Chisolm v. TranSouth Financial Corp.

184 F.R.D. 556, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6353, 1999 WL 160281
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedMarch 15, 1999
DocketNo. Civ. 2:93cv632
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 184 F.R.D. 556 (Chisolm v. TranSouth Financial Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chisolm v. TranSouth Financial Corp., 184 F.R.D. 556, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6353, 1999 WL 160281 (E.D. Va. 1999).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

JACKSON, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Class Certification.1 Having reviewed the relevant pleadings and responses and heard argument on all pertinent motions,2 the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Motion for Class Certification.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs filed this class action over five years ago on June 17, 1993. The plaintiffs are used car purchasers. They are suing Defendant TranSouth Financial Corporation (“TranSouth”), a car financing company, for violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Plaintiffs allege that Defendant committed mail fraud in a revolving repossession, or “churning,” scheme. There are roughly 2500 putative class members with claims against the defendant.

The named plaintiffs are Nora Chisolm, Tina Wilce, Laura Richards and Starlette Seamster. They reside in Norfolk and Fair-fax, Virginia.

The defendant is a South Carolina corporation with its principal place of business in [558]*558Irving, Texas and offices in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The alleged facts pertaining to the “churning” scheme are as follows:3

Charlie Falk’s Auto Wholesale (“Falk”) sold cars to customers at inflated prices, financed the purchases, and took security interests in the cars.4 Falk then assigned the secured notes to TranSouth.5 The assignments included a promise by Falk to repurchase the notes for a fixed price if the borrowers defaulted on the loans.

If a borrower missed a payment, Tran-South repossessed the vehicle and mailed a “Notice of Private Sale” to the borrower. The notice informed the borrower that the car would be sold privately if it was not redeemed. The plaintiffs allege that these notices fraudulently suggested to the borrowers that TranSouth would dispose of the vehicles through legitimate private sales. The Court of Appeals noted that legitimate, private sales under Virginia law never took place. See Chisolm I, 95 F.3d at 334, n. 3. When a car was not redeemed by a borrower, Falk would buy back the note from Tran-South.6 TranSouth would subsequently transfer the car to Falk.

Falk would then assign the note to JB Collection Corporation (“JB”), Falk’s subsidiary. JB would demand payment for the deficiency. While JB tried to collect the deficiency from the borrower, Falk would attempt to resell the car. The original borrowers were never informed of subsequent sales, and the subsequent sales were never credited to the borrowers’ deficiencies.

The plaintiffs allege that TranSouth conspired with Falk and JB to violate the customers’ rights with this scheme.

II. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Plaintiffs sued TranSouth for violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Defendant filed a motion to dismiss the complaint. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B), the Court referred the matter to the United States Magistrate Judge for a Report and Recommendation. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia adopted the findings and recommendations of the United States Magistrate Judge and granted Defendant’s motion. See 851 F.Supp. 739.

The plaintiffs filed a motion to amend the complaint. The District Court denied the motion and Plaintiffs appealed. The Court of Appeals held that: (1) the car purchasers adequately alleged injury and proximate cause in their RICO claim; (2) Plaintiffs failed to allege reliance, and, thus, the complaint was properly dismissed; but (3) the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to allow the plaintiffs to amend the complaint. The Court of Appeals held that in order for the plaintiffs to properly plead RICO mail fraud, they would have to allege that they relied on the TranSouth mailing.7 The Court stated that in order to plead reliance the plaintiffs need only allege that they relied on the mailings to assure them that the liquidation of the collateral was proceeding legally and legitimately.8 Chisolm I, 95 F.3d at [559]*559338-39. Since the complaint did not properly plead the requisites of a RICO claim, the Court remanded the case with the instruction that the plaintiffs be given an opportunity to plead reliance. Accordingly, the opinion was vacated and remanded.

Upon remand, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint, which they argued alleged reliance. TranSouth, disagreeing, moved to dismiss the third amended complaint based on the plaintiffs’ failure to allege reliance with the particularity required under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b). The district court dismissed the complaint and denied the plaintiffs the opportunity to submit another amended complaint. The Court of Appeals reversed.

On January 30, 1997, the Plaintiffs filed a Motion for Certification of the Class. The United States Magistrate Judge originally granted Defendant’s motion to dismiss. Magistrate Judge Prince then denied the January 30, 1997 class certification motion as moot without reaching the merits of certification. The Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the dismissal by the Court. A week later, TranSouth filed, without leave of the Court, the supplemental memorandum requesting that the Court rule on the motion for class certification and deny it.

On November 4, 1998, Plaintiff submitted to the Court a Motion to Strike Defendant’s supplemental memorandum in support of the motion to deny class certification.9 The same day, Defendant filed a Second Motion to Deny Class Certification. The defendant filed its response to Plaintiffs’ Motion to Strike on November 5, 1998 along with a Memorandum in Support of its Second Motion to Deny Class Certification. On November 17, 1998, Plaintiffs filed a Motion to Stay Defendant’s Second Motion to Deny Class Certification. Defendant responded on November 30, 1998.10 Plaintiffs filed a Supplemental Memorandum in Support of Renewed Motion for Class Certification on December 31,1998.

On January 5,1999, the Court held a hearing on TranSouth’s motions for protective order and the motions pertaining to class certification. The Court denied the motions for protective order, directed counsel to continue discovery, and took the motions pertaining to class certification under advisement. The motion for class certification is now ripe for decision.

III. LEGAL STANDARD

In order to certify a suit as a class action, the proponent of class certification has the burden of establishing that the conditions enumerated in Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure have been met. Windham v. American Brands, Inc., 565 [560]*560F.2d 59, 64 n. 6 (4th Cir.1977) (en banc) cert. denied, 435 U.S. 968, 98 S.Ct. 1605, 56 L.Ed.2d 58 (1978). Rule 23 provides, in pertinent part:11

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Bluebook (online)
184 F.R.D. 556, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6353, 1999 WL 160281, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chisolm-v-transouth-financial-corp-vaed-1999.