vince young lawsuit v. pro player funding
TRANSCRIPT
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK
VINCENT YOUNG,
Plaintiff,
-against-
PRO PLAYER FUNDING LLC,
Defendant.
Index No. _____________
Date Purchased: September 5, 2012
SUMMONS
Basis of Venue: CPLR §§ 501 and 503(c).
TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT:
You are hereby summoned to answer the Verified Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer or, if the Verified Complaint is not served with summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s Attorneys within 20 days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Verified Complaint. Dated: New York, New York September 5, 2012 DEWEY PEGNO & KRAMARSKY LLP By /s/ Thomas E. L. Dewey
Thomas E. L. Dewey David S. Pegno David C. Marden 777 Third Avenue, 37th Floor
New York, New York 10017 (212) 943-9000 OF COUNSEL: Trey L. Dolezal KASLING, HEMPHILL, DOLEZAL & ATWELL, L.L.P. 301 Congress Avenue, Suite 300 Austin, Texas 78701 (512) 472-6800
Attorneys for Plaintiff Vincent P. Young
FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 09/05/2012 INDEX NO. 156111/2012
NYSCEF DOC. NO. 1 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/05/2012
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK
VINCENT YOUNG,
Plaintiff,
-against-
PRO PLAYER FUNDING LLC,
Defendant.
Index No. _____________ VERIFIED COMPLAINT
Plaintiff Vincent Young (“Young”), by his undersigned attorneys, as and for his
complaint in this action, alleges as follows with knowledge as to his own actions, and otherwise
upon information and belief:
SUMMARY OF THE ACTION
1. Young is a professional quarterback who has been defrauded by his former
business representatives through a brazen scheme to secure loans using Young’s identity to
satisfy their own personal debts and otherwise line their own pockets.
2. One such loan that was secured as part of that fraudulent conduct was a nearly
$1.9 million loan from defendant Pro Player Funding LLC (“Pro Player”)—a predatory lender
with a history of loaning funds to football players on extraordinarily onerous terms. Under the
onerous terms of the alleged loan to Young, Pro Player retained prepaid interest at the rate of
20% per annum in the amount of $619,112.26, and after other disbursements Young allegedly
was to receive a total of $1,104,902.54—or a mere 59% of the total loan proceeds (the “Pro
Player Loan”).
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3. On June 6, 2012, an event of default on the loan was declared by Pro Player,
which Pro Player claimed entitled it to commence charging Young interest at the default rate of
30%. Pro Player also filed a Judgment by Confession on July 2, 2012, seeking from Young an
outstanding principal amount of $1,695,070.54, together with post-judgment interest at 9% per
annum until the judgment is paid in full.
4. Young has never received a penny from the purported Pro Player “loan” proceeds,
nor has he ever communicated with anyone from Pro Player or knowingly executed any loan
agreements with Pro Player. Tellingly, the signature pages to the various loan agreements
purportedly signed by Young were executed on May 4, 2011, even though the agreements
themselves were not finalized until two weeks later—on May 17, 2011. Pro Player entered into
this purported loan without taking any reasonable steps to ensure that Young was aware of the
transaction, that he authorized it, or that he would benefit from it. Indeed, the circumstances of
this loan should have given rise to grave suspicions on the part of Pro Player as to whether the
transaction was legitimate. Pro Player, however, turned a blind eye to those circumstances,
motivated by its rapacious desire to earn the exorbitant profits on the loan.
5. Despite Young’s stated belief that the Pro Player Loan was fraudulently obtained
without his knowledge, Pro Player has subjected Young—and his former football team, the
Buffalo Bills—to a barrage of threats and excessive and needless discovery requests in an effort
to enforce its judgment.
6. Accordingly, Young brings this action to vacate the Judgment by Confession
because the underlying loan was obtained by fraudulent means, with Pro Players’ (at minimum)
negligent and reckless assistance.
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PARTIES, JURISDICTION AND VENUE
7. Plaintiff Young is a natural person residing in Houston, Texas.
8. Defendant Pro Player is a limited liability company organized and existing under
the laws of Delaware with a place of business at 152 West 57th Street, 54th Floor, New York,
New York 10019.
9. This Court has jurisdiction over the parties pursuant to CPLR § 301 or, in the
alternative, CPLR § 302(a)(1). Venue is proper in the county of New York pursuant to CPLR §§
501 or, in the alternative, 503(c).
