Gines v. D.R. Horton, Inc.

867 F. Supp. 2d 824, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8774, 2012 WL 243309
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Louisiana
DecidedJanuary 25, 2012
DocketCivil Action No. 08-598-JJB
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 867 F. Supp. 2d 824 (Gines v. D.R. Horton, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gines v. D.R. Horton, Inc., 867 F. Supp. 2d 824, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8774, 2012 WL 243309 (M.D. La. 2012).

Opinion

RULING ON MOTION TO DISMISS

JAMES J. BRADY, District Judge.

Before the Court is a motion to dismiss (Doc. 76) filed by defendants Reliant Heating & Air Conditioning of Louisiana, LLC (“Reliantr-LA”) and Reliant Heating & Air [827]*827Conditioning, Inc. (“Reliant-TX”) against plaintiff Mike Gines and the putative class he represents. Gines filed an opposition (Doc. 79), and defendants filed a reply (Doc. 80). Oral argument is unnecessary. The Court has jurisdiction over the state law claims presented in the complaint under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1332 and 1367. (See Magistrate Judge’s Report on Motion to Remand, Doc. 29; Ruling Adopting Report, Doc. 35).

I. Factual and Procedural Background

On November 21, 2006, plaintiff purchased a new home constructed by D.R. Horton, Inc. The air conditioning and heating system was installed by Reliant-LA and allegedly designed by Relianh-TX. After plaintiff took possession of his home, he discovered the heating and cooling system did not have the capacity to effectively maintain an appropriate temperature.

On July 9, 2007, plaintiff made written demand upon D.R. Horton to repair the system. Multiple attempts were made by D.R. Horton and Reliant-LA to repair the cooling system during summer 2007, but the problems persisted.

Plaintiff filed suit against D.R. Horton, Reliant-LA, and Reliant-TX in state court on August 22, 2008. The matter was removed to this Court on September 23, 2008. Plaintiff later filed an amended complaint, making class allegations on behalf of himself and other homeowners in the Forest Ridge subdivision in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, all of whom Gines alleges have similarly inadequate heating and cooling systems through the fault of the same defendants.

On July 28, 2011, 2011 WL 3236097, this Court dismissed all the claims against D.R. Horton, finding that the New Home Warranty Act (NHWA), La. R.S. 9:3141 et seq., provided the sole remedy for Gines against the home builder and that Gines could not state a claim because there was no physical damage to the home as the Act requires. The Court also dismissed the NHWA claim against Reliant-LA because it was not the builder of the home as contemplated by the Act. It further dismissed a fraud claim against RelianNLA based on the running of the one-year prescriptive period applicable to Gines’s allegations. However, the extent of that ruling’s applicability to Relianh-TX is questionable because it was arguably not a party to the case at that time. (See Motion for Default Judgment, Doc. 54; Ruling Deferring Ruling on Motion for Default Judgment, Doc. 62; Order Directing Notice to be Sent, Doc. 65; Return on Service, Doc. 66; Order for Motion Filing Deadlines, Doc. 73 (permitting Reliant-TX to file motion asserting lack of jurisdiction); Motion to Dismiss, Doc. 76 (asserting failure to serve and lack of personal jurisdiction as bases for dismissal as to Reliant-TX)).

With D.R. Horton dismissed from the case, Reliant-LA and Reliant-TX (collectively, “Reliant” or “defendants”) were both permitted leave to file a new round of motions. (Order of Magistrate Judge, Doc. 73). In response to the motion to dismiss filed by Reliant, Gines clarified that he does not seek redhibition claims against either entity and that the dismissal of the NHWA claim against Reliant-LA applies equally to Reliant-TX. (Memo, in Opp., Doc. 79, p. 3). Further, he also agrees that he has not made a contractual claim against either entity. (Id.). Thus, only three claims remain against each Reliant defendant: (1) a claim for poor quality workmanship under La. C.C. art. 2762; (2) a claim for non-compliance of contract under La. C.C. art. 2769; and (3) a tort claim for negligent design and construction under La. C.C. arts. 2315 and 2316. Moreover, Gines contends that his pending motion for default judgment against Reliant-TX should be granted because no jurisdictional or service-related problems bar such a default judgment.

[828]*828The Reliant defendants have asserted various reasons for dismissing the suit, including lack of personal jurisdiction over Reliant-TX, insufficient service of process on Reliant-TX under La. C.C.P. art. 1261, and failure to state cognizable claims for which relief can be granted under Fed. Rule Civ. P. 12(b)(6). In the 12(b)(6) portion of its motion, Reliant argues that both prescription and a failure to adequately plead particular elements of the relevant claims defeats Gines’ complaint.

II. Motion to Dismiss Standard

Pursuant to Fed. Rule Civ. P. 12(b)(6), on a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, the Court accepts all well-pleaded, non-conclusory facts in the complaint as true. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). “To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Id. (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). “[A] formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955.

A complaint that pleads facts merely consistent with a defendant’s liability “stops short of the line between possibility and plausibility.” Id. at 557, 127 S.Ct. 1955. When well-pleaded factual allegations populate the complaint, “a court should assume their veracity and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement to relief.” Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1950. Courts may consider not only the complaint itself, but also documents attached to the complaint or documents incorporated into the complaint by reference. Tellabs, Inc. v. Makor Issues & Rights, Ltd., 551 U.S. 308, 322-23, 127 S.Ct. 2499, 168 L.Ed.2d 179 (2007). The facts in the complaint are viewed collectively, not scrutinized in strict isolation. Id.

III. Law and Analysis

Reliant-TX asserts it has never established any contacts — specific or general— in Louisiana which would subject it to personal jurisdiction in this Court under traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice. Gines argues that Reliant-TX has defaulted on the liability issues presented by its well-pleaded facts, which bars their litigation here.

A.

Rule 55 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides for default judgments against parties who do not defend actions brought against them. In this case, the clerk of court made an entry of default against Reliant-TX under Rule 55(a). (Doc. 53). Gines has moved for this Court to enter judgment on that entry of default under Rule 55(b)(2). (Doc. 54; see also Order, Doc. 62 (deferring ruling on motion for default judgment)). Rule 55 provides in pertinent part:

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Bluebook (online)
867 F. Supp. 2d 824, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8774, 2012 WL 243309, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gines-v-dr-horton-inc-lamd-2012.