Zackiva Communications Corp. v. Horowitz

• Decision Date: 28 June 1993
• Docket Number: No. 92 Civ. 6149 (KC).,92 Civ. 6149 (KC).
• Parties: ZACKIVA COMMUNICATIONS CORP., Plaintiff, v. Corey M. HOROWITZ and Kenneth Horowitz, Defendants.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York

826 F. Supp. 86

ZACKIVA COMMUNICATIONS CORP., Plaintiff, v. Corey M. HOROWITZ and Kenneth Horowitz, Defendants.

No. 92 Civ. 6149 (KC).

United States District States, S.D. New York.

June 28, 1993.

Philip Frank, Fishbach Hertan & Reis, New York City, for plaintiff.

Thomas A. Holman, Marshall Beil, Lefrak Newman & Myerson, New York City; Nelson E. Roth, Barney Grossman Roth & Dubolo, Ithaca, NY, for defendants.

OPINION AND ORDER

CONBOY, District Judge:

Plaintiff Zackiva Communications Corporation ("Zackiva") brought this action against defendants Corey M. Horowitz ("Corey") and Kenneth Horowitz ("Kenneth") alleging three separate claims: breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent concealment, and constructive fraud. Upon this motion, the defendants have moved for summary judgment, or, in the alternative, for a dismissal of the complaint on various grounds. For the reasons set forth below, the defendants' motion is granted in part and denied in part.

Background

Plaintiff and defendant Kenneth Horowitz were two of nine minority shareholders of Cellular Systems, Inc. (CSI), owning approximately seventeen percent of the stock (hereinafter the "minority shareholders"). See Second Amended Complaint (hereinafter the "Complaint"), para. 7 (Defendants' "Notice of Motion," Exhibit C). The minority shareholders of CSI eventually sold one half of their collective seventeen percent interest in CSI for $150,000,000 to Metromedia Company ("Metromedia") on or about August 9, 1990 ("CSI transaction"). Plaintiff's 3(G) Statement, March 4, 1993, at para. 1 (attached to Affidavit of Kenneth Iscol).

According to the Complaint, during the negotiations leading up to the CSI transaction, the minority shareholders (including plaintiff and Kenneth Horowitz) entered into an agreement to share confidential information, discuss the value of CSI stock, implement a common negotiating strategy to sell the minority shareholders' CSI stock, preserve the minority shareholders' confidences in dealing with Metromedia, and not use the information obtained to improperly further personal interests with Metromedia. See Id. at paras. 16-17. The Complaint alleges that the agreement was "implied in law and fact," and that all nine minority shareholders and their respective financial advisors became part of the agreement. See Id. at para. 17.

According to the Complaint, Kenneth Horowitz introduced his cousin Corey Horowitz to the other minority shareholders as his financial advisor in the CSI transaction. See Id. at para. 21. The Complaint asserts that, thereafter, Corey Horowitz became financial advisor to other unidentified minority shareholders, and that in this capacity, Corey Horowitz attended meetings and had access to the confidential strategies and positions of plaintiff and the other minority shareholders in connection with the negotiations that led up to the CSI transaction. See Id. at paras. 23-26.

The Complaint alleges that while the minority shareholders were negotiating the CSI transaction with Metromedia, Kenneth Horowitz was negotiating with Metromedia with respect to compensation for Kenneth and Corey arising out of a different transaction (the "Ponderosa transaction"). See Id. at para. 28. It is this alleged "conflict of interest" which is the subject of the lawsuit. Plaintiff claims that the defendants had a duty to disclose fully and completely their alleged conflict of interest with Metromedia, that the defendants did not fulfill this duty, and that defendants used their confidential relationship with the minority shareholders, including the plaintiff, to exact a financial gain in their dealings with Metromedia on the Ponderosa transaction.

Plaintiff does not claim that it was damaged by the alleged wrongful conduct, but that the defendants' were unjustly enriched by the exploitation of the alleged confidential relationship between plaintiff and defendants. In this action, plaintiff seeks to disgorge the profit made by the defendants and claims that defendants' alleged wrongful conduct constitutes a breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent concealment, and constructive fraud.

Discussion

A. Sufficiency of Claim for Breach of Fiduciary Duty:

Defendants maintain that the plaintiff fails to state a claim for breach of fiduciary duty, because plaintiff does not allege that it suffered any damages as a result of defendants' alleged wrongful acts. We disagree. It is well established that to state a claim for breach of fiduciary duty, a plaintiff need not allege damages to itself. Diamond v. Oreamuno, 24 N.Y.2d 494, 301 N.Y.S.2d 78, 248 N.E.2d 910 (1969) ("... a corporate fiduciary, who is entrusted with potentially valuable information, may not appropriate that asset for his own use even though, in so doing, he causes no injury to the corporation." Id., 301 N.Y.S.2d at 81, 248 N.E.2d at 912). See also ABKCO Music, Inc. v. Harrisongs Music, Ltd., 722 F.2d 988 (2d Cir.1983) ("Appellant urges, in essence, that a finding of breach of fiduciary duty by an agent, to be actionable, must be found to have been the proximate cause of injury to the principal. We do not accept appellant's proffered causation standard. An action for breach of fiduciary duty is a prophylactic rule intended to remove all incentive to breach — not simply to compensate for damages in the event of a breach." Id. at 995). Accordingly, we reject defendants' argument that the claim for breach of fiduciary is deficient because it doesn't allege damages.

