1. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FORENSIC ) COUNSELORS, INC., a Nevada Non-Profit ) Corporation; et al., ) ) Plaintiffs, ) ) v. ) Case No. 6:14-cv-00187-RAW ) 1. NARCONON INTERNATIONAL, a ) California Non-Profit Corporation; et al., ) ) Defendants. )
REPLY BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF MOTION TO DISMISS OF DEFENDANT RELIGIOUS TECHNOLOGY CENTER, INC. FOR LACK OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION OR, ALTERNATIVELY, FOR FAILURE TO STATE A CLAIM, AND BRIEF IN SUPPORT Defendant Religious Technology Center (RTC) submits this brief in further support of its Motion to Dismiss (the Motion, Dkt. No. 247) and in reply to Plaintiffs Response in opposition to that Motion (the Response, Dkt. No. 261). The Response makes clear that Plaintiffs attempt to establish jurisdiction over RTC and to state a claim against RTC essentially boil down to a single faulty premise i.e., that RTC engaged in a conspiracy to misuse Plaintiffs logos, trademarks, and certifications. Because Plaintiffs have failed to allege any facts supporting such a claim, the Court should dismiss RTC from this action. ARGUMENT AND AUTHORITIES I. THIS COURT LACKS PERSONAL JURISDICTION OVER RTC. A. Plaintiffs Cannot Establish General Jurisdiction Over RTC. Without even citing much less discussing the application of the Supreme Courts recent decision on general jurisdiction decision in Daimler AG v. Bauman, 134 S. Ct. 746 (2014), Plaintiffs contend that this Court has general jurisdiction over RTC because RTCs chairman 6:14-cv-00187-RAW Document 301 Filed in ED/OK on 08/04/14 Page 1 of 13
2 {1276351;} allegedly micromanages all portions of Scientology programs and Defendant Narconon Arrowhead is an Oklahoma resident that allegedly utilizes Scientology materials in its work. (Resp. at 11.) Therefore, Plaintiffs assert, RTC must micromanage Narconon Arrowhead, creating systematic and continuous contacts with this forum that are sufficient to create general jurisdiction. 1 (Id.) Plaintiffs factual allegations are unsupported and untrue, 2 but more importantly also irrelevant, because they could not support general jurisdiction over RTC even if they were true. The Supreme Court, in Daimler, soundly rejected the notion that an organization is subject to personal jurisdiction in any forum where it may be shown to routinely conduct business. The question is not whether a foreign corporations in-forum contacts can be said to be in some sense continuous and systematic, it is whether the corporations affiliations with the State are so continuous and systematic as to render it essentially at home in the forum State. 134 S. Ct. at 762 (emphasis added). In Daimler, the Supreme Court concluded that a German corporation was not subject to general jurisdiction in California even if the contacts of its American subsidiary, Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA), could be imputed to it. MBUSA has multiple facilities in California, including a regional office, and reigns as the largest supplier of luxury vehicles to the California market sales that comprised 2.4 percent of Daimlers worldwide sales. Id. at 752. Yet the Court deemed these extensive contacts insufficient to create
1 Notably, Plaintiffs do not refute the declaration testimony of RTC President Warren McShane including RTCs lack of contacts with Oklahoma that was submitted as Exhibit 1 to RTCs Motion. 2 The documents submitted by Plaintiffs are not only unauthenticated, but they also include hearsay (sometimes multiple layers of hearsay) and otherwise inadmissible materials. RTC reserves its rights to object to the documents admissibility in the future, if necessary. But, even assuming their validity for purposes of this Motion only, they are irrelevant to the issue before the Court. 6:14-cv-00187-RAW Document 301 Filed in ED/OK on 08/04/14 Page 2 of 13
