Russell Road Food and Beverage, LLC v. Galam et al
Filing
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ORDER that 84 Motion to Dismiss is DENIED. FURTHER ORDERED that 70 Motion to Dismiss is DENIED as moot. Signed by Judge James C. Mahan on 2/7/14. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF - MMM)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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RUSSELL ROAD FOOD AND
BEVERAGE, LLC,
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2:13-CV-776 JCM (NJK)
Plaintiff(s),
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v.
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MIKE GALAM, et al.,
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Defendant(s).
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ORDER
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Presently before the court is plaintiff Russell Road Food and Beverage, LLC’s motion to
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dismiss. (Doc. # 84). Defendants filed a response in opposition (doc. # 94), and defendant filed a
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reply (doc. # 100).
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Also before the court is plaintiff’s prior motion to dismiss. (Doc. # 70). After this motion was
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filed, defendants amended their counterclaims to correct for the alleged deficiencies (Doc. # 79), and
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thus this motion will be denied as moot.
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I.
Background
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The instant case involves two Las Vegas strip clubs, each asserting claims against the other
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under U.S. trademark law based on the use of the term “crazy horse.” Plaintiff Russell Road Food
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and Beverage, LLC has owned and operated the Crazy Horse III since September 2009. Defendants
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claim to be the rightful owners of the trademark “Crazy Horse Too.”
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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The Crazy Horse Too opened in Las Vegas in 1984, and was initially owned and operated
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by Rick Rizzolo and The Power Company, Inc. In 2007, due to a violation of a plea agreement, all
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of the assets of the Crazy Horse Too were seized by the United States federal government. On July
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11, 2011, the U.S. Trustee sold the Crazy Horse Too assets to defendant Canico Capital Group, LLC.
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The instant motion requests dismissal of defendants’ counterclaim for trademark dilution.
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Plaintiff argues that defendants have failed to plead specific facts that are necessary for such a claim,
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and assert that the counterclaim should therefore be dismissed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil
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Procedure 12(b)(6).
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II.
Legal standard
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A court may dismiss a plaintiff’s complaint for “failure to state a claim upon which relief can
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be granted.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). A properly pled complaint must provide “[a] short and plain
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statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2); Bell
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Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007). While Rule 8 does not require detailed factual
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allegations, it demands “more than labels and conclusions” or a “formulaic recitation of the elements
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of a cause of action.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009) (citation omitted).
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“Factual allegations must be enough to rise above the speculative level.” Twombly, 550 U.S.
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at 555. Thus, to survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter to
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“state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949 (citation omitted).
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In Iqbal, the Supreme Court clarified the two-step approach district courts are to apply when
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considering motions to dismiss. First, the court must accept as true all well-pled factual allegations
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in the complaint; however, legal conclusions are not entitled to the assumption of truth. Id. at 1950.
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Mere recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported only by conclusory statements, do not
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suffice. Id. at 1949.
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Second, the court must consider whether the factual allegations in the complaint allege a
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plausible claim for relief. Id. at 1950. A claim is facially plausible when the plaintiff’s complaint
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alleges facts that allows the court to draw a reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the
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alleged misconduct. Id. at 1949.
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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Where the complaint does not permit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of
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misconduct, the complaint has “alleged – but not shown – that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Id.
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(internal quotations omitted). When the allegations in a complaint have not crossed the line from
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conceivable to plausible, plaintiff's claim must be dismissed. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570.
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The Ninth Circuit addressed post-Iqbal pleading standards in Starr v. Baca, 652 F.3d 1202,
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1216 (9th Cir. 2011). The Starr court stated, “First, to be entitled to the presumption of truth,
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allegations in a complaint or counterclaim may not simply recite the elements of a cause of action,
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but must contain sufficient allegations of underlying facts to give fair notice and to enable the
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opposing party to defend itself effectively. Second, the factual allegations that are taken as true must
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plausibly suggest an entitlement to relief, such that it is not unfair to require the opposing party to
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be subjected to the expense of discovery and continued litigation.” Id.
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II.
Analysis
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The requirements for a claim of trademark dilution by tarnishment are laid out in 15 U.S.C.
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§ 1125(c)(1). This provision states that “the owner of a famous mark that is distinctive, inherently
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or through acquired distinctiveness, shall be entitled to an injunction against another person who,
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at any time after the owner’s mark has become famous, commences use of a mark or trade name in
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commerce that is likely to cause dilution by blurring or dilution by tarnishment of the famous mark,
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regardless of the presence or absence of actual or likely confusion, of competition, or of actual
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economic injury.”
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In order to state a sufficient claim under this provision, a party must allege that “(1) the mark
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is famous; (2) the defendant is making a commercial use of the mark in commerce; (3) the
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defendant's use began after the mark became famous; and (4) the defendant's use of the mark dilutes
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the quality of the mark by diminishing the capacity of the mark to identify and distinguish goods and
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services.” Levi Strauss & Co. v. Abercrombie & Fitch Trading Co., 633 F.3d 1158, 1164 n.4 (9th
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Cir. 2011).
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...
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...
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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In this case, plaintiff argues that defendants’ counterclaim is insufficient because defendants
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fail to allege that the plaintiff’s use of the Crazy Horse III marks will tarnish their own marks.
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However, in the counterclaim, defendants specifically state that because of the confusing similarity
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between Crazy Horse III and Crazy Horse Too, defendants have and will continue to suffer damages
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through the increased difficulty in distinguishing their own goods and services from those of
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plaintiff. (Doc. # 94 p. 4:10-16). Defendants also state that their own club has fame and popularity
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that have come from being featured in movies and past visits by various celebrities.
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These statements make clear that defendants believe that their goods and services are
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particularly distinctive, and their marks are weakened and tarnished by plaintiff, whose strip club
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lacks a similarly famous history, using a similar name. Therefore, the court finds that defendants
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have sufficiently alleged a claim for trademark dilution by tarnishment and will deny plaintiff’s
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motion to dismiss.
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Accordingly,
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IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that plaintiff’s motion to
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dismiss (doc. # 84) be, and the same hereby is, DENIED.
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IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that plaintiff’s motion to dismiss (doc. # 70) is DENIED as
moot.
DATED February 7, 2014.
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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