Reed v. Morgan Drexen, Inc.

26 F. Supp. 3d 1287, 2014 WL 2616906, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 83057
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedApril 4, 2014
DocketCase No. 13-61440-CIV
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 26 F. Supp. 3d 1287 (Reed v. Morgan Drexen, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Reed v. Morgan Drexen, Inc., 26 F. Supp. 3d 1287, 2014 WL 2616906, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 83057 (S.D. Fla. 2014).

Opinion

ORDER ON CROSS MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

DONALD M. MIDDLEBROOKS, District Judge.

THIS CAUSE is before the Court upon Plaintiffs Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (DE 22) and the Defendants Motion for Summary Judgment (DE 26). I have reviewed the Motions, the responses thereto, the record in this case, and am otherwise fully advised in the premises.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff (“Reed”) is an individual and a citizen of the State of Florida. Defendant (“Drexen”) is a corporation and a citizen of the State of Nevada. This case is brought pursuant to the Court’s Federal Question jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1331. Drexen provides legal services to consumers, and it is undisputed that Drexen made 533 calls to cell phone number(954) 673-2257 (“2257”) between June of 2010 and February of 2012 with the goal of selling Reed’s spouse (“Mr. Reed”) legal services. Reed herself never gave express consent to Drexen to call the cell phone which she states is hers. On July 3, 2013, Reed filed a one-count Complaint against Drexen alleging that the 533 calls were non-emergency telephone calls which used an automatic telephone dialing system or pre-recorded or artificial voice in violation of 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(1)(A), a provision of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”).

The Motions

The Parties both claim that.summary judgment is appropriate. Plaintiff in her Motion seeks a declaration that each of Defendant’s calls violated the TCPA because there is no dispute that Drexen placed the auto-dialed pre-recorded non-emergency calls (the “Calls”) to Reed’s cellular phone without her express con[1289]*1289sent, and because those calls constitute a per se violation of the TCPA. Defendant, on the other hand, asserts that judgment should be entered in its favor because Mr. Reed was the intended recipient of the calls, and because he gave his express consent to the calls when he provided Drexen with the cellular phone number.

II. LEGAJL STANDARD

Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c), a district court’s decision to grant summary judgment is appropriate where “the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). An issue of material fact is genuine where the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict in favor of the non-moving party. See Mize v. Jefferson City Bd. of Educ., 93 F.3d 739, 742 (11th Cir.1996) (quoting Hairston v. Gainesville Sun PubVg Co., 9 F.3d 913, 919 (11th Cir.1993)). A district court’s central inquiry when determining whether it should grant a motion for summary judgment is “whether the evidence presents a sufficient disagreement to require submission to a jury or whether it is so one-sided that one party must prevail as a matter of law.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 251-52, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2512, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). After the parties have had adequate time to conduct discovery and a party files a motion for summary judgment, a district court must grant summary judgment against a party who fails to establish the existence of an element essential to his case that he bears the burden of proof on during trial. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986).

The moving party bears the initial burden of demonstrating to the court that the record does not contain any genuine issues of material fact to be determined at trial. See Clark v. Coats & Clark, Inc., 929 F.2d 604, 608 (11th Cir.1991). Whether a fact is material or not is a question that requires the moving party to defer to substantive law, and “[o]nly disputes over facts that might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law will properly preclude the entry of summary judgment.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). Pursuant to Rule 56, a moving party may accompany its motion for summary judgment with supporting affidavits; however, the movant is not required to file any affidavits. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a)-(b). Although, a district court may not consider an unsworn statement when “determining the propriety of summary judgment.” Gordon v. Watson, 622 F.2d 120, 123 (11th Cir.1980) (citing Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144, 159, 90 S.Ct. 1598, 1609, 26 L.Ed.2d 142 (1970)).

“When a moving party has discharged its burden, the non-moving party must then go beyond the pleadings, and by its own affidavits, or by depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, designate specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Jeffery v. Sarasota White Sox, Inc., 64 F.3d 590, 593-94 (11th Cir.1995) (per curiam) (internal citation and quotations omitted). In addition, the dispute must have a “real basis in the record” in order to constitute a genuine dispute of fact. Pace v. Capobianco, 283 F.3d 1275, 1278 (11th Cir.2002) (quoting Mize, 93 F.3d at 742) (internal quotations omitted). Thus, “mere conclusions and unsupported factual allegations are legally insufficient to defeat a summary judgment motion.” Ellis v. England, 432 F.3d 1321, 1327 (11th Cir.2005).

[1290]*1290While conclusions and unsupported facts alone are insufficient to oppose a summary judgment motion, a district court “must view all evidence and make all reasonable inferences in favor of the party opposing summary judgment.” Haves v. City of Miami 52 F.3d 918, 921 (11th Cir.1995) (citing Dibrell Bros. Int'l S.A v. Banca Nazionale Del Lavoro,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Ebling v. Clearspring Loan Services, Inc.
106 F. Supp. 3d 1002 (D. Minnesota, 2015)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
26 F. Supp. 3d 1287, 2014 WL 2616906, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 83057, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reed-v-morgan-drexen-inc-flsd-2014.