Class Action Defense Blog

Judicial Panel Grants Defense Request for Pretrial Coordination of Class Action Lawsuits Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1407, Rejects Transferee Court Proposed by Class Action Plaintiffs, and Transfers Class Actions to Central District of California

Three class actions – two in California and one in Illinois – were filed against Make-Up-Art Cosmetics (MAC) alleging violations of the federal Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA); specifically, the class action complaints alleged that MAC printed “certain credit and debit card information on customer receipts” in violation of FACTA. In re Make-Up Art Cosmetics (M.A.C.) Fair & Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) Litig., ___ F.Supp.2d ___ (Jud.Pan.Mult.Lit. June 9, 2008) [Slip Opn., at 1]. Defense attorneys filed a motion with the Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) requesting centralization of the class actions pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1407 in the Central District of California; plaintiffs in the class actions supported the motion but argued for transfer to the Northern District of Illinois. Id. The Judicial Panel granted the motion to centralize the class action lawsuits, finding that centralization will eliminate duplicative discovery and prevent inconsistent pretrial rulings, particularly with respect to class action certification. Id. The Panel agreed also that the Central District of California was the appropriate transferee court because two of the three class actions were pending in that district, “including the first-filed and broadest actions.” Id.

Posted In: FCRA Class Actions, Multidistrict Litigation, Class Action Court Decisions

Class Action Complaint Alleging Violations of Federal Fair Standards Labor Act (FLSA) and of Oregon State Labor Laws Conditionally Certified as a Class Action as to FLSA Claims but Denied Without Prejudice as to State Law Claims Oregon Federal Court Holds

Plaintiffs filed a class action complaint against Dell Inc. and other defendants alleging violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Oregon’s state labor laws; the class action alleged that plaintiffs are “consumer sales representatives” (CSRs) who sell Dell computers via telephone, and that Dell (1) misclassified CSRs as exempt from overtime pay, failed to properly pay incentive compensation, and required CSRs to work “off the clock.” Norman v. Dell Inc., ___ F.R.D.___ (D.Or. July 14, 2008) [Slip Opn., at 1, 3]. Plaintiffs’ lawyer moved the district court to certify the litigation as a class action, id., at 1; specifically, plaintiffs sought an order conditionally certifying the class action complaint’s FLSA claims, and an order certifying under state law a class action of the complaint’s state labor law claims, id., at 2. Defense attorneys opposed any class action treatment. Id., at 1. The district court granted the motion with respect to the FLSA claims, but denied the motion without prejudice as to the state law claims pending expiration of the opt-in period for the federal claims and briefing as to the impact on the opt-in response on certification of the state class action claims. Id., at 2.

The federal court addressed first the request for certification of the FLSA claims. After noting that federal law does not define “similarly situated” under the FLSA, the court utilized the two-tier approach followed by most federal courts. Norman, at 2-3. The first step considers whether, “based on the pleadings and affidavits submitted by the parties,” notice should be given to the putative class, and employs a “fairly lenient standard” that, in the court’s opinion, usually results in class certification. Id., at 2. The second step involves a motion by defense attorneys to decertify the class action following completion of discovery, id., at 3. At the first stage, however, courts look only to whether there are “substantial allegations that the putative class members were subject to a single illegal policy, plan or decision,” but plaintiffs may not rely solely on the allegations in their class action complaint. Id. Under that standard, the district court concluded that plaintiffs adequately established that Dell policies and practices with respect to compensation of the putative class members is essentially uniform, id.

