Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Plaintiff,
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS,
Defendant.
___________________________________/
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Page(s)
CASES
Alires v. McGehee,
85 P.3d 1191 (Kan. 2004) ........................................................................................................17
Ashcroft v. Iqbal,
129 S. Ct. 1937 (2009)...................................................................................2, 3, 12, 13, 15, 23
Bilodeau v. Vlack,
No. 07-1178, 2009 WL 1505571 (D. Conn. May 20, 2009)..................................................6, 7
Elgar v. Elgar,
679 A.2d 937 (Conn. 1996) .....................................................................................................16
Field v. Mans,
516 U.S. 59 (1995).............................................................................................................18, 22
Gallon v. Burns,
101 A. 504 (Conn. 1917) ...................................................................................................17, 21
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Graff v. Beard,
858 S.W.2d 918 (Tex. 1993)......................................................................................................9
Grymes v. Sanders,
93 U.S. 55, 62 (1876)...............................................................................................................24
Hicks v. Soroka,
55 Del. 424 (Del. Super. Ct. 1963) ..........................................................................................21
Houser v. Smith,
968 S.W.2d 542 (Tex. App.—Austin 1998, no pet.) .................................................................9
In re Mercer,
246 F.3d 391, 418 (5th Cir. 2001) ...........................................................................................20
Jaiguay v. Vasquez,
948 A.2d 955 (Conn. 2008) .......................................................................................................9
Judd v. Walker,
114 S.W. 979 (Mo. 1908) ..................................................................................................19, 20
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McLean v. Clapp,
141 U.S. 429 (1891).................................................................................................................24
Phillips v. Scott,
446 F. Supp. 2d 70 (D. Conn 2006)...........................................................................................6
S.V. v. R.V.,
933 S.W.2d 1, 4 (Tex.1996).......................................................................................................8
Tips v. Barneburg,
276 S.W. 932 (Tex. Civ. App. 1925) .......................................................................................19
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Waggoner v. Zundelowitz,
231 S.W. 721 (Tex. Comm'n App. 1921) ................................................................................24
STATUTES
RULES
OTHER AUTHORITIES
5 Charles Alan Wright & Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice & Procedure § 1226 (3d ed.
2004) ..........................................................................................................................................3
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12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and D. Conn. Local Rule 7, to dismiss Plaintiff
John Doe No. 1's ("Plaintiff") Complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be
granted.
I. PRELIMINARY STATEMENT
Plaintiff asserts a negligence claim against the Knights for alleged sexual abuse of a
minor over 24 years ago in Texas by a Knights volunteer youth leader and seeks a declaratory
judgment that the Settlement Agreement and Full Release ("Release") he signed in 2009 agreeing
to release the Knights from any claims related to the alleged sexual abuse was procured by fraud.
The Complaint should be dismissed because (1) the claims are barred by the statute of
limitations, (2) Plaintiff has failed to properly plead foreseeability as required to maintain a
negligence cause of action; (3) the pleaded facts show as a matter of law that Plaintiff was not
justified in relying on the alleged misrepresentation when he signed the Release; and (4) the
pleaded facts show as a matter of law that Plaintiff ratified the Release.
II. BACKGROUND
The Knights is a fraternal benefit society, organized under the laws of Connecticut,
founded on the principles of charity, unity and fraternity. See Complaint ¶ 7. Social and
intellectual fellowship is promoted among members and their families through educational,
charitable, religious, social welfare, war relief, and public relief works. Membership in the
Knights is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practicing Catholics and are committed
to supporting the Catholic Church and making their community a better place. See id. ¶ 8. Since
its founding in New Haven, Connecticut in 1882, the Knights has grown from several members
Case 3:10-cv-01960-CSH Document 18 Filed 03/14/11 Page 10 of 34
in one council to more than 14,000 councils and 1.8 million members throughout the United
The Columbian Squires program, which was founded in 1925, is the official youth
program of the Knights. Id. ¶ 10. The Columbian Squires program strives to promote the
spiritual, cultural, civic, social and physical improvement of its members, and the development
Plaintiff was born in 1968 and joined the Columbian Squires in Brownsville, Texas, in
approximately 1978. Id. ¶¶ 11-12. Plaintiff left the Columbian Squires in 1986 when he turned
18. In December 2009, when Plaintiff was 41 years old, Plaintiff first told Knights' officials that
he had been sexually abused by Julian Rivera, a Columbian Squires leader, over 23 years earlier.
Id. ¶ 23. In response to Plaintiff's request, the Knights agreed to pay for Plaintiff's choice of
treatment for chemical addiction, and Plaintiff signed a Settlement Agreement and Full Release
releasing the Knights from all liability related to Rivera or the Columbian Squires on December
23, 2009. Id. ¶ 24 & Exhibit A. On December 14, 2010, Plaintiff filed this lawsuit against the
Knights alleging negligence related to the alleged abuse against Plaintiff when he was a member
III. ARGUMENT
To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, a claim's factual allegations must raise "a right to
relief above the speculative level on the assumption that all allegations in the complaint are
true[.]" Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007). In support of his claims, a
plaintiff must plead "enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Id. at
570. "The plausibility standard is not akin to a 'probability requirement,' but it asks for more
than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully." Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S. Ct.
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1937, 1949 (2009). A claim is plausible when the factual allegations permit a court to draw the
"reasonable inference" that the defendant is liable for the alleged misconduct; alleging facts that
Rule 8(a)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires that a complaint contain "a
short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Prior to
Twombly, claims were subject to dismissal only where a plaintiff could prove "no set of facts"
that would entitle the plaintiff to relief. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 561 (quotations omitted).
Twombly dispensed with the "no set of facts" standard and instead held that plaintiffs are
required to plead sufficient facts to "give the defendant fair notice of what the … claim is and the
grounds upon which it rests." Id. at 555. Rule 8 "does not unlock the doors of discovery for a
plaintiff armed with nothing more than conclusions." Iqbal, 129 S. Ct. at 1950.
that, because they are no more than conclusions, are not entitled to the assumptions of truth."
