Pandemic Darlings The pandemic economy, in original documents
Home Court filings Marshall v. Prestamos CDFI, LLC Memorandum Opinion (motion to dismiss) — Marshall v. Prestamos CDFI, LLC (E.D. Pa. No. 5:21-cv-04337)

Court filing

Memorandum Opinion (motion to dismiss) — Marshall v. Prestamos CDFI, LLC (E.D. Pa. No. 5:21-cv-04337)

Filed March 30, 2023 in Marshall v. Prestamos; one of 15 filings from this case.

Record facts

CourtU.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Filed2023-03-30

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania · No. 5:21-cv-04337-JMG · Doc. 56 · 2023-03-30 · Docket on CourtListener

Full text

1 
 
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 
FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA 
__________________________________________ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ALICIA MARSHALL, et al.,  
 
 
: 
 
 
 
Plaintiffs,  
 
 
: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
: 
 
 
 
v.  
 
 
 
: 
Civil No. 5:21-cv-04337-JMG 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
: 
PRESTAMOS CDFI, LLC,  
 
 
: 
 
 
 
Defendant.  
 
 
: 
__________________________________________ 
 
MEMORANDUM OPINION  
GALLAGHER, J. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
         March 30, 2023 
I. 
OVERVIEW 
Plaintiffs, sole proprietors, allege Defendant Prestamos, a private lender authorized to 
disburse Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and 
Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), accepted and agreed to fund their SBA-approved 
applications for PPP loans, yet failed to ever to disburse the loans to Plaintiffs. Defendants seek 
dismissal on numerous grounds pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), 12(b)(2), 
and 12(b)(6).  
For the reasons explained herein, the Court holds Plaintiffs have standing to raise their 
breach of contract claim, for which they successfully state a claim, except to the extent Named 
Plaintiffs purport to bring state law claims under the laws of states in which they do not reside in 
or in which they were never injured. Plaintiffs’ claims for relief in the alternative under California’s 
Unfair Competition Law (“UCL”), the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices 
Act (“ICFA”), and the Ohio Deceptive Trade Practices Act (“ODTPA”), are dismissed for failure 
to state a claim.  
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 1 of 36

2 
 
Defendants’ motion to dismiss Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. (“CPLC”) for failure to allege 
an alter ego relationship with Prestamos that could subject to CPLC to personal jurisdiction or 
liability is denied without prejudice, pending jurisdictional discovery and a determination as to 
whether the Court has personal jurisdiction over CPLC.  
II. 
BACKGROUND 
 
a. Relevant Procedural History 
Plaintiffs filed their initial class action complaint on October 1, 2021 (“Complaint”) against 
Defendant Prestamos CDFI, LLC (“Prestamos”). See ECF No. 1. Prestamos filed a Motion to 
Dismiss the Complaint on December 10, 2021. See ECF No. 15. In response, Plaintiffs elected to 
file an amended class action complaint against Prestamos on January 14, 2022 (“First Amended 
Complaint”). See ECF No. 18.  Prestamos filed a Motion to Dismiss the First Amended Complaint 
on February 14, 2022. See ECF No. 24. Plaintiffs filed a Response in Opposition on March 10, 
2022. See ECF No. 29. Prestamos filed a Reply in Support of its Motion to Dismiss on March 17, 
2022. See ECF No. 32.  
On May 2, 2022, Plaintiff filed a Motion for Leave to File a Second Amended Complaint, 
adding Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. (“CPLC”) as an additional defendant. See ECF No. 37. 
Prestamos filed a Response in Opposition on May 16, 2022. See ECF No. 39. The Court granted 
Plaintiffs’ Motion for Leave to File a Second Amended Complaint and docketed the Second 
Amended Complaint (“SAC”) on May 20, 2022. See ECF Nos. 40, 42.  
Prestamos and CPLC (collectively, “Defendants”) filed the instant Motion to Dismiss 
Plaintiffs’ SAC on June 3, 2022 (“MTD”). See ECF No. 46. Plaintiffs filed their Response in 
Opposition on June 17, 2022. See ECF No. 49. Defendants filed a Reply in Support of Defendants’ 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 2 of 36

3 
 
MTD on June 25, 2022. See ECF No. 51. On December 14, 2022, Plaintiffs filed a Motion for 
Leave to File Supplemental Authority. See ECF No. 53. Defendants filed a Response in Opposition 
on December 23, 2022. See ECF No. 54.  
b. Plaintiff’s Second Amended Complaint 
Plaintiffs Alicia Marshall, Daniel Pronsky, Paris Townsend, Nancilee Holland, Leona 
Owsley, Kolawole Ahmadou, Kiana Dervin, Kristina Henderson, Dustin Innis, Kelly Stalnaker 
and Jamie Jones  (collectively, “Plaintiffs” or “Named Plaintiffs”) are sole proprietors at all times 
relevant residing in California, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Missouri, Illinois, Washington, 
Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, and Arizona who allege they applied to receive Paycheck Protection 
Program (“PPP”) loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES 
Act”) through Defendant Prestamos CDFI, LLC (“Prestamos”). See generally id. Plaintiffs allege 
their loans were approved by Prestamos and the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”), and 
that each Plaintiff and Prestamos executed binding Loan Documents through which Prestamos 
agreed to make the PPP loans. Id. at ¶ 248. Plaintiffs allege Prestamos, “[i]n flagrant disregard of 
its contractual obligations…failed to actually fund” Plaintiffs’ and class members’  
“SBA-approved PPP loans.” Id. at ¶ 13. 
The CARES Act authorized the SBA to guarantee forgivable PPP loans issued by private 
lenders to small businesses.1 Defendant Prestamos is among the private PPP lenders authorized by 
the SBA.  See SAC at ¶ 5 [ECF No. 42]. “To facilitate lending under the SBA’s PPP, the Federal 
 
1 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Information Sheet: Borrowers, United States 
Treasury,https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/PPP%20Borrower%20Information%20Fact
%20Sheet.pdf (accessed 3/20/2023).  
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 3 of 36

4 
 
Reserve supplied liquidity to Prestamos and other participating financial institutions through term 
financing to be secured by the PPP loans.” Id. at ¶ 86.  
Each Named Plaintiff alleges they were sole proprietors who sustained significant income 
loss due to the pandemic. Id. at ¶¶ 15-25, 98, 125, 134, 143, 157, 166, 175, 184, 193, 205, 214 
[ECF No. 42]. Each Named Plaintiff alleges they applied for a PPP loan with Prestamos, and that 
their application was approved by the SBA. Id. at ¶¶ 99-102, 126-127, 135-136, 144-146, 158-
159, 167-168, 177-178, 185-186, 194-195, 206-208, 215-216. Each Named Plaintiff alleges that, 
“[t]hrough its agreement to make PPP loans via the Loan Documents, its acceptance and approval 
of Plaintiffs’ PPP loan applications, and as the counterparty to the Loan Documents2, defendant 
Prestamos entered into a binding agreement with each of the Plaintiffs and the members of the 
proposed National Class to fund their respective PPP loans.” Id. at ¶ 248. However, “[d]espite 
properly and timely completing, signing and submitting the Loan Documents,” Named Plaintiffs 
allege they never received the proceeds of their SBA-approved PPP loans from Prestamos. Id. at 
¶ ¶ 106, 131, 140, 149, 163, 172, 181, 190, 199, 211, 220. 
Named Plaintiffs bring this action individually and on behalf of a National Class, California 
Subclass, Illinois Subclass, and Ohio Subclass, of persons and entities who applied for PPP loans 
 
2 See SAC at ¶ 101 (defining “Loan Documents” as consisting of promissory note, 
“Additional and Correction Documents Agreement (Errors and Omissions Agreement) (the 
“Additional Agreement”) between Prestamos and plaintiff []; a Business Purpose Statement; a 
Notice – No Oral Agreements bearing the signature of Prestamos’s President Jose Martinez 
(“Martinez”)…; a Written Consent of Governing Body form for [Plaintiffs]  to represent that [they 
are] authorized to receive the loan and on which Prestamos may rely; an IRS W-9 Request for 
Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification; and an Information and Bank Account 
Certification and Authorization form identifying the bank or other account to which Prestamos 
would send the funds.”).  
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 4 of 36

