City Select Auto Sales, Inc. v. David/Randall Associates, Inc.

96 F. Supp. 3d 403, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 39216, 2015 WL 1421539
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedMarch 27, 2015
DocketCivil Action No. 11-2658 (JBS/KMW)
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 96 F. Supp. 3d 403 (City Select Auto Sales, Inc. v. David/Randall Associates, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City Select Auto Sales, Inc. v. David/Randall Associates, Inc., 96 F. Supp. 3d 403, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 39216, 2015 WL 1421539 (D.N.J. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION

SIMANDLE, Chief Judge:

Contents

I. INTRODUCTION.407

A. Factual Background.408

B. Procedural History .. .■_’..411

III.Discussion.412

IV. Defendants Motion to Decertify the Class. ^ h-4 to
A. Standard of Review Applicable to Defendants’ Motion. f — i CO
B. Defendants Fail to Demonstrate that the Class Must be Decertified ^ H-1 OO
V. Plaintiffs Motion for Class-Wide Summary Judgment. l — l cn
A. Standard of Review Applicable to Plaintiffs Motion. l — l cn

416 B. Summary Judgment Will Be Granted in Favor of the Class and against Defendants as to the TCPA Claim.

416 1. The Subject Facsimile Transmissions Constitute “facsimile advertisements” under the TCPA.

[407]*407No Issues of Fact Exist as to the Unsolicited Nature of the Facsimile Advertisements. 03 4^ f — 1 *0

Defendants Constitute “Senders” under the TCPA. CO H-a CO

Issues of Fact Preclude Summary Judgment with respect to the Claim of Individual Liability against Mr. Miley. 4^ CO O

The Record Demonstrates the Class’s Entitlement to an Award of Statutory Damages in the Amount of $22,405,000 . LO 4^ CO CO

a. Biggerstaffs Reports and the Underlying B2B Records Constitute Admissible Evidence for Purposes of Summary Judgment. CO 9

b. Any Outstanding Issue Concerning the Third-Party Default Defendants Does Not Preclude the Entry of Summary Judgment in Favor of the Class. CO 03

e. Determination of Damages and Entry of Judgment. t> 03

VI. CONCLUSION. .428
I. INTRODUCTION

In this class action arising under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. § 227 (hereinafter, the “TCPA”), Plaintiff City Select Auto Sales, Inc. (hereinafter, “Plaintiff’) alleges that Defendants David/Randall Associates, Inc. (hereinafter, “Randall”) and Raymond Miley, III (hereafter, “Miley” and collectively, the “Defendants”) transmitted unlawful facsimile advertisements 44,832 times to 29,-113 different fax numbers, through a third-party entity Business to Business Solutions (hereinafter, “B2B”).

Plaintiff now seeks the entry of class-wide summary judgment against Defendants with respect to the TCPA claims (see generally Pl.’s Br. [Docket Item 141]), while Defendants move to ■ decertify the Class. {See generally Defs.’ Br. [Docket Item 133].) Both motions, however, principally result from,- and/or are motivated by, three prior rulings of this Court.

First, on February 7, 2012, the Court rejected Defendants’ position that the limitations period applicable to Plaintiffs claims precluded this action from proceeding. See generally City Select Auto Sales, Inc. v. David, Randall Assocs., Inc., No. 11-2658, 2012 WL 426267, at *5-*6 (D.N.J. Feb. 7, 2012). In particular, the Court found, at the Rule 12(b)(6) phase, that the pendency of a related state court action tolled the limitations period for the federal Class members, thereby rendering their claims timely. See id. at *5-*6.

Then, on December 20, 2013, the Court granted Plaintiffs motion for class certification, and certified Plaintiffs TCPA claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b)(3) on behalf of the following class:

All persons or entities, with whom David Randall Associates did not have an established business relationship, who were successfully sent one or more unsolicited faxes during the period March 29, 2006, through May 16, 2006, stating, “ROOF LEAKS? ? ? REPAIRS AVAILABLE Just give us a call and let our professional service technicians make the repairs!” and “CALL: David/ Randall Associates, Inc. TODAY.”

City Select Auto Sales, Inc. v. David Randall Assocs., Inc., 296 F.R.D. 299, 308 (D.N.J.2013). Finally, on September 24, 2014, the Court denied Defendants’ motion for summary judgment with respect to Plaintiffs TCPA, state law conversion, and individual liability claims, principally on the basis that the undisputed facts failed to demonstrate Defendants’ entitlement to judgment as a matter of law. See City Select Auto Sales, Inc. v. David Randall Assocs., Inc., No. 11-2658, 2014 WL 4755487 (D.N.J. Sept. 24, 2014).

[408]*408In seeking the entry of class-wide summary judgment, Plaintiff relies in part upon the Court’s denial of Defendants’ motion for summary judgment, and argues that the undisputed record establishes the Class’s entitlement to judgment as a matter of law to statutory damages under the TCPA in the amount of $22,405,000. (See generally Pl.’s Br. [Docket Item 141].) Plaintiff, in particular, submits that the uncontroverted record demonstrates that Defendants hired B2B to send facsimile advertisements on Defendants’ behalf without the recipients’ prior express invitation or permission, nor the appropriate opt-out notice, and in violation of the TCPA. (Id. at 4,14-24.) Defendants, however, insist that factual disputes pervade the record as to the admissibility of Plaintiffs reconstruction of the B2B computer records, certain Class members consent to receive facsimile advertisements, and Mr. Miley’s personal liability for the disputed transmissions. (See generally Defs.’ Opp’n [Dock Item 146].)

In addition to opposing Plaintiffs motion, however, Defendants move to decertify the Class on the basis that the Court’s' December 20, 2013 Certification Order rested upon “a false factual premise,” namely, that only residents of New Jersey comprised the putative class members encompassed by Plaintiffs proposed class definition. (See Defs.’ Br. [Docket Item 133].) In particular, Defendants argue that Plaintiffs “belated production” of the names and addresses of the class members recently revealed that non-New Jersey residents comprise 64% of the Class. (Defs.’ Reply [Docket Item 140], 3-5.) Therefore, Defendants assert that the presently certified Class suffers from a “fundamental jurisdictional” deficiency, because this Court “indisputably lacks subject matter jurisdiction” over any recipient of facsimile transmissions beyond the borders of the State of New Jersey. (Id. at 1-5.)

The pending motions present three primary issues. First, the Court must consider whether the inclusion of non-New Jersey residents in the certified Class constitutes newly discovered evidence. Second, the Court must determine whether such composition requires modification of the Court’s prior decision on class certification. Finally, the Court must consider whether genuine issues of disputed fact concerning Defendants’ liability under the TCPA preclude the summary disposition of this action in favor of the Class.1

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96 F. Supp. 3d 403, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 39216, 2015 WL 1421539, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-select-auto-sales-inc-v-davidrandall-associates-inc-njd-2015.