Sheller v. City of Philadelphia

288 F.R.D. 377, 84 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1063, 2013 WL 359753, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12290
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 30, 2013
DocketCivil Action No. 11-cv-2371
StatusPublished

This text of 288 F.R.D. 377 (Sheller v. City of Philadelphia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sheller v. City of Philadelphia, 288 F.R.D. 377, 84 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1063, 2013 WL 359753, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12290 (E.D. Pa. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM & ORDER

JOYNER, Chief Judge.

Before this Court are Plaintiffs’ Motion for Class Certification (Doc. No. 33), Defendant Philadelphia Parking Authority’s Response and objections thereto (Doc. No. 36), Plaintiffs’ Reply in further support thereof (Doc. No. 37), and Defendant’s Sur-Reply (Doc. No. 38). For the reasons set forth in this Memorandum, the Court will deny the Plaintiffs’ Motion without prejudice.

I. BACKGROUND

This is a case about the role of the Philadelphia Parking Authority (“PPA” or “Defendant”) in the execution of the City of Philadelphia’s Live Stop policy. The Plaintiffs’ factual allegations and the background of Live Stop and the PPA’s actions have been fully set forth in the Court’s prior Memorandum and Order on the PPA’s Motion to Dismiss. (Opin. of Oct. 2, 2012, Doc. No. 29). The Plaintiffs put forth four individuals as class representatives and set forth factual allegations to highlight their claims. Briefly, each of the Plaintiffs were stopped by members of the Philadelphia Police Department (“PPD”) due to alleged violations of Live Stop, including expired vehicle registrations and driving without a proper licence. Plaintiff Danielle Sheller was stopped for driving with an expired vehicle registration, which was renewed during the incident and prior to the towing of her vehicle. Plaintiff Earl Johnson was stopped when he was driving to work with a limited licence that allowed him to drive to and from work only, while at all other times his license was suspended. His ear was towed even though he was permitted to drive for the limited purpose of travel to and from work. His citation was dismissed in Traffic Court, but he nevertheless had to pay for towing and storage of his vehicle. Plaintiffs Brian Walsh and Nieolette Wilson were both stopped for expired registrations, and their vehicles were towed and impounded.

Plaintiffs Danielle and Stephen Sheller initially filed a Complaint on March 30, 2011 in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas against the City of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Police Department (“PPD”), officers of the PPD, Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, and the PPA. The City and PPD Defendants filed a Notice of Removal on April 5, 2011. Subsequently, Plaintiffs were granted permission by this Court to file an Amended Complaint. The Amended Complaint removed Mr. Sheller and added three plaintiffs as class representatives. Due to an agreement between the City, the PPD Defendants, and the Plaintiffs, the City and PPD Defendants are no longer parties to this action, leaving only the PPA.

Plaintiffs bring this action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Their Complaint alleges that Defendant violated state and federal due process protections with the Live Stop policy, which describes the manner in which the PPD implements Pennsylvania Vehicle Code, 75 Pa.C.S. § 6309.2. The PPA filed a Motion to Dismiss on May 23, 2011, which the Court granted in part and denied in part on October 2, 2012, after the ease was removed from a long period of civil suspense while the parties engaged in settlement negotiations. The Court dismissed a number of the Plaintiffs’ claims. The only claim against the PPA that the Court did not dismiss was the Plaintiffs’ claim that the PPA’s towing of vehicles and imposition of towing and storage fees without adequate judicial recourse violates due process under the Pennsylvania and federal constitutions. (Opin. of Oct. 2, 2012, at 14-17, Doc. No. 29).

Plaintiffs have moved for class certification under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 on November 9, 2012. (Pls.’ Mot. for Class Cert., Doc. No. 33). The Plaintiffs propose three separate classes. The Plaintiffs propose certification under Rule 23(b)(2) for the following class:

All persons whose vehicles are seized under the Philadelphia “Live Stop” Program, who have secured proper registration or licensing before towing or storage by PPA, or who have paid towing and/or storage fees or costs to the Philadelphia Parking Authority, and who are later found not [380]*380guilty of the “Live Stop” charges in proceedings in Philadelphia Traffic Court or the Court of Common Pleas, and who are not reimbursed for the towing and storage fees or costs as a result of the not guilty determination.

(Pls.’ Mot. for Class Cert., Doc. No. 33). The Plaintiffs also propose certification under Rule 23(b)(3) for two separate classes. The first is:

All persons whose vehicles were seized under the Philadelphia “Live Stop” Program on or after April 30, 2009, who have paid towing and/or storage fees or costs to the Philadelphia Parking Authority, who have been found not guilty of the “Live Stop” charges in Philadelphia Traffic Court or the Court of Common Pleas, and who have not received reimbursement of the towing and storage fees or costs following the not guilty determinations.

(Pls.’ Mot. for Class Cert., Doc. No. 33). The second of the Rule 23(b)(3) classes is:

All persons whose vehicles were seized under the Philadelphia “Live Stop” Program on or after April 30, 2009, who had complied with registration and/or licensing requirements under Pennsylvania law pri- or to payment of towing and/or storage fees or costs to the Philadelphia Parking Authority, but who had no opportunity for an advance hearing to determine whether costs are due and owing and/or an opportunity to post of a bond pending a hearing in lieu of payment of towing and/or storage fees and costs.

(Pls.’ Mot. for Class Cert., Doc. No. 33). The Defendant responded in opposition on November 30, 2012 (Doc. No. 36), the Plaintiffs filed a reply on December 11, 2012 (Doc. No. 37), and the Defendant filed a sur-reply on January 15, 2013 (Doc. No. 38).

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

As this is a motion for class certification, this Court will accept as true the substantive allegations in the Complaint and will not inquire into the merits of the Plaintiffs’ claims. Cullen v. Whitman Med. Corp., 188 F.R.D. 226, 228 (E.D.Pa.1999); Eisen v. Carlisle & Jacquelin, 417 U.S. 156, 177-178, 94 S.Ct. 2140, 40 L.Ed.2d 732 (1974). Hence, the Court will focus exclusively on whether the Plaintiffs have met the burden of proving the requirements as set out in Fed.R.Civ.P. 23 to constitute a class. Eisen, 417 U.S. at 163, 94 S.Ct. 2140.

Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(a) sets forth preliminary requirements that the plaintiff must prove; these requirements “are meant to assure both that class action treatment is necessary and efficient and that it is fair to the absentees under the particular circumstances.” Baby Neal v. Casey, 43 F.3d 48, 55 (3d Cir.1994). Rule 23(a) requires four initial elements to be sufficiently proven by the plaintiff in class action certification: numer-osity, commonality, typicality and adequacy. Id. at 55-56.

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Bluebook (online)
288 F.R.D. 377, 84 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1063, 2013 WL 359753, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12290, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sheller-v-city-of-philadelphia-paed-2013.