Iqbal, 129 S. Ct. at 1950. After identifying the well pled factual allegations, "a court should
assume their veracity and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement to
relief." Id. That determination is a "context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to
draw on its judicial experience and common-sense." Id. "[W]here the well-pleaded facts do not
permit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of misconduct, the complaint has
alleged—but it has not 'shown'—that the pleader is entitled to relief." Id. (quoting Rule 8(a)(23))
(alteration omitted).
12(b)(6) motion if the defense appears on the face of the complaint." Staehr v. Hartford Fin.
Services Group, Inc., 547 F.3d 406, 425-26 (2d Cir. 2008); see also 5 Charles Alan Wright &
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Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice & Procedure § 1226 (3d ed. 2004) (“[T]he current trend in the
cases is to allow [the statute of limitations defense] to be raised by a motion to dismiss under
Rule 12(b)(6) when the defect appears on the face of the complaint.”). Timeliness is “material
Plaintiff's negligence and declaratory relief claims against the Knights fall far short of the
mark.
The alleged abuse in this case took place entirely between 1978 and 1986 in Texas and
other locations throughout the United States. Complaint ¶¶ 6, 17. Plaintiff was born in 1968 and
therefore reached the age of majority – the relevant date for when a cause of action accrues in
Texas – in 1986. Id. ¶ 11. Because the place of the injury and the forum with the most
significant contacts in this case is Texas, and because there is no allegation that any of the abuse
occurred in Connecticut, this court should apply both the substantive and procedural law of
Texas and dismiss this claim as time barred under the applicable statute of limitations.
"A federal court sitting in diversity applies the choice of law rules of the forum state."
Maryland Casualty Co. v. Continental Casualty Co., 332 F.3d 145, 151 (2d Cir. 2003). In
Connecticut, the traditional choice of law rule for a court sitting in diversity in a negligence case
is to apply the doctrine of lex loci delecti; in other words, "[t]he Connecticut Supreme Court has
held that the nature and extent of tort liability is governed by the place of injury." McAward v.
Kett, Inc., No. 3:10-496, 2010 WL 4876155, at *2 (D. Conn. Nov. 22, 2010) (internal quotation
omitted). Connecticut courts have, however, strayed from the traditional rule of lex loci delicti
when its application would frustrate the legitimate expectations of the parties and undermine an
important policy of Connecticut. Id. In such cases, "[t]he evaluation of which law should apply
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should be guided by the factors of the 'most significant relationship test' listed in the Restatement
(Second) § 145"; specifically, those factors are: (a) the place where the injury occurred; (b) the
place where the conduct causing the injury occurred; (c) the residence, place of incorporation
and place of business of the parties; and (d) the place where the relationship, if any, between the
parties is centered. Id. (citing Svege v. Mercedes Benz Credit Corp., 182 F.Supp.2d 226, 229 (D.
Conn. 2002)).
Applying the Restatement analysis, the Connecticut Supreme Court has held that "[w]hen
the injury occurred in a single, clearly ascertainable state and when the conduct which caused the
injury also occurred there, that state will usually be the state of the applicable law." Williams v.
State Farm Mutual Auto. Ins. Co., 229 Conn. 359, 372 (1994) (quoting Comment e to
Restatement § 145).
In this case, at the time of the alleged abuse, Doe and Rivera were both residents of Texas
and the Columbian Squires unit to which they both belonged was located in Texas. Complaint ¶
7. Although the Complaint alleges that abuse occurred in Texas and throughout the United
States, there are no specific allegations of any abuse that occurred outside of Texas, nor does he
alleged that any of the abuse occurred in Connecticut. See Complaint ¶ 17. Indeed, what is
apparent from the Complaint is that Connecticut's only connection to this case is that it is the
place of incorporation and home office of the Knights. See MM Global Services, Inc. v. Dow
Chem. Co., 283 F. Supp. 2d 689, 704 (D. Conn. 2003) (finding that the mere fact that a
law). Accordingly, under either the doctrine of lex loci delicti or the Restatement's "most
significant relationship test," the substantive law of Texas should apply to this action.
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Unlike the traditional rule of lex loci delicti or the Restatement's "most significant
relationship" test which determine the substantive law to be applied to a case, "[t]raditionally in
Connecticut, the law of the forum state governs on matters of procedure." Bilodeau v. Vlack, No.
07-1178, 2009 WL 1505571, at *3 (D. Conn. May 20, 2009) (internal citation omitted). "Under
Connecticut’s choice of law rules, if the underlying claim existed at common law, the statute of
limitations is considered procedural." Stuart & Sons, L.P. v. Curtis Publ. Co., Inc., 456 F. Supp.
2d 336, 343 (D. Conn. 2006). As negligence is a cause of action found at common law,
Connecticut courts will generally apply Connecticut procedure (which includes Connecticut's
statute of limitations) to such claims. See Bilodeau, 2009 WL 1505571 at *3. Connecticut
courts have, however, deviated from this rule and applied the statutes of limitations of other
forums. See Phillips v. Scott, 446 F. Supp. 2d 70 (D. Conn 2006) (rejecting the traditional rule
and applying the Restatement analysis to find that California, not Connecticut's, statute of
limitations applied); Benefit Concepts N.Y., Inc. v. New England Life Ins. Co., No. 3:03-1456,
2004 WL 1737452 (D. Conn. July 30, 2004) (applying New York statute of limitations to, inter
alia, negligence claims where the alleged injuries and the cause of the injuries mostly took place
in New York).
The court in Phillips noted that, although the traditional rule in Connecticut is that a
statute of limitations is procedural, "this . . . is not the end of the inquiry." Phillips, 446 F. Supp.
