Sixth Circuit affirms dismissal of antitrust, conspiracy, and defamation claims against LCBF client

In Elias v. Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 2014 WL 3702597 (6th Cir. 2014), affirming 2013 WL 5372887 (E.D. Mich. 2013), the Sixth Circuit rejected all of plaintiffs’ arguments on appeal and upheld the dismissal, on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, of a complaint filed by a real estate broker and his companies claiming that their inclusion on Freddie Mac’s Exclusionary List ("E-List") violated the antitrust laws and constituted interference with contract, defamation, and civil conspiracy. The decision extends Family Home, 525 F.3d 822 (9th Cir. 2008), and permits E-list claims to be dismissed on a pre-discovery Rule 12(b)(6) motion. Further, the Sixth Circuit held that a party’s inclusion on the E-list is not necessarily equivalent to an accusation of fraud or illegal business practices, and rejected plaintiffs’ argument that various factual allegations gave rise to a plausible inference of malice. The LCBF appeal team was headed by Gerry Ford and Mark Landman.