(b) (provision of the
18
Securities and Exchange Act of 1934), 17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5, and California Corporate
19
Code §§ 25216(a)-(b) (provisions of the Corporate Securities Law of 1968)." Id. ¶ 93. The
20
SAC further alleges that "Defendants have engaged in the acts alleged above as a business
21
practice, including violations of the above statutes and regulations, and engag[ed] in a
22
pattern of unfair, deceitful and fraudulent practices as alleged above." Id.
23
The UCL makes actionable any "unlawful, unfair or fraudulent business act or
24
practice." Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200. "Each prong of the UCL is a separate and
25
distinct theory of liability." Birdsong v. Apple, Inc., 590 F.3d 955, 959 (9th Cir. 2009).
26
"[A]n action based on [the UCL] to redress an unlawful business practice 'borrows'
27
violations of other laws and treats these violations . . . as unlawful practices, independently
28
actionable under section 17200 et seq. and subject to the distinct remedies provided
- 20 -
1
thereunder." Farmers Ins. Exch. v. Super. Court, 2 Cal.4th 377, 383 (1992) (quotation
2
marks and citations omitted). A business practice that is not unlawful may nonetheless be
3
actionable as an "unfair" business practice. Korea Supply Co. v. Lockheed Martin Corp.,
4
29 Cal.4th 1134, 1143 (2003). An unfair business practice under the UCL is "one that
5
either offends an established public policy or is immoral, unethical, oppressive,
6
unscrupulous, or substantially injurious to consumers." McDonald v. Coldwell Banker, 543
7
F.3d 498, 506 (9th Cir. 2008).
8
Conduct is considered "fraudulent" under the UCL if the conduct is "likely to
9
deceive." Morgan v. AT & T Wireless Servs., Inc., 177 Cal.App.4th 1235, 1254 (2009). A
10
claim under this prong of the UCL is based on the reasonable consumer standard, which
11
requires the plaintiff to "show that members of the public are likely to be deceived."
12
Williams v. Gerber Prods. Co., 552 F.3d 934 (9th Cir. 2008) (internal quotation marks
13
omitted). Although a UCL claim need not plead the elements of common law fraudulent
14
deception, it must allege the existence of a duty to disclose, Berryman v. Merit Prop.
15
Mgmt., Inc., 152 Cal.App.4th 1544, 1557 (2007), as well as reliance, In re Tobacco II
16
Cases, 46 Cal.4th 298, 328 (2009). The fraudulent conduct must be alleged with
17
particularity under Rule 9(b). Kearns, 567 F.3d at 1125 (9th Cir. 2009). Rule 9(b) requires
18
the plaintiff to allege "the who, what, when, where, and how" of the alleged fraudulent
19
conduct, Cooper v. Pickett, 137 F.3d 616, 627 (9th Cir. 1997), and "set forth an explanation
20
as to why [a] statement or omission complained of was false and misleading," In re
21
GlenFed, Inc. Sec. Litig., 42 F.3d 1541, 1548 (9th Cir. 1994) (en banc).
22
The Court finds that the SAC fails to state a cognizable UCL claim. Plaintiff has not
23
alleged sufficient facts demonstrating that Gomez or AFC engaged in conduct that is
24
unlawful within the meaning of the UCL. The SAC does not allege facts establishing that
25
Gomez and AFC violated any of the laws upon which Plaintiff relies in support of her claim
26
under the unlawful prong of the UCL. Nor does the SAC allege sufficient facts to state a
27
claim under the unfair or fraudulent prongs of the UCL. The vague and conclusory
28
allegations in support of this claim are precisely the type of "unadorned, the-defendant- 21 -
1
unlawfully-harmed-me accusation" that the Supreme Court has held is impermissible. See
2
Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949. Indeed, Plaintiff's conclusory allegation that "Defendants" have
3
engaged in "a pattern of unfair, deceitful and fraudulent practices as alleged above" is not
4
sufficient to state an actionable claim under the pleading requirements of Rule 8, let alone
5
the pleading requirements of Rule 9(b) that apply to the fraudulent prong of the UCL. The
6
allegations do not give Gomez and AFC fair notice of the grounds upon which the claim
7
rests. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555.
8
9
Accordingly, Plaintiff's UCL claim is DISMISSED. However, because it is not clear
at this juncture that Plaintiff cannot amend the SAC to allege a cognizable claim under the
10
UCL, this claim is dismissed with leave to amend.
11
III.
CONCLUSION
12
For the reasons stated above, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:
13
1.
Defendants Ruthe Gomez and Advisory Financial Consultants, Inc.'s motion
14
to dismiss is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART. The motion is GRANTED
15
IN PART AND DENIED IN PART as to Plaintiff's first claim for fraud and third claim for
16
breach of fiduciary duty with leave to amend. The motion is GRANTED as to Plaintiff's
17
second claim for conspiracy to commit fraud, fourth claim for conspiracy to breach
18
fiduciary duty, sixth claim for violations of securities laws and California State Blue Sky
19
Laws, and seventh claim for violation of the UCL with leave to amend. The motion is
20
DENIED as to Plaintiff's fifth claim for negligence.
21
2.
Plaintiff shall have twenty-one (21) days from the date this Order is filed to
22
file a third amended complaint consistent with this Order. Plaintiff is advised that any
23
additional factual allegations set forth in her third amended complaint must be made in
24
good faith and consistent with Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The Court
25
warns Plaintiff that the failure to timely file a third amended complaint may result in the
26
dismissal of this action.
27
28
3.
A Case Management Conference is scheduled for February 20, 2013 at 3:30
p.m. Prior to the date scheduled for the conference, the parties shall meet and confer and
- 22 -
1
prepare a joint Case Management Conference Statement. Plaintiff is responsible for filing
2
the joint statement no less than seven (7) days prior to the conference date. The joint
3
statement shall comply with the Standing Order for All Judges of the Northern District of
4
California and the Standing Orders of this Court. Plaintiff is responsible for setting up the
5
conference call, and on the specified date and time, shall call (510) 637-3559 with all
6
parties on the line.
7
4.
8
IT IS SO ORDERED.
9
This Order terminates Docket 49.
Dated: 2/5/13
______________________________
SAUNDRA BROWN ARMSTRONG
United States District Judge
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
- 23 -
Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia.
Why Is My Information Online?