Samuel-Bassett v. Kia Motors America Inc.

68 Pa. D. & C.4th 270
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County
DecidedSeptember 17, 2004
Docketno. 2199
StatusPublished

This text of 68 Pa. D. & C.4th 270 (Samuel-Bassett v. Kia Motors America Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Samuel-Bassett v. Kia Motors America Inc., 68 Pa. D. & C.4th 270 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2004).

Opinion

BERNSTEIN, J.,

Plaintiff filed this action in January 2001 “on her own behalf and on behalf of all other persons similarly situated” for damages arising out of an allegedly defective brake system in the model year 2000 Kia Sephia automobile which she purchased from Bernicker Kia in Philadelphia, PA. Specifically, plaintiff alleges that her car suffers from a braking defect which causes it to shudder, vibrate, make grinding and groaning noises upon application of the brakes, and that it often is unable to stop. At least five attempts were made to repair Ms. Bassett’s Sephia within the first 17,000 miles by replacing the brake rotors and pads, apparently without lasting success. Although plaintiff allegedly demanded timely rescission of her purchase of the vehicle from the defendant, her demand was refused.

By this action, Ms. Bassett seeks damages for the defendant’s violation of the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, 73 P.S. §201-1 et seq., and breaches of implied and express warranties. She further seeks to represent a class consisting “of all residents of Pennsylvania who purchased and/or leased Kia Sephia automobiles for personal, family or household purposes within six years preceding the filing of the complaint in this action.”

After a tortuous sojourn in the federal courts, the case has returned to the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County where a record, consisting in large part of the federal court record, was created, and briefing, argument and hearing were expeditiously completed.

[273]*273DISCUSSION

The sole issue before this court is whether the prerequisites for certification as stated in Pa.R.C.P. 1702 are satisfied. The purpose behind class action suits is “to provide a means by which the claims of many individuals may be resolved at one time, thereby eliminating the possibility of repetitious litigation and providing small claimants with a method to seek compensation for claims that would otherwise be too small to litigate.” DiLucido v. Terminix International Inc., 450 Pa. Super. 393, 397, 676 A.2d 1237, 1239 (1996). For a suit to proceed as a class action, Rule 1702 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure requires that five criteria be met:

“(1) the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable;
“(2) there are questions of law or fact common to the class;
“(3) the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class;
“(4) the representative parties will fairly and adequately assert and protect the interests of the class under the criteria set forth in Rule 1709; and
“(5) a class action provides a fair and efficient method for adjudication of the controversy under the criteria set forth in Rule 1708.”

Rule 1708 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure requires:

“In determining whether a class action is a fair and efficient method of adjudicating the controversy, the court shall consider among other matters the criteria set forth [below]
[274]*274“(a) Where monetary recovery alone is sought, the court shall consider
“(1) whether common questions of law or fact predominate over any question affecting only individual members;
“(2) the size of the class and the difficulties likely to be encountered in the management of the action as a class action;
“(3) whether the prosecution of separate actions by or against individual members of the class would create a risk of
“(i) inconsistent or varying adjudications with respect to individual members of the class which would confront the party opposing the class with incompatible standards of conduct;
“(ii) adjudications with respect to individual members of the class which would, as a practical matter, be dis-positive of the interests of other members not parties to the adjudications or substantially impair or impede their ability to protect their interests;
“(4) the extent and nature of any litigation already commenced by or against members of the class involving any of the same issues;
“(5) whether the particular forum is appropriate for the litigation of the claims of the entire class;
“(6) whether in view of the complexities of the issues or the expenses of litigation the separate claims of individual class members are insufficient in amount to support separate actions;
“(7) whether it is likely that the amount which may be recovered by individual class members will be so small [275]*275in relation to the expense and effort of administering the action as not to justify a class action.
“(b) Where equitable or declaratory relief alone is sought, the court shall consider
“(1) the criteria set forth in subsections (1) through (5) of subdivision (a), and
“(2) whether the party opposing the class has acted or refused to act on grounds generally applicable to the class, thereby making final equitable or declaratory relief appropriate with respect to the class.
“(c) Where both monetary and other relief is sought, the court shall consider all the criteria in both subdivisions (a) and (b).”

The burden of showing each of the elements in Rule 1702 is initially on the moving party. This burden “is not heavy and is thus consistent with the policy that ‘decisions in favor of maintaining a class action should be liberally made.’ ” Cambanis v. Nationwide Insurance Co., 348 Pa. Super. 41, 45, 501 A.2d 635, 637 (1985). The moving party need only present evidence sufficient to make out a prima facie case “from which the court can conclude that the five class certification requirements are met.” Debbs v. Chrysler Corp., 810 A.2d 137, 153-54 (Pa. Super. 2002) (quoting Janicik v. Prudential Insurance Co. of America, 305 Pa. Super. 120, 130, 451 A.2d 451, 455 (1982)).

In other contexts, the prima facie burden has been construed to mean “some evidence,” “a colorable claim,” “substantial evidence,” or evidence that creates a rebut-table presumption that requires the opponent to rebut demonstrated elements. In the criminal law context, “the [276]*276prima facie standard requires evidence of the existence of each and every element.." Commonwealth v. Martin, 727 A.2d 1136, 1142 (Pa. Super. 1999), alloc. denied, 560 Pa. 722, 745 A.2d 1220 (1999). However, “the weight and credibility of the evidence are not factors at this stage____” Commonwealth v. Marti,

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Bluebook (online)
68 Pa. D. & C.4th 270, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/samuel-bassett-v-kia-motors-america-inc-pactcomplphilad-2004.