FACTS COMMON TO ALL CAUSES OF ACTION
A. Fraudulent Conduct of Young’s Former Business Representatives
10. Young’s ex-business representatives include his former financial advisor, Ronnie
T. Peoples (“Peoples”), head of Peoples Financial Services, Inc. (“PFS”), a Raleigh, North
Carolina financial services firm, and his former sports agent, Major L. Adams II (“Adams”).
11. On or about January 18, 2006, Young executed an Authorization for Attorney in
Fact (the “Authorization”) in favor of Peoples and PFS. Pursuant to the Authorization, Peoples
and PFS were authorized by Young to act in his name and on his behalf in all financial matters.
PFS established several accounts in Young’s name through which transactions were conducted.
On or about January 18, 2006, a Management Services Agreement (the “MSA”) was executed by
Peoples as President and CEO of PFS. The MSA was made effective as of January 18, 2006,
and provides that it will run for the period of Young’s current National Football League (“NFL”)
contract and/or for the duration of the next NFL contract entered by Young.
12. Pursuant to the MSA, Peoples and PFS agreed to provide Young with financial
planning, credit management, investment counseling, estate planning and bill paying, among
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other services. In exchange for these services, Young agreed to pay Peoples and PFS a flat
yearly fee of $65,000. Young also agreed to reimburse Peoples and PFS for all out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in connection with services provided to Young.
13. Since 2006, Young also was represented by Adams—an attorney from Houston,
Texas—as his original player agent.
14. Upon information and belief, Peoples and Adams undertook a series of
financial transactions—both individually and collaboratively—aimed at defrauding Young of
approximately $5.5 million while his assets were under PFS’ control. To facilitate these
fraudulent transfers from Young’s accounts, Peoples and Adams resorted to a myriad of
deceptive practices: impersonating Young in order to secure bogus loans in his name; forging
Young’s signature on financial documents; and using fake e-mail addresses in Young’s name
that Young neither authorized or of which he was even aware.
15. Young was audited for 2006-2008 and it was discovered that roughly $3 million
in marketing/endorsement income had not been reported on Young’s tax returns. Young was
assessed (and paid in 2011) a tax bill of approximately $1.4 million on this income. During this
time, marketing/endorsement income was paid directly to Adams and another individual who
were trusted to take their own fees out and forward the net to Young. Adams had multiple joint
accounts with Young and therefore could withdraw funds at will. Peoples informed Young that
the tax bill had already been paid, knowing full well that it had not. (Indeed, Peoples would
eventually arrange the Pro Player Loan knowing that the IRS debt was still outstanding, a direct
contravention of certain Pro Player Loan agreements.)
16. Upon information and belief, Peoples and PFS repaid some of Adams’
unauthorized debts by using Young’s funds without his knowledge. Indeed, Adams has admitted
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that he forged Young’s signature on various documents in order to perpetuate this fraud against
Young.
B. Young Discovers the Fraud
17. In late August of 2011, Young transferred management of his assets to a new
firm, KM Capital Management. Upon completion of KM Capital’s review of six years’ worth of
Young’s bank statements, significant transfers between Young’s accounts and accounts owned
by PFS were noted, as well as evidence of comingling of Young’s funds with PFS-owned
accounts. This investigation revealed a substantial net transfer in favor of PFS in the amount of
roughly $7.854 million (i.e., PFS received $7.854 million more than it transferred over to
Young’s accounts).
18. When the questionable financial transactions involving Peoples and Adams came
to light, Young immediately terminated his relationship with Peoples and Adams.
19. On November 1, 2011, Young and PFS entered into an Agreement and Mutual
Release (the “Release”), whereby the parties terminated their business relationship and released
each other from various responsibilities. Most significantly, the Release absolves Young of his
personal guaranty of $1.9 million in loans from PFS to Adams and $500,000 in loans from PFS
to Keith Young (Young’s uncle).
20. Peoples and Adams are accountable for misappropriating, improperly converting
and/or squandering the funds missing from Young’s accounts or fraudulently obtained under his
name.