2d at 83 n.25. The Philips court cited Comment e of the notes to § 122 of the Restatement
(Second) of Conflicts of Laws which provides that "the 'emerging trend' is for courts to 'select
the state whose law will be applied to the issue of limitations by a process essentially similar to
that used in the case of other issues of choice of law.'" Id. The court added that "Connecticut
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courts have turned to § 142 of the Restatement (Second) of Conflicts of Laws which outlines a
test similar to the most significant relationship test addressed above." Id. (citing Advest Inc. v.
Wachtel, 235 Conn. 559, 668 (1995)). According to the Restatement (Second) of Conflict of
Laws § 142:
1. The forum will apply its own statute of limitations barring the claim.
2. The forum will apply its own statute of limitations permitting the claim unless:
a. maintenance of the claim would serve no substantial interest in the forum; and
b. the claim would be barred under the statute of limitations of a state having a
more significant relationship to the parties and the occurrence. (Emphasis added)
Further, the Advest court stated that if, as here, "a state has no constitutional or statutory
directive as to its choice of law, the forum court should consider the following factors: '(a) the
needs of the interstate and international systems, (b) the relevant policies of the forum, (c) the
relevant policies of other interested states and the relative interests of those states in the
determination of the particular issue, (d) the protection of justified expectations, (e) the basic
policies underlying the particular field of law, (f) certainty, predictability and uniformity of
result, and (g) ease in the determination and application of the law being applied.'" Advest, 235
If ever there was a case to depart from the traditional rule and apply the Restatement, this
is it. Here, Doe, Rivera, and the Columbian Squires unit to which they belonged have no
connection to Connecticut and none of the alleged abuse took place in Connecticut. Indeed, in
Bilodeau v. Vlack, No. 07-1178, 2009 WL 1505571, at *3 (D. Conn. May 20, 2009), a case
involving similar issues, Judge Hall supports her decision to apply Connecticut's statute of
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limitations by noting, more than once, that at least some of the alleged abuse occurred in
For public policy reasons, this Court should not permit cases with no nexus to
the court has personal jurisdiction over the defendant based on their being incorporated and
located in Connecticut. See Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-577d. Indeed, if this Court does apply § 52-
577d, any national organization subject to personal jurisdiction in Connecticut could find itself
defending decades old allegations in the Connecticut courts for alleged abuse which occurred
wholly in foreign jurisdictions. Such a scenario could lead to countless new lawsuits being filed
in Connecticut simply because they were not timely in the forum in which the abuse occurred.
Accordingly, because Texas is the forum with the most significant contacts in this case, indeed,
the forum with the only significant contacts, this Court should apply the Restatement and Texas'
statute of limitations.
In Texas, the statute of limitations for negligence claims is "two years from the date of
the accrual of the claim." See e.g. Doe v. St. Stephen's Episcopal Sch., 382 F. App'x. 386, n.3
(5th Cir. 2010) (citing Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem.Code § 16.003). A cause of action accrues "when
a wrongful act causes some legal injury, even if the fact of injury is not discovered until later,
and even if all resulting damages have not yet occurred." S.V. v. R.V., 933 S.W.2d 1, 4
(Tex.1996). However, "when the victim is a child, the statute of limitations is tolled until the
child turns eighteen." Doe v. St. Stephen's Episcopal Sch., 382 F. App'x. at 388 (citing Tex. Civ.
Doe was born in 1968 (Complaint ¶ 11) and therefore turned eighteen in 1986. Unless an
exception to the statute of limitations applies to toll the running of the statute of limitations,
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Doe's cause of action was barred, at the latest, by 1988. Doe has not alleged any facts that
support tolling Texas' statute of limitations. As such, this case should be dismissed with
prejudice for failure to plead a cause of action for which relief may be granted.
Plaintiff's negligence claim against the Knights is premised on the Knights' alleged
negligence in failing to protect him from the alleged abuse of Rivera. This claim must be
dismissed, however, because the Complaint fails to allege any facts that would support a finding
that the injuries to Plaintiff were foreseeable to the Knights. The elements of a negligence cause
of action are a duty, a breach of that duty, and damages proximately caused by the breach of
duty.1 Greater Houston Transp. Co. v. Phillips, 801 S.W.2d 523, 525 (Tex. 1990); Doe v. Boys
Club of Greater Dallas, Inc., 907 S.W.2d 472, 477 (Tex. 1995). To establish a negligence claim
against the Knights, Plaintiff must plead that (1) the Knights owed a legal duty to Plaintiff to
protect him from Rivera's actions, and (2) Plaintiff sustained damages proximately caused by
breach of that duty. See Houser v. Smith, 968 S.W.2d 542, 544 (Tex. App.—Austin 1998, no
pet.).
Duty is the threshold inquiry in all negligence cases and is a question of law for the court
to decide from the facts surrounding the occurrence in question. See Graff v. Beard, 858 S.W.2d
918, 919 (Tex. 1993); Phillips, 801 S.W.2d at 525. In determining whether the particular
defendant has a duty, a court should consider several factors, including the risk involved, the
foreseeability of the risk, and the likelihood of injury. Phillips, 801 S.W.2d at 525. Of these
factors, foreseeability is the foremost and dominant consideration. See El Chico Corp. v. Poole,
1
Texas law also applies to Plaintiff's negligence claim because the alleged sexual abuse underlying the
cause of action occurred in Texas and Connecticut courts apply the "most significant relationship" test to tort claims.
See Jaiguay v. Vasquez, 948 A.2d 955, 972-74 (Conn. 2008).
