In re Risk Management Alternatives, Inc.

208 F.R.D. 493, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11055, 2002 WL 1363286
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJune 14, 2002
DocketNo. 01 Civ. 4441(CM)
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 208 F.R.D. 493 (In re Risk Management Alternatives, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Risk Management Alternatives, Inc., 208 F.R.D. 493, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11055, 2002 WL 1363286 (S.D.N.Y. 2002).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR JUDGMENT ON THE PLEADINGS, GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR CLASS CERTIFICATION AND GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART DEFENDANT’S CROSS-MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

MCMAHON, District Judge.

Plaintiff brings this action under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1692e, et seq. (“FDCPA”), alleging that defendant’s attempts at debt collection violated sections 1692g(a)(3) and e(8) of the FDCPA. Plaintiff moves for a judgment on the pleadings pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(c). Plaintiff also moves for class certification pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(a) and 23(b)(3) or 23(b)(2). Defendant has filed a cross-motion, moving for summary judgment pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 56. As explained below, plaintiffs motion for summary judgment is denied, plaintiffs motion for class certification is granted, and defendant’s motion for summary judgment is granted in part and denied in part.

FACTS PERTINENT TO THE MOTION

The following facts are undisputed for the purposes of the pending motions. For purposes of the FDCPA, plaintiff Schaake is a “consumer” as defined in § 1692a(3), and defendant Risk Management Alternatives, Inc. (“RMA”) is a “debt collector” as defined in 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6).

[498]*498On or about April 9, 2001, RMA mailed a form debt collection letter to plaintiff demanding payment of a debt allegedly owed to Capital One. Complaint at 114. The letter stated the following:

Creditor: Capital One Balance Due: $3594.08 The above account has not been paid and has now been placed with this company for collection procedures. Please remit the full balance to Risk Management Alternatives, Inc.
Federal law gives you thirty (30) days after you receive this letter to dispute the validity of the debt or any part of it. If you don’t dispute it within that period, we will assume that it is valid. If you do dispute it — by notifying us in writing to that effect — we will, as required by law, obtain and mail to you proof of the debt. And, if within the same period, you request in writing the name and address of the original creditor to whom the debt was owed, we will provide you with that information too.
The law does not require us to wait until the end of the 30-day period before taking action to collect the debt. If, however, you request proof of the debt or the name of the original creditor within the 30-day period that begins with your receipt of this letter, the law requires us to suspend our efforts to collect the debt until we mail the requested information to you.
It is our practice to report debts with principal balances of $50.00 or more to Equifax Credit Information Services to be posted in your credit file as a past due account. However, if we receive payment in full, or you submit a written dispute and/or request pursuant to the above paragraph, we will not report this debt for posting in your credit file.
To discuss this account call:
M. Collins 1-800-477-1827 This communication is from a debt collector. This is an attempt to collect a debt, and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Plaintiff alleges that the above letter “violated, overshadowed and contradicted” 15 U.S.C. § 1692g, particularly § 1692g(a)(3). Section 1692g provides as follows:

(a) Notice of debt; contents

Within five days after the initial communication with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt, a debt collector shall, unless the following information is contained in the initial communication or the consumer has paid the debt, send the consumer a written notice containing—

(1) the amount of the debt;

(2) the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed;

(3) a statement that unless the consumer, within thirty days after receipt of the notice, disputes the validity of the debt, or any portion thereof, the debt will be assumed to be valid by the debt collector;

(4) a statement that if the consumer notified the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, the debt collector will obtain verification of the debt or a copy of the judgment against the consumer and a copy of such verification or judgment will be mailed to the consumer by the debt collector; and

(5) a statement that, upon the consumer’s written request within the thirty-day period, the debt collector will provide the consumer with the name and address of the original creditor, if different from the current creditor.

(b) Disputed debts

If the consumer notified the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period described in subsection (a) of this section that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, or that the consumer requests the name and address of the original creditor, the debt collector shall cease collection of the debt, or any disputed portion thereof, until the debt collector obtains verification of the debt or a copy of the judgment, or the name and address of the original creditor and a copy of such verification or judgment, or name and address of the original [499]*499creditor, is mailed to the consumer by the debt collector.

15 U.S.C. § 1692g(a) and 1692g(b).

Plaintiff also alleges that the above letter violated 15 U.S.C. § 1692e(8). Section 1692e(8) provides as follows:

A debt collector may not use any false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of any debt. Without limiting the general application of the foregoing, the following conduct is a violation of this section:
(8) Communicating or threatening to communicate to any person credit information which is know or which should be known to be false, including the failure to communicate that a disputed debt is disputed.

15 U.S.C. § 1692e(8).

Plaintiff further alleges that during the alleged class period, commencing on or after May 23, 2000, RMA disseminated no fewer that 1,434,574 letters containing materially identical language. See Defendant’s Responses and Objections to Plaintiffs First Set of Interrogatories, Hf 4-2.

Plaintiff Schaake originally filed her Complaint against RMA on May 24, 2001. Another plaintiff, Karen Kamkahachi, filed a virtually identical Complaint against RMA on September 26, 2001.

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Bluebook (online)
208 F.R.D. 493, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11055, 2002 WL 1363286, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-risk-management-alternatives-inc-nysd-2002.