Continue reading "Dell FLSA Class Action Defense Cases–Norman v. Dell: Oregon Federal Court Certifies FLSA Class Action Against Dell But Denies Without Prejudice Request To Certify Class Action Of State Law Claims" »

Posted In: Certification of Class Actions, Employment Law Class Actions, Class Action Court Decisions

District Court Properly Granted Defense Motion for Summary Judgment in Class Action Alleging Violations of Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) because Mailer need not Contain Every Material Loan Term and because Offer may be Conditioned on Additional Information such as Verification of Employment and Income Seventh Circuit Holds

Plaintiffs filed a class action complaint against Home Loan Center, doing business as HomeLoanCenter.com, alleging violations of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA); specifically, the class action alleged that Home Loan Center sent them a mailer for a “SmartLoan mortgage program” but that the mailer was not a “firm offer of credit” and therefore violated the FCRA. Cavin v. Home Loan Center, Inc., ___ F.3d ___ (7th Cir. July 2, 2008) [Slip Opn., at 1]. The letters referenced in the class action were sent “to thousands of Illinois residents” and stated that the recipient had been “pre-approved to receive HomeLoanCenter.com’s exclusive SmartLoan program.” Id., at 2. The mailers contained a box with the figures of 1.00%/4.27%, adjacent to two columns that listed various monthly payments for various loan amounts. Id. The letters stated that no fees would be charged to get the loan process started, and that defendant could “prequalify [the recipient] right over the phone in minutes and provide [the recipient] with a customized loan program that suits [the recipient’s] needs.” Id. The letter also provided, “This offer may not be extended if, after responding to this offer you do not meet the criteria used in the selection process. Further, HomeLoanCenter.com will verify income and employment, review credit, and analyze debt and your equity position in the subject property prior to final loan approval.” Id., at 2-3. The mailers stated that not all applicants would be approved and reiterated that terms and conditions applied to the offer, id., at 3. The parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment; the district court agreed with defense attorneys that the mailers did not violate the FCRA and accordingly entered judgment in favor of defendant. Id., at 1-2. The Seventh Circuit affirmed.

The FCRA permits a finance company to obtain an individual’s credit report, but “the company needs to obtain it with the intent of extending a firm offer of credit to the potential customer.” Cavin, at 4 (citing 15 U.S.C. § 1681b(c)(1)(B)(I)). Under the FCRA, a “firm offer of credit” is “any offer of credit or insurance to a consumer that will be honored if the consumer is determined, based on information in a consumer report on the consumer, to meet the specific criteria used to select the consumer for the offer except that the offer may be further conditioned…” 15 U.S.C. § 1681a(l). In this case, class action plaintiffs argued that defendant accessed their credit information “without a permissible purpose” because the mailers sent to them and other members of the putative class did not constitute a firm offer of credit within the meaning of the FCRA. Id., at 3-4. Specifically, plaintiffs argued that material terms of the loan program were not disclosed and/or were not adequately explained, id., at 5. The Seventh Circuit disagreed, explaining at page 5, “The mailer identified the basis for calculating interest, the length of the loan, the possibility of a rate change after thirty days, the minimum payment option with accompanying deferred interest, and the information needed to obtain the loan.” That is all that was required because the FCRA does not require the initial communication “‘contain all of the important terms that must be agreed on before credit is extended.’” Id., at 5 (citation omitted). On the contrary, requiring a financial institution to disclose all material terms would result in the mailer being more difficult for the consumer to understand. Id., at 5-6 (citation omitted). The Circuit Court explained that “the proper inquiry in ascertaining whether a letter is a firm offer is whether the offer will be honored, not whether all of the material terms are listed.” Id., at 6.

Continue reading "FCRA Class Action Defense Cases–Cavin v. Home Loan Center: Seventh Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment In Favor Of Defense In FCRA Class Action Holding Letters Sent To Class Action Plaintiffs Constituted Firm Offers Of Credit" »

Posted In: FCRA Class Actions, Class Action Court Decisions

Complaint Alleging Labor Law Violations Granted Class Action Status because Overriding Issues Involved Company Policies and Practices and Class Action Treatment was Superior to Other Means of Resolving Disputes California Federal Court Holds

