Jennifer Wiese, Et Ano, Resps. v. Cach, Llc, Apps.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedAugust 17, 2015
Docket71806-1
StatusPublished

This text of Jennifer Wiese, Et Ano, Resps. v. Cach, Llc, Apps. (Jennifer Wiese, Et Ano, Resps. v. Cach, Llc, Apps.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jennifer Wiese, Et Ano, Resps. v. Cach, Llc, Apps., (Wash. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

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IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON DIVISION ONE

JENNIFER WIESE and CANDY No. 71806-1- BRADISON, individually and on behalf of all other similarly situated,

Respondents,

v.

CACH, LLC, a Colorado limited liability company; and SQUARE TWO PUBLISHED OPINION FINANCIAL CORP., a Delaware corporation,

Appellants,

SUTTELL & HAMMER, P.S., a Washington corporation,

Defendant.

JENNIFER WIESE and CANDY No. 72090-2-I BRADISON, individually and on behalf of all other similarly situated,

CACH, LLC, a Colorado limited liability company; and SQUARE TWO FINANCIAL CORP., a Delaware corporation,

Appellants, Nos. 71806-1-1 and 72090-2-1/2

Defendant. ) FILED: August 17, 2015

Schindler, J. — Colorado limited liability company CACH LLC and its parent

company Delaware corporation SquareTwo Financial appeal denial of the motion to

compel arbitration of the claims alleged in a class action lawsuit. The class action

complaint alleges CACH and SquareTwo engaged in a civil conspiracy and unfair and

deceptive debt collection practices in violation of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA),

chapter 19.86 RCW, and the Collection Agency Act (CAA), chapter 19.16 RCW. The

complaint sought an award of damages and declaratory and injunctive relief. We hold

that except for the claim that the judgments CACH previously obtained in the collection

actions are subject to an action to vacate, the claims for civil conspiracy, violation of the

CPA and the CAA, and declaratory and injunctive relief are subject to binding

arbitration. Accordingly, we affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further

proceedings.

FACTS

On October 24, 2005, Candy Bradison opened a credit card account with FIA

Card Services NA (FIA). FIA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America

Corporation. A credit card agreement governed the account. Bradison used the credit

card to make a number of purchases. The last payment that she made on her account

was on April 14,2008. Nos. 71806-1-1 and 72090-2-1/3

On September 15, 2008, FIA assigned to CACH LLC, a Colorado limited liability

company (CACH), all "rights, title, and interest" to the past due balance Bradison owed

of $20,494.37.

In April 2010, the law firm of Suttell & Hammer PS filed a complaint on behalf of

CACH to collect the unpaid amount Bradison owed on the account. Bradison did not file

a notice of appearance or an answer. CACH filed a motion for entry of a default

judgment and an order of default.

On June 18, the superior court entered a default judgment against Bradison in

the amount of $20,494.37 plus $8,232.71 in interest, $299.50 in costs, and $650.00 in

attorney fees.

On August 23, 2007, Jennifer Wiese opened a credit card account with FIA. A

credit card agreement governed the account. Wiese used the credit card to make a

number of purchases. The last payment she made on her account was on October 22,

2008. On March 17, 2010, FIA assigned to CACH all "rights, title, and interest" to the

past due amount Wiese owed of $4,972.94.

In January 2011, the law firm of Suttell & Hammer filed a complaint on behalf of

CACH to collect the unpaid balance Wiese owed on the account. Wiese did not file a

notice of appearance or an answer. CACH filed a motion for entry of a default judgment

and an order of default.

On January 26, the court entered a default judgment against Wiese in the

amount of $4,972.94 plus $845.19 in interest and $299.50 in costs. Nos. 71806-1-1 and 72090-2-1/4

On September 25, 2013, Bradison and Wiese filed a class action lawsuit against

CACH and its parent company Delaware corporation SquareTwo Financial

(SquareTwo).1 The complaint defines the putative class as follows:

All persons in Washington state against whom CACH, Square Two, and/or Suttell & Hammer have taken any action in the name of CACH to collect a defaulted or charged off debt while not licensed as a collection agency in accordance with RCW 19.16 et seq.

The complaint alleges CACH "is a shell corporation" and a "wholly-owned

subsidiary of. .. Square Two, which operates CACH as its sole member." The

complaint alleges neither CACH nor SquareTwo were licensed as a debt collection

agency under chapter 19.16 RCW and asserts claims for civil conspiracy and unfair and

deceptive acts and practices in violation of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), chapter

19.86 RCW, and violation of the Collection Agency Act (CAA), chapter 19.16 RCW.

The complaint seeks an award of compensatory and exemplary damages and

declaratory and injunctive relief. The injunctive relief request includes requiring CACH

to move to vacate the judgments obtained in the collection actions, to notify credit

reporting bureaus of the vacated judgments and request removal of adverse credit

history, and to return to the plaintiffs the amount collected plus interest.

On December 13, CACH filed an answer to the class action complaint. CACH

admits that it is a Colorado limited liability company with headquarters in Denver and

that SquareTwo is its sole member. CACH asserts that "it has a number of authorized

agents and authorized representatives who act on its behalf and "there is a servicing

agreement with SquareTwo." CACH admits that it "purchases charged-off consumer

credit card receivables ('accounts') from original creditor banking institutions, among

1 Bradison and Wiese also sued the law firm of Suttell & Hammer. Suttell & Hammer is not a party to the appeal. Nos. 71806-1-1 and 72090-2-1/5

others." CACH admits it "was not licensed as a collection agency at the time the

respective suits were filed against Ms. Bradison and Ms. Wiese." In all other respects,

CACH denies the allegations in the complaint. CACH asserts a number of affirmative

defenses including that "some or all. . . of the putative class claims ... are subject to

valid agreements to arbitrate."

On December 24, CACH filed a motion to compel arbitration and dismiss the

class action complaint. CACH argued the terms of the credit card agreement mandate

arbitration of all claims alleged in the complaint. SquareTwo also filed a motion to

compel arbitration and dismiss the complaint. SquareTwo argued it had the right to

invoke the arbitration clause because it "is being sued as the parent of CACH and is

facing identical claims as CACH." SquareTwo "relie[d] upon and adopt[ed] the

reasoning and analysis provided by CACH" in support of the motion to compel

arbitration.

In opposition, Bradison and Wiese argued the language of the credit card

agreement precluded arbitration of the claims alleged in the class action complaint. In

the alternative, they asserted CACH waived the right to arbitrate by obtaining judgments

in the collection actions.

The court denied CACH's motion to compel arbitration. The court ruled CACH

waived its right to compel arbitration by previously obtaining judgments in the collection

actions. "The court finds that CACH chose to pursue its claims by litigating the debt

owed in a judicial forum rather than through arbitration, and thus, waived its right to now

compel arbitration in the same forum." Following supplemental briefing, the court ruled Nos. 71806-1-1 and 72090-2-1/6

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