5 
 
with Defendant Prestamos in 2021 “for whom the SBA provided an SBA loan number, who 
executed their Loan Documents, but did not receive the PPP loan proceeds.” Id. at ¶ 230.  
In addition to Prestamos, Plaintiffs also bring claims against Defendant CPLC. Plaintiffs 
allege CPLC is liable as the owner and alter ego of Prestamos. Id. at ¶¶ 11, 258. The SAC alleges: 
Defendant Prestamos is and during all times relevant was wholly owned by 
defendant CPLC. Defendant CPLC at all times relevant controlled and dominated 
defendant Prestamos and Prestamos’s PPP lending; shared certain of the same 
senior executives and directors; had a website that referred to and promoted 
Prestamos; publicly held out the companies as one and the same and repeatedly 
referred to them as ‘CPLC Prestamos’ in CPLC’s Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Annual 
Report…reported on CPLC’s own financial statements that it received hundreds of 
millions of dollars in PPP loan processing fees; and is headquartered in a building 
that is virtually adjacent to Prestamos’s headquarters.  
Id. at ¶ 7. Plaintiffs allege this Court has jurisdiction over CPLC because “Prestamos was at all 
times relevant CPLC’s wholly-owned and controlled subsidiary and CPLC was Prestamos’s alter 
ego at all times relevant in connection with PPP lending; and defendant Prestamos’s contacts in 
this District in connection with PPP lending and the claims at issue are imputed to its corporate 
parent CPLC.” Id. at ¶ 35.  
Plaintiffs’ SAC brings five counts. Counts One and Two are brought against both 
Defendants, Counts Three and Four are brought against Prestamos only, and Count Five is brought 
against CPLC only.  
Count One, for breach of contract, is brought against both Defendants and alleges 
“Defendant Prestamos breached its obligations to fund Plaintiffs’ and other National Class 
members’ PPP loans under the Loan Documents by failing to fund the loans within 10 days of the 
SBA’s approval of the loans and assignment of loan numbers, or at any time thereafter.” Id. at ¶ 
252. Plaintiffs’ SAC alleges “the applicable provisions of the PPP required lenders to fund PPP 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 5 of 36

6 
 
loans within ten days of SBA approval.” Id. at ¶ 3. The SAC further alleges that “[b]y failing to 
fund the SBA-approved loans of Plaintiffs and the members of the National Class, defendant 
Prestamos not only breached the terms of the Loan Documents as alleged, but also failed to 
perform the central purpose of the parties’ agreement which was to timely and properly fund these 
SBA-approved loans.” Id. at ¶ 254. Plaintiffs allege that, as a result of Prestamos’ failure to fund 
their SBA-approved loans, Plaintiffs and class members “were no longer able to apply for PPP 
loans with other PPP lenders as they would not be able to certify that they would not receive 
another PPP loan.” Id. at ¶ 256.  
Count Two of Plaintiffs’ SAC brings claims against both Defendants on behalf of Plaintiffs 
Marshall, Townsend, and the California Subclass for violation of California’s Unfair Competition 
Law (“UCL”), Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code. § 17200, et seq. Plaintiffs bring Count Two “in the 
alternative and to the extent that their breach of contract claims against defendant Prestamos fails 
to adequately award their damages.” See SAC at ¶ 277. Plaintiffs Marshall and Townsend allege 
Defendant Prestamos’ failure to fund Plaintiffs’ loans constitutes unlawful and unfair business acts 
or practices as prohibited by the UCL. Id. at ¶ 276.  
 
Count Three of Plaintiffs’ SAC is brought against Prestamos only, and brings claims on 
behalf of Plaintiff Ahmadou and the Illinois Subclass for violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud 
and Deceptive Business Practices Act (“ICFA”), 815 ILCS 505/1, et seq. Plaintiff Ahmadou 
alleges Defendant Prestamos violated the ICFA by concealing and failing “to disclose material 
information about the funding of their PPP loans” and “falsely communicat[ing] its promises to: 
(1) act as a ‘Lender’; (2) hold Plaintiff and the Illinois Subclass members to obligations ‘in 
consideration of Prestamos…making the…loans’ to which these SBA-approved borrowers were 
entitled; [and] (3) otherwise fulfill the terms of its written agreements with plaintiff Ahmadou and 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 6 of 36

7 
 
the members of the Illinois Subclass.” See SAC at ¶¶ 280, 289. This conduct, the SAC alleges, 
constitutes “deceptive” and “unfair” acts in violation of the ICFA. Id. at ¶¶ 285-86.  
 
Count Four of Plaintiffs’ SAC is brought against Prestamos only, and brings claims on 
behalf of Plaintiff Stalnaker and the Ohio Subclass for violation of Ohio law, namely the Ohio 
Deceptive Trade Practices Act (“ODTPA”), Ohio Rev. Code § 4165, et seq. The SAC alleges 
Prestamos violated the ODTPA because its conduct in promising to make loans to Plaintiffs and 
class members and then failing to do so in violation of the written agreements between Prestamos 
and Plaintiffs amounts to “deceptive trade practice” under the ODTPA. See SAC at ¶¶ 298-99. 
 
Count Five of Plaintiffs’ SAC brings an unjust enrichment claim against Defendant CPLC 
only. Count Five is alleged “only in the alternative, to the extent Plaintiffs’ breach of contract and 
California state law claims fail to adequately compensate Plaintiffs and the members of the 
National Class and California Subclass for the violations as alleged herein.” Id. at ¶ 305.  
c. Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss 
Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs’ SAC on June 3, 2022 (“MTD”). See ECF 
No. 46. Defendants seek dismissal on numerous grounds: that Plaintiffs lack standing to bring their 
claims, Plaintiffs’ claims are barred by the CARES Act, the SAC fails to state a claim for breach 
of contract, all Plaintiffs’ claims are barred by the terms of the Promissory Notes signed by 
Plaintiffs, the SAC fails to state a claim for violation of the California Unfair Competition Law 
(“UCL”), the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act (“ICFA”), and the 
Ohio Deceptive Trade Practices Act (“ODTPA”), and the SAC fails to state a claim for unjust 
enrichment. Defendants also move for dismissal of all claims against Defendant CPLC, arguing 
the SAC fails to allege an alter ego relationship that could subject CPLC to personal jurisdiction 
or liability. See generally id.  
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 7 of 36

8 
 
 
 
III. 
LEGAL STANDARD 
Defendants move for dismissal pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), 
12(b)(2), and 12(b)(6).  
In deciding a Rule 12(b)(1) motion, “a court must grant a motion to dismiss if it lacks 
subject-matter jurisdiction to hear a claim.” In re Schering-Plough Corp. Intron/Temodar 
Consumer Class Action, 678 F.3d 235, 243 (3d Cir. 2012). “A motion to dismiss for want of 
standing…is properly brought pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1), because standing is a jurisdictional 
matter.” Id. (quoting Ballentine v. United States, 486 F.3d 806, 810 (3d Cir. 2017)). “In evaluating 
a Rule 12(b)(1) motion, a court must first determine whether the movant presents a facial or factual 
attack.” Id. (citing Mortensen v. First Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass’n, 549 F.2d 884, 891 (3d Cir. 1977)). 
“A facial attack…is an argument that considers a claim on its face and asserts that it is insufficient 
to invoke the subject matter jurisdiction of the court.” Constitution Party v. Aichele, 757 F.3d 347, 
358 (3d Cir. 2014). “A factual attack, on the other hand, is an argument that there is no subject 
matter jurisdiction because the facts of the case – and here the District Court may look beyond the 
pleadings to ascertain the facts – do not support the asserted jurisdiction.” Id. A factual attack may 
not occur until “the answer has been served,” because “[a] factual jurisdictional proceeding cannot 
occur until plaintiff’s allegations have been controverted.” Mortensen v. First Fed. Sav & Loan 
Ass’n., 549 F.2d 884, 892 n.17 (3d Cir. 1977)).  
Here, Defendants argue “[t]he allegations [in the SAC] do not make out an injury in fact,” 
bringing a “facial challenge” to Plaintiffs’ SAC, “which contests the sufficiency of the pleadings.” 
See Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (“MTD”) at pg. 14 [ECF No. 46-1]; then In re Schering-
Plough Corp., 678 F.3d at 243 (quoting Gould Elecs., Inc. v. United States, 220 F.3d 169, 176 (3d 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 8 of 36

9 
 
Cir. 2000)). See also Aichele, 757 F.3d at 358 (“The Commonwealth filed the attack before it filed 
an answer to the Complaint or otherwise presented competing facts. Its motion was therefore, by 
definition, a facial attack.”) 
 “In reviewing a facial challenge under Rule 12(b)(1), a court applies the same standard of 
review it would use in considering a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6).” Suhon v. McGuffey 
Sch. Dist., No. 17-1690, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153935 at *2 (W.D. Pa. Sept. 7, 2018). 
“Specifically, the well-pleaded facts are accepted as true, but legal conclusions may be 
disregarded.” Id. (citing Fowler v. UPMC Shadyside, 578 F.3d 203, 210-11 (3d Cir. 2009)).  
Where a defendant brings a Rule 12(b)(2) motion to dismiss for lack of personal 
jurisdiction, “the plaintiff bears the burden of establishing personal jurisdiction by a preponderance 
of the evidence and must do so by ‘establishing with reasonable particularity sufficient contacts 
between the defendant and the forum state.’” Turner v. Prince George’s Cty. Pub. Sch., 694 Fed. 
Appx. 64, 66 (3d Cir. 2017) (quoting Mellon Bank (East) PSFS, Nat’l Ass’n v. Farino, 960 F.2d 
1217, 1223 (3d Cir. 1992)).  
“In deciding a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, a court must consider only the complaint, the exhibits 
attached to the complaint, matters of the public record, as well as undisputedly authentic 
documents if the complainant’s claims are based upon these documents.” Mayer v. Belichick, 605 
F.3d 223, 230 (3d Cir. 2010). Courts must “accept all factual allegations in the complaint as true, 
construe the complaint in the light favorable to the plaintiff, and ultimately determine whether 
plaintiff may be entitled to relief under any reasonable reading of the complaint.” Id. at 229.  
 
