Savino v. Computer Credit, Inc.

960 F. Supp. 599, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4971, 1997 WL 182923
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedApril 11, 1997
DocketCV 95-4446 (ADS)
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 960 F. Supp. 599 (Savino v. Computer Credit, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Savino v. Computer Credit, Inc., 960 F. Supp. 599, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4971, 1997 WL 182923 (E.D.N.Y. 1997).

Opinion

SPATT, District Judge:

This action arises from the claims of the plaintiff, Frank Savino (“Savino” or the “plaintiff’), on behalf of a putative class, that the defendant, Computer Credit, Inc. (“CCI” or the “defendant”), has acted in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA” or the “Act”), 15 U.S.C. § 1692, et seq., in its capacity as a collection agency, by mailing the plaintiff a letter which contains language contrary to the statute’s requirements. Presently before the Court are three applications: (1) the defendant’s objections to the February 21,1997 order of United States Magistrate Judge Arlene R. Lindsay granting the plaintiffs motion for leave to file a second amended complaint; (2) the defendant’s motion for summary judgment and related costs and attorney’s fees; and (3) the plaintiffs cross motion for partial summary judgment as to liability or in the alternative for a stay of the defendant’s motion for summary judgment pending completion of discovery.

I. Background

The plaintiff is a resident of Hauppauge, New York. The defendant is a debt collection agency with its principal place of business in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. According to the original complaint, dated October 22, 1995, the plaintiff received a letter from the defendant dated August 28, 1995, the purpose of which was to collect an alleged debt of $153.00 owed to North Shore Hospital. In this pleading Savino alleged that this August 28, 1995 letter was the “first and only letter” that he received with respect to the alleged debt. Compl. ¶ 8. The complaint continued by alleging that this letter faded to advise the plaintiff of “his right to validate and dispute the alleged debt” within 30 days and that CCI applied “false, deceptive and misleading means in connection with the collection” of the alleged debt, all in violation of the FDCPA. Compl. ¶¶ 9, 10. In addition, Savino alleges that he is acting on behalf of a class of similarly situated consumers whose rights have been violated.

By notice of motion dated August 12,1996, the plaintiff moved for leave to file an amended complaint pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 15(a). According to the moving papers, after this action was commenced, plaintiffs counsel was advised that his client had been sent a prior letter by CCI with regard to the aforementioned debt which letter was dated August 14, 1995. Based on this representation, and the recently issued decision from the Second Circuit, Russell v. Equifax A.R.S., 74 F.3d 30 (2d Cir.1996), the plaintiff decided that it would be appropriate to file an amended complaint. Initially the plaintiff attempt *601 ed to obtain the defendant’s consent to file the amended pleading. CCI refused. Accordingly, the plaintiff filed the appropriate motion pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 15(a).

The only substantive difference between the original and proposed amended complaints was that in addition to asserting that the August 28, 1995 letter was the first correspondence sent, Savino alleged in the alternative that, “[u]pon information and belief, CCI mailed an earlier letter to Savino, dated August 14, 1995, which was the first communication by CCI to Savino, or at least, CCI’s first letter to Savino.” Am. Compl. ¶ 10. The proposed amended complaint continued by alleging that while this letter did contain the required 30 day debt validation notice, it nevertheless violated the FDCPA “by containing language that overshadows, contradicts or is otherwise inconsistent with Savi-no’s right to a 30 day statutory period in which to validate and [sic] dispute the alleged debt_” Am. Compl. ¶ 11.

By order dated September 18, 1996, this Court referred the motion for leave to file an amended complaint to Magistrate Judge Lindsay to render a decision. A report and recommendation would be necessary only if the decision was dispositive as to any claim or issue in the action.

In a thoughtful memorandum order dated November 7, 1996, a decision with which the Court agrees, Judge Lindsay granted the plaintiffs motion and the proposed amended complaint was deemed filed. The defendant did not file any objections to this order. On November 13, 1996, at a conference before Judge Lindsay, the plaintiff discontinued his claim based on the August 28, 1995 letter.

On February 20, 1997 at his deposition, Savino admitted that he received the August 14,1995 letter. The following day, the plaintiff moved for leave to file a second amended complaint deleting any initial denial that he never received the August 14, 1995 letter, alleging instead that he “received a letter from the Defendant dated August 14, 1995 for the purpose of collecting an alleged debt of $153.00 incurred by Savino with North Shore Hospital. This was the first letter Plaintiff Savino received from the Defendant with respect to the alleged debt.” Sec. Am. Compl. ¶ 7 (emphasis in original). The proposed second amended complaint does not contain any reference to the August 28, 1995 letter, instead alleging that the August 14, 1995 letter violated his rights pursuant to the FDCPA.

By order dated February 21, 1997, Judge Lindsay granted the plaintiffs motion for leave to file the second amended complaint. CCI filed its objections on March 7, 1997. On March 26, 1997, the defendant’s motion and plaintiffs cross motion for partial summary judgment or in the alternative for a stay of the defendant’s motion were filed.

II. Objections to the February 21, 1997 order

The defendant’s objections to Judge Lindsay’s order granting the plaintiff leave to file a second amended complaint are easily resolved. The plaintiffs motion for leave to amend seeks only to delete any allegations referring to the August 28,1995 letter, thereby narrowing the issues for trial. While the Court appreciates the apparent disingenuous nature of the plaintiff initially denying that he ever received the August 14, 1995 letter and then subsequently reversing his position, the Court is inclined to agree "with Judge Lindsay that once a plaintiff has been permitted to incorporate inconsistent facts in his pleadings pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(e)(2), there is no precedent for the proposition that one of these alternatives may not be withdrawn. Accordingly, the Court adopts Judge Lindsay’s February 21, 1997 orders regarding the plaintiffs motion for leave to file a second amended complaint as the decision of the Court.

However, the Court notes that a superseded pleading in a civil case may constitute an admission. In United States v. GAF Corp., 928 F.2d 1253 (2d Cir.1991), it was held:

Most significantly, as support for the conclusion reached in [United States v. McKeon,

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Savino v. Computer Credit, Inc.
71 F. Supp. 2d 173 (E.D. New York, 1999)
Zitz v. Pereira
119 F. Supp. 2d 133 (E.D. New York, 1999)
Savino v. Computer Credit, Inc.
164 F.3d 81 (Second Circuit, 1998)
Frank Savino v. Computer Credit, Inc.
164 F.3d 81 (Second Circuit, 1998)
Morgan v. Credit Adjustment Board Inc.
999 F. Supp. 803 (E.D. Virginia, 1998)
Powell v. Computer Credit, Inc.
975 F. Supp. 1034 (S.D. Ohio, 1997)

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Bluebook (online)
960 F. Supp. 599, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4971, 1997 WL 182923, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/savino-v-computer-credit-inc-nyed-1997.