3 {1276351;} general jurisdiction, noting that [a] corporation that operates in many places can scarcely be deemed at home in all of them. Id. at 762 n.20. Thus, applying Daimler, one appellate court has recognized that general jurisdiction now extends beyond an entitys state of incorporation and principal place of business only in the exceptional cases where its contacts with another forum are so substantial as to render it at home in that state. Sonera Holding B.V. v. Cukurova Holding A., 750 F.3d 221, 223 (2d Cir. 2014). Here, even if Plaintiffs allegations were correct regarding the degree of oversight exercised by RTC regarding Narconon Arrowhead, which they are not, these allegations simply do not render RTC sufficiently at home in Oklahoma to establish general jurisdiction. Indeed, Plaintiffs basic premise is that RTC micromanages all Scientology programs, and their Complaint demonstrates the worldwide reach of those programs. (See Compl. 3-84 (alleging that Defendants reside in at least 14 states, Canada, and the United Kingdom).) Thus, Plaintiffs fall far short of establishing the type of exceptional circumstances necessary under Daimler to find general jurisdiction over a defendant outside of the forum in which it resides. B. No Specific Jurisdiction Exists Because Plaintiffs Fail To Establish A Nexus Between RTCs Alleged Contacts With Oklahoma And Their Claims In This Case. In support of their claim that this Court has specific jurisdiction over RTC, Plaintiffs cite the following three factual allegations: 3
3 In their Complaint, Plaintiffs claimed personal jurisdiction over all Defendants based on their operation of active websites. (Compl 86.) In the Motion, RTC demonstrated that RTCs website could not provide the basis for personal jurisdiction over RTC in Oklahoma. (Resp. at 7- 8.) Failing even to address this issue in their Response, Plaintiffs apparently have abandoned this theory of jurisdiction as to RTC. 6:14-cv-00187-RAW Document 301 Filed in ED/OK on 08/04/14 Page 3 of 13
4 {1276351;} 1. [RTC Chairman David] Miscavige personally oversaw the establishment of Narconon Arrowhead [in Oklahoma] in conjunction with Defendant Gary Smith. 2. Mr. Miscaviges approval was necessary for the move to Arrowhead and he maintained particular interest in the weekly reports concerning the flagship location. 3. Mr. Miscavige spoke in detail about NBAE certifications and the purported approval of Narconons programs by Plaintiffs in his 2002 speech. (Resp. at 12.) None of these allegations, even if true, supports the exercise of jurisdiction here. Although the first two allegations purport to show RTCs interest in and oversight of activities within Oklahoma, they allegedly occurred in 2001, do not relate to Plaintiffs, and are not tied in any way to the purported conduct at issue in this case, i.e., the alleged misuse of Plaintiffs marks. Thus, they cannot constitute a basis for specific jurisdiction over RTC in Oklahoma. 4 See Dudnikov v. Chalk & Vermillion Fine Arts, Inc., 514 F.3d 1063, 1071 (10th Cir. 2008) (noting that a court may exercise specific personal jurisdiction over a defendant only if the defendant has purposefully directed its activities at residents of the forum state and the plaintiffs injuries arise out of defendants forum-related activities.) (citation omitted). 5
Further, in the Motion (at 16), RTC noted Plaintiffs failure to tie their control allegations to a legally cognizable theory of vicarious liability or jurisdiction (e.g., alter ego or agency). The Response similarly makes no mention of alter ego or agency undoubtedly because even
4 Plaintiffs similarly fail to establish any connection between the alleged conduct at issue in this case and other factual allegations cited elsewhere in the Response concerning RTCs purported support and oversight of Narconon. These include the unsubstantiated claim (see Rinder Aff., 7, Pls. Ex. 2) that RTC must authorize and approve all materials and promotional items used by the Narconon Network (Resp. at 8), and Plaintiffs contentions that Chairman Miscavige visited the Oklahoma facility on one occasion (Id.). None of these claims, even if true, would establish personal jurisdiction. 5 Plaintiffs reside in Indiana and have sued 82 defendants of which only 13 are located in Oklahoma. 6:14-cv-00187-RAW Document 301 Filed in ED/OK on 08/04/14 Page 4 of 13
