Opinion ID: 786707
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Claims Against Geisler Roberdeau, Inc.

Text: 37 Plaintiffs asserted a number of claims against Geisler Roberdeau, Inc.: the two claims discussed above dealing with breach of fiduciary duty, as well as a cause of action for trover and conversion and one for unjust enrichment. The district court dismissed these claims based on the doctrine of fraudulent joinder, and since we vacate that ruling, these claims are now back in play. A question will therefore arise as to whether these claims are subject to copyright preemption. With respect to the breach of fiduciary duty claims, it is clear from the above discussion that, no matter how these claims are presented, they will not be preempted. 38 Regarding the other causes of action, the answer is less obvious. Cf. Harper & Row, 723 F.2d at 200-01 (concluding that a conversion claim may or may not be preempted depending on the theories under which it is asserted). Because these causes of action were dismissed at the start of litigation, we lack briefing on precisely how plaintiffs intend to develop their theories. Cf. id. (relying on plaintiff's briefs, in addition to the complaint, in ascertaining theory for preemption purposes). We therefore decline to rule on the issue and instead leave it for the district court to address in the first instance on remand.