Pierce v. Novastar Mortgage, Inc.

238 F.R.D. 624, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 95506, 2006 WL 3422064
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Pierce v. Novastar Mortgage, Inc.. Read the opinion of the Court — 422 F. Supp. 2d 1230
District Court, W.D. Washington·Decided October 31, 2006·No. No. C05-5835RJB·Published

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS’ RENEWED MOTION FOR CLASS CERTIFICATION

BRYAN, District Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for Class Certification (Dkt.61). The Court has considered the pleadings filed in support of and in opposition to the motion, the oral argument of counsel, and the file herein.

J. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The facts and procedural posture of this case were set forth in the Court’s Order on the plaintiffs’ first motion for class certification and need not be fully restated here. See Dkt. 60. The plaintiffs are all borrowers who engaged in loan transactions with defendant NovaStar and claim to have been deceived by NovaStar’s failure to disclose its payment of broker fees known as “yield spread premiums” (“YSP”). The plaintiffs brought suit alleging that the failure to provide written disclosure of the YSPs charged on their loans violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, 19.86 et seq.

The plaintiffs moved to certify a class of borrowers who were not provided written disclosures. Dkt. 25. The Court denied the motion without prejudice. Dkt. 60. The Court held that the commonality and adequacy prerequisites to class certification under Federal Rule 23(a) were satisfied. Id. at 9-15. The Court held that the plaintiffs had not yet met their burden with respect to the numerosity and typicality prerequisites. Id. at 8-9. The Court also held that the predominance and superiority elements of Federal Rule 23(b) were not satisfied. Id. at 11-13.

As invited by the Court, the plaintiffs have filed a renewed motion to certify a class and present additional argument and authority to address the Court’s concerns. The plaintiffs seek to provide the Court with additional authority and argument rather than to redefine the class. Dkt. 61-1 at 2. On October 27, 2006, the Court heard oral argument on the motion. Dkt. 72.

II. DISCUSSION

A. NECESSITY OF WRITTEN DISCLOSURES

The plaintiffs’ Consumer Protection Act claim is premised upon alleged violations of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“RESPA”), the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”), Washington’s Consumer Loan Act (“CLA”), and the plaintiffs’ real estate deeds, all of which require written disclosures. Dkt. 47 at 5; Dkt. 48-1 at 10 (Ms. Ray’s deed requires notices to be in writing). In the Order Denying Plaintiffs’ Motion for Class Certification Without Prejudice (“the Order” or “the Court’s Order”), the Court held that verbal disclosures and independent knowledge of the YSP were relevant to determining whether NovaStar violated the CPA “[bjecause the plaintiffs reference RESPA, TILA, and the CLA only as examples against which NovaStar’s conduct should be measured” and that the “importance of written, as opposed to verbal, disclosures under [those statutes and the plaintiffs’ deeds] are merely factors to consider in th[e] inquiry.” Dkt. 60 at 8. The plaintiffs contend that verbal disclosures are irrelevant to class certification because they seek to establish a per se violation of the Consumer Protection Act by proving that NovaStar violation the Consumer Loan Act.

The CPA creates a private cause of action. RCW 19.86.090. The elements of a private CPA violation are (1) an unfair or deceptive act or practice; (2) occurring in trade or commerce; (3) that impacts the public interest; (4) and causes injury to the plaintiff in his or her business or property; and (5) such injury is causally linked to the unfair or deceptive act. Hangman Ridge Training Stables, Inc. v. Safeco Title Ins. Co., 105 Wash.2d 778, 780, 719 P.2d 531 (1986). The first two elements may be proved through direct evidence or may be established by a showing that the alleged act constitutes a per se unfair trade practice. A per se unfair trade practice exists when, by statute, the Legislature declares an unfair or [627]*627deceptive act in trade or commerce and the statute has been violated. Id. at 786, 719 P.2d 531. Not every statutory violation falls within the CPA. State v. Schwab, 103 Wash.2d 542, 549, 693 P.2d 108 (1985).

A violation of the CLA, including its written disclosure requirements, is explicitly deemed a violation of the first and second elements of the CPA:

The legislature finds that the practices governed by this chapter are matters vitally affecting the public interest for the purpose of applying the consumer protection act, chapter 19.86 RCW. Any violation of this chapter is not reasonable in relation to the development and preservation of business and is an unfair and deceptive act or practice and unfair method of competition in the conduct of trade or commerce in violation of RCW 19.86.020. Remedies provided by chapter 19.86 RCW are cumulative and not exclusive.

RCW 31.04.208.

NovaStar does not appear to contest that violations of the CLA are per se violations of the CPA but instead disputes the applicability of the CLA and contends that verbal disclosures are relevant to the remaining causation and injury elements of a CPA claim. Dkt. 64-1 at 9-10. Because the CLA is the plaintiffs’ basis for establishing a violation of the CPA, class certification hinges upon whether the plaintiffs sufficiently allege a violation of the CLA (and therefore a per se violation of the CPA) and whether verbal disclosures are legally relevant to the third, fourth, or fifth elements of a CPA claim.

1. PER SE VIOLATION

The plaintiffs contend that NovaStar’s failure to provide written disclosures of the YSPs charged on their loans violated the CLA and that this, in turn, constitutes a per se violation of the CPA. Dkt. 61-1 at 5. The plaintiffs apparently allege that NovaStar violated the CLA in two ways. First, they contend that NovaStar did not comply with the CLA’s own disclosure requirements. Second, they contend that NovaStar did not comply with disclosure requirements under RESPA and TILA, which is a violation of the CLA. NovaStar contends that the CLA does not apply to these loan transactions and that it does not require written disclosure of YSPs. Dkt. 64-1 at 9.

a. Applicability of the CLA

NovaStar contends that the CLA applies only to high interest rate loans and that a statutory exemption applies to NovaStar. NovaStar cites the statute’s statement of purpose as authority for the notion that only high interest loans are covered:

The legislature finds that borrowers who represent a higher than average credit risk are unable to obtain credit except at interest rates higher than permitted under other statutory provisions governing interest rates for loans.

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Pierce v. Novastar Mortgage, Inc., 238 F.R.D. 624, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 95506, 2006 WL 3422064 (W.D. Wash. 2006).

238 F.R.D. 624 (Pierce v. Novastar Mortgage, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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