Bonner v. Radius Global Solutions

CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedJuly 27, 2021
Docket8:19-cv-03076
StatusUnknown

This text of Bonner v. Radius Global Solutions (Bonner v. Radius Global Solutions) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bonner v. Radius Global Solutions, (M.D. Fla. 2021).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA TAMPA DIVISION

CRAIG BONNER,

Plaintiff,

v. Case No: 8:19-cv-3076-KKM-TGW

RADIUS GLOBAL SOLUTIONS et al.,

Defendant. ___________________________________

ORDER ON CROSS-MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT All three of the remaining parties have filed motions for summary judgment. See Plaintiff Craig Bonner’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (Doc. 63); Defendant Radius Global Solutions’ Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 64); Defendant Cach, LLC,’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 65). In sum, Plaintiff Bonner seeks to hold Defendants Radius Global Solutions and Cach, LLC, liable for conduct committed by an unrelated third-party, Defendant Direct Recovery Services. Direct Recovery and Bonner previously settled their outstanding claims,1 but Bonner continues to proceed against the other two Defendants. After review of the motions, responses, and replies, Radius’s and Cache’s motions are granted, and Bonner’s motion is denied.

1 Bonner resolved his claims against Direct Recovery by accepting Direct Recovery’s offer of judgment, but Direct Recovery did not admit any liability in its offer. (Docs. 40 & 75). I. BACKGROUND No party disputes the following facts. Prior to 2012, Bonner obtained a loan to

purchase shutters for his home. (Doc. 63 at 2; Doc. 64 at 2; Doc. 65 at 2). Bonner asserts that the bills “ceased coming,” so he believed the debt was paid in full (although he never contends that he paid the bills, thus making his assumption an odd one). (Doc. 63 at 2). At some point, Cach obtained the rights and interests in Bonner’s loan.2 From

2012 until 2019, Cach utilized several entities to attempt to recover the remaining balance of the loan from Bonner. (Doc. 66 at 1–2). Those efforts proved unsuccessful. On June 25, 2019, Bonner received a letter from Radius regarding the loan. (Doc. 63 at 2–3; Doc. 63-1; Doc. 66 at 2). The letter explained that Radius sought to recover

the debt on behalf of Cach. Id. The front of the letter contained the following disclosure: “The law limits how long you can be sued on a debt. Because of the age of your debt, CACH, LLC cannot sue you for it, and CACH, LLC cannot report it to any credit reporting agency.” (Doc. 63-1). The back of the letter, labeled “Privacy Notice,” stated:

Information We May Collect. The Resurgent Companies may collect the following information: (1) information that we receive from your account file at the time we purchase or begin to service your account, such as your name, address, social security number, and assets; (2) information that you may give us through discussion with you, or that we may obtain through your transactions with us, such as your income and payment history; (3) information that we receive from consumer reporting agencies, such as your creditworthiness and credit history, and (4) information that we obtain from other third party information providers, such as public records and databases that contain publicly available data about you, such

2 Bonner appears to challenge the veracity of the proof of the sale of the debt but does not contest that Cach eventually sought to recover the debt or the validity of the underlying debt. (Doc. 69 at 2). as bankruptcy and mortgage filings. All of the personal information that we collect is referred to in this notice as “collected information.” Id. The Privacy Notice also disclosed that this information might be shared with affiliate companies in accordance with consumer protection laws and would never be shared with third parties except as permitted under law. Id.

On August 22, 2019, Bonner’s son called him about a telephone call that he received from someone looking for Bonner and inquiring about a “delinquency.” (Doc. 63 at 4–5; Doc. 66 at 2). Bonner claims to have, subsequently, received quite a few threatening phone calls and voicemails from servicers apparently seeking payment on a

loan. (Doc. 63 at 5; Doc. 66 at 2). Importantly, Bonner does not claim that these phone calls were made by Cach or Radius, even though Radius admits that it placed six calls regarding the loan without ever making contact with anyone between August 28, 2019, and November 19, 2019.

(Doc. 66 at 3). Bonner maintains that Direct Recovery placed the above-mentioned threatening phone calls and that Cach and Radius conspired with Direct Recovery to violate consumer protection statutes by harassing him. (Doc. 1 at 6–7; Doc. 63 at 5–6). Bonner contends that because these phone calls followed the letter from Radius and

Cach and because Cach has a policy of making collection attempts through third parties, it is clear that Direct Recovery, Cach, and Radius were all involved in the allegedly violative phone calls. (Doc. 63 at 22–24). Bonner filed suit on December 16, 2019, alleging a civil conspiracy under Florida law and violations of the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act and the Florida

Consumer Collection Protection Act. (Doc. 1). After Bonner accepted Direct Recovery’s offer of judgment, only Radius and Cach remain as defendants. (Docs. 40 & 75). Bonner filed a motion for partial summary judgment, and Cach and Radius filed separate motions for summary judgment. (Docs. 63, 64 & 65).

II. LEGAL STANDARD Summary judgment is appropriate where “there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Dadeland Depot, Inc. v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 783 F.3d 1265, 1268 (11th Cir. 2007) (quoting

Johnson v. Bd. of Regents, 263 F.3d 1234, 1242 (11th Cir. 2001)). “The plain language of Rule 56(c) mandates the entry of summary judgment . . . against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.” Id. (quoting

Johnson, 263 F.3d at 1243). In reviewing a motion for summary judgment, a court must view evidence and factual inferences in “a light most favorable to the non-moving party, and all reasonable doubts about the facts are resolved in favor of the non-movant.” Id.

III. ANALYSIS While the parties’ motions—particularly Bonner’s—lack the clarity expected in federal court papers, the Court discerns two dispositive issues for summary judgment: (1) whether there is sufficient evidence for a jury to find Radius or Cach liable for any wrongdoing by Direct Recovery and (2) whether the June 25, 2019 letter violates either Florida’s Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA) or the Fair Debt Collection

Practice Act (FDCPA).3 Because Bonner has put forth no evidence connecting Radius or Cach to Direct Recovery and because the June 25 letter does not violate either statute as a matter of law, the Court grants Defendants’ motions for summary judgment and denies Bonner’s motion for summary judgment.

A. Civil Conspiracy The crux of Bonner’s case rests on allegations that Radius, Cach, and Direct Recovery engaged in a civil conspiracy to violate the FCCPA and the FDCPA by using

prohibited tactics like threatening phone calls. (Doc. 63). Bonner does not allege or offer evidence that Radius and Cach directly participated in any violation except the sending of the June 25 letter; as a result, he rests on a theory of conspiracy between the three Defendants that gave rise to the latter phone calls.4 But Bonner’s account of

events hinges on speculation as to the relationship between the three Defendants and the timing of their collection efforts. Of course, speculation alone without any evidence fails to satisfy the first element of a civil conspiracy: an agreement between the entities.

3 Bonner concedes these are the two dispositive issues. (Doc.

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