 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 9 of 36

10 
 
IV. 
ANALYSIS 
a. Named Plaintiffs Have Standing; But Only as to Claims Under the Laws of 
the States in Which They Reside or Were Injured 
On a motion to dismiss for lack of standing, the plaintiff “bears the burden of establishing 
the elements of standing.” FOCUS v. Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, 75 F.3d 834, 838 
(3d Cir. 1996). In analyzing the issue of standing, courts “must accept as true all material 
allegations set forth in the complaint, and must construe those facts in favor” of the plaintiff.  
Storino v. Borough of Point Pleasant Beach, 322 F.3d 293, 296 (3d Cir. 2003). To establish 
standing, (1) Plaintiffs must plead they suffered an “injury-in-fact,” meaning “an invasion of a 
legally protected interest” that is both  (a) “concrete and particularized” and (b) “actual or 
imminent, not ‘conjectural’ or ‘hypothetical’”; (2) “there must be a causal connection between the 
injury and the conduct complained of, meaning the injury is fairly traceable to the challenged 
action of the defendant, and not the result of the independent action of some third party not before 
the court”; and (3) “[I]t must be likely, as opposed to merely speculative, that the injury will be 
redressed by a favorable decision.” Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555, 560-61 (1992) 
(internal quotations omitted).  
As to the first (1) element of standing, Plaintiffs plead they suffered an injury-in-fact. 
Plaintiffs allege they applied and were approved for a PPP loan by both Defendant Prestamos and 
the SBA. SAC at ¶¶ 102, 248. Plaintiffs allege Prestamos agreed to fund their loans, and that 
Prestamos was indeed contractually bound to fund those loans “via the Loan Documents, its 
acceptance and approval of Plaintiffs’ PPP loan applications, and as the counterparty to the Loan 
Documents.” Id. at ¶¶ 121, 248.  Next, Plaintiffs’ SAC alleges “Prestamos failed to complete its 
end of the bargain by failing to make the PPP loans to Plaintiffs and the members of the National 
Class.” Id. at ¶ 250. This failure, Plaintiffs’ SAC alleges, breached Prestamos’s obligations “under 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 10 of 36

11 
 
the Loan Documents” and their “implied duty to act in good faith and in accordance with fair 
dealing.” Id. at ¶¶ 254, then 251. In addition to breaching the Loan Documents and implied duty 
of good faith and fair dealing, Plaintiffs’ SAC alleges Prestamos failed “to fund the loans within 
10 days of the SBA’s approval of the loans and assignment of loan numbers, or at any time 
thereafter.” Id. at ¶ 252. Plaintiffs do not allege this requirement to fund the loans within 10 days 
of the SBA’s approval originates from the terms of the Loan Documents, but rather from “the 
applicable provisions of the PPP.” Id. at ¶ 3. Because of Prestamos’ conduct, Plaintiffs allege they 
were unable to apply for a PPP loan with another lender, because “their loan applications were 
approved by the SBA and assigned PPP loan numbers pursuant to the Loan Documents.” Id. at ¶ 
256. Among the damages sought by Plaintiffs is monetary relief in the form of “payment…of all 
PPP loan proceeds owed and due to Plaintiffs and members of the Classes with interest.” Id. at ¶ 
D (Prayer for Relief). Each named Plaintiff identifies the SBA Loan Number and amount of the 
loan Prestamos was allegedly obligated to disburse. See generally id.  
Based on the foregoing allegations, the Court finds Plaintiffs adequately plead the “injury-
in-fact” standing requirement. See Cottrell v. Alcon Labs., 874 F.3d 154, 621 (3d Cir. 2017) (“The 
injury-in-fact requirement is very generous to claimants, demanding only that the claimant allege 
some specific, identifiable trifle of injury.”) (internal quotations omitted); CNA v. United States, 
535 F.3d 132, 145 (3d Cir. 2008) (“By requiring less of a factual showing than would be required 
to succeed at trial, district courts ensure that they do not prematurely grant Rule 12(b)(1) motions 
to dismiss claims in which jurisdiction is intertwined with the merits and could be established, 
along with the merits, given the benefit of discovery.”).  
Defendants contend Plaintiffs’ “allegations do not make out an injury in fact because, as 
other courts have recognized, an applicant for a PPP loan is not necessarily entitled to receive it.” 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 11 of 36

12 
 
MTD at pg. 14 [ECF No. 46-1]. Defendants support this argument by citing to case law holding 
that merely applying for a PPP loan does not confer a legally protected financial interest in loan 
proceeds. See MTD at pgs. 13-14 [ECF No. 46-1]; Pinehurst Neuropsychology, PLLC v. First-
Citizens Bank & Tr. Co., No. 20-cv-636, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 186525 at *10 (M.D.N.C. Sept. 
29, 2021) (“Here, Pinehurst has not alleged that it was entitled to a PPP loan from First-Citizens. 
Rather, Pinehurst was a loan applicant whose application could have been approved or denied for 
a verity of reasons at First-Citizens’ discretion.”); Elizabeth M. Byrnes, Inc. v. Fountainhead Com. 
Cap., LLC, No. 20-cv-4149, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 227046 at *10 (C.D. Cal. Nov. 24, 2021) 
(“Plaintiff, of course, was not guaranteed to have her loan application approved.”); see also Reply 
in Support of Defendants’ MTD at pg. 3 [ECF No. 51]; Ironworks Dev. LLC v. Truist Bank, 574 
F. Supp. 3d 376,  378 (W.D. Va. 2021) (alleging lender tortiously processed and ultimately denied 
plaintiff’s PPP loan application). Here, Plaintiffs do not allege merely that they applied for PPP 
loans, but rather that they were approved for PPP loans that Prestamos agreed to fund, and because 
they were approved, they were precluded from applying for other PPP loans.  
Plaintiffs’ SAC also alleges (2) a causal connection between the injury and the conduct 
complained of. Plaintiffs clearly allege Prestamos’s failure to fund their loans is the cause of the 
injury. That the SAC includes one online comment from a non-party suggesting their nondescript 
“funds” were rejected by “Dave’s banking” does not persuade this Court to ignore the SAC’s 
repeated allegations concerning Prestamos’s alleged conduct as it concerns Plaintiffs themselves.  
Plaintiffs’ SAC also satisfies the third (3) element of standing, redressability, as Plaintiffs’ 
requested remedies, including payment of the PPP loan proceeds to which they allege they are 
entitled, “will remedy the alleged injury in fact.” Toll Bros., Inc. v. Twp. of Readington, 555 F.3d 
131, 143 (3d Cir. 2009) (quoting Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Envtl. Servs. (TOC), Inc., 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 12 of 36

13 
 
528 U.S. 167, 181 (2000)). Accordingly, the Court declines to dismiss Plaintiffs’ SAC for lack of 
standing.  
Defendants also contend Plaintiffs’ breach of contract and unjust enrichment claims should 
be dismissed for lack of standing to the extent they are brought on behalf of a nationwide class 
consisting of class members and claims under the laws of states in which Plaintiffs do not reside 
or were never injured. See MTD at pgs. 16-17 [ECF No. 46-1]; Reply in Support of MTD at pgs. 
2-3 [ECF No. 51].  
The Court agrees. It is well-established that “[a] named plaintiff whose injuries have no 
causal relation to, or cannot be redressed by, the legal basis for a claim does not have standing to 
assert that claim.” In re Wellbutrin XL Antitrust Litig., 260 F.R.D. 143, 152 (E.D. Pa. 2009). “For 
example, a plaintiff whose injuries have no causal relation to Pennsylvania, or for whom the laws 
of Pennsylvania cannot provide redress, has no standing to assert a claim under Pennsylvania law, 
although it may have standing under the law of another state.” Id. The requirement that Named 
Plaintiffs have standing “is no different in the class action context.” Lauren v. PNC Bank, N.A., 
296 F.R.D. 389, 391 (W.D. Pa. 2014).  
Here, Named Plaintiffs are sole proprietors who, at all times relevant, reside or resided in 
California, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Missouri, Illinois, Washington, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, 
and Arizona. See SAC at ¶¶ 15-25. Yet, Plaintiffs purport to bring this action on behalf of a 
“National Class.” Id. at ¶ 230. Named Plaintiffs do not have standing to bring their claims under 
the laws of states in which they do not reside in or were never injured. In re Ductile Iron Pipe 
Fittings (“DIPF”) Indirect Purchaser Antitrust Litig., No. 12-169, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 142466 
at *35 (D. N.J. Oct. 2, 2013) (“named plaintiffs lack standing to assert claims under the laws of 
the states in which they do not reside or in which they suffered no injury.”).  
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 13 of 36

14 
 
Moreover, like other courts in this district, this Court is persuaded by the “practical case-
management concerns” that favor ruling on this issue prior to class certification: 
The alternative proposed by the plaintiffs would allow named plaintiffs in a 
proposed class action, with no injuries in relation to the laws of certain states 
referenced in their complaint, to embark on lengthy class discovery with respect to 
injuries in potentially every state in the Union. At the conclusion of that discovery, 
the plaintiffs would apply for class certification, proposing to represent the claims 
of parties whose injuries and modes of redress they would not share. That would 
present the precise problem that the limitations of standing seek to avoid. The Court 
will not indulge in the prolonged and expensive implications of the plaintiffs' 
position only to be faced with the same problem months down the road. 
 
