Alpert v. U. S. Industries, Inc.

59 F.R.D. 491, 17 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 696, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13724
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedMay 8, 1973
DocketNo. 72-354
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 59 F.R.D. 491 (Alpert v. U. S. Industries, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alpert v. U. S. Industries, Inc., 59 F.R.D. 491, 17 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 696, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13724 (C.D. Cal. 1973).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION THAT ACTION NOT BE MAINTAINED AS A CLASS ACTION (Rule 23, F.R.Civ.P.)

HAUK, District Judge.

Defendants’ motion that the action not be maintained as a class action came on regularly for hearing on April 16, 1973, before the Honorable A. Andrew Hauk, United States District Judge. Defendants were represented by their attorneys, Messrs. Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, by Oliver F. Green, Jr. Plaintiffs were represented by their attorney, Les J. Hartley. The Court having considered defendants’ motion that the action not be maintained as a class action, defendants’ memorandum of points and authorities in support thereof, and defendants’ supplemental memorandum of points and authorities and plaintiffs’ memorandum of points and authorities in opposition to said motion and all the other pleadings on file in the above-entitled action, and the matter having been orally argued by counsel for the parties and submitted to the Court for decision, and the Court having considered the law, makes the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law:

FINDINGS OF FACT

The complaint in the above-entitled action was filed February 16, 1972, on behalf of Dennis Alpert, Moreen Rogan, Julieann Egoa, Iradge Pazargad, Zelle Paul, individually, and on behalf of all [493]*493other persons similarly situated, as plaintiffs. Plaintiffs purport to represent a class of all persons who executed health studio contracts within twelve months prior to the filing of the complaint with certain entities defined as “European Health Spas”, which health studios contracts allegedly contained a finance charge within the meaning of the Consumer Credit Protection Act.(the Federal Truth-in-Lending Act) which was not disclosed to plaintiffs and the class in violation of the Act. The complaint further alleged that a finance charge was imposed “. . .by Universal Guardian Acceptance Corporation and/or Marshall’s Credit Corporation, upon said European Health Spas, for purchasing and/or accepting the Health Studio contracts between plaintiffs and all other persons similarly situated . . . ”

2. On May 18, 1972, defendants filed a motion to dismiss and, in the alternative, for a more definite statement and a memorandum of points and authorities in support thereof.

3. On or about May 18, 1972, plaintiffs filed a notice of motion and motion for a partial summary judgment on the issue of liability only and for an order maintaining the action as a class action, a memorandum of points and authorities in support of motion for partial summary judgment and a memorandum of points and authorities in support of plaintiffs’ motion for an order to maintain the action as a class action under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 23.

4. Plaintiffs admit in their memo- . randum of points and authorities in support of motion for partial summary judgment that the price of the health spa membership to the plaintiffs was the same, whether paid in one lump sum cash price or paid in monthly installments over a two year period.

5. On May 26, 1972, defendants filed their statement of genuine issues pursuant to Local Rule 3(g)(2) with respect to plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment.

6. On May 31, 1972, defendants filed the following pleadings:

a) Affidavit of Joseph A. Bond in opposition to plaintiffs’ motion for a summary judgment and plaintiffs’ motion for- an order maintaining action as a class action.
b) Affidavit of Oliver F. Green, Jr., in opposition to plaintiffs’ motion for an order maintaining action as a class action.
c) Defendants’ memorandum of points and authorities in opposition to plaintiffs’ motion for an order maintaining action as a class action.
d) Affidavit of Carmen Baratta in opposition to plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment on issue of liability only (hereinafter “Baratta Affidavit”).
e) Affidavit of Larry Landsem in opposition to plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment on issue of liability only (hereinafter “Landsem Affidavit”).
f) Affidavit of Richard D. O’Brien in opposition to plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment on issue of liability only.
g) Affidavit of Oliver F. Green, Jr., in opposition to plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment on issue of liability only.
h) Memorandum of points and authorities in opposition to motion for partial summary judgment on issue of liability only.

7. On or about June 2, 1972, plaintiffs filed a memorandum of points and authorities in opposition to defendants’ motion to dismiss or, in the alternative, for a more definite statement.

8. On or about June 8, 1972, plaintiffs filed the following pleadings:

a) Supplemental affidavit of Les J. Hartley in support of plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment.
[494]*494b) Plaintiffs’ supplemental memorandum of points and authorities in support of motion for partial summary judgment.
c) Plaintiffs’ supplemental memorandum of points and authorities in support of plaintiffs’ motion for an order to maintain action as class action.

9. On June 9, 1973, defendants filed a supplemental memorandum of points and authorities in opposition to plaintiffs’ motion to maintain action as a class action.

10. The hearing on defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint and plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment and plaintiffs’ motion for an order maintaining the action as a class action came on for hearing on June 12, 1972. The Court, after having heard arguments, having considered all the pleadings and papers filed by the parties, and having considered the applicable law granted defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint, with leave given to plaintiffs to file an amended complaint; denied plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment and denied plaintiffs’ motion for an order maintaining the action as a class action.

11. On or about August 4, 1972, plaintiff Dennis Alpert, individually and on behalf of the purported class, filed a first amended complaint. The other plaintiffs listed in the original complaint, Moreen Rogan, Julieann Egoa, Iradge Pazargad and Zelle Paul, were not named as plaintiffs in the first amended complaint.

12. On September 5, 1972, defendants filed a motion to dismiss the first amended complaint and, in the alternative, for a more definite statement, on the grounds, among others, that the first amended complaint failed to state a claim against any of the defendants under the Consumer Credit Protection Act; that the first amended complaint was virtually a verbatim restatement of the original complaint which the Court had held on June 12, 1972, failed to state a claim and on the ground that the first amended complaint failed to state a claim as a class action.

13. On September 5, 1972, defendants filed a memorandum of points and authorities in support of defendants’ motion to dismiss.

14. On or about January 2, 1973, plaintiffs filed a memorandum in opposition to the motion to dismiss.

15.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Hunt v. Check Recovery Systems, Inc.
241 F.R.D. 505 (N.D. California, 2007)
Thomas v. Baca
231 F.R.D. 397 (C.D. California, 2005)
McNichols v. Loeb Rhoades & Co.
97 F.R.D. 331 (N.D. Illinois, 1982)
Parker v. George Thompson Ford, Inc.
83 F.R.D. 378 (N.D. Georgia, 1979)
Carter v. Public Finance Corp.
73 F.R.D. 488 (N.D. Alabama, 1977)
Agostine v. Sidcon Corp.
69 F.R.D. 437 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1975)
Postow v. Oriental Building Association
390 F. Supp. 1130 (District of Columbia, 1975)
Thompson v. T. F. I. Co.
64 F.R.D. 140 (N.D. Illinois, 1974)
Kekich v. Travelers Indemnity Co.
64 F.R.D. 660 (W.D. Pennsylvania, 1974)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
59 F.R.D. 491, 17 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 696, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13724, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alpert-v-u-s-industries-inc-cacd-1973.