911 F. Supp. 2d 1222
S.D. Fla.2012Background
- Defendant Chapman moves to dismiss ATS and TVPA claims, strike portions of the Amended Complaint, and drop Perdomo as a party; hearing held October 31, 2012.
- Plaintiffs allege Cuban government officials subjected Curbelo Garcia and Perdomo to prolonged arbitrary detention and torture based on Chapman’s false accusations aiding the state.
- Amended Complaint asserts six counts: ATS and TVPA claims for Curbelo Garcia and Perdomo; and state-law loss of consortium claims by Turruellas and Curbelo.
- Plaintiffs contend Chapman conspired with the Cuban government as part of a broader snitch network to facilitate detentions and torture; Chapman allegedly falsified accusations to enable reentry and travel advantages.
- Chapman argues lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, failure to state ATS/TVPA claims, and argues against comity and political-question defenses; also challenges the derivative status of loss-of-consortium claims.
- Court denies the Motion to Dismiss, grants in part the Motion to Strike, and denies the Motion to Drop Perdomo; finds factual allegations sufficient to proceed on ATS/TVPA secondary-liability theories.
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether ATS claims are cognizable and plead a valid state action/secondary liability | Plaintiffs plead state actors; Chapman secondarily liable for conspiracy with Cuban government. | ATS claims lack cognizable law-of-nations violation; improper state action/secondary liability. | ATS claims viable;Chapman secondarily liable for conspiracy/aid. |
| Whether TVPA claims are viable under secondary liability | TvPA permits secondary liability for aiding and abetting state torture. | TVPA liability limited; questions whether secondary liability permitted. | TVPA claims viable; Chapman may be secondarily liable. |
| Whether the case presents a nonjusticiable political question or is barred by act of state/comity | Claims concern private harms with international law norms; not political questions. | Cuba relations and executive actions create political-question/comity concerns. | Not a nonjusticiable political question; comity and act-of-state do not bar proceeding. |
| Whether to strike portions of the Amended Complaint | Background/context allegations are relevant to conspiracy/abetted conduct. | Excessive, immaterial allegations should be stricken. | Motion to Strike granted in part; certain judicial-notice requests stricken. |
| Whether Perdomo should be dropped as a party | Perdomo's claims are logically related to Curbelo Garcia's and should proceed together. | Claims are not sufficiently related for joinder. | Perdomo not dropped; plaintiffs may proceed together. |
Key Cases Cited
- Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain, 542 U.S. 692 (U.S. 2004) (limits new ATS claims to norms of international character with specificity)
- Baloco ex rel. Tapia v. Drummond Co., Inc., 640 F.3d 1338 (11th Cir. 2011) (defines limits on ATS liability and discusses state action/foreign relations)
- Sinaltrainal v. Coca-Cola Co., 578 F.3d 1252 (11th Cir. 2009) (concerning pleading standards; conspiratorial liability and plausibility under Iqbal/Twombly)
- In re Chiquita Brands Int’l, Inc. Alien Tort Statute and S’holder Derivative Litig., 792 F. Supp. 2d 1301 (S.D. Fla. 2011) (recognizes secondary liability under ATS for conspiracy/aiding and abetting)
- Cabello v. Fernandez-Larios, 402 F.3d 1148 (11th Cir. 2005) (TVPA permits secondary liability; ordering and abetting theories apply)
- Romero v. Drummond Co., Inc., 552 F.3d 1303 (11th Cir. 2008) (affirms secondary liability under TVPA/ATS; conspiracy principles)
- Sarei v. Rio Tinto, PLC, 671 F.3d 736 (9th Cir. 2011) (comity and act-of-state considerations in international claims)
- Eastman Kodak Co. v. Kavlin, 978 F. Supp. 1078 (S.D. Fla. 1997) (discusses state action and conspiracy under ATS context)