Oshana v. Coca-Cola Co.

225 F.R.D. 575, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1298, 2005 WL 159471
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedJanuary 14, 2005
DocketNo. 04 C 3596
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 225 F.R.D. 575 (Oshana v. Coca-Cola Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oshana v. Coca-Cola Co., 225 F.R.D. 575, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1298, 2005 WL 159471 (N.D. Ill. 2005).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

CONLON, District Judge.

Carole Billie Oshana (“Oshana”) filed this class action against The Coca-Cola Compa[578]*578ny (“Coca-Cola”) for violating the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, 815 ILCS 505/1 et seq. (“the Consumer Fraud Act”) and for unjust enrichment. On May 24, 2004, Coca-Cola removed this case from the Circuit Court of Cook County. The court previously granted Coca-Cola’s summary judgment motion regarding the statute of limitations periods for Oshana’s claims, narrowing the recovery periods. Memorandum Opinion & Order 7/30/04, Dkt. No. 28-1. Oshana’s motion for class certification is before the court.

BACKGROUND

Oshana alleges Coca-Cola employs an unfair and deceptive marketing scheme that conceals and misleads consumers into believing diet Coke from the fountain is the same product as diet Coke sold in a can or bottle. Second Am. Compl. at ¶ 1. Unlike bottled diet Coke, which is sweetened exclusively with aspartame, fountain diet Coke is sweetened with a mixture of aspartame and saccharin. Id. As a result, Oshana contends Coca-Cola has sold millions of dollars in beverages it would not have otherwise sold. Id. at ¶ 2. In addition, Oshana contends Coca-Cola has been unjustly enriched at the expense of Oshana and potential class members. Id. Oshana seeks certification of a boundless class of Illinois consumers of fountain diet Coke defined as:

All individuals who purchased for consumption and not resale fountain diet Coke in the State of Illinois from March 12, 1999, through the date of the entry of an order certifying the class. Excluded from this Class are employees, officers, and directors of Coca-Cola.

Id. at ¶ 8. Oshana contends the proposed class meets the certification requirements of Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(a), 23(b)(1)(B) and/or 23(b)(3). Id. at If 9. For the alleged Consumer Fraud Act violation, Oshana seeks disgorgement to the class of Coca-Cola’s profits from its conduct since March 12, 2001, and her individual damages for her fountain diet Coke purchases since March 12, 2001. Id. at ¶ 61. For the unjust enrichment claim, Oshana seeks disgorgement of Coca-Cola’s profits from its conduct since March 12, 1999. Id. at ¶ 67.

DISCUSSION

I. Collateral Estoppel

Before addressing the merits of the class certification motion, the court must address Coca-Cola’s argument that the motion for class certification is collaterally estopped by Zapka v. The Coca-Cola Co., No. 99 CV 8238, 2000 WL 1644539, *2-5, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16552, *5-13 (N.D.Ill. Oet.26, 2000). Zapka alleged Coca-Cola violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act and other state consumer fraud acts by misrepresenting that fountain diet Coke and bottled diet Coke are the same product, even though fountain diet Coke contains saccharin. Id. at *1, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16552, at *1. Zapka sought national class certification under Rule 23(b)(2) or Rule 23(b)(1) or, alternatively, multi-state or Illinois class certification. Id. at *2, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16552, at *4. Zapka proposed to define the class as: (1) “all individuals who consumed diet Coke from the fountain, deceived by the marketing practices employed by Coca-Cola Company into believing that fountain diet Coke does not contain saccharin;” or (2) herself and all others similarly situated as representative of the proposed class of individuals who consumed fountain diet Coke after November of 1984;” or (3) “all residents of the fifty states and the District of Columbia, other than employees, officers and directors of the Coca-Cola Company, who purchased or consumed fountain diet Coke after November 30, 1984.” Id. at *2, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16552, at *4-5.

The court denied Zapka’s motion for class certification, rejecting the first proposed class definition because “an identifiable class does not exist if membership in the class is contingent on the state of mind of the prospective members.” Id. at *3, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16552, at *7. The second proposed class definition was rejected because inclusion of “others similarly situated” made class membership contingent on state of mind since Zapka alleged she was deceived by the marketing practices. Id. at *3, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16552, at *8-9. The court rejected the third proposed class definition as an insufficiently defined class because including individuals who consumed fountain diet Coke “after November 30,1984” added a [579]*579new set of plaintiffs to the class each day. Id. at *3, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16552 at *9-10. Finally, the court determined variations in state law and the significant number of individualized elements of proof rendered Zapka’s claims unmanageable for class action. Id. at 3-5, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16552 at *10-13. The court held “under either definition of the class set out by the plaintiff, multi-state or Illinois classification would also not be manageable...” Id. at *5, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16552 at *13 (emphasis added).1

Collateral estoppel, or issue preclusion, applies when: (1) a plaintiff was fully represented in the prior action; (2) the issue sought to be precluded was involved in the prior action; (3) the issue was actually litigated to final judgment; and (4) determination of the issue was essential to the final judgment. Adair v. Sherman, 230 F.3d 890, 893 (7th Cir.2000); Klingman v. Levinson, 831 F.2d 1292, 1295 (7th Cir.1987).

Coca-Cola relies on In re Bridge-stone/Firestone, 333 F.3d 763 (7th Cir.2003) to argue class certification may not be re-litigated. Bridgestone/Firestone reversed a district court order certifying two nationwide class actions, in part due to the need to apply multiple states’ laws to different class members. In re Bridgestone/Firestone, 288 F.3d 1012 (7th Cir.2002). Subsequently, plaintiffs filed class suits in many jurisdictions and, in at least five suits, sought certification of the previously rejected nationwide classes. In re Bridgestone/Firestone, 333 F.3d 763, 765 (7th Cir.2003). The Seventh Circuit held all members of the putative national classes were enjoined from re-seeking national certification of the same class, based on its prior decision that national certification was unsuitable. Id. at 769. However, the court specifically noted that defendants’ desire to enjoin all class actions, even ones limited to a single product in a single state, was over-reaching. Id. at 765-66. The court emphasized that the only class previously considered on appeal was a nationwide class because the district court had not addressed any statewide classes. Id. Accordingly, the district court properly denied defendants’ request for an injunction that would preclude any class suit in any state court. Id. at 766.

While Bridgestone/Firestone holds that in some circumstances denial of class certification may be given estoppel effect, courts are cautioned not to read the case as holding any

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Bluebook (online)
225 F.R.D. 575, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1298, 2005 WL 159471, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oshana-v-coca-cola-co-ilnd-2005.