Carter v. Public Finance Corp.

73 F.R.D. 488, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17641
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Alabama
DecidedJanuary 27, 1977
DocketCiv. A. No. 75-G-0446-NE
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 73 F.R.D. 488 (Carter v. Public Finance Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carter v. Public Finance Corp., 73 F.R.D. 488, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17641 (N.D. Ala. 1977).

Opinion

ORDER

GUIN, District Judge.

This cause came on to be heard on the plaintiff’s motion for certification of a class. For reasons to be stated, such certification is to be denied.'

A class action is sought to be maintained by the plaintiff pursuant to Rule 23(b)(3), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. One of the requirements of Rule 23(b)(3) is that the court must, before allowing a case to proceed as a class action, find that “a class action is superior to other available methods for the fair and efficient adjudication of the controversy.” Among the factors to be considered in making such a determination are “the interest of members of the class in individually controlling the prosecution or defense of separate actions,” and “the difficulties likely to be encountered in the management of a class action.”

A factor to be considered in determining “superiority” is the class members’ interest in individual control of the prosecution or defense. This necessarily involves the consideration of counterclaims that may be asserted against class members. Rule 13(a), F.R.C.P., provides:

A pleading shall state as a counterclaim any claim which at the time of serving the pleading the pleader has against any opposing party, if it arises out of the transaction or occurrence that is the subject matter of the opposing party’s claim .

Such counterclaims are “compulsory counterclaims.”

In the present case, there are many of the potential class members in default on their finance contracts with the defendant; in fact, the evidence at the Rule 23 hearing indicated that 85 of the 383 potential class members were in default. As this court reads and understands Rule 13(a), F.R.C.P., in the event of a class action the defendant would be compelled to counterclaim as to each of these 85 defaulting class members or else lose its rights under the contract.

This means that instead of conducting one trial, the court — in a class action— would probably be conducting 86 separate trials, the class action and 85 counterclaims against individuals. To this court, such a situation creates “difficulties ... in the management of a class action,” Rule 23(b)(3)(D).

[491]*491But beyond the question of difficulties for the court in the management of a class action is the “interest of members of the class in individually controlling” their cases, Rule 23(b)(3)(A). This court cannot believe that it would be in the interest of these 85 defaulting class members to have brought against them suits on their notes. The contracts they have entered with the defendant provide that if upon default the defendant brings suit to collect, then the borrowers are liable for payment of court costs and the defendant’s attorneys’ fees.

Thus, if this suit were to proceed as a class action, there would probably be 85 class members being sued on counterclaims. These class members would probably find themselves exposed to much greater liability on the counterclaims than they would ever stand to recover from the defendant in the class action, and probably would never choose to bring individual actions. For this reason the court does not believe a class action is in the interest of the class members, who would probably be better off by individually controlling their suits.

The great majority of the cases (and all of the well-reasoned eases) which have considered this question of compulsory counterclaim in this or any similar context have held as this court now holds, that such counterclaims are compulsory.

In general, the words “transaction or occurrence” traditionally have been given a liberal interpretation “in order to further the general policies of the federal rules and carry out the philosophy of Rule 13(a).” Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure: Civil § 1410, at 40 (1971).

And while most courts have refrained from trying to define the important terms in subdivision (a), many have suggested standards to employ in determining the nature of the counterclaim. Basically four tests have been recommended:

(1) Are the issues of fact and law raised by the claim and counterclaim largely the same?
(2) Would res judicata bar a subsequent suit on defendant’s claim absent the compulsory counterclaim rule?
(3) Will substantially the same evidence support or refute plaintiff’s claim as well as defendant’s counterclaim?
(4) Is there any logical relation between the claim and the counterclaim?

In the case of each of these tests, an affirmative answer to the question posed means that the counterclaim is compulsory. Federal Practice and Procedure, § 1410, at 42— 43 (1971).

The most widely accepted of the four standards mentioned is the logical relation test. Id., 48. Accordingly, any claim of one party against an opposing party that is logically related to the claim asserted by the opposing party and which is not within the exceptions listed in Rule 13(a) is a compulsory counterclaim. Although this test provides some assistance, it is not a mechanical means of determining the nature of a counterclaim. Therefore, perhaps the only realistic solution to such a problem is to examine some of the judicial applications.

In Revere Copper & Brass, Inc. v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., 426 F.2d 709 (1970), the broadness of the rule was exemplified when the court stated that the counterclaim had a logical relationship to the original claim if it arose out of the same aggregate of operative facts as the original claim, either because the same aggregate of operative facts served as a basis of both claims or the core of facts upon which the original claim rests activates additional legal rights in the party defendant that otherwise would remain dormant.

Similarly, in United Fruit Co. v. Standard Fruit & S.S. Co., 282 F.Supp. 338, 339 (1968), it was determined that a transaction which was the foundation of a plaintiff’s claim was not limited to the facts set forth, but included any logically related acts and conduct of the parties. Therefore, the phrases relating to compulsory counterclaims in subdivision (a) of Rule 13 have been afforded a broad and liberal construction. In light of this, it is most appropriate to examine the Truth in Lending class actions confronted with the problems of coun[492]*492terclaims, and the manner in which they have treated them.

The majority of class action cases considering counterclaims in Truth in Lending problems have found that they are compulsory and thus necessary for proper adjudication. The effect of such a determination is that the required presence of counterclaims demands that the case be dismissed due to problems arising in regard to questions of law or fact, superiority or notice— aspects of Rule 23(b)(3) and 23(c)(2) respectively.

Problems with the predominance of questions of law or fact under Rule 23(b)(3).

As of this date, there is only one decision, Rodriguez v. Family Publications Service, Inc., 57 F.R.D.

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Bluebook (online)
73 F.R.D. 488, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17641, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carter-v-public-finance-corp-alnd-1977.