Lauren, 269 F.R.D. at 391 (quoting In re Wellbutrin, 260 F.R.D. at 152). Accordingly, the Court, 
although finding Named Plaintiffs have standing, dismisses Plaintiffs’ claims to the extent they 
arise in states where no Named Plaintiff resides/resided or was injured.  
b. Plaintiffs’ State Law Claims are not Precluded by the CARES Act 
Defendants contend Plaintiffs’ claims should be dismissed because, since there is no 
private right of action under the CARES Act, Plaintiffs may not “attempt[] to enforce the CARES 
Act through state-law causes of action.” See MTD at pg. 17 [ECF No. 46-1]. However, Defendants’ 
rely on case law inapplicable to the facts alleged here.  
Defendants’ reliance on Profiles, Inc. v. Bank of Am. Corp., 453 F. Supp. 3d 742 (D. Md. 
2020) is misplaced. In Profiles, the plaintiffs brought a claim for violation of the CARES Act, 
contending a PPP lender’s “unlawful gating requirements interfere with and prevent Plaintiffs from 
exercising their statutory right to apply for PPP loans under Section 1102 of the CARES Act.” Id. 
at 747. The plaintiffs claimed the lender’s “eligibility requirements” were “inconsistent with the 
plain language of § 1102(a)(2)” of the CARES Act. Id. The court held that “[e]ven assuming [] the 
CARES Act grants PPP loan applications with some statutory right to apply through a particular 
lender of choice…nothing in its text evidences Congress’s intent to enable PPP loan applicants to 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 14 of 36

15 
 
bring civil suits against PPP lenders, to enforce that right.” Id. at 751-52 (emphasis added). Thus, 
Profiles addressed whether a plaintiff may bring a claim for violation of the CARES Act itself, to 
assert a statutory right to apply for a PPP loan through a particular lender of choice. This is wholly 
inapposite from the allegations in Plaintiffs’ SAC here – which brings state law claims arising out 
of the parties’ alleged loan agreements – not statutory claims for CARES Act violations of an 
applicant’s right to apply for a PPP loan through a particular lender.  
Also misplaced is Defendants’ reliance on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Astra USA, Inc. 
v. Santa Clara Cty. Cal., 563 U.S. 110 (2011). In Astra USA, the plaintiff, a health-care facilities 
operator, sought to enforce a Pharmaceutical Pricing Agreement (“PPA”) between defendants, 
drug manufacturers, and the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), to which the 
plaintiff was not a party. Id. at 116. The PPA’s are “uniform agreements” reciting the drug 
manufacturers’ obligations under Section 340B of the Public Health Services Act, 42 U.S.C. § 
256b. Id. at 113. There is no private right of action under Section 340B. Id. at 117. The PPA 
incorporates federal law requirements that a drug manufacturer may not overcharge qualified 
health-care facility operators, such as the plaintiff. Id. at 113. The plaintiff brought claims against 
the defendants, alleging they violated the terms of the PPA by overcharging the plaintiff. Id. Even 
though the plaintiff was not a party to the PPA, it argued the agreements were nevertheless 
“enforceable by covered entities such as the plaintiff in their capacity as third-party beneficiaries.” 
Id. at 117 (emphasis added).  
The Supreme Court dismissed the plaintiff’s claim, holding “[a] third-party suit to enforce 
an HHS-drug manufacturer agreement…is in essence a suit to enforce the statute itself.” Id. at 118 
(emphasis added). Indeed, as the Supreme Court noted, “[a] nonparty becomes legally entitled to 
a benefit promised in the contract…only if the contracting parties so intend.” Id. at 117. “The 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 15 of 36

16 
 
distinction between an intention to benefit a third party and an intention that the third party should 
have the right to enforce that intention is emphasized where the promisee is a governmental entity.” 
Id. at 118 (quoting 9 J. Murray, Corbin on Contracts § 45.6, p. 92 (rev. ed. 2007)).  
Here, Plaintiffs do not bring a third-party suit – they are parties to the contract they allege 
was breached. See SAC at ¶ 243. Accordingly, the Supreme Court’s holding in Astra USA is 
inapplicable to the facts alleged here. This application of Astra USA to contracts involving PPP 
loans under the CARES Act is consistent with that proscribed by the court in Johnson v. JPMorgan 
Chase Bank, another case cited by Defendants. 488 F. Supp. 3d 144, 158 n. 19 (S.D.N.Y. 2020) 
(dismissing PPP accountants’ attempt to enforce contracts between either lenders and the SBA or 
lenders and borrowers as third-party beneficiaries because “the breach of contract claims would 
be foreclosed by controlling precedent that forbids third-party suits to enforce agreements that 
merely incorporate obligations under a statute that does not itself permit the third-party to enforce 
it.”) (citing Astra USA, 563 U.S. at 118) (emphasis added).   
Accordingly, Defendants have not demonstrated that Plaintiffs’ state law claims are 
precluded by the CARES Act. To the extent Plaintiffs’ state law claims allegedly incorporate 
Prestamos’s CARES Act obligations, dismissal at this stage is nevertheless improper, as the Third 
Circuit has noted, “the absence of a private right of action from a federal statute provides no reason 
to dismiss a claim under a state law just because it refers to or incorporates some element of the 
federal law.” MTD at pg. 19 [ECF No. 46-1] (emphasis in original); then Bukowski v. Wells Fargo 
Bank, N.A., 757 Fed. Appx. 124, 128-29 (3d Cir. 2018) (quoting Wigod v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 
673 F.3d 547, 581 (7th Cir. 2012)).  
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 16 of 36

17 
 
Indeed, at least one other court has recognized that the CARES Act’s lack of a private right 
of action does not preclude a borrower from seeking redress under state law for a PPP lender’s 
alleged breach of contract. See US Cargo Direct, Inc. v. PNC Bank, N.A., No. 22 C 3925, 2023 
U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11408 at *9-10 (N.D. Ill. Jan. 24, 2023) (“US Cargo can seek redress under state 
law for PNC's alleged breach of the contract for US Cargo's PPP loan and alleged 
misrepresentations about the program's terms, even if the CARES Act provides no private cause 
of action against a PPP lender.”). Accordingly, this Court does not find Plaintiffs’ state law claims 
are precluded by the CARES Act.  
c. Because Jurisdictional Discovery is Warranted to Determine Whether this 
Court has Personal Jurisdiction Over Defendant CPLC; Defendants’ Motion 
to Dismiss all Claims Against CPLC is Denied Without Prejudice 
Defendants seek dismissal of all claims against Defendant CPLC on the grounds that 
Plaintiffs fail to allege an alter ego relationship that could subject CPLC to personal jurisdiction 
or liability. Plaintiffs bring Count One, for Breach of Contract, Count Two, for violation of the 
California UCL, and Count Five, for Unjust Enrichment, against CPLC. Because this Court finds 
that jurisdictional discovery is warranted to determine whether CPLC is subject to this Court’s 
personal jurisdiction, and since Plaintiffs’ theories of both personal jurisdiction and liability rest 
on the alter ego test, Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss the SAC’s claims against CPLC will be denied 
without prejudice pending the conclusion of jurisdictional discovery and a determination as to 
whether this Court has personal jurisdiction over CPLC.  
In evaluating a Rule 12(b)(2) motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, “the Court 
takes the allegations of the complaint as true.” Metro Container Grp. v. AC&T Co., No. 18-3623, 
2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 234447 at *65 (E.D. Pa. Dec. 6, 2021). “However, once a jurisdictional 
defense is raised, the plaintiff bears the burden of proving, through affidavits or competent 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 17 of 36

18 
 
evidence, contacts with the forum state sufficient to establish personal jurisdiction.” Id. A plaintiff 
must establish a defendant’s contacts with the forum state “with reasonable particularity.” Id. 
District courts “should ordinarily allow discovery on jurisdiction in order to aid the plaintiff in 
discharging that burden.” Metcalfe v. Renaissance Marine, Inc., 566 F.3d 324, 336 (3d. Cir. 2009); 
see also Toys “R” Us, Inc. v. Step Two, S.A., 318 F.3d 446, 456 (3d Cir. 2003) (“Although the 
plaintiff bears the burden of demonstrating facts that support personal jurisdiction, [] courts are to 
assist the plaintiff by allowing jurisdictional discovery unless the plaintiff’s claim is ‘clearly 
frivolous.’”) (quoting Massachusetts School of Law at Andover, Inc. v. American Bar Ass’n, 107 
F.3d 1026, 1042 (3d Cir. 1997)). Furthermore, “jurisdictional discovery is particularly appropriate 
where the defendant is a corporation.” Metcalfe, 566 F.3d at 336.  
Plaintiffs allege this Court has personal jurisdiction over CPLC because this Court has 
personal jurisdiction over Prestamos, and CPLC “controlled, directed and participated in 
Prestamos’s conduct in PPP lending” and “CPLC was Prestamos’s alter ego” as “CPLC and 
Prestamos shared senior executives and directors and overlapping websites that promoted each 
other; Prestamos was at all times relevant CPLC’s wholly-owned and controlled subsidiary” and 
“CPLC referred to CPLC and Prestamos as ‘CPLC Prestamos CDFI’ and “CPLC PRESTAMOS 
LOAN PRODUCTS.’” SAC at ¶ 35. Specifically, Plaintiffs allege CPLC “repeatedly referred” to 
Defendants as “CPLC Prestamos” in “CPLC’s Fiscal year 2019-2020 Annual Report,” and 
“reported on CPLC’s own financial statements that it received hundreds of millions of dollars in 
PPP loan processing fees; and is headquartered in a building that is virtually adjacent to 
Prestamos’s headquarters.” Id. at ¶ 7. 
Because the Court finds that Plaintiffs’ claims against CPLC are “not frivolous,” and 
recognizes Plaintiffs’ “are faced with the difficult task of trying to establish personal jurisdiction 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 18 of 36

