Hargrett v. Amazon.com DEDC LLC

235 F. Supp. 3d 1320, 2017 WL 416427, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17236
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedJanuary 30, 2017
DocketCASE NO. 8:15-cv-2456-T-26EAJ
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 235 F. Supp. 3d 1320 (Hargrett v. Amazon.com DEDC LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hargrett v. Amazon.com DEDC LLC, 235 F. Supp. 3d 1320, 2017 WL 416427, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17236 (M.D. Fla. 2017).

Opinion

ORDER

RICHARD A. LAZZARA, UNITED . STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

THIS CAUSE comes before the Court on Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Counts I and II of Plaintiffs’ Amended Consolidated Class Action Complaint (Dkt, 80), Plaintiffs’Response in Opposition (Dkt. 86), and Defendant’s Reply (Dkt. 89). The parties have also submitted supplemental authorities. (Dkts. 90-95.)

Pursuant to Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Defendant Amazon.com DEDC, LLC moves to dismiss the claims brought by Plaintiffs Donovan Hargrett, Michael Austin, and Deolinda Bonde (“Plaintiffs”) for alleged violations of 15 U.S.C. § 1681b(b)(2)(A)(I)-(ii) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“the FCRA”) (see Amended Consolidated Class Action Complaint (“Am. Comp.”), Dkt. 79, Counts I & II), arguing that Plaintiffs lack standing to assert their claims and that the claims fail as a matter of law. Having carefully considered the parties’ submissions and conducted an independent review of the case law, the Court must find that the Motion is due to be denied.

Factual Background

Defendant is an online retailer with fulfillment centers located across the United States that process and ship orders placed online. Plaintiffs sought employment as a “TPA1 Fulfillment Associate” at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Ruskin, Florida in 2015. (Dkt. 79, ¶¶ 49-52.) Defendant obtained a background check report, including criminal background information, from Accurate Background, Inc. (“Accurate”) on each of the' Plaintiffs in connection with their online employment applications. (Id. at ¶ 66.) Plaintiffs Austin and Bonde were hired by Defendant and have continued to work for the. company. (Kellea Williams Declaration, Dkt. 38-3, ¶ 4.) Plaintiff Har-grett alleges that he,was not hired. (Dkt. 79, ¶88.) Prior to obtaining the background checks, Defendant notified Plaintiffs of its intent to procure the reports and received Plaintiffs’ authorization to do so, (Id at ¶¶ 6, 15; Ex. A.) Plaintiffs provided the Court with a copy of an on-line job application that Plaintiffs’ filled out. (Id. at Ex. A.) This application was evidently for a different position than the one for which Plaintiffs- applied. (Id.) Plaintiffs allege that they "completed this electronic application. (Am. Compl., ¶ 6.) The form contains two waivers purporting to release Defendant of any liability. (Id. at Ex. A.)

Plaintiffs have also presented the Court with a “Second Form,” however, that they submitted and completed in connection with their online employment applications. (Id. at ¶¶ 7, 15; Ex. B.) This form actually consists of two separate forms which were provided at the stage labeled “Background Check Disclosure.” (Id. at Ex. B.) The first is titled “Background Check Disclosure,” which explains that pursuant to the FCRA, Accurate or another consumer reporting agency acting on behalf of Defendant will process a “background check” on the applicant and furnish it to Defendant. (Id. at 2.) The “Background Check Disclosure” form asks applicants to review and sign the next document (the “Background Check -Authorization”) if the applicant authorizes a background check to be conducted on, behalf of and provided to Defendant. (Id.) Only after selecting “I Accept” and “Save &■ Continue” for the “Background Check Disclosure” form document is the applicant directed to the form entitled “Background Check Authorization.” (Id. at 3-5.) The [1323]*1323form then includes a paragraph stating that:

• I authorize without reservation any party or agency acting on the behalf of the Company to furnish the above-mentioned information to the Company from ■ the following private and public sector entities: past and present employers; learning institutions, including colleges and universities;- law enforcement agencies; federal, state and local courts; the military; credit bureaus; and, motor vehicle records agencies.

(Id. at 4.) By signing the form, Plaintiffs agreed that they “read and understand the previous disclosure and this authorization form” and they “consent to the preparation and release of consumer and/or investigative consumer reports to the Company.” (Id. at 4-5.) Then, underneath that form, separated by a line and a heading titled “Additional State Law Notices,” are paragraphs of additional information regarding rights under the laws of four states. (Id.)

Plaintiffs Claims and'Procedural History

Plaintiffs bring this action against Defendant under the FCRA, alleging that Defendant violated § 1681b(b)(2)(A) because the above-described forms were part of Plaintiffs’ on-line employment application and included “extraneous information.” (Dkt. 79, ¶¶47, 62-86.) Under the FCRA ⅛ is unlawful to procure a consumer report or cause a consumer report to be procured for employment purposes, unless:

(i) a clear and conspicuous disclosure has been made in writing to the consumer at any time before the report is procured or caused to be procured, in a document that consists solely of the disclosure that a consumer report may be obtained for employment purposes; and
(ii) the consumer has authorized the procurement of the consumer report in writing (which authorization .may be made on the document referred to in clause (i)). .

15 U.S.C. §§ 1681b(b)(2)(A)(I)-(ii) (emphasis added).

Plaintiffs assert that Defendant failed to satisfy these disclosure and authorization requirements inasmuch as Defendant does not have a stand-alone FCRA disclosure or authorization form. They specifically allege that Defendant’s FCRA disclosure violates the FORA because the disclosure may not be part of an employment application, yet Defendant’s “First FCRA disclosure Form” was included within and as part of Plaintiffs’ online job application. Aso, Defendant’s purported FCRA disclosure contains a liability release and extraneous information, including references to “at will” employment, and a statement by Defendant requiring Plaintiffs and the putative class members to acknowledge that nothing contained within the disclosure created a “contract.”

Plaintiffs do not contend that they suffered any actual damages from the forms, but instead seek ah award of statutory damages under the FCRA because the alleged violation was “willful.” (Dkt. 79, ¶¶ 51, 62.) Plaintiffs seek to assert these claims on behalf of a putative nationwide class. (Id. at ¶ 53.) Plaintiff Hargrett asserts a third individual claim (Count III) for a violation of 15 U.S.G. § 1681b(b)(3)(A), which is not at issue in the instant motion. (Id. at ¶¶ 87-103.)

Plaintiff Hargrett filed the original complaint in state- court on September 11, 2015. ¡Then, on October 16, 2015, Defendant removed the case to this Court. Defendant argued as follows: “this is a civil action over which'- this Court has original jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1441(a), in that it presents a federal question.” (Dkt. 1 ¶4.) On October 29, 2015,- Defendant moved to consolidate this [1324]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
235 F. Supp. 3d 1320, 2017 WL 416427, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17236, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hargrett-v-amazoncom-dedc-llc-flmd-2017.