Duran v. Credit Bureau of Yuma, Inc.

93 F.R.D. 607, 33 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1420, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11062
CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedMarch 11, 1982
DocketNo. CIV 81-863 PHX CLH
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 93 F.R.D. 607 (Duran v. Credit Bureau of Yuma, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Duran v. Credit Bureau of Yuma, Inc., 93 F.R.D. 607, 33 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1420, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11062 (D. Ariz. 1982).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

HARDY, District Judge.

On November 17,1981, the Court entered an order which (1) granted defendant’s motion to deny class certification pursuant to Rule 23(b)(2), (2) denied the motion to deny class certification pursuant to Rule 23(b)(3),» (3) denied plaintiffs’ motion to compel discovery as being overly broad, and (4) required the defendant to provide the Court with certain information under oath for the purpose of assisting the Court in a determination of whether a Rule 23(b)(3) class action would be a superior type of proceeding. The parties were also directed to file memoranda on the issue.

The defendant’s memorandum urges that superiority is not demonstrated because individual liability issues preclude a finding of common factual or legal issues. As will be discussed below, this argument is without merit.

The plaintiffs’ memorandum not only addresses the issue of superiority but asks the Court to reconsider its ruling that it was without jurisdiction to authorize a Rule 23(b)(2) class action and to grant the motion to compel. The Court finds both plaintiffs’ arguments unpersuasive. However, the Court has concluded that a Rule 23(b)(3) class action is superior and that it is appropriate to certify a class at this time.

INAPPROPRIATENESS OF RULE 23(b)(2) CLASS ACTION

The Court adheres to its view that it is without jurisdiction to grant injunctive relief to a consumer aggrieved by a debt collector’s failure to comply with the requirements of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). That view is supported by the language of the FDCPA, which provides that a debt collector who fails to comply with the Act shall be liable for an “amount,”1 and which authorizes only federal agencies to enforce compliance with the Act;2 by the Act’s legislative history3; by a comparison of the Act with other consumer protection statutes4 and cases which have specifically ruled that comparable civil liability or enforcement provisions should be narrowly construed. See Jordan v. Montgomery Ward & Company, 442 F.2d 78 (8th Cir. 1971) (Truth in Lending Act); Kekich v. Travelers Indemnity Co., 64 F.R.D. 660 (W.D.Pa.1974) (Fair Credit Reporting Act). Accord Michaelson v. Motwani, 372 So.2d 726 (La.App.1979). Language in Jordan is particularly apt:

... [T]he civil penalty section creates a statutory remedy and confers jurisdiction on the district courts for actions brought [609]*609thereunder. But this section is limited in its scope and application. We cannot extend either the ambit of the remedy so created or the jurisdiction of the district courts established by Congress in the Truth in Lending Act. It is well established that courts may not enlarge by construction the language of a clear and unambiguous statute, (citation omitted)

442 F.2d at 81-82.

While a few cases have granted injunctive relief to compel enforcement of consumer protection statutes, it does not appear in any of them that the jurisdictional issue was raised.5

In any event, Rule 23(b)(2) is available only where injunctive or declaratory relief is the primary reason for bringing the action and is not subordinate to a damage claim.6

The first amended complaint prays for an award of actual damages, punitive damages, and liquidated damages authorized by the FDCPA to each of the main plaintiffs and to each member of the plaintiff class. It is obvious to the Court that the predominant reason for instituting this action is the recovery of damages.

APPROPRIATENESS OF RULE 23(b)(3) CLASS ACTION

The determination of whether class action treatment is appropriate in this case involves an eight step analysis.

First, is there a class? Broadly, there is a class consisting of all persons from whom defendant has collected or attempted to collect debts by acts or omissions which violate the FDCPA. More narrowly, as is discussed below, there is a class consisting of all persons from whom the defendant has collected or attempted to collect a collection fee since July 22, 1980, where the amount of the fee was not expressly authorized by the agreement creating the debt.

Second, are plaintiffs members of the class? Plaintiffs’ allegations in their amended complaint show they are.

Third, is the class so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable? An affidavit by defendant’s President in response to the Court’s order of November 17 states that from July 23,1980 to November 1,1981 defendant collected 105 accounts in which a fee was either collected or a judgment including a collection fee was obtained. That number is sufficient to establish impracticability of joinder.

Fourth, are there questions of law or fact common to the class? There is at least one question of fact common to the class: whether defendant has collected a collection fee not expressly authorized by the agreement creating the debt. There is also at least one question of law common to the class: whether a consumer’s promise in an agreement to pay “such collection costs . . . as may be required to affect collection of this note” is an amount expressly authorized by the agreement creating the debt as required by 15 U.S.C. § 1692f(l). That language appears in contracts between Dr. Arbaje and his patients which have been turned over to defendant for collection. Presumably, comparable language may be found in other contracts turned over to defendant for collection.7

Fifth, do common questions of law or fact predominate? Since “the core of Plaintiffs’ case is that the Defendant routinely collects an excessive collection fee”,8 the common issues of fact or law set forth above predominate.

[610]*610Sixth, are plaintiffs’ claims typical of the claims of the class? Plaintiff Duran alleges that she “has paid all amounts which Defendants attempted to collect, including amounts not authorized specifically by the contract and prohibited by the FDCPA.” Plaintiff Ramirez alleges that defendant has obtained a default judgment against him which includes $103.50 in collection fees. Typicality is shown because defendant has admitted collecting such fees or obtaining judgments which include fees in at least 105 cases.

Seventh, will the named parties plaintiff fairly and adequately represent the interests of the class? Nothing has been presented to indicate that they will not.

Eighth, is a class action superior to other available methods for the fair and efficient adjudication of the controversy? For making this determination, the Rule provides:

“... The matters pertinent to the findings include: (A) the interest of members of the class in individually controlling the prosecution or defense of separate actions; (B) the extent and nature of any litigation concerning the controversy already commenced by or against members of the class; (C) the desirability or undesirability of concentrating the litigation of the claims in the particular forum; (D) the difficulties likely to be encountered in the management of a class action.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
93 F.R.D. 607, 33 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1420, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11062, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/duran-v-credit-bureau-of-yuma-inc-azd-1982.