B. Sufficiency of Fraud Claims:

Defendants maintain that the plaintiff fails to state a claim for fraudulent concealment and constructive fraud because: (1) defendants' alleged failure to disclose Ponderosa was not a "material" omission; (2) there was no reliance on defendants' purported failure to disclose Ponderosa to plaintiff's detriment or injury; (3) plaintiff's reliance was neither reasonable nor justifiable; and (4) the non-disclosure did not cause plaintiff injury or loss.

The elements of a claim for fraudulent concealment under New York law are extremely similar to the elements of a claim for constructive fraud. The elements of a cause of action for fraudulent concealment are: (1) a relationship between the parties that creates a duty to disclose; (2) knowledge of the material facts by the party bound to make such disclosures; (3) non-disclosure; (4) scienter; (5) reliance; and (6) damage. DuPont v. Brady, 646 F.Supp. 1067, 1075 (S.D.N.Y.1986), rev'd on other grounds, 828 F.2d 75 (2d Cir.1987); Ally v. F.E.D. Concrete Company, et al., 1990 WL 1273, at 6 (S.D.N.Y.); Hale House Center, Inc. v. F.D.I.C., 788 F.Supp. 1309, 1314 (S.D.N.Y. 1992); Congress Financial Corp. v. John Morrell & Co., 790 F.Supp. 459, 472 (S.D.N.Y.1992); Aeropulse, Inc. v. Armstrong & Brooks, Ltd., 740 F.Supp. 938, 941 (E.D.N.Y.1990); Leasing Service Corp. v. Broetje, 545 F.Supp. 362, 366 (S.D.N.Y.1982).

The elements of a cause of action for constructive fraud are: (1) a representation is made; (2) the representation deals with a material fact; (3) the representation is false; (4) the representation is made with the intent to make the other party rely upon it; (5) reliance by the other party; (6) damage; (7) the parties are in a fiduciary or confidential relationship. Del Vecchio by Del Vecchio v. Nassau County, 118 A.D.2d 615, 499 N.Y.S.2d 765, 768 (1986); Northwestern Nat. Ins. Co. of Milwaukee, Wis. v. Alberts, 717 F.Supp. 148, 156 (S.D.N.Y.1989), citing Del Vecchio by Del Vecchio; Brown v. Lockwood, 76 A.D.2d 721, 432 N.Y.S.2d 186, 193-94 (1980).¹ Thus, both fraudulent concealment and constructive fraud require a showing of damages as a result of the fraudulent conduct.

In this case, the plaintiff does not allege damages. See Complaint; "Plaintiff's Memorandum in Opposition to Defendants' Motion to Dismiss or for Summary Judgment" ("Plaintiff's Memorandum"), March 4, 1993 ("Zackiva has not alleged any actual damages suffered by it...." Id. at 7). As damages are an essential element of a claim for fraudulent concealment and constructive fraud, the plaintiff has failed to state a claim for either cause of action.

Plaintiff maintains that an allegation of damage is unnecessary where a claim for fraud is made in the context of a fiduciary relationship. Plaintiff's Memorandum, at 32-33. We disagree. As mentioned above, a cause of action for constructive fraud requires both a showing of damages and of a fiduciary or confidential relationship. Del Vecchio by Del Vecchio v. Nassau County, 499 N.Y.S.2d at 768. Clearly, the existence of a fiduciary relationship, a necessary element of the cause of action, does not negate the necessity of the damage element as part of a constructive fraud claim.

Nor does the Court agree with plaintiff's position that a claim of fraudulent concealment need not allege damages when made in the context of a fiduciary relationship. The greater weight of authority holds that damages are a required element of a claim of fraudulent concealment even where the claim is made in the context of a fiduciary relationship. See DuPont v. Brady, 646 F.Supp. 1067, 1075; Ally v. F.E.D. Concrete, 1990 WL 1273, at 6; Aeropulse, Inc. v. Armstrong & Brooks, Ltd., 740 F.Supp. 938, 941.²

Having failed to allege damages to itself, the plaintiff has failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted for either fraudulent concealment or constructive fraud. Accordingly, the Court will not address defendants' other arguments with respect to the deficiency of the fraud claims, and we dismiss the complaint as to the claims for fraudulent concealment and constructive fraud.

C. General Release of Kenneth Horowitz:

Defendants maintain that summary judgment should be granted in favor of Kenneth Horowitz on the ground that the general release signed by plaintiff unambiguously releases all the minority shareholders, including Kenneth Horowitz, from all claims asserted in this action. See Defendants' "Notice of Motion", Exhibit O....