Plaintiffs filed a putative class action complaint in California state court against their former employer, Polo Ralph Lauren, alleging labor law violations; specifically, the class action complaint alleged that in the 28 stores operated by defendants in California, defendants failed to provide rest breaks or pay for off-the-clock time, failed to pay overtime by misclassifying employees as commissions salespeople exempt from such pay, and improperly reduced earnings on future commissions if salespeople failed to meet certain sales requirements. Otsuka v. Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., ___ F.Supp.2d ___ (N.D.Cal. July 8, 2008) [Slip Opn., at 1-2]. The complaint identified not only a main class, but two subclasses – one for misclassification and one for arrearages. The class action alleged further that defendants’ California stores used a single employee handbook, and that “defendants’ policies and practices are standardized throughout California in both retail and outlet stores.” Id., at 2. Defense attorneys removed the class action to federal court, id., at 1-2. Plaintiffs moved the district court to certify the litigation as a class action, id., at 1. Defense attorneys “vigorously” objected to class action treatment, id., at 5. The federal court granted the motion, concluding that “defendants’ arguments primarily dispute the merits of plaintiffs’ claims and raise questions of act that will not be resolved at this juncture,” id.

With respect to numerosity, the main class identified in the class action complaint encompassed more than 5,000 employees; the subclasses, however, consisted of 49 members and 69 members, respectively. Otsuka, at 5. Defendants argued these subclasses failed to satisfy the numerosity requirement, id. The federal court disagreed, noting that under Ninth Circuit authority class actions with “as few as 39 members may be sufficiently numerous under the right circumstances.” Id., at 5-6 (citation omitted). Similarly, the district court found that commonality clearly existed as to the main class identified in the class action complaint, id., at 6, and it rejected defense challenge to the subclasses because it attacked the merits but failed to demonstrate that common questions existed within the subclasses, id., at 6-7. With respect to typicality, defense attorneys argued that the claims on the named plaintiffs were not typical with respect to the misclassification subclass because after the lawsuit had been filed defendants performed a reconciliation and compensated them for overtime not previously paid. Id., at 7-8. The court found that this did not render them unqualified to serve as typical class representatives because (1) they may establish that they are entitled to additional overtime pay, and (2) their claims that defendants acted unlawfully by failing to perform annual reconciliations. Id., at 8. With respect to adequacy of representation, the district court rejected the technical objection made by defendants to one of the named representatives, id., at 8-9. Thus, the federal court found that the Rule 23(a) requirements for class action treatment had been met.

Continue reading "Class Action Defense Cases–Otsuka v. Polo Ralph Lauren: California Federal Court Certifies Class Action Against Polo Ralph Lauren Holding Rule 23 Requirements For Labor Law Class Action Had Been Satisfied" »

Posted In: Certification of Class Actions, Employment Law Class Actions, Class Action Court Decisions

District Court erred in Remanding Class Action to State Court because Defense Established Removal Jurisdiction under CAFA (Class Action Fairness Act) Seventh Circuit Holds

Plaintiff filed a class action complaint in state court against Vertrue alleging that it improperly billed its customers for unauthorized charges; specifically, the putative class action “proposed to represent a class of persons whose credit cards had been charged without authorization through 22 of Vertrue's programs.” Spivey v. Vertrue, Inc., 528 F.3d 982, 983 (7th Cir. 2008). Defense attorneys removed the class action to federal court, asserting that federal court jurisdiction existed under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA); plaintiff’s lawyer moved to remand the class action to state court, arguing that the amount in controversy did not exceed $5 million. Id. The district court agreed with plaintiff and remanded the class action to state court, id. Defense attorneys petitioned the Seventh Circuit for leave to appeal, as authorized by CAFA. Id. Plaintiff objected on the ground that the petition was untimely – defense attorneys “mailed the petition on the seventh day after the district court's remand order, and the petition reached [the Circuit Court], and so was ‘filed,’ see Fed. R.App. P. 25(a)(2), on April 18, 2008, the tenth day after the district court's order.” Id. The Seventh Circuit granted leave to appeal, held that the petition was timely, and reversed.