19 
 
over a corporation,” the Court will allow Plaintiffs to conduct jurisdictional discovery before 
conclusively deciding whether exercising personal jurisdiction over CPLC is permissible. 
Metcalfe, 566 F.3d at 337. See also Shuker v. Smith & Nephew, PLC, 885 F.3d 760, 781 (3d Cir. 
2018) (finding “alter ego theory” of personal jurisdiction is “support[ed]in our case law” and that 
plaintiffs raising theory “are entitled to limited jurisdictional discovery”).  
Moreover, because jurisdictional discovery is warranted before the Court rules on whether 
it has personal jurisdiction over CPLC, and in consideration that both Plaintiffs’ theories of 
personal jurisdiction and liability are premised on the theory that CPLC at all times relevant acted 
as the alter ego of Prestamos, the Court denies both Defendants’ motion to dismiss CPLC as a 
defendant for lack of personal jurisdiction pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2), 
and to dismiss the SAC’s claims premised on alter-ego liability against CPLC pursuant to Federal 
Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) without prejudice, pending jurisdictional discovery.  
d. COUNT ONE: Plaintiffs State a Claim for Breach of Contract Against 
Defendant Prestamos 
 
i. Absent Further Discovery, It is Not Clear the Language of Section 10 
of the Note Releases/Bars Plaintiffs’ Claims 
Defendants seek dismissal of Plaintiffs’ breach of contract claim on the grounds that 
numbered section/provision ten (10) of the parties’ Promissory Note “contains an unambiguous 
and broad release of claims against Prestamos.” MTD at pg. 33 [ECF No. 46-1]. The relevant 
provision states: 
Release of Lender. In consideration of the agreement of the Lender to provide this 
Note, and other good and valuable consideration, which consideration is agreed by 
Borrower to be good and sufficient, Borrower RELEASES, ACQUITS AND 
FOREVER DISCHARGES the Lender, its directors, officers, shareholders, agents, 
contractors, employees, affiliates, attorneys, successors and assigns from any and 
all claims, demands, liens, damages, actions or suits, of whatsoever nature or 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 19 of 36

20 
 
character, whether statutory (including without limitation usury and deceptive trade 
practices claims), in contract or in tort, known or unknown, which have accrued or 
may accrue to Borrower or any creditor or affiliate of Borrower on account of any 
injuries, damages or losses or otherwise arising out of or in any way connected to 
(i) any extension of credit by the Lender to Borrower on or prior to the date hereof, 
or (ii) any matter or thing done, omitted or suffered to be done by the Lender, its 
directors, officers, shareholders, agents, employees, affiliates, attorneys, 
predecessors or assigns on or prior to the date hereof. 
See SAC at Ex. A. Defendants allege this language bars Plaintiffs’ action because it releases 
Prestamos “from all existing and future claims, which ‘have accrued or may accrue,’ ‘arising out 
of or in any way connected to’ Prestamos’s extension of credit to Plaintiffs or any of its conduct.” 
Reply in Support of MTD at pg. 7 [ECF No. 51] (emphasis in original).  
It is “well settled that the effect of a release is to be determined by the ordinary meaning of 
its language…which means that, assuming the language is clear and unambiguous, the court looks 
no further than the language in interpreting the release.” G.R. Sponaugle & Sons, Inc. v. Hunt 
Constr. Group, Inc., 366 F. Supp. 2d 236, 242 (M.D. Pa. 2004) (internal quotations and citations 
omitted). “Consistent with this approach, a party cannot evade the clear language of a release by 
contending that the party did not subjectively intend to release the claim at issue.” Id. at 242-43.  
Here, the release states the borrower releases Prestamos “from any and all claims…arising 
out of or in any way connected to (i) any extension of credit by the Lender to Borrower on or prior 
to the date hereof, or (ii) any matter or thing done, omitted or suffered to be done by the 
Lender…on or prior to the date hereof.” See SAC at Ex. A (emphasis added). Defendants contend 
that “[b]ecause Plaintiffs’ claims clearly arise out of the extension of credit Prestamos allegedly 
agreed to when Plaintiffs executed their Notes, the release applies.” Reply in Support of 
Defendants’ MTD at pg. 8 [ECF No. 51]. Plaintiffs, on the other hand, suggest that because the 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 20 of 36

21 
 
contemplated actual funding of Plaintiffs’ loans was to occur after the Notes were executed, the 
release does not apply. See Plaintiffs’ Opposition to MTD at pg. 15 [ECF No. 49]. 
The term “extension of credit” is undefined in the Note, and neither party attempts to define 
the term in their respective briefing. The Court finds the language in the release as applied to the 
alleged claims is ambiguous, because it is unclear whether, among other things, the release 
provision contemplating claims “arising out of or in any way connected to (i) any extension of 
credit by the Lender to Borrower” refers to an agreement to fund a loan, or the actual 
transfer/disbursement of funds or funding of the loan itself. See SAC at Ex. A; see also MacKay 
v. Donovan, No. 10-218, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71228 at *10 (E.D. Pa. July 1, 2011) (“[t]he terms 
of a contract are ambiguous if the terms are ‘reasonably or fairly susceptible of different 
constructions and are capable of being understood in more than one sense.’”) (quoting Black v. 
Jamison, 913 A.2d 313, 318 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2006)).  
Because additional evidence regarding the meaning of undefined terms and/or additional 
context is necessary to resolve the meaning of the ambiguous language, the Court declines to grant 
dismissal pursuant to the text of the release, or to determine whether the release applies or does 
not apply to bar Plaintiffs’ claims. Such a determination is better suited for a later stage of 
litigation. See Clark Capital Mgmt. Group, Inc. v. Navigator Money Mgmt., Inc., No. 2:11-cv-
3415, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 194410 at *7 (E.D. Pa. Feb. 7, 2012) (“the Court finds the phrasing 
of the release ambiguous as to whether it constitutes a release concerning acts occurring after the 
date that the release was executed…[c]onsequently, the evidence that the Court requires in order 
to construe the meaning of the release is not before the Court and further cannot be decided in the 
context of a motion dismiss. As a result, additional evidence on the meaning of the release at a 
later date is necessary to determine whether or not the release bars the instant suit.”).  
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 21 of 36

22 
 
ii. Plaintiffs State a Claim for Breach of Contract Against Defendant 
Prestamos 
To state a claim for breach of contract, a plaintiff must allege “(1) the existence of a 
contract, including its essential terms; (2) a breach; and (3) resultant damages.” Atl. Holdings, Ltd. 
v. Apollo Metals, Ltd., 263 F. Supp. 3d 526, 530 (E.D. Pa. 2017). Here, because the SAC alleges 
Prestamos entered into a binding agreement to fund Plaintiffs’ loans, and that Prestamos’s failure 
to fund those loans caused the wrongful withholding of Plaintiffs’ loan proceeds, among other 
damages, the Court finds that Plaintiffs state a claim for breach of contract. See US Cargo Direct, 
2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11408 at *9-10 (“US Cargo can seek redress under state law for PNC's 
alleged breach of the contract for US Cargo's PPP loan and alleged misrepresentations about the 
program's terms, even if the CARES Act provides no private cause of action against a PPP 
lender.”). 
Defendants challenge the merits of Plaintiffs’ allegation that Prestamos promised to fund 
their loans via its acceptance and approval of Plaintiffs’ loan applications and assent to the Loan 
Documents. See Reply in Support of Defendants’ MTD at pgs. 6-7 [ECF No. 51]. In support, 
Defendants cite one federal court case and three Florida state court cases – none of which address 
a lender’s breach of contract claim at the motion to dismiss stage.  
Defendants’ rely principally upon Mark Andrew of Palm Beaches, Ltd. v. GMAC 
Commercial Mortgage Corp., 265 F. Supp. 2d 366 (S.D.N.Y. 2003). This ruling is inapposite. In 
GMAC, the court was tasked with determining, at the summary judgment stage, whether the 
evidence in the record indicated the lender “had approved” and agreed to fund the plaintiff’s loan. 
Id. at 374. Among the court’s reasons for granting summary judgment in favor of the lender were 
findings that the relevant documents exchanged “left out several material terms, yet to be 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 22 of 36