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732 S.W.2d 306, 311 (Tex. 1987). Foreseeability "requires that a person of ordinary intelligence
should have anticipated the danger created by a negligent act or omission." Doe v. Boys Club of
Greater Dallas, Inc., 907 S.W.2d 472, 478 (Tex. 1995). Foreseeability "requires more than
someone, viewing the facts in retrospect, theorizing an extraordinary sequence of events whereby
analysis. Mellon Mortgage Co. v. Holder, 5 S.W.3d 654, 655 (Tex. 1999); Doe, 907 S.W.2d at
478. In fact, "the 'foreseeability analysis' is the same for both duty and proximate cause." Id.
(holding that it is proper for court to rely on a single discussion of foreseeability to establish both
Texas courts have consistently rejected cases against organizations regarding the alleged
sexual abuse of minors by an employee or volunteer when there was nothing in the record to
indicate that the organization had a specific reason to know that its employee or volunteer was
likely to commit the alleged abuse. See Doe v. Boys Club of Greater Dallas, Inc., 907 S.W.2d
472, 477 (Tex. 1995) (holding that plaintiff failed to produce evidence that alleged abuse by a
volunteer was foreseeable to the Boys Club at the time the abuse occurred because an
investigation into the volunteer's background "would not have caused the club reasonably to
anticipate his subsequent sexual assaults on the minor plaintiffs"); Doe v. Catholic Soc. of
Religious and Literary Educ., No. 09-1059, 2010 WL 345926, at *10 (S.D. Tex. Jan. 22, 2010)
(granting summary judgment because there was "no evidence in the record that Strake Jesuit had
actual knowledge that Beeler was a risk to students"); Williams v. United Pentecostal Church
Intern., 115 S.W.3d 612, 616 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2003, no pet.) (upholding summary
judgment because "it is undisputed that [defendant] had no information from which it should
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have known of an unreasonable risk that Jonathan Hart would sexually abuse appellants."); Frith
v. Fairview Baptist Church, No. 05-01-01605, 2002 WL 1565664, at *5 (Tex. App.—Dallas July
17, 2002, pet. denied) (holding that employee's convictions for burglary, possession of controlled
evading arrest did not make his sexual assault of child foreseeable).
While these cases were dismissed at the summary judgment stage, dismissal is
appropriate in this case on this 12(b)(6) motion because Plaintiff has failed to make any factual
allegations in his Complaint that Rivera had a propensity to commit the alleged abuse against
Plaintiff or that the Knights had a reason to know that Rivera was likely to commit the abuse.
See Tomdra Invests., L.L.C. v. CoStar Realty Information, Inc., 735 F. Supp. 2d 528, 534 (N.D.
Tex. 2010) (dismissing case on 12(b)(6) motion because the plaintiff "failed to plead facts
demonstrating that the alleged injury to [the plaintiff] was reasonably foreseeable."); In re Parcel
Tanker Shipping Servs. Antitrust Litig., 541 F. Supp. 2d 487, 491-92 (D. Conn. 2008)
(dismissing case on 12(b)(6) motion because "the complaint never alleges specific facts" that
support the plaintiffs' claims). As this Court has made clear, "[a] plaintiff is obliged to amplify a
claim with some factual allegations to allow the court to draw the reasonable inference that the
defendant is liable for the alleged conduct." Franke v. Global Credit and Collection Corp., No.
Here, Plaintiff has completely failed to plead foreseeability as required to support its
negligence claim against the Knights. In lieu of well-pled factual allegations, the Complaint
relies extensively on conclusory recitations of the legal elements of the claim. The only
allegations in the Complaint that address the foreseeability requirement of negligence are entirely
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conclusory and devoid of any factual support. Specifically, the Complaint states the following
conclusory allegations:
For many years preceding the sexual abuse of JOHN, the KNIGHTS OF
COLUMBUS was aware that adult leaders used the COLUMBIAN SQUIRES to
gain access to boys for purposes of pedophilia. In this regard, the KNIGHTS OF
COLUMBUS became familiar with the specific characteristics, patterns of
behavior and "red flags" that suggested an adult leader had a sexual interest in
boys. Despite this knowledge, the KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS allowed and
enabled such persons who posed a grave risk of sexual abuse to boys, including
RIVERA, to serve as adult leaders of COLUMBIAN SQUIRES.
Complaint ¶¶ 21-22. The Complaint simply provides no facts to support these statements.
Simply alleging that a defendant "has knowledge," without factual support, is insufficient to
meet the Twombly standard. These types of conclusory allegations cannot withstand a motion to
dismiss for failure to state a claim. See Twombly, 550 U.S. 544.
against officials entitled to assert the defense of qualified immunity." 129 S. Ct. 1937, 1947
(2009). The Supreme Court first noted the elements of this claim, and then determined that the
plaintiff must plead "sufficient factual matter to show that petitioners adopted and implemented
the detention policies at issue not for a neutral, investigative reason but for the purposes of
discriminating on account of race, religion, or national origin." Id. at 1948-49. The respondent
pled that the petitioners "knew of, condoned, and willfully and maliciously agreed to subject
[him]' to harsh conditions of confinement 'as a matter of policy, solely on account of [his]
religion, race, and/or national origin and for no legitimate penological interest." Id. at 1951
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These bare assertions, much like the pleading of conspiracy in Twombly, amount
to nothing more than a 'formulaic recitation of the elements' of a constitutional
discrimination claim…. As such, the allegations are conclusory and not entitled
to be assumed true. To be clear, we do not reject these bald allegations on the
ground that they are unrealistic or nonsensical. . . . It is the conclusory nature of
respondent's allegations, rather than their extravagantly fanciful nature, that
disentitles them to the presumption of truth.
Id.
Similarly, in this case, Plaintiff has simply alleged that the Knights "became familiar
with" and had "knowledge" of characteristics and behavior that posed a risk of sexual abuse.