C. The Pro Player Loan Transaction
21. Unfortunately, Young’s discovery of the massive fraud against him did not occur
before he was the victim of another scheme: the Pro Player Loan. In addition to the nearly $5.5
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million in fraudulent transfers described above, Peoples’ and Adams’ deceptive financial
schemes included obtaining a high-interest loan under Young’s name in the amount of nearly
$1.9 million from Pro Player. Upon information and belief, Peoples and Adams conspired to
obtain this loan from Pro Player without informing Young, and with Peoples acting as the
primary contact with Pro Player’s representatives.
22. Young has no recollection of ever discussing a loan transaction with Pro Player,
and he never had any communications with anyone at Pro Player or any attorney advising him
about such a loan.
23. Michael W. Simon, an attorney with the law firm of Simon & Sigalos, LLP
located in Boca Raton Florida, communicated with Peoples by e-mail to provide advice about
certain of the Pro Player Loan documents, but none of those communications were sent to Young
himself or forwarded to Young by Peoples. Simon also exchanged e-mails and documents
regarding the Pro Player Loan directly with Darien Dash, a senior executive with Pro Player, and
Pro Player’s transactional counsel in New York. Again, Young was not included on any of these
e-mail communications. Young has no recollection of ever discussing the Pro Player Loan with
Mr. Simon or any other attorney.
24. On or about May 17, 2011, Young purportedly entered into a Loan and Security
Agreement with Pro Player pursuant to which Pro Player loaned Young $1,876,876.88. A copy
of the Loan and Security Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit A and incorporated herein by
reference.
25. Among the additional documents Young was required to execute as the
“borrower” in order to close the Pro Player Loan were the following:
a. Promissory Note in the amount of $1,876,876.88;
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b. Escrow Agreement, under which certain of Young’s salaried/bonus payments are subject to deposit in an escrow account and subsequent dispersal to Pro Player;
c. Employer Agreement, pursuant to which Young and his then-current employer irrevocably agreed that all sums payable to Young from his employer are subject to deposit in an escrow account;
d. Affidavits of Confession, pursuant to which Young as the borrower confessed judgment to Pro Player fro all sums due and owing under the Note; and
e. Closing Statement detailing the sources of funds and disbursement of funds under the Pro Player Loan.
Copies of the aforementioned documents are attached hereto as Exhibits B through F,
respectively, and incorporated herein by reference.
26. Young has no recollection of executing the signature pages to any of the Pro
Player Loan agreements—let alone the long, complicated legal documents that were necessary to
complete the Pro Player Loan transaction. The signature pages to the Pro Player Loan
documentation bearing Young’s alleged signature are each dated May 4, 2011, even though the
documents themselves were not finalized and signed off on until May 17, 2011—nearly two
weeks after Young supposedly executed such agreements.
27. The Pro Player Loan had a maturity date of January 7, 2013, and an interest rate
of 20%, which could fluctuate up to 34% in the event of default. Pro Player retained
$619,112.26 as prepaid interest on the loan, and, after other disbursements, Young was to receive
a total of $1,104,902.54, or 59% of the total loan proceeds.
28. Upon closing the Pro Player Loan, almost all of the loan proceeds were
immediately transferred over to a PFS-owned account.
29. Pro Player took no steps to ensure that Young actually was aware of or authorized
this loan. That was so despite the fact that, among other things: (i) the onerous terms of the loan,
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including its very high interest rate, large immediate prepayment of interest (after that
prepayment and the deduction of various expenses only about 59% of the proceeds were being
paid over to Young); (ii) Young purportedly executed the loan documentation 13 days before the
documents themselves are dated; (iii) the signature pages on the loan documents are on separate,
unpaginated sheets so there is no assurance that Young was presented with the accurate or
complete copies of documents. These were, of course, facts that Pro Player well knew or should
have known, since it targeted—or perhaps more accurately victimized—these professional
athletes for its predatory lending practices. Indeed, a month before the Pro Player Loan was
finalized in May of 2011, Pro Player’s Darien Dash provided an interview to Yahoo!’s online
sports magazine in which he publicly “expressed concern that players might be entering into
these [high risk] agreements without competent legal counsel[.]” Rand Getlin, Cash-Strapped
NFL Players Seeking High-Risk ‘Lockout Loans’, ThePostGame.com (April 12, 2011).1 Having
openly acknowledged the inherent potential for abuse with such predatory loans to NFL players,
Mr. Dash and Pro Player nevertheless facilitated the very same type of high-risk loan to Young
without making a modicum of effort to ensure that Young himself was aware of the loan—let
alone that he fully understood the extraordinarily onerous terms of such loan.
