FAT Brands Inc. v. Ramjeet et al., No. 21-2023 (2d Cir. 2023)
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Plaintiff-Appellant FAT Brands Inc. alleged that Defendants engaged in a conspiracy to defraud Plaintiff by misleading it as to the source and certainty of deal funding. On appeal, FAT Brands Inc. argues that the district court (Furman, J.) erred by dismissing claims against Defendants-Appellees Kristina Fields and Mickey Edison for lack of personal jurisdiction pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2); claims against Defendants-Appellees SJ Global Investments Worldwide, Ltd., SJ Global Investments, Ltd., Peter Samuel, and Neil Walsh for failure to state a claim pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6); and separate claims against Defendant-Appellee Wesley Ramjeet for failure to state a claim.
The Second Circuit vacated in part and affirmed in part the district court’s decision and remanded. The court held that FAT Brands plausibly alleged a conspiracy in which both Fields and Edison joined and participated. As such, the court turned to the three additional requirements to establish personal jurisdiction over a co-conspirator under New York law (awareness, benefit, and direction or control). The court held that all three are satisfied. Accordingly, the court vacated the district court’s order dismissing Count IV against Fields and Edison.
Further, the court wrote that because FAT Brands adequately alleged that the SJ Global Defendants conspired with the PPMT Defendants to commit the fraud, it states a claim against the SJ Global Defendants for the primary fraud tort as well. Accordingly, the court vacated the district court’s order dismissing Count IV against the remaining SJ Global Defendants.
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