5 {1276351;} Plaintiffs recognize such theories would be doomed to failure here. 6 Rather, Plaintiffs seek to create a new hybrid jurisdictional doctrine, attempting to force their control allegations into their conspiracy theory of jurisdiction. They suggest that any entity that exercises control over a party engaged in a conspiracy is presumptively also a party to that conspiracy even if there is no allegation that the out-of-state defendant either engaged in or exercised control over the specific conduct at issue. Plaintiffs cite no authority for this implicit proposition, which is contrary to principles of fairness and common sense and, if adopted by the Court, would permit an end-run around the well-established agency and alter ego jurisdictional doctrines. Plaintiffs appear to concede that the third allegation concerning a 2002 speech by Chairman Miscavige in Florida has no direct connection to Oklahoma, yet they assert that it constitutes evidence of RTCs participation in a conspiracy that includes actions purportedly taken in Oklahoma by RTCs alleged co-conspirators. (Id.) Invoking a conspiracy theory of jurisdiction, they contend that specific jurisdiction lies here because RTC allegedly participated in the same conspiracy as Defendant Kent McGregor, an Oklahoma citizen, whom Plaintiffs label [o]ne of the main players in the civil conspiracy. (Resp. at 12.) The problem with this theory is that the allegations concerning the 2002 speech, even if true, simply do not establish RTCs participation in that purported conspiracy. Although the Complaint summarily claims that the speech contained false statements (Compl. 248), Plaintiffs do not attempt to state a claim against RTC for any allegedly false
6 Plaintiffs cannot establish the lack of separateness or absence of corporate formalities that are essential to an alter ego claim. Moreover, a federal court in Georgia recently held, after analyzing many of the same factual assertions and some of the exact same exhibits offered by Plaintiffs here that Narconon is not an agent of RTC for purposes of the Georgia long-arm jurisdictional statute. See Burgess v. Religious Tech. Ctr., Inc., Case No. 1:13-cv-02217-SCJ (N.D. Ga. Feb. 19, 2014) (attached as Exhibit 1). The Georgia court thus granted RTCs Rule 12(b)(2) motion. 6:14-cv-00187-RAW Document 301 Filed in ED/OK on 08/04/14 Page 5 of 13
6 {1276351;} assertions contained in the 2002 speech. Rather, they contend that Chairman Miscaviges statements in the 2002 speech furthered the alleged conspiracy at issue here merely because he discuss[ed] the precise certifications at issue in this lawsuit. (Resp. at 17.) But the fact that he generally discussed those certifications in 2002 in no way indicates that RTC conspired to wrongly claim that certain Defendants held certifications roughly a decade later. There is simply no allegation that Mr. Miscavige made the type of allegedly false statements in the 2002 speech that are at issue here, i.e., that Narconon personnel possessed certifications when, in fact, they did not. Indeed, the Complaint affirmatively alleges that almost 80 percent of the individual Defendants (34 of 43) actually were certified by Plaintiffs at some time in the past. Although Plaintiffs do not specify when those certifications were first issued, they contend that all of the certifications either expired or were revoked between February 2009 and August 2013. Thus, at the earliest, the misconduct asserted by Plaintiffs here began in 2009. Indeed, Plaintiffs concede that the Oklahoma Defendants alleged misuse of Plaintiffs marks and certifications did not begin until 2013 (Resp. at 17) eleven years after Chairman Miscaviges Florida speech, thus undercutting any claim that a conspiracy directed at Oklahoma existed in 2002. If Plaintiffs had evidence that the purported conduct at issue in this case began closer in time to Chairman Miscaviges speech, they could and should have provided that evidence in response to RTCs Rule 12(b)(2) motion. They did not. Accordingly, based on the temporal and substantive differences between the speech and the purported conduct undertaken by the alleged conspiracy, Plaintiffs have failed to make a prima facie showing that RTC has participated in that conspiracy and have failed to refute RTCs Presidents declaration testimony that RTC never communicated, let alone conspired, with any other defendant with respect to any use of any NAFC logo, mark or certification in this action. (McShane Decl. 16.) See Shrader 6:14-cv-00187-RAW Document 301 Filed in ED/OK on 08/04/14 Page 6 of 13