30. Despite repeated inquiries to Peoples and Adams, Young does not know the
current status of, the location of, or who controls the funds from the proceeds of the Pro Player
Loan.
31. By letter dated June 6, 2012, counsel for Pro Player notified Young that certain
amounts due and owing to Pro Player had not been received from his employer and, therefore, an
event of default had occurred under the Loan and Security Agreement. The June 6 letter further
1 Available at http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201104/tpg-exclusive-cash-strapped-nfl-players-seeking-high-risk-lockout-loans.
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stated that Pro Player had the right to immediately accelerate the loan, including the right to enter
judgment in New York against Young as the borrower, as well as the right to immediately
commence charging interest on the loan at the default rate of 30% per annum.
D. The Texas Action Against Pro Player, Peoples, PFS and Adams
32. On June 11, 2012, Young commenced an action against Peoples, PFS and Adams
for their conspiracy to commit fraud by filing a Verified Original Petition and Request for
Disclosure in the District Court of Harris County, Texas. Pro Player will be added as a
defendant to that action under the Amended Petition. See Young v. Peoples, et al., Case No.
2012-33871 (281st Dist. Ct., Harris Cty., Texas) (the “Texas Action”).
33. The Texas Action not only encompasses the conspiracy by Peoples and Adams to
defraud Young by deceitfully obtaining the Pro Player Loan under his identity—including Pro
Player’s failure to exercise reasonable care or competence in communicating information to
Young—but it also encompasses the litany of other financial schemes undertaken by Peoples and
Adams to misappropriate millions of dollars from Young’s earnings.
E. Pro Player’s Judgment by Confession
34. On July 2, 2012—roughly one month after Young commenced the Texas
Action—Pro Player filed the Confession of Judgment allegedly made by Young. Pro Player
claimed that total regular interest accrued on the $1,876,876.88 principal balance of the loan at
20% per annum amounted to $396,972.32 through June 5, 2012. It further claimed that default
interest on the loan at 30% per annum amounted to $41,651.28 through July 2, 2012. Deducting
the combined $438,623.60 in regular and default interest from the $619,112.26 in prepaid
interest, Pro Player credited Young with prepaid interest equal to $180,488.66 against the
$1,876,876.88 outstanding principal amount—leaving what it alleged was an outstanding
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balance on the loan of $1,696,388.22. See Pro Player Funding LLC v. Young, Index No.
103168/2012 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Cty.).
35. After applying certain adjustments, this Court entered judgment that same day for
the total sum of $1,695,070.54, together with post-judgment interest at 9% per annum until the
judgment is paid in full. The Confession of Judgment was supported by both the Affidavit of
Brian J. Jedwab, Managing Director of Pro Player, sworn to on June 12, 2012, and the purported
Affidavit of Young, sworn to on May 4, 2011, which Young asserts he was never shown. Copies
of the July 2, 2012 Judgment by Confession and supporting affidavits (without exhibits) are
attached hereto as Exhibit G and incorporated herein by reference.
Pro Player’s Judgment Enforcement Tactics
36. In May of 2012, Young signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills and
began training camp with the team in July 2012. Thus, the recent public disclosure and ensuing
rumors of Young’s alleged default on the Pro Player Loan has coincided during a particularly
critical period in Young’s NFL career—with potential lasting implications for the upcoming
season and beyond.
37. Compounding the stress of such disclosure has been the harassing efforts of Pro
Player’s counsel in seeking discovery from both Young and the Buffalo Bills—including an
improper attempt to serve Young with papers while he was at the Buffalo Bills’ practice facility
during training camp in early August of 2012.
38. Counsel for Pro Player wrote to senior Buffalo Bills executives on July 24, 2012
to notify them that Pro Player intended to seek documents and depositions from them as part of
its discovery efforts.
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39. On July 30, 2012, counsel for Pro Players also sent separate notification letters to
both Young and AFGM Enterprises Federal Credit Union enclosing restraining notices and
information subpoenas.
