White Cloud Consulting, Inc. v. Professional Staff Leasing Corp.

Good Law
68 F. App'x 848
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitJune 26, 2003Nos. 02-35358, 02-35427California294 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

MEMORANDUM **

Professional Staff Leasing Corporation (“ProLease”) appeals the district court’s decision to dismiss its breach of fiduciary duty counterclaim against Terry White, the former Chief Executive Officer of White Cloud Consulting, Inc. (“White Cloud”). ProLease claims White breached his fiduciary duty by allowing an employee from another company to file a workers’ compensation claim under ProLease’s insurance policy. We find no error with the district court’s decision. ProLease did not prove it suffered any damage from the errant filing. It failed to show that its insurance rates climbed or rating standards changed because of White’s actions.

We also affirm the district court’s decision to deny White Cloud and Pro-Lease attorneys’ fees. Both parties claim victory in their dispute over the promissory note. Neither party, however, can be characterized as the “prevailing party.” The district court ruled in favor of White Cloud by upholding the validity of the promissory note and rejecting ProLease’s counterclaims for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and breach of contract. The district court ruled in favor of ProLease by offsetting the promissory note by $612,772. Since…

Sign in to read the full opinion

Create a free account to read the complete opinion text, citation history, and good-law status for this case.