These conclusory allegations, however, are simply a recitation of the element of foreseeability
and are "naked assertions devoid of further factual enhancement." See id. at 1949. Plaintiff
utterly fails to support these conclusory allegations with any facts as to how the alleged abuse to
Plaintiff by Rivera was foreseeable to the Knights. Indeed, the only factual allegation regarding
the Knights' knowledge included in Plaintiff's Complaint is Plaintiff's assertion that he did not
make the Knights aware of any alleged abuse until December 2009, over 23 years after the
alleged abuse. Plaintiff simply provides no factual support that the Knights knew or should have
known at the time of the alleged abuse that Rivera posed a risk of harm to Plaintiff.
and 'red flags,'" the Complaint does not give any factual support as to what these 'red flags' were
and how they applied to Rivera and Plaintiff at the time of the abuse. See In re Parcel Tanker
Shipping Servs. Antitrust Litig., 541 F. Supp. 2d 487, 491-92 (D. Conn. 2008) (dismissing case
because "[a]lthough the complaint repeatedly refers to these alleged 'clandestine meetings'
among certain defendants, it states no specific examples of the defendants' conduct in the
knowledge that "adult leaders used the COLUMBIAN SQUIRES to gain access to boys for
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purposes of pedophilia." See Complaint ¶ 21. Other than Rivera, however, Plaintiff does not
identify any other "adult leaders" nor does he allege how the Knights knew that Rivera or anyone
else was using the Columbian Squires to "gain access to boys." Moreover, a general knowledge
that such abuses occur, even if true, does not support foreseeability in a particular instance. Doe
v. Catholic Soc. of Religious and Literary Educ., No. 09-1059, 2010 WL 345926, at *12 (S.D.
Tex. Jan. 22, 2010) ("[T]he existence of sexually abusive Jesuit teachers does not give rise to an
inference that [Defendants] had constructive knowledge that Beeler had a propensity to sexually
abuse students."); Williams v. United Pentecostal Church Intern., 115 S.W.3d 612, 616 (Tex.
App.—Beaumont 2003, no pet.) (dismissing case because, "[w]ithout any supporting authority,
appellants seek to transform this general knowledge that such abuses occur into foreseeability in
this particular instance."); see also See v. Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp., No.
930302072, 1997 WL 466498, at *6 (Conn. Super. Ct. July 31, 1997) ("The fact that the Diocese
was aware of, or should have been aware of, sexual misconduct by other diocesan priests does
not establish that the harm allegedly committed by Father Pcolka was foreseeable to the
defendants. What must be shown is that the Diocese had notice of Father Pcolka's propensity to
engage in sexual misconduct."). There must be allegations that the Knights knew that Rivera
was likely to commit such acts. See id. Plaintiff has simply not provided any factual support
that the Knights had any reason to know, at the time of the alleged abuse, that Rivera posed a
risk Plaintiff.
The Supreme Court has made clear that Plaintiff is not allowed to make conclusory
allegations in the hopes of discovering actual facts supporting these allegations through
discovery: "Rule 8 marks a notable and generous departure from the hyper-technical, code
pleading regime of a prior era, but it does not unlock the doors of discovery for a plaintiff armed
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with nothing more than conclusions." Iqbal, 129 S. Ct. at 1950. Because Plaintiff has failed to
plead any factual allegations regarding foreseeability as required for both the duty and proximate
cause elements of negligence, Plaintiff's negligence claim against the Knights must be dismissed
with prejudice.
The Release that Plaintiff signed is a general release, and by its express terms releases all
of Plaintiff's causes of action. See Complaint, Exhibit A. Plaintiff admits in his Complaint that
he signed the Release and has attached the full Release to the Complaint.2 See id. ¶ 20 & Exhibit
A. Plaintiff now seeks to avoid the clear consequences of the Release by alleging that he "signed
the signature page as a result of the Knights' fraud and misrepresentation, which renders the
purported agreement voidable." Id. ¶ 41. However, the facts as pled by Plaintiff negate this
allegation because they show as a matter of law that (1) Plaintiff was not justified in relying on
the alleged misrepresentation and (2) Plaintiff has waived his right to assert fraud as a ground to
avoid the Release because he ratified the transaction by accepting its benefits after gaining full
knowledge of the alleged fraud. The Court should therefore dismiss Plaintiff's Complaint in its
entirety.
1. Choice of Law
A federal trial court sitting in diversity jurisdiction must apply the law of the forum state
to determine the choice-of-law. Brandewiede v. Emery Worldwide, 815 F. Supp. 60, 63 (D.
Conn. 1992) (citing Klaxon Co. v. Stentor Elec. Mfg. Co., 313 U.S. 487, 497 (1941)). In
Connecticut, the forum state in this case, the first step in any case presenting a potential choice of
2
When deciding a motion to dismiss, a "court is not limited to the factual allegations of the complaint but
may consider 'documents attached to the complaint as exhibits or incorporated in it by reference, [] matters which
judicial notice may be taken or [] documents either in plaintiffs' possession or of which plaintiffs had knowledge and
relied on in bring suit.'" Patrowicz v. Transamerica HomeFirst, Inc., 359 F. Supp. 2d 140, 144 (D. Conn. 2005)
(quoting Brass v. Am. Film Techs., Inc., 987 F.2d 142, 150 (2d Cir. 1993)).
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law issue is to determine whether there is an actual conflict between the laws of the jurisdictions
involved. See In re Helicopter Crash Near Wendle Creek, British Columbia on Aug. 8, 2002,
There are several possible state's laws that could apply to the circumstances surrounding
the signing of the Release. The Release contains a "Governing Law" provision that states that
any dispute will be governed by Texas law. See Elgar v. Elgar, 679 A.2d 937, 942 (Conn. 1996)
(holding that Connecticut law "give[s] effect to an express choice of law by the parties to a
contract provided that it was made in good faith."). However, when, as here, a party alleges that
there was fraud in the execution of the contract, Connecticut applies the "most significant
relationship" test in evaluating the choice-of-law question. See Economu v. Borg-Warner Corp.,
652 F. Supp. 1242, 1247-49 (D. Conn. 1987); Am. States Ins. Co. v. Allstate Ins. Co., 922 A.2d
1043, 1047-48 (Conn. 2007); Restatement (Second) of Conflict of Laws §§ 187 cmt. b, 188
(1971). The Complaint is not entirely clear on the facts surrounding the formation of the
Release. The Complaint states that Plaintiff is a "resident of the State of Kansas," but the
signature page of the Release, which Plaintiff admits he signed and is attached to the Complaint,
states that Plaintiff was "presently residing in Missouri" at the time the Release was signed. See
Complaint ¶ 1 & Exhibit A at p. 7. The Complaint does not state where the execution of the
signature page took place. See Complaint ¶ 24. In addition to Kansas and Missouri, Texas could
also be the state with the most significant relationship to the contract and alleged fraud because
the Complaint alleges that the abuse that led to the execution of the Release took place in Texas.
