Pattie v. Coach, Inc.

29 F. Supp. 3d 1051, 2014 WL 3014578, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90929
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedJuly 2, 2014
DocketCase No. 1:14 CV 628
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 29 F. Supp. 3d 1051 (Pattie v. Coach, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pattie v. Coach, Inc., 29 F. Supp. 3d 1051, 2014 WL 3014578, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90929 (N.D. Ohio 2014).

Opinion

Memorandum of Opinion and Order

PATRICIA A. GAUGHAN, District Judge.

Introduction

This matter is before the Court upon Defendant Coach, Inc.’s Partial Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 5). This case arises from the distribution of in-store coupons by defendant. For the reasons set forth below, defendant’s motion is GRANTED.

Facts

Plaintiff, Julie Pattie, brings this putative class action against defendant, Coach, Inc. (“Coach”). Plaintiff has shopped at defendant’s factory stores on several occasions, most recently in Spring 2013. (Comp. ¶ 5). On each occasion, plaintiff was given a coupon by one of defendant’s employees. The coupon contained the following or similar language: “TAKE AN ADDITIONAL 50% OFF YOUR PURCHASE VALID TODAY ONLY IN THIS COACH FACTORY LOCATION.” (Comp. ¶ 6). Plaintiff purchased items from defendant on these occasions, believing she was receiving a price advantage available for a limited time. (Comp. ¶ 7). However, these coupons are distributed nearly every day in factory stores. (Comp. ¶ 8). Consequently, plaintiff contends she did not receive the discount as represented in the coupon because defendant’s “products are not discounted but stay constant over time.” (Comp. ¶ 11).

Plaintiff originally brought this suit in Lake County on behalf of herself and all other similarly situated Ohio residents who purchased a product using defendant’s percentage-off discount coupon. On behalf [1055]*1055of herself and the putative class, plaintiff asserts four claims. Count One alleges a violation of the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act (“OCSPA”), O.R.C. §§ 1345.02(B)(1) and (B)(8). Count Two is for breach of contract. Count Three is for unjust enrichment. Count Four is for fraud. Defendant removed to this Court on the basis of the Class Action Fairness Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1332(d)(2).

This matter is before the Court upon defendant’s Partial Motion to Dismiss. Defendant moves to dismiss all of plaintiffs Complaint, with the sole exception of her individual claim under O.R.C. § 1345.02(B)(8). Plaintiff opposes the motion.

Standard of Review

A motion to dismiss under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) tests the sufficiency of a complaint. In order to survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint’s factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level on the assumption that all of the complaint’s allegations are true. Ass’n of Cleveland Fire Fighters v. City of Cleveland, Ohio, 502 F.3d 545, 548 (6th Cir.2007) (quoting Bell Atlantic v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). The complaint must contain sufficient factual material to state a claim “plausible on its face.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. “The plausibility standard is not akin to a ‘probability requirement,’ but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.” Id. “Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Id.

Discussion

A. OCSPA Class Claims

Plaintiff seeks to bring a class action suit on behalf of all similarly situated Ohio residents who purchased a product using defendant’s percentage-off discount coupon for violations of O.R.C. §§ 1345.02(B)(1) and (B)(8). Defendant moves to dismiss these class claims because they do not satisfy the prior notice requirement of the OCSPA.

To pursue a class action claim under the OCSPA, plaintiff must allege that defendant had prior notice that its conduct was “deceptive or unconscionable.” O.R.C. § 1345.09(B); Johnson v. Microsoft Corp., 155 Ohio App.3d 626, 636, 802 N.E.2d 712 (Ct.App.2003). To adequately plead prior notice under O.R.C. § 1345.09(B), plaintiff must allege either that “a specific rule or regulation has been promulgated [by the Ohio Attorney General] under R.C. 1345.05 that specifically characterizes the challenged practice as unfair or deceptive,” or that “an Ohio state court has found the specific practice either unconscionable or deceptive in a decision open to public inspection.” Johnson, 155 Ohio App.3d at 636, 802 N.E.2d 712. Lack of prior notice requires dismissal of class action allegations. Bower v. International Business Machines, Inc., 495 F.Supp.2d 837, 841 (S.D.Ohio 2007).

To qualify as sufficient notice, the defendant’s alleged violation of the OCSPA must be “substantially similar to an act or practice previously declared to be deceptive by one of the methods identified in R.C. 1345.09(B).” Marrone v. Philip Morris USA Inc., 110 Ohio St.3d 5, 6, 850 N.E.2d 31 (2006). “Substantial similarity means a similarity not in every detail, but in essential circumstances or conditions.” Id. at 10, 850 N.E.2d 31. “Cases that [1056]*1056involve industries and conduct very different from the defendant’s do not provide meaningful notice of specific acts or practices that violate the CSPA.” Id. at 9, 850 N.E.2d 31.

Plaintiff points to three cases and one rule which it contends meets the prior notice requirement of § 1345.09(B). Defendant objects that plaintiffs cases were not decisions on the merits, so she cannot rely on them for prior notice. And moreover, the conduct at issue in those cases differs substantially from the conduct at issue here. Defendant also argues that the rule plaintiff cites in her brief does not apply.

Upon review, the Court is unpersuaded that plaintiffs case citations constitute pri- or notice.1 Prior notice may be in the form of “an act or practice determined by [an Ohio court] to violate section 1345.02, 1345.03, or 1345.031 of the Revised Code and committed after the decision containing the determination has been made available for public inspection [by the Attorney General] under division (A)(3) of section 1345.05 of the Revised Code.” O.R.C. § 1345.09(B).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
29 F. Supp. 3d 1051, 2014 WL 3014578, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90929, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pattie-v-coach-inc-ohnd-2014.