The Class Action Fairness Act authorizes an appellate court to review a district court order “granting or denying a motion to remand a class action to the State court from which it was removed if application is made to the court of appeals not less than 7 days after entry of the order.” Spivey, at 983 (quoting § 1453(c)(1)). The Seventh Circuit held at page 983 that “[t]he petition was timely under this language” because it was filed “not less than 7 days” following entry of the order remanding the class action to state court. Id. Plaintiff’s lawyer argued that Congress clearly intended to require a petition for review to be filed “not more than 7 days” after the order is entered, and that “not less than 7 days” is patently erroneous. Id. The Circuit Court noted that several courts have noted this ambiguity and yet Congress has not acted, thus suggesting that CAFA says what Congress intended. Id., at 983-84 (citations omitted). It therefore rejected the arguments of treatises and other courts that reading § 1453(c)(1) literally creates an absurdity, id., at 984. Indeed, the Seventh Circuit noted at page 984, “To the extent that our colleagues in other circuits hold that a petition filed within seven days of the district court's order should be accepted, rather than thrown out with instructions to submit another once a week has passed, we concur. Whether a petition filed within a week after the remand is timely was the question actually presented in those appeals. An affirmative answer tracks Fed. R.App. P. 4(a)(2), which says that a premature notice of appeal remains on file and springs into effect when the decision becomes appealable. It makes sense to use the same approach for a premature permission for leave to appeal.” But on the other hand, no federal court had thrown out a petition as untimely when it complied with the literally language of the statute as that would be fundamentally unfair, id., at 984-85. “Litigants and lawyers always should be safe in relying on a statute's actual language.” Id., at 985. This is particularly true in this case, the Circuit Court explained, because defense attorneys expressly attempted to avoid the ambiguity in the statute “by straddling the deadline.” Id. Accordingly, the Court held that the petition was timely.

Continue reading "CAFA Class Action Defense Cases–Spivey v. Vertrue: Seventh Circuit Reverses Order Remanding Class Action To State Court And Holds Petition Under CAFA For Leave To Appeal May Be Filed More Than 7 Day After Entry Of Order" »

Posted In: Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA), Removal & Remand, Class Action Court Decisions

Judicial Panel Grants Plaintiff Request for Pretrial Coordination of Class Action Lawsuits Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1407 and Transfers Actions to District of Maine

Seventeen (17) class actions were filed against Hannaford Bros. and others “aris[ing] from of an intrusion into defendant Hannaford Brothers Co.’s computer network” and “alleg[ing] that as a result of that intrusion, the credit or debit card numbers and related financial information of a large number of consumers were compromised.” In re Hannaford Bros. Co. Customer Data Security Breach Litig., ___ F.Supp.2d ___ (Jud.Pan.Mult.Lit. June 9, 2008) [Slip Opn., at 1]. Lawyers for plaintiffs in two of the class actions filed a motion with the Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) requesting centralization of the class actions pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1407 in the District of Maine; all responding parties supported the motion, though some argued for transfer elsewhere. Id. The Judicial Panel granted the motion to centralize the class action lawsuits and agreed that the District of Maine was the appropriate transferee court, “because the large majority of the seventeen actions are already pending there.” Id. Accordingly, it transferred the class action lawsuits outside Maine to that district, id., at 1-2.

Posted In: Multidistrict Litigation, Class Action Court Decisions

Class Action Claims Against Bank of America Preempted by SLUSA (Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act of 1998) Eighth Circuit Holds