Moreover, Connecticut law could also apply because the Release was negotiated with Knights
officials in Connecticut. However, as discussed in the sections below, this Court does not need
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to perform a choice of law analysis because the laws of Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Connecticut
Plaintiff seeks to avoid the Release based on the allegedly fraudulent actions of the
Knights' agents. To sustain a fraud claim, Plaintiff must plead and prove: (1) a false
representation of fact made by the Knights; (2) the Knights' knowledge or belief that the
representation was false, or made with reckless indifference to the truth; (3) intent to induce
Plaintiff to act; (4) Plaintiff's action was taken in justifiable reliance on the representation made
by the Knights; and (5) damage to Plaintiff as a result of such reliance. Alires v. McGehee, 85
P.3d 1191, 1195 (Kan. 2004); Hanson v. Acceptance Fin. Co., 270 S.W.2d 143, 149 (Mo. Ct.
App. 1954); Lewis v. Bank of Am. NA, 343 F.3d 540, 545-46 (5th Cir. 2003). Plaintiff's own
pleading demonstrates as a matter of law that he could not have justifiably relied on the
knows that it is false or if its falsity is obvious to him. Restatement (Second) of Torts § 541
(1977); Slaymaker v. Westgate State Bank, 739 P.2d 444, 542-43 (Kan. 1987); Dyrssen v. Union
Elec. Light & Power Co., 295 S.W. 116, 118 (Mo. 1927); Hanson, 270 S.W.2d at 149; Lewis,
343 F.3d at 545-46; Werner v. Int'l Bank of Commerce, 71 F.3d 879 (5th Cir. 1995); Chapman
Lumber, Inc. v. Tager, No. 10086006, 2003 WL 22080469, at *4 (Conn. Super. Ct. Aug. 22,
2003) (quoting Gallon v. Burns, 101 A. 504 (Conn. 1917)). Although the recipient of a
fraudulent misrepresentation is not barred from recovery because he was negligent in failing to
discover its falsity, he is nonetheless required to use his senses, and cannot recover if he blindly
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relies upon a misrepresentation the falsity of which would be patent to him if he had utilized his
Dyrssen., 295 S.W. at 118; Hanson, 270 S.W.2d at 149; Lewis, 343 F.3d at 545-46; Gen. Motors
Corp. v. Courtesy Pontiac, Inc., 538 S.W.2d 3, 6 (Tex. App. - Tyler 1976, no writ).
The Supreme Court of the United States presents a hypothetical situation that clearly
[A] person is "required to use his senses, and cannot recover if he blindly relies
upon a misrepresentation the falsity of which would be patent to him if he had
utilized his opportunity to make a cursory examination or investigation. Thus, if
one induces another to buy a horse by representing it to be sound, the purchaser
cannot recover even though the horse has but one eye, if the horse is shown to the
purchaser before he buys it and the slightest inspection would have disclosed the
defect. On the other hand, the rule stated in this Section applies only when the
recipient of the misrepresentation is capable of appreciating its falsity at the time
by the use of his senses. Thus a defect that an experienced horseman would at
once recognize at first glance may not be patent to a person who has had no
experience with horses." A missing eye in a "sound" horse is one thing; long
teeth in a "young" one, perhaps, another.
Field v. Mans, 516 U.S. 59, 71 (1995) (quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts § 541 (1976)).
The Supreme Court also quotes Prosser's Law of Torts: "It is only where, under the
circumstances, the facts should be apparent to one of his knowledge and intelligence from a
cursory glance, or he has discovered something which should serve as a warning that he is being
deceived, that he is required to make an investigation of his own." Id. (quoting W. Prosser, Law
For instance, if B. wants oats, and A. shows B. an open sack of beans (both A.
and B. being sui juris, and knowing beans when the bag is open), and A. tells B.
they are oats, B. ought not to complain when he buys the sack because he gets
beans. If C. points D. to his horses in the field, and tells D. they are black, when in
fact they are white, and D. buys them for black horses, he is guilty of an act of
folly, and has no remedy. If E. takes F. over his hilly, broken land, and tells F. It
is level and arable, and F. buys it as level, arable land, he ought not to recover. In
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such case the fraud is made innocuous by the fact that it was patent to the vendee.
The vendee is held to know what his own eyes would disclose, and, knowing,
could not be deceived.
Like the buyers in the examples above, Plaintiff's allegations of fraud turn logic on its
head and are beyond the bounds of reason and common sense. See Tips v. Barneburg, 276 S.W.
932, 934 (Tex. Civ. App. 1925) ("Too often men make trades and enter into foolish contracts on
their mistaken judgment and then raise the cry of fraud to relieve them of the consequences, but
the courts of the country will not assume the guardianship of the affairs of such men, nor
encourage such claims for damages or a cancellation of the contracts."). The very document that
Plaintiff alleges forms the basis of the fraudulent misrepresentation clearly demonstrates that it
was not what the agents allegedly told Plaintiff it was. Plaintiff claims that the agents handed
him a "single piece of paper and asked him to sign it to acknowledge that the Knights of
Columbus would pay for his treatment." Complaint ¶ 6. He then signed the paper, which was
Even a cursory glance at this single piece of paper would have alerted Plaintiff that he
was not signing a simple acknowledgement. The piece of paper, which is attached to the
Complaint at the end of Exhibit A, is clearly labeled as page "7" and it contains five lines of text
above the signature line that indicate that this paper is not simply an acknowledgement.3 These
five lines of text, which Plaintiff would easily see as he signed the page, are clearly an
incomplete paragraph that continues from a previous page. This incomplete paragraph refers to
"this Agreement" and also references an earlier "paragraph 4" that is not contained on the page.
