Somerset v. Stephen Einstein & Assocs., P.C.

351 F. Supp. 3d 201
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedJanuary 4, 2019
Docket2:17-cv-07539 (ADS)(ARL)
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 351 F. Supp. 3d 201 (Somerset v. Stephen Einstein & Assocs., P.C.) 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
Somerset v. Stephen Einstein & Assocs., P.C., 351 F. Supp. 3d 201 (E.D.N.Y. 2019).

Opinion

ARTHUR D. SPATT, United States District Judge

The plaintiff Julie Somerset (the "Plaintiff") initiated this putative class action against Stephen Einstein & Associates, P.C. ("Einstein, P.C.") and Stephen Einstein ("Einstein") (collectively, the "Defendants") for damages stemming from alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C., 1692 et seq . ("FDCPA").

Presently before the Court is a motion by the Defendants, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure ("FED. R. CIV. P." or "Rule") 12(b)(6) to dismiss the complaint, and a motion by the Plaintiff to amend the complaint. The Defendants had adequate notice and time to respond to the proposed amended complaint (the "Amended Complaint"), and thus the Court will consider the motion to dismiss in light of the new allegations in the Amended Complaint. See Eskenazi-McGibney v. Connetquot Cent. Sch. Dist. , 84 F.Supp.3d 221, 226 (E.D.N.Y. 2015) (Spatt, J.) ("Here, as the Defendants had sufficient opportunity to respond to the proposed amended complaint, the merits of the Defendants' motions to dismiss will be considered in light of the amended complaint."); Schwartzco Enterprises LLC v. TMH Mgmt., LLC , 60 F.Supp.3d 331, 338 (E.D.N.Y. 2014) (Spatt, J.) ("Where, as here, the Plaintiff seek[s] to amend his complaint while a motion to dismiss is pending, a court has a variety of ways in which it may deal with the pending motion to dismiss, from denying the motion to *205dismiss as moot to considering the merits of the motion in light of the amended complaint.").

Accordingly, the outcome of the Plaintiff's motion to amend turns on the Amended Complaint's ability to survive the Defendants' motion to dismiss. See Dougherty v. Town of N. Hempstead Bd. of Zoning Appeals , 282 F.3d 83, 88 (2d Cir. 2002) (noting that "[a]n amendment to a pleading will be futile if a proposed claim could not withstand a motion pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6)"); Lopez-Serrano v. Rockmore , 132 F.Supp.3d 390, 399 (E.D.N.Y. 2015) (Spatt, J.) ("If the PSAC cannot survive the motion to dismiss, then the Plaintiff's cross-motion to amend will be denied as futile.").

For the following reasons, the Court denies the Defendants' motion to dismiss and grants the Plaintiff's motion to amend.

I. BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise stated, the following facts are drawn from the Amended Complaint, and construed in a light most favorable to the Plaintiff.

A. THE RELEVANT FACTS

The Plaintiff is a citizen of the State of New York from whom the Defendants attempted to collect a consumer debt allegedly owed by the Plaintiff. ECF 14-2 ¶ 2. Einstein, P.C. is a professional corporation doing business in New York State, whose principal purpose is the collection of debts using the mail and telephone. Id. ¶ 3. Einstein is an attorney and principal of Einstein P.C. Id. ¶ 4.

On or about January 10, 2017, the Defendants drafted and mailed an "Income Execution" directed to the Plaintiff's employer and forwarded to the Plaintiff. Id. ¶ 9. The Plaintiff alleges that she received said Income Execution, and that the Income Execution was the first and only communication received by the Plaintiff from the Defendants. Id. ¶¶ 10-11. The Amended Complaint alleges that the Income Execution lacks the language required by FDCPA Sections 1692e(11) and 15 USC 1692g(a). Id. ¶¶ 12-13.

In addition, the Amended Complaint claims that the Income Execution falsely indicated that there was a valid judgement against the Plaintiff from a company called Rushmore Recoveries X, LLC. Id. ¶ 14. In particular, the Income Execution sought to enforce a $1,219.61 default judgment issued by the New York State District Court for the County of Suffolk on September 16, 2005. ECF 21, Ex. B. The Plaintiff alleges that this judgment is invalid, because the Defendants obtained it without serving her. Id. ¶¶ 14-17. According to the Plaintiff, the Defendants employed the law firm of Mel S. Harris and Associates, who, through a process server company called SamServe, obtained the default judgment pursuant to a false affidavit of service signed by a SamServ employee. Id. ¶¶ 17-22. The Plaintiff also claims that no attorney meaningfully reviewed the Income Execution prior to serving it, and that the Defendants knew or should have known that the service obtained by SamServe was invalid. Id. ¶ 24.

On May 24, 2016, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York approved a class action settlement vacating more than 200,000 default judgments obtained by the Mel Harris Firm and SamServe. Sykes v. Mel Harris & Assocs., LLC , 2016 WL 3030156, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 74566 (S.D.N.Y. May 24, 2016). The Plaintiff alleges that the Defendants were aware of the Sykes case, but chose to actively pursue a default judgment emanating from the Mel Harris/SamServ operation. ECF 14-2 ¶ 19.

*206B. THE PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On December 27, 2017, the Plaintiff commenced this action against the Defendants alleging violations of FDCPA Sections 1692e, 1692e(3), 1692e(10), 1692e(11), 1692f(1), 1692f(6)(A), 1692g(a). ECF 1. The Plaintiff seeks to bring the action on behalf of herself and a class consisting of all consumers residing in the State of New York who, according to the Defendants' records received an income execution materially identical or substantially similar to the one she received. ECF 14-2 ¶ 26.

On March 26, 2018, the Defendants moved to dismiss the Complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. ECF 10.

On April 19, 2018, the Plaintiff filed a motion to vacate the September 16, 2005 default judgment against her in the New York State District Court of the County of Suffolk. ECF 21, Ex. B.

On April 20, 2018, the Plaintiff opposed the motion to dismiss and filed a motion seeking leave to amend the Complaint. ECF 14; ECF 15. The proposed Amended Complaint withdrew the Plaintiff's claims under GBL § 349.

On May 4, 2018, the Defendants filed a reply in support of their motion to dismiss. ECF 20. The Defendants limited their opposition to the Plaintiff's motion to amend to the argument that any such amendment would be futile. Id. at 1.

On May 30, 2018, the Plaintiff submitted a letter motion informing the Court that the New York State District Court of the County of Suffolk vacated the default judgment against her. ECF 21.

II. DISCUSSION

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351 F. Supp. 3d 201, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/somerset-v-stephen-einstein-assocs-pc-nyed-2019.