7 {1276351;} v. Biddinger, 633 F.3d 1235, 1242 (10th Cir. 2011) (noting that to establish personal jurisdiction based on a conspiracy theory, a plaintiff must offer more than bare allegations that a conspiracy existed, and must allege facts that would support a prima facie showing of a conspiracy). Accordingly, Plaintiffs have not established specific jurisdiction over RTC in this forum. II. ALTERNATIVELY, PLAINTIFFS CLAIMS AGAINST RTC SHOULD BE DISMISSED FOR FAILURE TO STATE A CLAIM. The Response confirms that Plaintiffs claim against RTC is based solely on their contention that RTC participated in a conspiracy with Defendants who allegedly misappropriated Plaintiffs trademarks, logos, and certifications. (See Resp. at 5 (This case is about Defendant [RTC] spearheading the theft of Plaintiffs goodwill in order to bait vulnerable victims into the Scientology religion.); Id. at 6 (RTC operates a common scheme with the other Defendants to promote the Narconon Network through the misuse of Plaintiffs logos, trademarks, and certifications.).) Plaintiffs attempt to tie RTC to the alleged conspiracy on two equally meritless bases. First, Plaintiffs contend that [i]n order to expand and promote Scientology, RTC and ABLE strictly control Narconon. (Resp. at 17; see also id. at 7-8 (reciting facts allegedly showing RTCs control).) RTC disputes many of Plaintiffs factual contentions, which are unsupported by Plaintiffs exhibits 7 and notes that several exhibits even predate the 1996 formation of NBAE (sub-board of NAFC) (Compl. 240), and registration of NAFCs mark in
7 For example, contrary to Plaintiffs allegation that RTC holds the ultimate authority regarding the standard and pure application of Hubbards technologies (Resp. at 9), the cited exhibits (Ex. 1 3; Ex. 6) merely confirm what RTC acknowledges in its Motion that RTC owns and licenses the intellectual property rights used by churches of Scientology, whereas ABLE owns and licenses the intellectual property rights associated with the secular technologies used by Narconon and other social betterment programs the Church supports. 6:14-cv-00187-RAW Document 301 Filed in ED/OK on 08/04/14 Page 7 of 13
8 {1276351;} 2008 (id. 109). 8 However, RTC is not marshaling the facts necessary to refute all the inaccurate factual allegations because it will not be baited into factual disputes that do not matter here, nor should the Court. The fundamental flaw in Plaintiffs attempt to plead a civil conspiracy claim against RTC is that even if all their facts were assumed to be true, they cannot establish RTCs participation in any common scheme to have other defendants misuse or misappropriate any of the claimed intellectual property rights. What they could show, and RTC does not dispute, is that RTC, its Chairman of the Board, the Churches of Scientology and Scientology parishioners all over the world fully support Narconons social betterment programs and humanitarian efforts to get people off drugs. None of that, however, is the stuff of a civil conspiracy claim, because, as Plaintiffs concede, [t]o maintain a cause of action for civil conspiracy, the plaintiff must allege a combination of two or more persons acting in concert for an unlawful purpose. (Resp. at 16 (emphasis added).) The promotion of Narconons programs does not constitute an unlawful purpose. In addition to their irrelevant control allegations, Plaintiffs also contend that they have stated a claim for conspiracy based on a 2002 speech by RTCs Chairman. (Resp. at 17.) As shown above, the speech referring to Plaintiffs certifications provides no plausible basis for concluding that RTC participated in a conspiracy to misuse those certification many years later. Therefore, Plaintiffs have failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.