The text also references "a court of competent jurisdiction" and "a valid, legal and enforceable
replacement provision."
3
See supra footnote 3.
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At a minimum, the law required Plaintiff to "use his senses" and make a "cursory
Plaintiff that he was not signing a simple acknowledgement. See Slaymaker v. Westgate State
Bank, 739 P.2d 444, 542-43 (Kan. 1987) ("[I]f the recipient of a fraudulent representation has
information which would serve as a danger signal to a person of ordinary intelligence and
experience, he is not justified in relying upon that representation.") (quotation omitted); Western
Tractor Equip. Co. v. Ayers, 225 P. 115, 116 (Kan. 1924) ("[The contract] was so short and
simple that its contents could be taken in at a glance …. The time taken to attach his signature
was abundant to enable the defendant to see that the writing could not contain anything
substantial [as was represented]."); Dyrssen v. Union Elec. Light & Power Co., 295 S.W. 116,
118 (Mo. 1927) ("The common law affords to every one reasonable protection against fraud in
dealing; but it does not go to the romantic length of giving indemnity against the consequences
of indolence and folly or a careless indifference to the ordinary and accessible means of
information."); Judd v. Walker, 114 S.W. 979, 980 (Mo. 1908) ("If one voluntarily shuts his eyes
when to open them is to see, such a one is guilty of an act of folly (in dealing at arm's length with
another) to his own injury; and the affairs of men could not go on if courts were being called
upon to rip up transactions of that sort."); Alford v. Wabash Ry. Co., 73 S.W.2d 277, 281 (Mo.
Ct. App. 1934) ("The physical facts surrounding the execution of these papers, including the one
plaintiff signed in the office of Tead, show beyond any question that plaintiff knew that he was
not signing papers for wages, if he looked at the papers at all…. We think … plaintiff is in no
position to claim that he was defrauded and that the release stands as a bar to his recovery in this
case."); In re Mercer, 246 F.3d 391, 418 (5th Cir. 2001) ("[T]he recipient of a fraudulent
misrepresentation may justifiably rely on it unless its falsity is obvious or there are "red flags"
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indicating such reliance is unwarranted.") (emphasis in original); Arroyo Shrimp Farm, Inc. v.
Hung Shrimp Farm, Inc., 927 S.W.2d 146, 153-54 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 1996, no writ)
("A person must exercise reasonable ordinary care for the protection of his own interests and
discover the existence of fraud if he has knowledge of facts that would put a reasonably prudent
person on inquiry."); Gen. Motors Corp. v. Courtesy Pontiac, Inc., 538 S.W.2d 3, 6 (Tex. App.—
Tyler 1976, no writ) ("[Plaintiff may not justifiably rely on] representations which any [person of
which are shown by facts within his observation to be so patently and obviously false that he
must have closed his eyes to avoid discovery of the truth.")(quotation omitted); Chapman
Lumber, Inc. v. Tager, No. 10086006, 2003 WL 22080469, at *4 (Conn. Super. Ct. Aug. 22,
2003) (quoting Gallon v. Burns, 101 A. 504 (Conn. 1917) ("If a person buys property having a
defect known or visible to the buyer, it would be absurd to hold or find as a fact that he relied
upon a statement in making the purchase that was contrary to what was known to him to be
true.")); Hicks v. Soroka, 55 Del. 424, 437 (Del. Super. Ct. 1963) ("The most casual glance at the
printed portions of the release or release-draft by one able to read would have disclosed the
contract was one of release and settlement."); ABM Farms, Inc. v. Woods, 692 N.E.2d 574, 579
(Ohio 1998) ("A person of ordinary mind cannot be heard to say that he was misled into signing
a paper which was different from what he intended, when he could have known the truth by
Even assuming arguendo that Plaintiff's pled facts are true and that the agents
misrepresented to Plaintiff what he was signing, it is clear that the falsity of this alleged
misrepresentation was patently obvious to Plaintiff at the time he signed the single piece of
paper. At a minimum, a cursory glance at the page as Plaintiff was signing it should, as a matter
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of law, have "serve[d] as a warning that he [was] being deceived." See Field v. Mans, 516 U.S.
59, 71 (1995). Therefore, the facts set forth in the Complaint and the Release referenced in and
attached to the Complaint eliminate as a matter of law Plaintiff's ability to claim that he
justifiably relied on the alleged misrepresentations made by the agents. Plaintiff's illogical fraud
Even assuming the facts as pled in the Complaint are true, Plaintiff has waived his right
to assert fraud as a ground to avoid the Release because he ratified the transaction by accepting
its benefits after gaining full knowledge of the alleged fraud. Under the laws of Kansas,
Missouri, Texas, and Connecticut, the power of a party to avoid a contract for a
misrepresentation is lost if, after he knows of such misrepresentation, he manifests to the other
party his intention to affirm it or acts with respect to anything that he has received in a manner
inconsistent with disaffirmance, or he does not within a reasonable time manifest to the other
party his intention to avoid it. Moore v. Farm & Ranch Life Ins. Co., 505 P.2d 666, 672-73
(Kan. 1973); Anselmo v. Mfrs. Life Ins. Co., 771 F.2d 417, 420 (8th Cir. 1985); Cordero v. Tenet
Healthcare Corp., 226 S.W.3d 747, 750 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2007, pet. denied); E. Devoe
Tompkins, Inc. v. Bridgeport, 123 A. 135, 137-38 (Conn. 1923). When benefits of a contract are
retained with a full knowledge of the fraud, the defrauded party waives any right to assert fraud
as a ground to avoid the agreement. See Moore, 505 at 672-73 ("It does not matter whether the
court is dealing with waiver, ratification, or equitable estoppel, a party will not be permitted to
accept the benefit of a contract, with full knowledge of all the facts, and then deny his own
responsibility thereunder."); Tammen v. Directors of Alfalfa Pellets, Inc., 95 P.3d 135 (Kan. Ct.
