Irvine v. I.C. System, Inc.

198 F. Supp. 3d 1232, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 99880, 2016 WL 4196812
District Court, D. Colorado·Decided July 29, 2016·No. Civil Action No. 14-cv-01329-PAB-KMT·Published·Cited by 17 cases

Opinion

ORDER

PHILIP A. BRIMMER, United States District Judge

This matter is before the Court on the Motion for Reconsideration [Docket No. 77] and Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject-Matter Jurisdiction [Docket No. 85] filed by defendant I.C. System, Inc. and the Motion to Enter Judgment in Favor of the Plaintiff and Against the Defendant and to Enter an Order that the Defendant’s Motion for Reconsideration, CM/ ECF # 77 is Moot [Docket No. 81] filed by plaintiff Leona Irvine.

I. BACKGROUND

The facts underlying this dispute are set forth in detail in the Court’s March 31, 2016 order. See Docket No. 76. Only the facts relevant to resolving the instant motions will be restated herein.

On May 12, 2014, plaintiff Leona Irvine filed this case. Docket No. 1. She asserts a single claim for relief against defendant for violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”), 15 U.S.C. § 1692, et seq., in connection with defendant’s efforts to collect a debt (the “debt”) allegedly owed by plaintiff.1 Id. at 9-10.

On June 29, 2015, defendant filed a motion for summary judgment on plaintiffs claim. Docket No. 36. On November 9, 2015, plaintiff filed a motion for summary judgment and defendant filed a second motion for summary judgment on plaintiffs claim. Docket No. 59, 60.

On March 31, 2016, the Court issued an order on the parties’ cross motions for summary judgment. Docket No. 76. The Court determined that, during the March 13, 2014 phone call with defendant, plaintiff disputed the debt and that defendant [1235] violated the FDCPA by telling plaintiff that the debt would remain on her credit report until paid, and that defendant violated the FDCPA by its March 16 and 23, 2014 communications to Experian and Transunion, and its April 1, 2014 communication to the creditor, by not reporting the debt as disputed. Id. at 14-19. Regarding plaintiff’s contention that defendant violated the FDCPA by its May 18, 2014 communication to Experian and Transunion to delete the account, the Court held that summary judgment was inappropriate on this issue because plaintiff did not establish that deleting an account from a credit report violated the FDCPA. Id. at 20.

On April 28, 2016, defendant filed a motion requesting the Court to reconsider its March 31, 2016 order. Docket No. 77. Defendant asks the Court to “issue judgment as a matter of law holding that ICS did not violate the FDCPA” by its May 18, 2014 communication to Experian and Transun-ion requesting deletion of plaintiffs debt from her credit report. Id. at 2.

On May 20, 2016, defendant filed a Stipulation as to Statutory Damages, Docket No. 79, in which defendant “stipulates to the maximum statutory damages pursuant to the FDCPA in the amount of $1,000.” Id. at 1, ¶ 3. Defendant also states that it “recognizes that under the [FDCPA], Plaintiff is entitled to make an application for costs and reasonable attorney fees.” Id. at 2, ¶ 3.

On May 20, 2016, plaintiff filed a motion requesting the Court to enter judgment in favor of plaintiff and to deny defendant’s motion for reconsideration as moot. Docket No. 81.

On July 1,2016, defendant filed a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, contending that the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over this dispute because plaintiff has not established that she has standing to bring her claim. Docket No. 85 at 1.

II. ANALYSIS

A. Whether Plaintiff has Standing

Defendant’s argument that plaintiff lacks standing to assert her FDCPA claim is properly determined pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) because such argument attacks the Court’s subject matter jurisdiction. See Colo. Envtl. Coalition v. Wenker, 353 F.3d 1221, 1227 (10th Cir.2004) (standing is jurisdictional). Rule 12(b)(1) challenges are generally presented in one of two forms: “[t]he moving party may (1) facially attack the complaint’s allegations as to the existence of subject matter jurisdiction, or (2) go beyond allegations contained in the complaint by presenting evidence to challenge the factual basis upon which subject matter jurisdiction rests.” Merrill Lynch Bus. Fin. Servs., Inc. v. Nudell, 363 F.3d 1072, 1074 (10th Cir.2004) (quoting Maestas v. Lujan, 351 F.3d 1001, 1013 (10th Cir.2003)). Ultimately, plaintiff has “[t]he burden of establishing subject matter jurisdiction” because it is “the party asserting jurisdiction.” Port City Props. v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 518 F.3d 1186, 1189 (10th Cir.2008).

“The standing inquiry ensures that a plaintiff has a sufficient personal stake in a dispute to ensure the existence of a live case or controversy which renders judicial resolution appropriate.” Tandy v. City of Wichita, 380 F.3d 1277, 1283 (10th Cir.2004). To establish Article III standing, plaintiff must meet three elements:

First, the plaintiff must have suffered an “injury in fact”—an invasion of a legally protected interest which is (a) concrete and particularized, and (b) “actual or imminent, not ‘conjectural’ or ‘hypothetical.’” Second, there must be a causal connection between the injury and the conduct complained of—the injury has to be “fairly ... traee[able] to the challenged action of the defendant, and not [1236] .,. th[e] result [of] the independent action of some third party not before the court.” Third, it must be “likely,” as opposed to merely “speculative,” that the injury will be “redressed by a favorable decision.”

Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555, 560-61, 112 S.Ct. 2130, 119 L.Ed.2d 351 (1992) (citations omitted).

“Injury in fact is a constitutional requirement, and ‘[i]t is settled that Congress cannot erase Article Ill’s standing requirements by granting the right to sue to a plaintiff who would not otherwise have standing.’” Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, — U.S. -, 136 S.Ct. 1540, 1547-48, 194 L.Ed.2d 635 (2016) (citations omitted). “To establish injury in fact, a plaintiff must show that he or she suffered ‘an invasion of a legally protected interest’ that is ‘concrete and particularized’ and ‘actual or imminent, not conjectural or hypothetical.’ ” Id. at 1548 (citing Lujan, 504 U.S. at 560, 112 S.Ct. 2130). An injury is particularized if it affects “the plaintiff in a personal and individual way.” Spokeo, 136 S.Ct. at 1548. “A ‘concrete’ injury must be ‘de facto’; that is, it must actually exist;” it must be “real,” not “abstract.” Id.

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Irvine v. I.C. System, Inc., 198 F. Supp. 3d 1232, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 99880, 2016 WL 4196812 (D. Colo. 2016).

198 F. Supp. 3d 1232 (Irvine v. I.C. System, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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