Plaintiffs, beneficiaries of trust accounts at Bank of America, filed a class action against the Bank and other defendants alleging violations of federal securities law; the class action complaint also asserted state-law claims for unjust enrichment and breach of fiduciary duty, asserting that federal court jurisdiction existed under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA). Siepel v. Bank of America, N.A., 526 F.3d 1122, 1124 (8th Cir. 2008). The allegations underlying the class action were that the Bank decided to “implement[] a plan to consolidate the trust management activities of other banks it had acquired” and led class members to believe that “their assets were being managed on an individualized basis, when in fact the assets were being invested in shares of the Nations Funds mutual fund, managed by an investment company substantially owned by the Bank.” Id. The class action alleged further that “higher-yielding and better-managed mutual funds were available in the marketplace,” but the Bank directed customers to Nations Funds for the Bank’s economic benefit and that the Bank accomplished this by sending “misleading letters” to trustees and beneficiaries that, in part, threatened “adverse tax consequences” if they went elsewhere. Id. Defense attorneys moved to dismiss the federal claims on the merits, and moved to dismiss the state-law claims as preempted by SLUSA (Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act of 1998). Id. In part, the defense argued that the class action should be dismissed on the grounds of judge shopping because plaintiffs’ counsel “had already filed at least five class actions in various jurisdictions seeking redress for the same alleged injuries.” Id., at 1125. The district court granted the defense motion in its entirety, and denied plaintiffs’ request for leave to file an amended class action complaint. Id., at 1125. The Eighth Circuit affirmed.

The class action argued that the Bank failed to disclose “conflicts of interest, higher expenses, and increased tax liability” that would result from using Nations Funds, and plaintiffs argued on appeal that SLUSA did not preempt their class action’s state-law claims that a trustee breaches its fiduciary duty “by failing to disclose conflicts of interest in its selection of nationally-traded investment securities.” Siepel, at 1124. SLUSA “expressly preempts all ‘covered’ state-law class actions that allege: (1) an untrue statement or omission of a material fact, or (2) use of a manipulative or deceptive device or contrivance, ‘in connection with the purchase or sale of a covered security.’” Id., at 1126 (citations omitted). The district court had held that SLUSA preempted the state law claims because the alleged misrepresentations were made “in connection with the purchase or sale of a covered security,” and that the alleged misrepresentations were “central to the Plaintiffs’ state-law claims.” Id., at 1125. The Eighth Circuit easily concluded that the class action was a “covered class action” within the meaning of SLUSA, and that the alleged misrepresentations concern a “covered security” within the meaning of SLUSA. Id., at 1126. The issue on appeal, then, was “whether the alleged misrepresentations and omissions were ‘in connection with’ the purchase or sale of securities.” Id.

Continue reading "SLUSA Class Action Defense Cases–Siepel v. Bank of America: Eighth Circuit Affirms Dismissal Of Class Action Holding SLUSA Preempts Class Action Securities Fraud Claims Against BofA" »

Posted In: Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA), Class Action Court Decisions, PSLRA/SLUSA Class Actions

Following Class Action Settlement Providing for Award of Reasonable Attorney Fees to Plaintiff’s Lawyers in FDCPA Class Action, District Court Failed to Explain Why $200 per hour was Reasonable for the Relevant Community and Failed to Determine Lodestar for Fees-on-Fees Request, thus Requiring that Fee Award be Vacated and Matter Remanded for Further Proceedings Ninth Circuit Holds

Plaintiff debtor filed a putative class action against Bridgeport Financial, a debt collector, alleging violations of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA); the class action complaint alleged that defendant “misrepresented the rights of consumers in its initial collection letter by requiring her to dispute her debt in writing.” Camacho v. Bridgeport Financial, Inc., ___F.3d ___ (9th Cir. April 22, 2008) [Slip Opn., at 4242-43]. The district court granted class action certification of a statewide class, and the parties entered into a Class Action Settlement Agreement that the district court ultimately approved. Id., at 4243. The Ninth Circuit opinion identifies but a single benefit provided by the class action settlement for the 7,000 class members – a cy pres award of $341.50; the agreement provided that the named plaintiff receive $1,000 in actual and statutory damages. Id. The Class Action Settlement Agreement provided further that plaintiffs’ three law firms could file a motion for attorney fees and costs if the parties could not agree on the amount of such an award, id. Plaintiff’s lawyers sought almost $170,000 in attorney fees and costs, reflecting hourly rates ranging from $425 to $500 for the attorneys, and $115 to $200 for law clerks, id., at 4243-44. The district court found the hours spent by plaintiff’s lawyers to be reasonable, but reduced the reasonable hourly rate to $200 for all attorneys and awarded a flat fee of $500 for the motion seeking fees and costs, which the court found to be “virtually identical to the materials these attorneys have submitted in other cases.” Id., at 4245-46. In the end, the district court awarded approximately $77,000 in fees and costs, id., at 4246. The lawyers appealed, and the Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded for further proceedings.

