Hughes v. Cardinal Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n

97 F.R.D. 653, 36 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1206, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19739
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedJanuary 27, 1983
DocketNo. C-1-82-201
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 97 F.R.D. 653 (Hughes v. Cardinal Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hughes v. Cardinal Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n, 97 F.R.D. 653, 36 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1206, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19739 (S.D. Ohio 1983).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER CERTIFYING CLASS ACTION

SPIEGEL, District Judge:

This matter came before the Court on plaintiffs’ motion for class certification (doc. 22), defendant’s response (doc. 50), and plaintiffs’ reply (doc. 54). A hearing was held on December 22, 1982 and argument presented by counsel for plaintiffs and defendant. After the hearing, the Court advised counsel that this case would be certified as a class action and requested counsel to submit an agreed upon definition of the class. By letter of January 17, 1983 the parties advised the Court of their agreed upon definition of the class. Defendant has reserved its objection to the class certification.

Rule 23(a), Fed.R.Civ.P. lists certain prerequisites that must initially be met before a class action can be maintained. In addition, the proposed class must fall into one of the alternative categories listed in Rule 23(b). Plaintiffs allege that the proposed class is properly maintainable under either Rule 23(b)(2) or 23(b)(3). After considering all of the memoranda submitted, as well as arguments presented by counsel at the hearing it is the conclusion of the Court that this case should be certified as a class action pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(b)(3).

A. Rule 28(a)

The first requirement of Rule 23(a) is that the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable. There is no specific number of parties necessary to constitute a legitimate class. Senter v. General Motors Corp., 582 F.2d 511, 523 (6th Cir.1976). Plaintiffs have asserted it is not possible to determine the exact size of the class until further discovery takes place but that they believe the number exceeds nine hundred (900). The number of persons belonging to the proposed subclass is thought to be somewhere between seventy-three (73) and two hundred and thirty-seven (237). Joinder of all these persons clearly is impracticable and the first requirement of Rule 23(a) therefore is met.

Rule 23(a)(2) requires that class members have questions of fact or law in common. In this case the primary issue of law applicable to all members of the potential class is whether defendant violated their rights under the Truth-in-Lending Act. To this end, it is necessary to determine whether the increase in the interest rates on loans to members of the class constituted a refinancing and if so, whether proper disclosure of credit terms was made to class members when the interest rates on their loans were increased. It is alleged that defendant used standard forms when the interest rates were increased and, therefore, behaved in the same manner to all class members. These are questions of law similar to all members of the class and plaintiffs have, therefore, met the second requirement of Rule 23(a).

[655]*655With regard to the subclass, all have mortgage loan modification agreements containing the same disputed language. The same factual and legal questions, therefore, arise in each instance and we find that the subclass also meets the second requirement of Rule 23(a).

The fact that some individual issues may coexist with common issues does not prevent the action from meeting the prerequisite that common questions be present under Rule 23(a). Katz v. Carte Blanche, 53 F.R.D. 539 (W.D.Pa.1971), rev’d and rem. on other grounds, 496 F.2d 747 (3d Cir. 1974), cert. denied, 419 U.S. 885, 95 S.Ct. 152, 42 L.Ed.2d 125 (1974). Individual questions may be addressed subsequent to our resolution of the issues common to all class members.

Rule 23(a)(3) requires that the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class. Without ruling on the status of the plaintiff Ralph Hughes, we find that the claims of the nominal plaintiffs are representative of the claims of class members and sub-class members they purport to represent in that they have all suffered the same alleged injury as a result of the same conduct on the part of defendant. We find that this requirement of Rule 23(a) also has been met.

The fourth requirement of Rule 23(a) is that the representative parties will fairly and accurately protect the interests of the class. Defendant asserted that the interests of the larger class and those of the sub-class are in conflict but we find this is not supported by the record before the Court thus far. The interests of all the class members is to recover damages for alleged Truth-in-Lending violations and to prevent any violations in the future. Plaintiffs are well represented by counsel experienced in these type cases and we are confident that they will vigorously pursue this case to the benefit of all the class. The fourth requirement of Rule 23(a), therefore, is met; Eisen v. Carlisle & Jacqueline, 391 F.2d 555 (2d Cir.1968); Joseph v. Norman’s Health Club, Inc., 336 F.Supp. 307 (E.D.Mo. 1971).

We also conclude that the class should be certified under Rule 23(b)(3) rather than 23(b)(2). A class may be certified under Rule 23(b)(3) if

The court finds that the questions of law or fact common to the members of the class predominate over any questions affecting only individual members, and that a class action is superior to other available methods for the fair and efficient adjudication of the controversy.

We find that the common questions clearly predominate over the individual questions that might arise. Defendant suggested at the hearing that there will be a need to determine in each case whether the mortgagee is a commercial or consumer borrower and that these questions of fact should be litigated separately. We conclude, however, that these questions may be resolved prior to trial through discovery. As the class by definition only includes consumer borrowers, commercial borrowers would not be included at the time the case goes to trial.

Defendant also argues that it has individual counterclaims for reformation of the contract against all members of the subclass and that these cases, therefore, should be litigated separately. Again we disagree. All of the loan modification agreements held by members of the sub-class contain the exact same language. The question whether defendant is entitled to have these contracts reformed is a question of law common to all members of the sub-class. We find, therefore, that the common questions regarding alleged truth-in-lending violations predominate over any individual questions.

Because of the predominance of common questions and the large number of persons involved, we also find that a class action is superior to other available methods for the fair and efficient adjudication of this controversy.

•We conclude initially that there is not much incentive in the Act for individuals to pursue alleged Truth-in-Lending violations. [656]*656The costs of litigation against a financial institution can be enormous, actual damages are difficult to prove and the statutory recovery is low. It is in most individuals’ interests, however, and in the public interest that lending institutions comply with the Act and be found responsible to consumer borrowers if they do not comply. Were it not for the class action, many borrowers likely would not pursue their rights in court.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
97 F.R.D. 653, 36 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1206, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19739, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hughes-v-cardinal-federal-savings-loan-assn-ohsd-1983.