Davis-Miller v. Automobile Club of Southern California

201 Cal. App. 4th 106, 134 Cal. Rptr. 3d 551
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 26, 2011
DocketNo. B224318; No. B224320
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 201 Cal. App. 4th 106 (Davis-Miller v. Automobile Club of Southern California) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis-Miller v. Automobile Club of Southern California, 201 Cal. App. 4th 106, 134 Cal. Rptr. 3d 551 (Cal. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

Opinion

CROSKEY, J.

In this matter, we have consolidated two appeals. Both arise from the denial of plaintiffs’ motions for class certification. In the first, plaintiffs and appellants Paul Martin Davis-Miller (Davis-Miller),1 Barbara L. Keeler (Keeler), Mickey Michel (Michel) and Howard R. Miller (Miller) (together, the Davis-Miller plaintiffs) appeal from an order denying their motion for class certification in their action against defendant and respondent Automobile Club of Southern California (Auto Club). In their complaint, these plaintiffs alleged violations of the unfair competition law (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 17200 et seq.; henceforth UCL),2 negligent misrepresentation and omission, intentional misrepresentation and omission, fraud and unjust enrichment in connection with respondent’s operation of a roadside battery service program that provides jump-starts and sells and installs batteries for stranded motorists.

In the second appeal, plaintiff and appellant Amy Reed (Reed) seeks to reverse an order denying her motion for class certification in her action against the same defendant and respondent. However, Reed’s complaint alleged violations of the Consumers Legal Remedies Act (Civ. Code, § 1750 [111]*111et seq.; henceforth CLRA) and a common count for money had and received in connection with respondent’s operation of the same roadside battery service program.

The trial court, in a consolidated opinion addressing both cases, denied plaintiffs’ motions for class certification mainly on the basis that common issues did not prevail, specifically concluding that plaintiffs failed “to meet their burden of establishing substantial evidence of a well-defined community of interest,” inter alia. The trial court also granted Auto Club’s motion for an order that the putative class could not be certified and denied plaintiffs’ motion to strike3 Auto Club’s motion on the same rationale.

Because both appeals involve claims arising from the same operative facts, we similarly resolve them both in one decision, taking into consideration the distinct legal standards and applicable facts where necessary. As substantial evidence supports the trial court’s factual findings with respect to both cases and the trial court properly applied the law, we will affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND4

Auto Club is a nonprofit mutual benefit corporation and a regional AAA (American Automobile Association) motor club. It licenses the use of the AAA trademark from AAA National, which coordinates nationwide programs that regional motor clubs may offer including the roadside battery assistance program at issue.

The United States subsidiary of Club Assist LLC (Club Assist), an Australian company, provides roadside battery service programs through contracts with AAA National. Under this program, when an AAA member’s car will not start, a technician will drive to the member’s location in a service truck equipped with a sophisticated battery tester and a supply of new batteries that includes a selection that covers most types of cars. The battery tester determines the conductance and the voltage of the battery to assist the customer in making a decision regarding whether to replace the battery on the spot versus simply having the technician jump-start the car.

[112]*1121. The Roadside Battery Service Program

Under the terms of the arrangements between Club Assist and each independent contracting station (ICS) that provides roadside assistance through AAA National and regional motor clubs, including Auto Club, Club Assist both provides the batteries and trains the technicians how to use the battery tester. Each ICS can sell the batteries to both AAA members and nonmembers, but must charge the AAA members $25 less than the general public. In 2009, the member prices for batteries ranged from $105 to $140, depending on the make and model of the car. There is no additional charge for installation.

After selling a battery, each ICS pays the wholesale price to Club Assist, retaining the remaining balance of the sale price. If the sale was made to an AAA member, Club Assist then must pay the participating regional AAA motor club a fee of $9.5

2. The Majority of AAA Members Who Purchased Batteries Needed New Batteries

Batteries for modem cars have an average life expectancy of three to four years which results in a need for replacement of between 25 percent and 33 percent of all car batteries each year. Car batteries that have failed at least once are more likely to need to be replaced. The conductance battery test used by ICS technicians provides useful data regarding the “remaining reliable life of the tested battery.” Most of the batteries that were replaced by the ICS technicians had failed the conductance test. Only a small number of batteries are replaced without such a test being performed, for reasons such as when the battery is too deeply discharged to test, if the battery is leaking or bulging due to plate expansion and cannot be safely tested, or if a member requests a battery be replaced without testing.

The battery replacement rate of ICS technicians under the roadside battery assistance program is approximately 22 percent, which is lower than the average annual replacement rate. Moreover, because, by definition, the AAA members who purchased batteries through the program had batteries that failed at least once, the 22 percent rate is potentially substantially lower than the average rate for similar batteries.

Additionally, many other factors individual to each AAA member affect the likelihood that his or her battery will need to be replaced. These factors may include the age of the battery, the testing result, any history of prior battery [113]*113failures, the frequency or infrequency at which the car is driven, the usage—short or long trips—and sufficiency of such usage to recharge the battery, excessive car vibration, and whether the battery has been exposed to high temperatures.

3. Named Plaintiffs Have Not Shown Their Batteries Were Unnecessarily Replaced

Two of the three named plaintiffs in the Davis-Miller case, Miller and Michel, did not even allege that their batteries could still hold a charge. Both Miller’s and Michel’s batteries failed the conductance test administered onsite by an ICS technician. In his deposition, Miller stated that he had no reason to believe that the test performed on his battery was inaccurate or that the old battery was still viable. Prior to replacement, Michel’s battery had failed on two separate occasions, increasing the likelihood that the battery was no longer reliable. Moreover, Michel drove her vehicle less than 2,000 miles per year, a factor that is likely to reduce the life of a battery.

Only plaintiff Keeler alleges that her battery was replaced unnecessarily. The record contains no evidence as to whether Keeler’s battery was subjected to the conductance test by the ICS technician. But, as mentioned above, there are many reasons why a battery may not be tested. For example, the battery may have been too deeply discharged or unsafe to test. Like Michel, Keeler’s mileage was low; she drove her vehicle only a few hundred miles per year, usage that is known to reduce a battery’s expected useful life.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
201 Cal. App. 4th 106, 134 Cal. Rptr. 3d 551, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-miller-v-automobile-club-of-southern-california-calctapp-2011.