23 
 
negotiated, including various conditions related to the surety bond, the default interest rate, and 
the terms of the default.” Id. at 379.  
Here, Defendants move to dismiss, not for summary judgment. Moreover, Plaintiffs attach 
loan documents detailing material terms, such as the terms of default and acknowledging the 
borrower’s waiver of suretyship defenses. See SAC at Ex. A. The court in GMAC also granted 
summary judgment based on a “clear waiver of contractual liability” in the parties’ term sheet 
stating the document “did not impose any obligation on GMAC to issue a commitment or to make 
the Loan.” Id. at 378. For the reasons discussed supra, the Court does not find at this stage that a 
clear waiver of liability precludes Plaintiffs’ breach of contract claim.  
Defendants also cite to In re Vickers, 275 B.R. 401, 405-06 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 2001). In 
Vickers, after reviewing “the summary judgment record,” the court held there was “no document 
or writing signed by” the lender “obligating it to loan the money to the” borrowers. Id. at 406. The 
court also noted that only the borrowers signed the “Closing Statement/Agreement document.” Id. 
The Court further declined to examine “all the documents and circumstances” surrounding the loan 
document based on Florida’s Banking Statute of Frauds. Id.  
Once again, here Defendants move to dismiss, not for summary judgment. Moreover, 
unlike the borrowers in In re Vickers, Plaintiffs’ SAC does identify a document, attached under 
Exhibit A to the SAC and signed by the lender, that Plaintiffs allege obligates the lender to disburse 
specified PPP loans to Plaintiffs. See SAC at ¶ 246 (“The Loan Document contracts entered into 
by Prestamos and the members of the Plaintiff borrower Classes also include a ‘Notice – No Oral 
Agreements’ document…[t]hat…governs the “Loan by Lender, Prestamos CDFI, LLC to 
Borrower”…states that the “‘Loan Agreement’ means one or more promises, promissory notes, 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 23 of 36

24 
 
agreements, undertakings, security agreements, deeds of trust or other documents or 
commitments, or any combination of those actions or documents, pursuant to which a financial 
institution loans or delays repayment of or agrees to loan or delay repayment of money, goods, 
or another thing of value or to otherwise extend credit or make a financial accommodation’; 
and is executed by both Prestamos via its President Martinez, and each Class member borrower.”) 
(emphasis added). Moreover, although relevant to the court’s decision in In re Vickers, Florida’s 
Banking Statute of Frauds is inapplicable here to Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss.  
Defendants also cite to Jericho v. All-Weather Opportunity Fund, LP v. Pier Seventeen 
Marina & Yacht Club, LLC, 207 So. 3d 938 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2016). In Jericho, the Florida 
Fourth District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s final judgment rendered in favor of the 
plaintiffs, borrowers, following a six-day bench trial. Id. at 940.  In Jericho, the plaintiffs alleged 
defendants, lenders, failed to fund a $36 million construction loan pursuant to the parties’ Loan 
Agreement. Id. at 939. On appeal, the court held that while the lenders did agree to fund the loan, 
the agreement to do so was made under the parties’ “Second Commitment Letter,” but not the 
“Loan Agreement” – which was the document the plaintiffs sued upon. Id. at 942. The Court held 
the “Loan Agreement” did not contain an express promise by the lenders to fund the loan, but 
rather because the “Loan Agreement” stated it was “in consideration of” the loan, the Loan 
Agreement was contingent upon the loan being paid, and therefore “did not become a valid contract 
until [the lenders] paid the $36 million loan as consideration.” Id. at 941.  
Here, Plaintiffs broadly sue Defendants for breach of contract pursuant to Prestamos’s 
alleged obligations under not just one document, but the entire “Loan Documents” collectively, 
Prestamos’s alleged “implied duty to act in good faith and in accordance with fair dealing,” “its 
acceptance and approval of Plaintiffs’ PPP loan applications,” and “as the counterparty to the Loan 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 24 of 36

25 
 
Documents.” SAC at ¶¶ 248, 251-52. Accordingly, Jericho is both procedurally and factually 
inapposite to the issues raised by the instant Motion.  
Lastly, Defendants’ reliance on Krebs is even less applicable to the instant action. In Krebs, 
the Court dismissed a plaintiff-borrower’s breach of contract and promissory estoppel claims 
against Plymouth Five Cent Savings (“Plymouth”) for failure to fund an agreed-upon construction 
end loan. Krebs v. FDIC, 851 F. Supp. 430, 433 (M.D. Fla. 1994). The plaintiff alleged that 
Plymouth agreed to and did fund a $3.5 million construction loan for plaintiff to build a 
commercial condominium project. Id. at 433. However, the plaintiff also alleged Plymouth agreed 
to fund “end loans” at the project, which Plymouth ultimately did not fund. Id. Plaintiff provided 
evidence of the parties’ agreement as to the $3.5 million construction loan – including among other 
documents, a loan agreement, a promissory note in the amount of $3.5 million, and a security 
agreement securing the promissory note. Id. Yet, after reviewing the record on summary judgment, 
the court noted the plaintiff was “unable to point to any specific documentation, or written 
agreement or promise by” the defendant lender “that demonstrates a commitment to fund the end 
loans.” Id. (emphasis in original). “The executed loan documents” the court held, “do not indicate 
that [defendant] promised to make any end loans.” Id. (emphasis in original).  
After the Commissioner of Banks of Massachusetts took possession of Plymouth, the 
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) was appointed as receiver of Plymouth, and 
substituted as the party defendant. Id. at 432.  The FDIC moved for summary judgment pursuant 
to “the D'Oench, Duhme doctrine and 12 U.S.C. § 1823(e),” which “bars a private party’s recovery 
[against the FDIC] on an unwritten agreement even if the private party relied on the bank’s 
misrepresentations, and is completely innocent of any bad faith, recklessness or negligence.” Id. 
at 434. Under this doctrine, for the FDIC to be liable for an obligation, Plymouth’s 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 25 of 36

26 
 
“obligation…must appear in the bank’s records such that the FDIC is on notice of the particular 
obligation.” Id. at 435. The court held that while the signed construction loan agreement evidenced 
Plymouth’s commitment to fund the $3.5 million construction loan, “the purported obligation to 
fund some non-specific number of end loans…does not appear in the bank’s records.” Id. 
Accordingly, the court held that under the application of the D'Oench, Duhme doctrine, the FDIC 
was not liable for the alleged failure to fund the end loans, and the FDIC was granted summary 
judgment on the plaintiff’s breach of contract and promissory estoppel claims. Id. at 436. 
Unlike Krebs, the Loan Documents at issue are not devoid of references to Prestamos’ 
alleged intention and/or promise to the fund the loans. Moreover, the D'Oench, Duhme doctrine is 
inapplicable to the instant action.  
Defendants’ reliance on inapposite rulings decided in later stages of litigation 
demonstrates, if anything, that dismissal of Plaintiffs’ breach of contract claims at the motion to 
dismiss stage is premature. Plaintiffs have averred enough factual matter to state a breach of 
contract claim against Prestamos. See Saltzman v. TD Bank, N.A., No. 10-3265, 2011 U.S. Dist. 
LEXIS 33438 at *24 (E.D. Pa. Mar. 28, 2011) (denying motion to dismiss borrowers’ breach of 
contract claim against lender [b]ecause the amended complaint contains enough factual matter 
which, taken as true, raises a reasonable expectation that discovery could reveal sufficient evidence 
to show a breach of contract.”); Dana Transp., Inc. v. Ableco Fin., LLC, No. 04-2781, 2005 U.S. 
Dist. LEXIS 18086 at *8-9 (D. N.J. Aug. 17, 2005) (denying lender’s motion to dismiss borrower’s 
breach of contract claim against lender after allegedly refused to fund previously agreed upon 
loan); AM Logistics, Inc.v. Sorbee Int’l, LLC, No. 13-2876, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2925 at *16-
17 (E.D. Pa. Jan. 9, 2014) (“Any additional details surrounding the agreement, the terms, and the 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 26 of 36

27 
 
parties’ intentions are appropriate for discovery. If after discovery Plaintiff is unable to establish a 
viable breach of contract claim, Defendant may seek summary judgment.”).  
Lastly, and as stated supra, pursuant to the Court’s dismissal of Defendants’ Motion to 
Dismiss the SAC against CPLC without prejudice pending jurisdictional discovery, Defendants’ 
Motion to Dismiss Count One as to CPLC is denied without prejudice.  
e. COUNT TWO: The SAC Fails to State a Claim for Violation of the 
California UCL Against Prestamos, Therefore Count Two is Dismissed as to 
Both Defendants 
Named Plaintiffs Marshall and Townsend bring claims for violation of the California UCL, 
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200, et seq. on behalf of themselves and the California Subclass. SAC 
at ¶¶ 260-276. A defendant violates the UCL by committing an act or practice that is “(1) unlawful, 
(2) unfair, (3) fraudulent, or (4) in violation of section 17500.” Obesity Research Inst., LLC v. 
Fiber Research Int’l, LLC, 165 F. Supp. 937, 952 (S.D. Cal. 2016). Plaintiffs Marshall and 
Townsend allege “in the alternative and to the extent that their breach of contract claim against 
defendant Prestamos fails to adequately award their damages,” they are “entitled to equitable 
relief,” under the UCL, “including specifically injunctive relief directing Prestamos to fund their 
SBA-approved loans in full with applicable interest from the date the loans should have been 
funded, or restitution for the amount of the wrongfully withheld PPP loan proceeds plus interest.” 
SAC at ¶ 276 (emphasis added).  
Defendants, relying on the Ninth Circuit’s holding in Sonner, argue Plaintiffs’ claim should 
be dismissed because it seeks equitable remedies under the UCL, and under Sonner “[t]he plaintiff 
must establish that she lacks an adequate remedy at law before securing equitable restitution for 
past harm under the UCL.” Sonner v. Premier Nutrition Corp., 91 F.3d 834, 844 (9th Cir. 2020). 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 27 of 36