8 Ex 10 (1992); Ex 14 (1989); Ex 18 (1991); Ex 20 (1987); Ex 22 (1998); Ex 23 (1996). 6:14-cv-00187-RAW Document 301 Filed in ED/OK on 08/04/14 Page 8 of 13
9 {1276351;} III. THE COURT SHOULD DENY PLAINTIFFS REQUEST FOR LEAVE TO AMEND THEIR COMPLAINT. Plaintiffs ask the Court to grant them leave to amend their Complaint if the Court finds that they have failed to state a plausible claim for civil conspiracy. (Resp. at 17.) Such an amendment, however, should not be allowed. Although Rule 15(a) gives the Court discretion to grant leave to amend when justice requires it, [t]he district court is not required to grant leave to amend [] if amendment would be futile. Murchison v. Progressive N. Ins. Co., 572 F. Supp. 2d 1281, 1283 (E.D. Okla. 2008). A proposed amendment is futile if the complaint, as amended, would be subject to dismissal. Peterson v. Grisham, No. CIV-07-371-RAW, 2008 WL 4363653, at *9 (E.D. Okla. Sept. 17, 2008). Here, Plaintiffs have offered nothing to suggest that, given the opportunity to amend, they could allege facts sufficient to state a plausible claim for conspiracy. Indeed, Plaintiffs attached 26 exhibits to their Response but have still not set forth enough facts to make their theory plausible. This failure to identify how they would fix their Complaint if they could is fatal to Plaintiffs request to amend. See Toone v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 716 F.3d 516, 524 (10th Cir. 2013) (The district court is not required to imagine all possible amendments and determine whether any would state a claim . . . . Rather, the plaintiff must submit a proposed amendment for the courts consideration, or at least specify how an amendment would cure the deficiency.) Lundahl v. Pa. Mfg. Assn Ins. Co., 440 Fed. Appx. 629, 633 (10th Cir. 2011) (district court did not abuse its discretion by not allowing plaintiff to amend her complaint because plaintiff never explained how a proposed amendment would cure the deficiencies identified by the district court). The Court should deny Plaintiffs request to amend their Complaint. 6:14-cv-00187-RAW Document 301 Filed in ED/OK on 08/04/14 Page 9 of 13
10 {1276351;} CONCLUSION Plaintiffs seek to substitute conspiracy theories in lieu of plausible allegations of conspiracy to commit a specific wrong. Although the Complaint, Response, and exhibits thereto contain copious amounts of the former, they offer none of the latter. Accordingly, Defendant RTC should be dismissed from this action for lack of personal jurisdiction. Alternatively, the Court should dismiss Plaintiffs claims against RTC for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Dated: August 4, 2014 Respectfully submitted,
/s/ David L. Bryant David L. Bryant, OBA No. 1262 David E. Keglovits, OBA No. 14259 Amelia A. Fogleman, OBA No. 16221 GABLEGOTWALS 1100 ONEOK Plaza 100 West Fifth Street Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103-4217 (918) 595-4800 ATTORNEYS FOR DEFENDANT RELIGIOUS TECHNOLOGY CENTER
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that on the 4th day of August, 2014, I electronically transmitted the attached document to the Clerk of Court using the ECF system for filing. Based on the records currently on file, the Clerk of Court will transmit a Notice of Electronic Filing to the following ECF registrants: David R. Keesling david@KLGattorneys.com Heidi L. Shadid heidi@KLGattorneys.com Sloane Ryan Lile sloane@KLGattorneys.com Keesling Law Group, PLLC 401 South Boston Avenue Mid-Continent Building, 4th Floor Tulsa, OK 74103 Attorneys for Plaintiffs National Association of Forensic Counselors, Inc.; American Academy of Certified Forensic Counselors, Inc. Donald M. Bingham don_bingham@riggsabney.com M. David Riggs driggs@riggsabney.com Wm. Gregory James gjames@riggsabney.com Riggs Abney Neal Turpen Orbison & Lewis 502 West Sixth Street Tulsa, OK 74119 Attorneys for Defendant Narconon of Oklahoma, Inc.; Derry Hallmark; Janet Watkins; Tom Widman; Vicki Smith; Michael Otto; Michael J. Gosselin; Kathy Gosselin; Michael George; Kent McGregor; Dena G. Goad; Michael St. Amand; Gary W. Smith; Pita Group, Inc.