App. 2004) ("Generally, a party cannot acquiesce or accept the benefits of a contract or a bargain
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and then bring an action seeking to rescind the transaction or claim it was illegal."); Anselmo,
771 F.2d at 420 ("Silence and acquiescence for a considerable period thereafter, action in accord
with it, and acceptance of benefits under it, amount to a ratification."); Bilton v. Monsanto Co.,
947 F. Supp. 1344, 1353 (E.D. Mo. 1996) ("This Court finds that when the plaintiff accepted the
enhanced benefits . . . and chose not to revoke his release and not tender back the benefits
received in consideration for the release, plaintiff manifested his intention to be bound by the
terms and conditions of the VRP documents, including the release."); Cordero, 226 S.W.3d at
750 ("If a party who has been induced by fraud to enter into an agreement engages in conduct
that recognizes the agreement as binding after the party becomes aware of the fraud, the party
ratifies the agreement and waives any right to assert fraud as a ground to avoid the agreement.");
Old Rep. Ins. Co. v. Fuller, 919 S.W.2d 726, 729 (Tex. App. – Texarkana 1996, writ denied)
("By electing to receive the benefits of the agreement, with full knowledge of its fraudulent
nature, Fuller ratified the settlement and forfeited his right to object to it.") (emphasis in
original); Herschbach v. City of Corpus Christi, 883 S.W.2d 720, 737 (Tex. App.—Corpus
Christi 1994, writ denied) ("When a person having the right to accept or reject a transaction
accepts benefits from it, that person ratifies the transaction. He or she is bound by it, and cannot
avoid its obligation or effect by taking a position inconsistent with it."); C.F.L., Inc. v. Moffitt &
Duffy, Inc., No. 38655, 1991 WL 61417, at *1 (Conn. Super. Ct. Apr. 12, 1991) ("A party cannot
pertinent evidence is uncontroverted or uncontrovertible." Old Rep. Ins. Co. v. Fuller, 919
S.W.2d 726, 728 (Tex. App. - Texarkana 1996, writ denied). At the motion to dismiss stage, the
facts as pled in the Complaint are treated as true and cannot be controverted. See Iqbal, 129 S.
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Case 3:10-cv-01960-CSH Document 18 Filed 03/14/11 Page 32 of 34
Ct. at 1950. The facts as pled in the Complaint show a ratification of the alleged fraud as a
matter of law. Plaintiff alleges that the Knights' agents met with him on December 23, 2009 and
fraudulently induced him to sign one page of the Release on that day. Complaint ¶ 24. He
claims that "[n]o other pages were attached to the paper the agent asked [him] to sign." Id.
Plaintiff alleges that the agents told him that the single piece of paper he signed was an
acknowledgement that the Knights would pay for his treatment but made no mention of a release
of claims. Id. Plaintiff then alleges that, "[a]bout a week later," he received a package in the
mail that contained a copy of the complete "Settlement Agreement and Full Release" including
the signature page which he signed. Id. At this point, at the end of December 2009, Plaintiff had
full knowledge that the document he signed included a release of all claims. Yet Plaintiff did not
make any mention of an alleged fraud or attempt to challenge the validity of the Release until the
filing of this lawsuit on December 14, 2010, almost a full year later.
The Supreme Court warned against this type of action all the way back in 1876:
Where a party desires to rescind upon ground of mistake or fraud, he must, upon
the discovery of the facts, at once announce his purpose and adhere to it. If he be
silent, and continue to treat the property as his own, he will be held to have
waived the objection, and will be conclusively bound by the contract, as if the
mistake or fraud had not occurred. He is not permitted to play fast and loose.
Delay and vacillation are fatal to the right which had before subsisted.
Grymes v. Sanders, 93 U.S. 55, 62 (1876); Morgan Cty. Coal Co. v. Halderman, 163 S.W. 828,
844 (Mo. 1913) (quoting language above from Grymes favorably); Waggoner v. Zundelowitz,
231 S.W. 721, 725-26 (Tex. Comm'n App. 1921) (citing Grymes favorably and stating that a
party "may not, with knowledge of the fraud, speculate upon the advantages or disadvantages of
the contract, receiving its benefits, and at the same time repudiate its obligations"); see also
McLean v. Clapp, 141 U.S. 429, 432 (1891) ("[T]he law is clear that he cannot take the benefits
of [a] contract and repudiate its burdens."). According to Plaintiff's own allegations, he gained
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Case 3:10-cv-01960-CSH Document 18 Filed 03/14/11 Page 33 of 34
full knowledge of the alleged fraud only a week after it allegedly occurred, but instead of taking
action to rescind the Release, he remained silent and accepted the full benefits of the Release.
Now, however, Plaintiff is attempting to avoid its obligations. This Court should not permit
Plaintiff to "play fast and loose" when his own pleadings clearly demonstrate that he is bound by
the terms of the Release by his own actions. Therefore, this Court should dismiss all of
Plaintiff's claims because they are barred by the Release as a matter of law.
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IV. CONCLUSION
Plaintiff's negligence claim fails as a matter of law because it is barred by the statute of
limitations and Plaintiff has failed to properly plead foreseeability as required to maintain a
negligence cause of action. Furthermore, Plaintiff's negligence claim is barred by the Release.
The Release is valid and precludes Plaintiff's negligence claim because the pleaded facts show as
a matter of law that Plaintiff was not justified in relying on the alleged misrepresentation when
he signed the Release and that Plaintiff ratified the Release. For the foregoing reasons, the
Knights respectfully requests that this Court dismiss Plaintiff's Complaint with prejudice.
Respectfully submitted,
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that a true and correct copy of the foregoing document has been
forwarded to all counsel of record via the Court's CM/ECF system on March 14, 2011.
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