40. By letter dated August 8, 2012, counsel for Pro Player issued a Notice to Take
Deposition Upon Oral Examination of Vincent Young to Young’s counsel in Austin, Texas via
e-mail. Despite being notified of Young’s unavailability, Pro Player’s counsel responded via e-
mail by threatening Young with a series of harassing enforcement tactics, including
“involve[ing] the sheriff even if that means forcibly removing [Young] from practice.” In
addition, Pro Player’s counsel noted that “[w]e have at least one of [Young’s] bank accounts
with sufficient funds to cover this tied up and will have others similarly situated very soon.” Pro
Player’s counsel also made it clear that its enforcement activities would extend to issuing even
more deposition notices, including notices to Young’s current agent and “others to determine
other sources of funds and anticipated income.”
41. Knowing full well that Young was challenging the validity of the Pro Player Loan
based on his former representatives’ admitted fraudulent conduct—and also knowing full well
that Young was competing in pre-season training camp to secure a quarterback position on the
Buffalo Bills—Pro Player needlessly harassed both Young and the Buffalo Bills by subjecting
them to a relentless series of improper judgment enforcement tactics.
42. On August 27, 2012, the Buffalo Bills announced that Young was released from
the team. Nevertheless, Pro Player Pro Player’s efforts to needlessly harass Young and the
Buffalo Bills has continued unabated.
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CAUSE OF ACTION
Fraud in the Judgment by Confession
43. Young repeats and realleges the allegations contained in Paragraphs 1 through 42
as if fully set forth herein.
44. Upon information and belief, Peoples, PFS and Adams fraudulently induced
Young to obtain a loan from Pro Player with the intent to misappropriate the loan proceeds for
their own personal use and enrichment.
45. Upon information and belief, the Affidavit of Confession of Judgment allegedly
sworn to and signed by Young on May 4, 2011 is a fraudulent affidavit, which was obtained by
either using a forgery of Young’s signature or without Young’s knowledge or consent.
46. In entering into the Pro Player Loan, Pro Player was, at minimum, negligent
and/or reckless (if not actually knowingly complicit in the fraud). At minimum, it turned a blind
eye to whether the Affidavit of Confession of Judgment and other Pro Player Loan agreements
were made without Young’s knowledge or consent and with the intent to defraud Young.
47. Young did not receive any consideration from Pro Player which would provide a
basis for its Judgment by Confession in the amount of nearly $1.7 million.
48. Young seeks declaratory relief from this Court stating that the Judgment by
Confession is fraudulent and, therefore, null and void and of no force or effect, and damages
against Pro Player for the injuries that he has sustained as a result of its wrongdoing.
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PRAYER FOR RELIEF
WHEREFORE, Young respectfully demands that this Court issue a judgment against
Defendant:
1. Vacating and setting aside the Affidavit of Confession of Judgment and the
Judgment obtained by Pro Player pursuant to the Affidavit of Confession of Judgment;
2. Damages against Pro Player for its wrongful actions;
3. For the costs and expenses incurred in connection with this action, including
reasonable attorney’s and costs; and
4. Granting such further relief as this Court deems just and proper.
Dated: New York, New York September 5, 2012
DEWEY PEGNO & KRAMARSKY LLP
By /s/ Thomas E. L. Dewey Thomas E. L. Dewey
Thomas E. L. Dewey David S. Pegno David C. Marden 777 Third Avenue, 37th Floor
New York, New York 10017 (212) 943-9000 OF COUNSEL: Trey L. Dolezal KASLING, HEMPHILL, DOLEZAL & ATWELL, L.L.P. 301 Congress Avenue, Suite 300 Austin, Texas 78701 (512) 472-6800 Attorneys for Plaintiff Vincent P. Young
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VERIFICATION
THOMAS E. L. DEWEY, an attorney admitted to practice in the Courts of the
State of New York, affirms as follows under the penalties of perjury:
I am a member of Dewey Pegno & Kramarsky LLP, counsel to Plaintiff Vincent
Young in this action. I have reviewed the foregoing Verified Complaint and know the contents
thereof and the same is true to my knowledge, except as to the matters stated to be alleged upon
information and belief, and as to those matters I believe them to be true.
I am providing this verification pursuant to CPLR 3020(d)(3), because Mr. Young
is not a resident in the County of New York, which is the county where my office is located.
Dated: New York, New York September 5, 2012
/s/ Thomas E. L. Dewey Thomas E. L. Dewey