28 
 
Plaintiffs, Defendants contend, fail to state that a legal remedy is inadequate, as they assert their 
UCL claim for equitable relief “in the alternative and to the extent that their breach of contract 
claim fails to adequately award their damages.” MTD at pg. 38 [ECF No. 46-1].  
This Court agrees. Plaintiffs contend Sonner is inapplicable at the pleading stage. See 
Response in Opposition to MTD at pgs. 17-18 [ECF No. 49]. However, as Defendants’ Reply 
notes, “Sonner itself was a 12(b)(6) case.” Reply in Support of MTD at pg. 8 [ECF No. 51].  
Moreover, the few courts in this circuit to address post-Sonner UCL claims on a motion to 
dismiss have followed and applied Sonner. See In re Subaru Battery Drain Prods. Liab. Litig., No. 
1:20-cv-03095, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 62373 at *82-83 (D. N.J. Mar. 31, 2021) (rejecting 
argument that Sonner is applicable only “in the late stages of litigation” and applying Sonner in 
evaluating motion to dismiss, but denying dismissal of UCL claims after finding “Plaintiffs have 
adequately alleged that legal remedies are inadequate.”).  
In Hickman, the court addressed precisely the issue here: whether, in lieu of alleging other 
legal remedies are inadequate, a plaintiff may seek equitable relief under the UCL in the alternative 
to other legal remedies. Hickman v. Subaru of Am., Inc., No. 1:21-cv-02100, 2022 U.S. Dist. 
LEXIS 190746 at *29 (D. N.J. Oct. 19, 2022). While, as the court noted, such alternative pleading 
is generally permissible under Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(d), “here the general rule is trumped in the narrow 
context of a California UCL claim in light of the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Sonner which 
explicitly held that for a UCL claim to go forward a plaintiff must explicitly plead the lack of an 
adequate remedy at law.” Id. at *29 n.13 (citing Sonner, 971 F.3d at 844).  
While a Ninth Circuit decision is not binding on district courts in this circuit, this Court 
agrees with the Hickman court that “a Ninth Circuit decision interpreting a statute of a state within 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 28 of 36

29 
 
its jurisdiction is highly persuasive authority.” Id. Therefore, in accordance with the rulings in 
Sonner and Hickman, the Court will dismiss Plaintiffs’ UCL claim against Prestamos. Moreover, 
because Plaintiffs’ UCL claim against CPLC is predicated on the conduct of Prestamos, the Court 
dismisses Plaintiffs’ UCL claim against CPLC as well.  
f. COUNT THREE: The SAC Fails to State a Claim for Violation of the Illinois 
Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act Against Prestamos  
Named Plaintiff Ahmadou brings a claim for violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and 
Deceptive Business Practices Act (“ICFA”) 815 ILCS 505/1, et seq. on behalf of himself and the 
Illinois Subclass. SAC at ¶¶ 277-92. The ICFA “provides a remedy for unfair methods of 
competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in specified commercial transactions.” 
Greenberger v. GEICO Gen. Ins. Co., 631 F.3d 392, 399 (7th Cir. 2011) (internal quotations 
omitted). Claims for violation of the ICFA “are subject to the same heightened pleading standards 
as other fraud claims.” Id.  
The Seventh Circuit has made clear the ICFA “is ‘not intended to apply to every contract 
dispute or to supplement every breach of contract claim with a redundant remedy.’” Id. (quoting 
Zankle v. Queen Anne Landscaping, 724 N.E.2d 988, 992-93 (Ill. App. Ct. 2000)). Indeed, “[w]hen 
allegations of consumer fraud arise in a contractual setting, the plaintiff must prove that the 
defendant engaged in deceptive acts or practices distinct from any underlying breach of contract.” 
Id. A “deceptive act or practice” under the ICFA “involves more than the mere fact that a defendant 
promised something and then failed to do it. That type of misrepresentation occurs every time a 
defendant breaches a contract.” Id. (quoting Avery v. State Farm Mut. Auto Ins. Co., 26 Ill. 2d 100, 
169 (Ill. 2005)) (internal quotations omitted).   
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 29 of 36

30 
 
The SAC alleges Prestamos violated the ICFA by “falsely communicat[ing] its promises 
to” make loans to the borrowers and “otherwise fulfill the terms of its written agreements with 
plaintiff Ahmadou and the members of the Illinois Subclass.” Id. at ¶ 280. The SAC further alleges 
“Plaintiff and the members of the Illinois Subclass suffered ascertainable loss and actual damages 
as a direct and proximate result of Prestamos’s concealment of and failure to disclose material 
information about the funding of their PPP loans. Ahmadou and Illinois Subclass members 
contracted with and thereby agreed to allow Prestamos to process and fund their SBA loans and 
would not have done so if the true nature of those services had been disclosed.” Id. at ¶ 289. The 
SAC alleges this conduct constitutes both “unfair” and “deceptive” acts in violation of the ICFA. 
Id. at ¶¶ 285-86.  
Because Plaintiff Ahmadou’s ICFA claims “rest on the same factual foundation” as 
Plaintiffs’ breach of contract claims, “no distinct deceptive acts are alleged,” and therefore the 
SAC fails to state a claim under the ICFA. Greenberger, 631 F.3d at 399. Plaintiffs’ Response 
argues that ¶ 280 of the SAC “alleges that Prestamos induced [Plaintiff Ahmadou] to enter into the 
Loan Agreement, absent any intention of fulfilling the overriding purpose of it, by accepting 
plaintiff’s application and the SBA’s approval and thereby locking plaintiff into relying 
exclusively on Prestamos for his loan.” Plaintiffs’ Response in Opposition to MTD at pg. 18 [ECF 
No. 49]. Plaintiffs cite to Bakopoulos and Powell to support their contention that “these allegations 
are sufficient.” Id. at pgs. 18-19. 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 30 of 36

31 
 
However, even if this Court were able to permit Plaintiff Ahmadou to essentially amend 
the SAC via Plaintiffs’ Response in Opposition [ECF No. 49], which the Court cannot do3, the 
SAC, and Plaintiffs’ Response for that matter, still fail to allege Prestamos made knowing 
misrepresentations to induce Plaintiff Ahmadou and the Illinois Sublcass to enter into a contract. 
See Bakopoulos v. Mars Petcare US, Inc., No. 20-cv-6841, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129177 at *14 
(N.D. Ill. July 12, 2021) (“When defendants knowingly make misrepresentations, especially 
misrepresentations that induce consumers to enter a contract, some courts hold that such conduct 
can support a claim under the Consumer Fraud Act.”) (citing Greenberger, 631 F.3d at 400) 
(emphasis added). In Bakopoulos, the Court held the plaintiffs stated a claim for violation of the 
ICFA by alleging the defendant “falsely labeled its dog foods as being free from chicken, soy, or 
wheat, all the while knowing that those representations would likely mislead customers.” 
Bakopoulos, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129177 at *14 (emphasis added). In Bakopoulos, the court 
held that, according to the complaint, the defendant’s “knowing misrepresentations were a 
deceptive practice, purposely aimed at perpetuating fraud, not merely a failure to perform in a 
contract.” Id. Here, the SAC makes no substantive factual averments that Prestamos did anything 
beyond fail to perform in a contract, let alone make “knowing misrepresentations…purposely 
aimed at perpetuating fraud.” Id.  
Powell is similarly inapposite. There, relying on courts in this district’s previous findings 
“that advertisements and representations made by a car manufacturers’ sales and marketing 
departments can suffice to plead a fraudulent representation,”  the Powell court held plaintiffs’ 
allegations that a defendant car manufacturer misrepresented its warranty by claiming it “would 
 
3 Abrahams v. Deutsche Bank Nat’l Trust, No. 16-cv-62146, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6908 
at *9 (S.D. Fla. Jan. 13, 2017) (“the Court cannot consider information provided by Plaintiffs in 
Response to the Motion to Dismiss but not contained in the Complaint.”) 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 31 of 36

