Court Opinion

ID: 9959924
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-12 20:12:31.16893+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:18:59.869959
License: Public Domain

Navesink Intl., LLC v Clinton Group, Inc.
               2024 NY Slip Op 31171(U)
                      April 5, 2024
           Supreme Court, New York County
        Docket Number: Index No. 654722/2018
                  Judge: Debra A. James
Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip
 Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York
 State and local government sources, including the New
  York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service.
 This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official
                       publication.
                                                                                                                           INDEX NO. 654722/2018
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 81                                                                                                 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/05/2024

                                   SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
                                             NEW YORK COUNTY
            PRESENT:             HON. DEBRA A. JAMES                                               PART    59
                                                                                      Justice
            ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------X
                                                                                                  INDEX NO.               654722/2018
             NAVESINK INTERNATIONAL, LLC,
                                                                                                  MOTION DATE              11/02/2022
                                                         Plaintiff,
                                                                                                  MOTION SEQ. NO.              002
                                                 - V -

             THE CLINTON GROUP, INC.,                                                               DECISION + ORDER ON
                                                                                                          MOTION
                                                         Defendant.
            ------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------X

            The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 002) 35, 36, 37, 38, 39,
            40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56, 57,58,59, 60,61,62, 63,64, 65, 66, 67,
            68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80
            were read on this motion to/for                                        SUMMARY JUDGMENT (AFTER JOINDER)

                                                                            ORDER

                      Upon the foregoing documents, it is

                      ORDERED that motion of the defendant The Clinton Group,                                                        Inc,

            for      summary judgment is granted and the complaint is dismissed

            with costs and disbursements to defendant as taxed by the Clerk

            upon the submission of an appropriate bill of costs;                                                          and it is

            further

                      ORDERED            that         the        Clerk          is       directed         to     enter      judgment

            accordingly.

                                                                         DECISION

                      The        plaintiff               Navesink               International,                 LLC      ( "Naves ink")

            commenced             this        action           seeking           payment          from    the        defendant          The

            Clinton            Group,             Inc.          ("Clinton")                 for    executive            recruitment

             654722/2018 NAVESINK INTERNATIONAL, LLC vs. CLINTON GROUP, INC.                                               Page 1 of4
             Motion No. 002

[* 1]                                                                       1 of 4
                                                                                                             INDEX NO. 654722/2018
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 81                                                                               RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/05/2024

            services.           Navesink        alleges         that      it      introduced            a    group          of

            prospective           employees,        Quan ti tati ve Machine Learning                         Investment

            Management            ("QML"), who were hired by Navesink on July 17, 2017.

            QML       included Gontran de              Quillacq          ("Gontran"),            who    is    also         the

            managing partner of Navesink and the individual responsible for

            introducing QML to Clinton.                        Gontran was only employed briefly by

            Navesink and was terminated in November 2017.

                      Clinton contends that there was never any mutual agreement

            between         the    parties       and    that      there        was   no    understanding              that

            Naves ink        would      be    seeking      a     fee     for    recruitment            services,            as

            demonstrated by Navesink's own documentary evidence and testimony

            warranting dismissal of Navesink's complaint.                                   This court agrees.

                      The     purported        recruitment             agreement          (the    "Contract")               is

            unsigned by Clinton and does                         not     even identify Clinton as                          the

            counterparty, instead containing numerous "[Company]" placeholders

            throughout the document, including the signature block, is clearly

            a form document.              (NYSCEF Doc. No. 70, p 2.)                   Nonetheless, Navesink

            argues without any admissible evidence that if a user clicks the

            hyperlink at the bottom of Goran's email signature that states:

            "Unless we have a contract in place, you agree to our legal terms" 1 ,

            and the user is directed to the Contract, which creates a legally

            binding         contract         between     the     parties.            Navesink          advances       this

            1    "legal terms" is the text that is the hyperlink.
                654722/2018 NAVESINK INTERNATIONAL, LLC vs. CLINTON GROUP, INC.                              Page 2 of 4
                Motion No. 002

[* 2]                                                           2 of 4
                                                                                                   INDEX NO. 654722/2018
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 81                                                                       RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/05/2024

            argument based on its internet traffic reports that purportedly

            demonstrates         that      Clinton          clicked      the   hyperlink      on    multiple

            instances,         despite      Goran's         own    deposition       testimony       that         the

            reports are unable to identify who within Clinton may have clicked

            the     hyperlink,        or    which          pages   the     user    actually        viewed         on

            Navesink's website based.                  (NYSCEF 40,         188:16-189:20).          As such,

            the     record      contains         no        admissible      evidentiary       support             for

            Navesink's proposition.                   In summary, Navesink's does not raise a

            triable issue of fact as to its failure to establish the existence

            of an enforceable contract between the parties.                                 Such lack of

            evidence      is    fatal      to   its        first   cause of       action   for     breach of

            contract and second cause of action for account stated.                                 Markov v

            Katt, 176 AD3d 401             (1st Dept 2019).

                    Additionally,          Navesink's          email     communications          demonstrate

            that Navesink approached Clinton, as a potential investor, not as

            a recruiter.         The email, dated March 30, 2017, plainly states that

            Gontran "would like to introduce [QML] to [Clinton] for Investment

            consideration".           (NYSCEF Document Number 70                  (emphasis added).              The

            email      makes    no    mention         of    recruitment        services    or      identifies

            Gontran as a recruiter.              Navesink's remaining third cause of action

            for quantum meruit and forth cause of action for unjust enrichment

             654722/2018 NAVESINK INTERNATIONAL, LLC vs. CLINTON GROUP, INC.                       Page 3 of 4
             Motion No. 002

[* 3]                                                        3 of 4
                                                                                                              INDEX NO. 654722/2018
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 81                                                                               RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/05/2024

            are     dismissed        because        Navesink       fails       offer         evidence               of      its

            reasonable expectation of compensation for recruitment services.

            Martin H. Bauman Assocs,                Inc v H & M Int'l Transp, Inc, 171 AD2d

            479, 484 (1st Dept 1991).

                                                                               P- ~ .A - } ~
                                                                           20240405181944DJAME57C5608FAD3094DA3953D57CD312037B4

                     4/5/2024
                      DATE                                                          DEBRA A. JAMES, J.S.C.

                                     ~                                 ~
             CHECK ONE:                   CASE DISPOSED                    NON-FINAL DISPOSITION

                                                          □ DENIED
                                                                                                            □
                                          GRANTED                          GRANTED IN PART                        OTHER

             APPLICATION:                 SETTLE ORDER                     SUBMIT ORDER

                                                                                                            □
             CHECK IF APPROPRIATE:        INCLUDES TRANSFER/REASSIGN       FIDUCIARY APPOINTMENT                  REFERENCE

             654722/2018 NAVESINK INTERNATIONAL, LLC vs. CLINTON GROUP, INC.                                   Page4 of 4
             Motion No. 002

[* 4]                                                       4 of 4