John H. Tucker jtuckercourts@rhodesokla.com Colin H. Tucker chtucker@rhodesokla.com Denelda L. Richardson drichardoncourts@rhodesokla.com Kerry R. Lewis klewis@rhodesokla.com Rhodes Hieronymus Jones Tucker & Gable P.O. Box 21100 Tulsa, OK 74121 Attorneys for Association for Better Living and Education International; Narconon International; Clark Carr; Robert Wiggins; Jason Burdge; Steven K. Bruno
Richard P. Hix Richard.hix@mcafeetaft.com Alison A. Verret Alison.verret@mcafeetaft.com McAfee & Taft, P.C. 1717 South Boulder Avenue, Suite 900 Tulsa, OK 74119 Attorneys for David S. Lee; Philip R. Kelly, II 6:14-cv-00187-RAW Document 301 Filed in ED/OK on 08/04/14 Page 11 of 13
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Charles D. Neal, Jr. cdn@steidley-neal.com Steidley & Neal P.O. Box 1165 McAlester, OK 74502 Attorney for Defendants Friends of Narconon International; Best Drug Rehabilitation, Inc.; A Life Worth Living, Inc.; Golden Millennium Productions, Inc.; Joseph Guernaccini; Thomas Garcia; David S. Lee, III; Richard Hawk; Anthony Bylsma; Glen Petcavage; Narconon Freedom Center, Inc.; Jonathan Beazley; Narconon Spring Hill, Inc.; Royalmark Management, Inc.; International Academy of Detoxification Specialists; Premazon, Inc.; Jonathan Moretti Charles D. Neal, Jr. cdn@steidley-neal.com Rachel D. Parrilli rdp@steidley-neal.com Stacie L. Hixon slh@steidley-neal.com Steidley & Neal 2448 East 81st Street, Suite 5300 Tulsa, OK 74137 Attorneys for Defendant Friends of Narconon International; Best Drug Rehabilitation, Inc.; A Life Worth Living, Inc.; Golden Millennium Productions, Inc.; Joseph Guernaccini; Thomas Garcia; David S. Lee, III; Richard Hawk; Anthony Bylsma; Glen Petcavage; Narconon Freedom Center, Inc.; Jonathan Beazley; Narconon Spring Hill, Inc.; Royalmark Management, Inc.; International Academy of Detoxification Specialists; Premazon, Inc.; Jonathan Moretti; Luria K. Dion; Michael DiPalma; Mary Rieser; Carl Smith; Nicholas Thiel; Robert Hernandez; Daphna Hernandez; Narconon of Georgia, Inc.; Rebecca Pool; Narconon - Hawaii; Narconon of Northern California; Intervention Services and Technologies, Inc.; Narconon Fresh Start, Inc.; Narconon South Texas, Inc.; Narconon Eastern United States, Inc.; Narconon Trois- Rivieres. Narconon London; Narconan, Inc.; The Virtual Workforce Co., Ltd.; Encognitive.com; GreatCircle Studios, LLC; James McLaughlin; Robert Newman; Joseph Sauceda; Nicholas Bailey; D. Eric Michell; Shana Austin; Nick Hayes; Scott Burgess; David Miscavige; Tibor Platinus; Sylvain Fournier; Marcel Gemme; Kenneth H. Pomerance; Richer Dumais; James Woodworth; Desiree Cardoso; Cheryl Williams; Marc Bernard; Martin Gamsby; Luria K. Dion
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13 {1276351;} Robert D. Nelon Nathaniel T. Haskins Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C. Chase Tower 100 North Broadway, Suite 2900 Oklahoma City, OK 73102-8865 Attorneys for Defendants Narconon Freedom Center, Inc.; Nicholas Thiel; Narconon Trois-Rivieres
Todd A. Nelson Fellers Snider Blankenship Bailey & Tippens, P.C. The Kennedy Building 321 South Boston Avenue, Suite 800 Tulsa, OK 74103-3318 Attorney for Defendants Michael DiPalma, Joseph Guernaccini and Jonathan Beazley
John J. Carwile McDonald McCann & Metcalf & Carwile, LLP 15 E Fifth St, Ste 1400 Tulsa, OK 74103 918-430-3700 Email: jcarwile@mmmsk.com
Attorneys for Church of Scientology International Alison A. Verret McAfee & Taft (Tulsa) 1717 S Boulder Ave, Ste 900 Tulsa, OK 74119 918-574-3065 Email: alison.verret@mcafeetaft.com
Richard P. Hix McAfee & Taft (Tulsa) 1717 S Boulder Ave, Ste 900 Tulsa, OK 74119 918-587-0000 Fax: 918-599-9317 Email: richard.hix@mcafeetaft.com
Attorneys for Defendant Kevin Lee; Sharon Kubacki; Philip R. Kelly, II
/s/David L. Bryant 6:14-cv-00187-RAW Document 301 Filed in ED/OK on 08/04/14 Page 13 of 13