S.S. v. Peloton Interactive, Inc.

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedOctober 7, 2021
Docket3:21-cv-01367
StatusUnknown

This text of S.S. v. Peloton Interactive, Inc. (S.S. v. Peloton Interactive, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
S.S. v. Peloton Interactive, Inc., (S.D. Cal. 2021).

Opinion

1 en nf e-p, TLE } 3 OCT 07 2021 4 CLERK, US. DISTRICT COURT . SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 5 . BY_ OGV DEPUTY 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 || S-S., a minor, by and through his Guardian ) Case No.: 3:21-cv-01367-BEN-DEB ad Litem Eunjin Stern; EUNJIN STERN, _ ) 12 j/ an individual; WILLIAM STERN, an ) ORDER: 13 || individual,, ) . Plainti ) (2) GRANTING-IN-PART AND 14 auntith, ) DENYING-IN-PART 15 ) DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO 16 ||PELOTON INTERACTIVE, INC., a COMPEL ARBITRATION; Delaware corporation; DOES | through (2) OVERRULING PLAINTIFFS’ 17|| 50, inclusive, EVIDENTIARY OBJECTIONS; 18 Defendant. } (3)DENYING DEFENDANT’S 19 MOTION TO DISMISS; and (4) GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO STAY AS TO WILLIAM STERN ONLY. [ECF Nos. 11, 12, 13, and 14] INTRODUCTION Plaintiff $.8., a minor, by and through his Guardian ad Litem Eunjin Stern 1/(°S.S."); Eunjin Stern, an individual (“Mrs. Stern”); and William Stern, an individual ||(“Mr. Stern”) (collectively, “Plaintiffs”) bring this action against Defendant Peloton Interactive, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Defendant” or “Peloton”) for injuries || allegedly sustained in connection with Peloton’s Tread+ treadmill (the “Tread+”). -|-

Before the Court is Defendant’s Motion to Compe! Arbitration and to Dismiss or

3 || without oral argument pursuant to Civil Local Rule 7.1(d)\(1) and Rule 78(b) of the 4 ||Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. ECF No. 14. After considering the papers submitted, 5 || supporting documentation, and applicable law, the Court DENIES Peloton’s Motion to 6 ||Compel Arbitration as to Mrs. Stern and §.S. but GRANTS the Motion as to William 7 || Stern only. BACKGROUND 9 A. Statement of Facts 10 Peloton is an innovative fitness equipment and media company that combines 11 technology, hardware, and production to bring the immersive experience of fitness class 12 the home. Motion, ECF No. 11-1 (“Mot.”) at 6:26-28 (citing Declaration of Daniel 13 |/Feinberg, ECF No. 11-2 (“Feinberg Decl.”) at { 3). It sells stationary bicycles and 14 ||treadmills that allow subscribers to remotely participate in classes via streaming media. 15 at 7:1-2, For streaming media, Peloton’s Terms of Service state that it “provides an 16 || online fitness community and related products, services, content and features through . . the interfaces on tablets connected to Peloton fitness equipment (such as the Peloton 18 and Tread), Peloton’s fitness studios, and through mobile, desktop, or device 19 ||applications (including iOS and Android applications (‘Apps’)).” Exhibit 4 to Mot., Peloton Terms of Service (Last Updated: September 14, 2018), ECF No. 11-6 (“Peloton || Terms”) at 2. Any customer who purchases a Peloton product must subscribe to Peloton’s All- || Access Membership in order to gain access to the “full user experience” intended for the || bicycle or treadmill, including access to Peloton’s workout library, live classes, and real- performance tracking on the device. Mot. at 7:4-7 (citing Feinberg Decl. at 5); see ||also Exhibit 1 to Mot., ECF No. 11-3 at 2 (showing a screenshot of the “Create Your ||Peloton Account” screen). In fact, Peloton automatically creates a Peloton account for. purchasers of a new Tread+ who do not have a pre-existing Peloton account during -2-

