Snuffer v. Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc.

97 F. Supp. 3d 827, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34030, 2015 WL 1275455
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. West Virginia
DecidedMarch 19, 2015
DocketCivil Action No. 5:14-cv-25899
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 97 F. Supp. 3d 827 (Snuffer v. Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. West Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Snuffer v. Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., 97 F. Supp. 3d 827, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34030, 2015 WL 1275455 (S.D.W. Va. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

IRENE C. BERGER, District Judge.

The Court has reviewed Defendant Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc.’s Motion to Dismiss (Document 8), the Memorandum in Support (Document 9), and the Notice of Decision/Supplemental Authority in Support of Defendant Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc.’s Motion to Dismiss (Document 15). In addition, the Court has reviewed the Plaintiffs Complaint (Document 1-3). The Plaintiff did not file a response to the motion to dismiss. For the reasons stated herein, the Court finds that the Defendant’s motion should be granted in part and denied in part.

[829]*829 I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Stephen Snuffer alleges that his student loans are serviced by Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. (Great Lakes). He asserts that he applied to have his loans discharged after becoming disabled, and explained his inability to make payments to Great Lakes. However, he alleges that despite his requests not to be contacted, “Great Lakes continued to repeatedly call” him, even after he provided his attorney’s contact information. (Compl., ¶¶ 7-9.) He asserts the following causes of action: Count I — violations of the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act (WVCCPA); Count II— violation of the West Virginia Computer Crime and Abuse Act; Count III — violation of the Telephone Harassment Statute; Count IV — intentional infliction of emotional distress; and Count V — common law invasion of privacy.

Within Count I, he claims violations of specified sections of the WVCCPA, including: “attempting to collect a debt by threats or coercion;” “engaging in unreasonable or oppressive or abusive conduct toward the Plaintiff in connection with the attempt to collect a debt;” calling “repeatedly or continuously or at unusual times or at times known to be inconvenient, with the intent to annoy, abuse, or oppress the Plaintiff;” and “using unfair or conscionable means to collect a debt.” (Complaint, ¶ 14.) Within Count II, he alleges that the Defendant “with the intent to harass” called “after being requested ... to desist.” (Id. at ¶ 18.) Within Count III, he alleges that the Defendant “made or caused to be made telephone calls to the Plaintiff causing the Plaintiffs telephone to ring repeatedly or continuously] with the intent to harass the Plaintiff,” again citing the relevant code section. (Id. at ¶ 23.)

Mr. Snuffer initiated this action in the Circuit Court of Raleigh County, West Virginia, on August 13, 2014. The Defendant removed it to federal court on September 17, 2014, asserting that it serviced Mr. Snuffer’s federal student loans in its capacity as a federal contractor and that it had colorable federal defenses. Mr. Snuffer filed a motion to remand on October 16, 2014, which the Court denied. (See Document 16.) Great Lakes filed this motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim on October 17, 2014. Mr. Snuffer has not filed a response.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

A motion to dismiss filed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted tests the legal sufficiency of a complaint or pleading. Francis v. Giacomelli, 588 F.3d 186, 192 (4th Cir.2009); Giarratano v. Johnson, 521 F.3d 298, 302 (4th Cir.2008). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires that a pleading contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2). Additionally, allegations “must be simple, concise, and direct.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(d)(1). “[T]he pleading standard Rule 8 announces does not require ‘detailed factual allegations,’ but it demands more than an unadorned, the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). In other words, a complaint must contain “more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955. Moreover, “a complaint [will not] suffice if it tenders naked assertions devoid of further factual enhancements.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 [830]*830S.Ct. 1937 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 557, 127 S.Ct. 1955) (internal quotation marks omitted).

The Court must “accept as true all of the factual allegations contained in the complaint.” Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 93, 127 S.Ct. 2197, 167 L.Ed.2d 1081 (2007). The Court must also “draw[ ] all reasonable factual inferences from those facts in the plaintiffs favor.” Edwards v. City of Goldsboro, 178 F.3d 231, 244 (4th Cir.1999). However, statements of bare legal conclusions “are not entitled to the assumption of truth” and are insufficient to state a claim. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937. Furthermore, the court need not “accept as true unwarranted inferences, unreasonable conclusions, or arguments.” E. Shore Mkts. v. J.D. Assocs. Ltd. P’ship, 213 F.3d 175, 180 (4th Cir.2000). “Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere eonclusory statements, do not suffice ... [because courts] ‘are not bound to accept as true a legal conclusion couched as a factual allegation.’ ” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955).

To survive a motion to dismiss, “a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, ‘to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955). In other words, this “plausibility standard requires a plaintiff to demonstrate more than ‘a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.’ ” Francis, 588 F.3d at 193 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955). A plaintiff mupt, using the complaint, “articulate facts, when accepted as true, that ‘show’ that the plaintiff has stated a claim entitling him to relief.” Francis, 588 F.3d at 193 (quoting Twom-bly, 550 U.S. at 557, 127 S.Ct. 1955). “Determining whether a complaint states [on its face] a plausible claim- for relief [which can survive a motion to dismiss] will ... be a context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial experience and common sense.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937.

III. DISCUSSION

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97 F. Supp. 3d 827, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34030, 2015 WL 1275455, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/snuffer-v-great-lakes-educational-loan-services-inc-wvsd-2015.