Kilbourn v. Candy Ford-Mercury, Inc.

209 F.R.D. 121, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12904, 2002 WL 1492122
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Michigan
DecidedMarch 11, 2002
DocketCase No. 1:01-CV-142
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 209 F.R.D. 121 (Kilbourn v. Candy Ford-Mercury, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kilbourn v. Candy Ford-Mercury, Inc., 209 F.R.D. 121, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12904, 2002 WL 1492122 (W.D. Mich. 2002).

Opinion

OPINION

QUIST, District Judge.

Plaintiff, Jamie Kilbourn (“Kilbourn”), filed this proposed class action against Defendant, Candy Ford-Mercury (“Candy Ford”), a car dealership from which she purchased an automobile on credit. Kilbourn claims that Candy Ford violated numerous provisions within the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA” or the “Act”), 15 U.S.C. §§ 1601-1667Í, the Michigan Pricing and Advertising Act (“MPAA”), M.C.L. §§ 445.351-.364, the Michigan Consumer Protection Act (“MCPA”), M.C.L. §§ 445.901-.922, the Michigan Motor Vehicle Installment Sales Contracts Act (“MVISC”), M.C.L. §§ 566.301-.302, the Michigan Motor Vehicle Sales Finance Act (“MVSFA”), M.C.L. §§ 492.101-.141, and the Michigan Credit Reform Act (“MCRA”), M.C.L. §§ 445.1851-.1864, when it charged her more than the advertised price for the vehicle. Count Eight of Kilbourn’s First Amended Complaint alleges that Candy Ford violated § 1638(b) of the TILA, which governs the form and timing of disclosures, by failing to provide her with cost-of-credit disclosures prior to consummation of the transaction.

Candy Ford has moved to dismiss Count Eight of Kilbourn’s First Amended Complaint, and the parties have filed cross-motions for summary judgment on Kilbourn’s TILA and her state law claims.1 Candy Ford argues that Kilbourn’s claim for statutory damages in Count Eight should be dismissed because statutory damages are not available for violations of § 1638(b) of the TILA. Candy Ford argues, in addition, that Kilbourn cannot show detrimental reliance, which is essential to actual damages in an untimely disclosure claim. As to Kilbourn’s other TILA and related state law claims, Candy Ford asserts that Kilbourn cannot demonstrate that credit customers pay more than the advertised price for their vehicles because they are credit customers not cash customers.2

Also before the court is Kilbourn’s motion for class certification. Kilbourn alleges that Candy Ford regularly sold vehicles to credit customers at more than the advertised price and hid this finance charge in the purchase price of the vehicles.

Facts

On June 6, 2000, Kilbourn purchased a 1996 Pontiac Grand Am (the “Pontiac”) from Candy Ford for $11,642.50. (Am. CompU 13.) At the time, Candy Ford had advertised the Pontiac in Wheeler-Dealer magazine for $9,900.3 (Id. U12.) Candy Ford gave Kilbourn a $500 rebate, resulting in an overall purchase price of $11,142.50, or $1,242.50 more than the advertised price. (Id. H17.) Kilbourn purchased the vehicle on credit, and she claims that the difference between the purchase price and the advertised price of the vehicle was a hidden fi[124]*124nance charge that would not have been imposed on her if she had paid with cash. (Id. H 34.) Kilbourn also alleges that Candy Ford did not give her a written copy of the required cost-of-eredit disclosures to keep prior to entering into the sale. (Id. H19.)

On October 19, 2001, Kilbourn filed her First Amended Class Action Complaint, alleging that on multiple occasions Candy Ford charged its credit customers more than the advertised price for motor vehicles and failed to provide its credit customers with the eost-of-credit disclosures prior to consummation of the transaction. (Id. '11111-2.)

Analysis

The court will first address Candy Ford’s arguments against Kilbourn’s timely cost-of-credit disclosure claim and then will address Candy Ford’s motion for summary judgment on Kilbourn’s hidden finance charge claim under the TILA and related state laws. The court will then determine whether the action should be certified as a class action.

I. Motions for Summary Judgment

Summary judgment is appropriate if there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56. Material facts are facts which are defined by substantive law and are necessary to apply the law. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). A dispute is genuine if a reasonable jury could return judgment for the non-moving party. Id. The court must draw all inferences in a light most favorable to the non-moving party, but may grant summary judgment when “the record taken as a whole could not lead a rational trier of fact to find for the non-moving party.” Agristor Financial Corp. v. Van Sickle, 967 F.2d 233, 236 (6th Cir.1992)(quoting Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co., Ltd. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 1356, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986)).

A. Untimely Disclosure Claim

Count Eight of Kilbourn’s Amended Class Action Complaint alleges that Candy Ford failed to provide timely cost-of-credit disclosures before credit was extended and the transaction was consummated, as required by § 1638(b) and Regulation Z, 12 C.F.R. § 226.17(b). (Am.Compl.HH 74-75.) Candy Ford argues that the TILA does not require it to give consumers a separate copy of the disclosures to keep prior to consummation of the transaction. Candy Ford contends that giving Kilbourn a written disclosure in the form of a retail installment sales contract (“RISC”) for her review and then providing a copy of the RISC to keep after she signed it is sufficient to satisfy the requirements.

Section 1638(b) provides that, “[ejxcept as otherwise provided in this chapter, the disclosures required under subsection (a) shall be made before the credit is extended.” 15 U.S.C. § 1638(b)(1). The applicable regulations contain the following disclosure requirements:

(a) Form of disclosures. (1) The creditor shall make the disclosures required by this subpart clearly and conspicuously in writing, in a form that the consumer may keep.
# jfc #
(b) Time of disclosures. The creditor shall make disclosures before consummation of the transaction.

12 C.F.R. § 226.17(a), (b). The TILA is a remedial statute, and the court is to give liberal construction to the Act in favor of the consumer. Begala v. PNC Bank, Ohio, Nat’l Ass’n, 163 F.3d 948, 950 (6th Cir.1998).

The court rejects Candy Ford’s contention that the form and timing requirements do not work together to mandate that consumers such as Kilbourn be given a separate copy of the disclosures to keep before they sign the contract. That Kilbourn was allowed to review the applicable provisions and disclosures before signing the contract is not the same as being given a copy of the disclosures to keep and review prior to signing. See Lozada v.

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Bluebook (online)
209 F.R.D. 121, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12904, 2002 WL 1492122, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kilbourn-v-candy-ford-mercury-inc-miwd-2002.