The Circuit Court noted that under the terms of the Class Action Settlement Agreement defendant “agreed to pay reasonable and necessary attorneys’ fees and costs.” Camacho, at 4247. The Court stated that the FDCPA “makes an award of fees mandatory.” Id. The Ninth Circuit explained that the district court’s order would be reversed only for clear error, id., at 4246 (citation omitted), and that and that district courts are required to use the “lodestar” method for determining the amount of attorney fees to be awarded, id, at 4247 (citations omitted). The lodestar takes the reasonable hourly rate and multiplies it by the reasonable number of hours incurred by counsel, id.; because the district court found that the hours spent by plaintiff’s lawyers were reasonable, the only issue was whether the district abused its discretion in reducing the hourly rate for plaintiff’s lawyers to $200 per hour. Id., at 4247-48.

Continue reading "FDCPA Class Action Defense Cases--Camacho v. Bridgeport Financial: Ninth Circuit Vacates Fee Awarded FDCPA Class Action Plaintiff Lawyers Due To District Court's Failure To Explain Hourly Rate Utilized And Failure To Use Lodestar To Award Fees-On-Fees" »

Posted In: FDCPA Class Actions, Class Action Court Decisions

Defense Motion to Compel Individual Arbitration of Class Action Claims under Wireless Service Contract Denied because Arbitration Agreement, which Included Class Action Waiver, was Unconscionable California Federal Court Holds

Plaintiff filed a putative class action against Cingular Wireless alleging violations of the California’s Business and Professions Code and Consumer Legal Remedies Act, and for breach of contract; specifically, the class action complaint alleged that plaintiff signed up for wireless service with Cingular, and renewed his service based “on advertising that identified Cingular as the wireless service with the fewest dropped calls,” but that this representation is untrue. Kaltwasser v. Cingular Wireless LLC, 543 F.Supp.2d 1124, 1126-27 (N.D. Cal. 2008). Defense attorneys moved to compel arbitration pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). Id. The arbitration clause in plaintiff’s wireless service contract provided that the parties “agree to arbitrate all disputes and claims arising out of or relating to this Agreement for Equipment or services between Cingular and you” and contained a class action waiver. Id., at 1127. Cingular modified the arbitration clause so as to state in part, “Cingular and you agree to arbitrate all disputes and claims between us. This agreement to arbitrate is intended to be broadly interpreted. It includes, but is not limited to: claims arising out of or relating to any aspect of the relationship between us ...; claims that arose before this or any prior Agreement (including, but not limited to, claims relating to advertising); claims that are currently the subject of purported class action litigation in which you are not a member of a certified class; and claims that may arise after the termination of this agreement.” Id. The district court denied the motion.

The district court began its analysis by observing that the FAA applies “to all written contracts involving interstate or foreign commerce” and was “enacted to overcome longstanding judicial reluctance to enforce agreements to arbitrate.” Kaltwasser, at 1127. On the other hand, the FAA does not “entirely displace[]” state law. Id., at 1128. The court recognized that the FAA governed the dispute, so the question is whether the contract was enforceable under state law. Id. The first question was one of choice of law. The contract defined the governing law as that of “the state of your billing address”; but plaintiff’s address was in California when he entered into the contract and in Virginia when he filed suit. Id., at 1128. The district court held that California law governed the contract. Id., at 1128-30.

Continue reading "FAA Class Action Defense Cases–Kaltwasser v. Cingular Wireless: California Federal Court Refuses To Enforce Class Action Arbitration Wavier Or Arbitration Clause In Wireless Service Agreement Holding It Unconscionable Under California Law" »

Posted In: Arbitration, Class Action Court Decisions