32 
 
cover all defects occurring within the mileage limitations despite the fact that they knew it intended 
to deny coverage for anything that it deemed a ‘design defect,’ without actually ever defining that 
term” sufficiently pled fraudulent misrepresentation. Powell v. Subaru of Am., Inc., 502 F. Supp. 
3d 856, 888 (D. N.J. 2020). Here, the SAC consists of no such particularity, but rather recasts 
Plaintiffs’ claims that Prestamos “falsely communicated its promise” to “act as a ‘Lender’” and 
“fulfill the terms of its written agreement with plaintiff Ahmadou and the members of Illinois 
Subclass” as an ICFA claim. SAC at ¶ 280.  
Because Plaintiff Ahmadou claims that the same alleged conduct of Prestamos also 
constitutes “unfair” acts in violation of the ICFA, the Court dismisses Plaintiffs’ ICFA claim in its 
entirety. See Camasta v. Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc., 761 F.3d 732, 737 (7th Cir. 2014) (“Simply 
adding language of ‘unfairness’ instead of ‘misrepresentation’ does not alter the fact that 
Camasta’s allegations are entirely grounded in fraud under the ICFA.”). In any event, even if 
considered independent from Plaintiff’s “deceptive acts” claim, Plaintiff Ahmadou’s unfairness 
allegations are insufficiently plead. See Robinson v. Toyota Motor Credit Corp., 201 Ill. 2d 403, 
421 (Ill. 2002) (“Plaintiffs’ bare assertion of unfairness without describing in what manner the lack 
of disclosures either violate public policy or are oppressive is insufficient to state a cause of action” 
under the ICFA).  
g. COUNT FOUR: The SAC Fails to State a Claim for Violation of the Ohio 
Deceptive Trade Practices Act Against Prestamos 
Named Plaintiff Stalnaker brings a claim for violation of Ohio Deceptive Trade Practices 
Act (“ODTPA”) on behalf of herself and the Ohio Subclass.4 SAC at ¶¶ 293-303. Under the 
 
4 Although the caption to Count Four of the SAC is titled “Violation of the Ohio Consumer 
Sales Practices Act,” ¶¶ 293-303 of the SAC, and Plaintiffs’ briefing make clear that the Count is 
brought pursuant to the ODTPA. See SAC at ¶ 303 (alleging Prestamos is “liable to plaintiff 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 32 of 36

33 
 
ODTPA, a “person” may “seek injunctive relief or actual damages if the person is damaged or 
injured by a ‘person who commits a deceptive trade practice.’” Gascho v. Global Fitness Holdings, 
LLC, 863 F. Supp. 2d 677, 698 (S.D. Ohio 2012) (quoting Ohio Revised Code § 4165.03(A)). The 
elements of an ODTPA claim include: “(1) a false statement or statement that is misleading, (2) 
which statement actually deceived or has the tendency to deceive a substantial segment of the 
target audience, (3) the deception is material in that it is likely to influence a purchasing decision, 
and (4) the plaintiff has been or is likely to be injured as a result.” Torrance v. Rom, 157 N.E.3d 
172, 188 (Oh. Ct. App. 2020).  
 Courts interpret the ODTPA “very similar[ly] to the federal Lanham Act.” Defrank v. 
Samsung Elecs. Am., Inc., No. 19-21401, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 198893 at *45 (D. N.J. Oct. 26, 
2020) (citing Holbrook v. Louisiana-Pacific Corp., 533 Fed. Appx. 493, 497 (6th Cir. 2013)).  
Defendants contend Plaintiff Stalnaker’s claim is barred under the ODTPA because “[t]his 
class action is a consumer suit according to Plaintiffs’ amended complaint.” See MTD at pg. 43 
[ECF No. 46-1]. Only “legal or commercial entities,” not “ordinary consumers,” have standing to 
sue under the ODTPA. Defrank, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 198893 at *45. However, an individual 
may bring a claim under the ODTPA provided they do so in their “capacity as a participant in 
commercial activity.” Gascho, 863 F. Supp. 2d at 698. As under the Lanham Act, to state a claim 
under the ODTPA, a plaintiff must (1) “allege an injury to a commercial interest in reputation or 
sales”; and (2) the harm alleged must have “a sufficiently close connection to the conduct the 
statute prohibits.” Die-Mension Corp. v. Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp., No. C14-855, 2015 
 
Stalnaker and the members of the Ohio Subclass for the damages they sustained…to the maximum 
extent provided by the ODTPA.”); see also Plaintiffs’ Opposition to MTD at pgs. 19-20 [ECF No. 
49] (analyzing allegations made in Count Four pursuant to the ODTPA). 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 33 of 36

34 
 
U.S. Dist. LEXIS 121065 at *7-8 (W.D. Wash. Sept. 9, 2015) (quoting Lexmark Int’l, Inc. v. Static 
Control Components, Inc., 134 S. Ct. 1377, 1389-90 (2014)).5  
Although, as Defendants note, Count Three of the SAC avers the legal conclusion that 
“Plaintiff Ahmadou and members of the Illinois subclass are ‘consumers’ as that term is defined” 
under the ICFA, the Court declines to rely on this averred legal conclusion under the ICFA in 
analyzing whether, according to the factual averments of the SAC, Plaintiff Stalnaker and the Ohio 
subclass are “ordinary consumers” under the ODTPA. See SAC at ¶ 284; James v. City of Wilkes-
Barre, 700 F.3d 675, 681 (3d Cir. 2012) (“At the motion to dismiss stage, we accept as true all 
factual assertions, but we disregard…legal conclusions, and conclusory statements.”).  
Focusing on the factual averments of the SAC, Plaintiff Stalnaker avers she is “a natural 
person” who “at all applicable times…was a sole proprietor of a homemaker/personal care 
provider business” who applied for, and contracted with Prestamos to receive, a PPP loan after her 
“homemaker/personal care provider business lost significant income” due to the COVID-19 
pandemic. SAC at ¶¶ 24, 205-12. Plaintiff Stalnaker alleges Prestamos’s conduct in failing to fund 
her PPP loan caused “suffered losses” but does not plead those losses were in the form of “an 
injury to a commercial interest in reputation or sales” or otherwise plead a “sufficiently close 
connection” between her losses and “the conduct the statute prohibits.” Die-Mension Corp., 2015 
U.S. Dist. LEXIS 121065 at *7-8. Accordingly, Plaintiff Stalnaker fails to state a claim under the 
ODTPA and Count Four will be dismissed. 
 
5 The court in Die-Mension Corp. held, and this Court agrees, that “[g]iven the similarities 
between the federal and state statutes, the Court is persuaded that the Ohio Supreme Court would 
adopt the two-part standard articulated in Lexmark in deciding who may pursue a claim under the 
ODTPA.” Die-Mension Corp., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 121065 at *10. 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 34 of 36

35 
 
Moreover, for the reasons articulated supra in the prior subsection of this Opinion, Plaintiff 
Stalnaker also fails to allege any independently tortious conduct, but rather recasts Plaintiffs’ 
breach of contract claims and ODTPA claims. See JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. Safeco Ins. Co. 
of Am., No. 02-16014, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 74570 at *14-15 (N.D. Ohio May 30, 2012) (holding 
plaintiff’s ODTPA claims were insufficient because “each of the alleged false statements…was 
contained in the provisions of the contract documents” and plaintiff failed to “identify a single 
misrepresentation outside these documents.”).  
Moreover, contrary to Plaintiffs’ assertions in their Response, ¶ 299 of the SAC does not 
allege Prestamos “induced and bound [Plaintiff Stalnaker] and other Ohio borrowers to enter into 
the Loan Documents without intending to perform.” Response in Opposition to MTD at pg. 20 
[ECF No. 49] (emphasis added). Rather, the SAC avers that Prestamos caused losses because of 
its “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” in promising to “act as a ‘Lender’, “perform its 
obligations” under the Loan Documents, and “otherwise fulfill the terms of its written agreements 
with plaintiff Stalnaker and the members of the Ohio Subclass.” SAC at ¶ 299 (emphasis added).  
h. COUNT FIVE: Unjust Enrichment Against CPLC 
As stated supra, pursuant to the Court’s dismissal of Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss the 
SAC against CPLC without prejudice pending jurisdictional discovery, Defendants’ Motion to 
Dismiss Count Five as to CPLC is denied without prejudice.  
 
V. 
CONCLUSION 
Based on the foregoing, Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss is GRANTED IN PART and 
DENIED IN PART. This Court finds Named Plaintiffs have standing, except to the extent Named 
Plaintiffs purport to bring state law claims under the laws of states in which they do not reside in 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 35 of 36

36 
 
or in which they were never injured. Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Count One of the SAC for 
Breach of Contract as to Defendant Prestamos is DENIED. Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Counts 
Two, Three, and Four of the SAC for violations of the California UCL, ICFA, and ODTPA, 
respectively, is GRANTED. Counts Two, Three, and Four of Plaintiffs’ Complaint are 
DISMISSED. 
Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss all remaining claims (Counts One and Five) against CPLC 
for failure to allege an alter ego relationship that could subject CPLC to personal jurisdiction or 
liability is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE pending jurisdictional discovery. An appropriate 
Order follows.  
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ John M. Gallagher  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
JOHN M. GALLAGHER 
 
  
United States District Court Judge 
 
Case 5:21-cv-04337-JMG   Document 56   Filed 03/30/23   Page 36 of 36

File and source

File
gov.uscourts.paed.589575.56.0.pdf
Size
368,268 bytes
SHA-256
b8deb0c971645b4b52073e64bade7f4f066a86a3b7486a11872e0738913457de
Our copy
gov.uscourts.paed.589575.56.0.pdf
Original
PACER (login required)
Back to top