| || checkout, but the new membership charge will not begin until the customer activates the device. Feinberg Decl. at ¢ 5. When new purchasers of Peloton equipment create their 3 || account for Peloton’s All-Access Membership, they must complete a sign-up process that _ ||requires them to accept the “Peloton Terms of Service.” Mot. at 7:13-15 (citing Feinberg 5 || Decl., {| 7). New members can complete this process on either the Peloton website, their 6 phones, or on a Peloton device, like the Tread+. Mot. at 7:15-17 (citing Feinberg Decl., 4 7||7). When registering on the Peloton website or mobile application, as Mr. Stern did, 8 see a series of screens that, inter alia, (1) present the user with instructions to read 9 agree to Peloton’s Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Membership Terms; (2) 10 advise that these terms are also available at onepeloton.com with the phrases “Terms of 11 ||Service,” “Privacy Policy,” and “Membership Terms” called out in underline and 12 ||hyperlinked to pages displaying complete versions of each document; and (3) require the 13 jjuser to click a button confirming that the user agrees to the Terms. Mot. at □□□□□□□□□ 14 || (citing Feinberg Decl., {| 7); see also Exhibit 3 to Mot., ECF No. 11-5 at 2 (showing a that requires new users to enter an e-mail and password and click the button 16 ||“CREATE ACCOUNT,” which has a phrase underneath it stating, “By creating an 17 ||account, you agree to our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Membership Terms.”). 18 cannot complete the registration process without confirming that they have read 19 agreed to the Peloton Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Membership Terms. || Mot. at 8:3-5 (citing Feinberg Decl., { 7). As part of their acceptance of Peloton’s Terms of Service, Peloton members agree ||to arbitrate any disputes with Peloton. Mot. at 8:7-8. In fact, the first paragraph of the || Terms of Service that applied when Mr. Stern created his Peloton account, stated: “[b]y ||registering as a member or by visiting, browsing, or using the Peloton Service in any || way, you (as a ‘user’) accept and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (‘Terms’), forms a binding agreement between you and Peloton.” Mot. at 8:9-13 (citing Feinberg Decl. § 8, Ex. 4 at p. 1); see also Exhibit 4 to Mot., ECF No. 11-6, Peloton || Terms of Service at 2. The Terms also state that “[i]f you do not wish to be bound by □□□

Terms, you may not access or use the Peloton Service.” Mot. at 8:13-15; see also 2 ||Peloton Terms at 2. 3 In between these provisions, in a paragraph called out in all caps lettering with an 4 introduction that states, “PLEASE READ,” the Terms make clear that they contain a 5 || binding arbitration provision and class action waiver for any dispute with Peloton: 6 PLEASE READ: THESE TERMS CONTAIN A BINDING ARBITRATION PROVISION AND CLASS ACTION 7 WAIVER (SECTION □ 20). READ CAREFULLY, 8 INCLUDING YOUR RIGHT, IF APPLICABLE, TO OPT OUT OF ARBITRATION. EXCEPT FOR CERTAIN 9 TYPES OF DISPUTES DESCRIBED IN SECTION 20 10 BELOW, OR WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW, BY ENTERING INTO THESE TERMS YOU EXPRESSLY 1] AGREE THAT DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND 12 PELOTON WILL BE RESOLVED BY _ BINDING, INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION, AND YOU HEREBY 13 WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS 14 ACTION LAWSUIT OR CLASS-WIDE ARBITRATION. 15 ||Mot. at 8:16-27. The Peloton Terms of Service also state that “[y]ou must be at least 18 16 || years oid, or the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction of residence, to register with 7 and use the Peloton Service.” Jd. “Minors that can safely fit the dimensions of the 18 Peloton Bike may participate in live in-studio classes, provided that (a) they and their 19 parent/guardian have signed a Peloton waiver and release; and (b) their parent/guardian is || 02 site at all times.” The Terms also advise that “the Peloton Service is offered only for your personal, non-commercial use, and not for the use or benefit of any third party.” id. Finally, the Terms of Service contain the following arbitration provision: 20. ARBITRATION CLAUSE & CLASS ACTION WAIVER — IMPORTANT — PLEASE REVIEW AS THIS MAY AFFECT YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS. APPLICABLE TO THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. a. Mandatory Arbitration of Disputes. We each agree that any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation or validity thereof or the use of the Services or Content (collectively, “Disputes”) will be resolved solely A.

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S.S. v. Peloton Interactive, Inc., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ss-v-peloton-interactive-inc-casd-2021.