Stephen Dye v. Tamko Building Products, Inc.

908 F.3d 675
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit·Decided November 2, 2018·No. 17-14052·Published·Cited by 26 cases

Opinion

NEWSOM, Circuit Judge:

*678 You've undoubtedly heard of-and for that matter probably accepted the terms of-a "shrinkwrap" agreement, which binds a software (or small-electronics) purchaser to an inside-the-box contract if she opens the product and retains it for some specified time. In this cyber age, you've also almost certainly assented to the terms of a "clickwrap" or "scrollwrap" agreement-for instance, by hitting "I accept" when installing the latest operating system for your smartphone. This case-not quite as hip but governed by the same basic principles-requires us to determine the enforceability of what, for lack of a better label, we'll call a "shinglewrap" agreement.

Boiled to its essence, the question we must decide is this: Where a roofing-shingle manufacturer displays on the exterior wrapping of every package of shingles the entirety of its product-purchase agreement-including, as particularly relevant here, a mandatory-arbitration provision-are homeowners whose roofers ordered, opened, and installed the shingles bound by the agreement's terms? Applying Florida law, we conclude that the homeowners are bound-and must therefore arbitrate any product-related claims that they allege against the manufacturer. In particular, we hold (1) that the manufacturer's packaging here sufficed to convey a valid offer of contract terms, (2) that unwrapping and retaining the shingles was an objectively reasonable means of accepting that offer, and (3) that the homeowners' grant of express authority to their roofers to buy and install shingles necessarily included the act of accepting purchase terms on the homeowners' behalf.

I

A

Tamko Building Products is a Missouri-based roofing company. 1 Its "Heritage 30" shingles come with (appropriately) a 30-year limited warranty, which is printed-in full-on the outside wrapper of every shingle package. Although most of the warranty is set in ordinary Roman type, several key portions-including those most significant to this appeal-are rendered in a more conspicuous font. Each package wrapper, for instance, displays the all-capped word "IMPORTANT" and warns the purchaser-again in all caps-to "READ CAREFULLY BEFORE OPENING [THE] BUNDLE." The wrapper further explains (1) that the consumer must notify Tamko of any warranty-related claims "within thirty (30) days following discovery of the problem with the Shingles" and (2) that the warranty and other purchase terms are available not only on the face of the wrapper itself but also on Tamko's website and via a toll-free telephone number.

As particularly relevant to this appeal, Tamko's limited warranty contains a mandatory-arbitration clause-which, significantly, is also printed in its entirety, and in all caps, on the outside of every shingle wrapper. In pertinent part, that clause states as follows:

MANDATORY BINDING ARBITRATION : EVERY CLAIM, CONTROVERSY, OR DISPUTE OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER (EACH AN "ACTION") BETWEEN YOU AND TAMKO (INCLUDING ANY OF TAMKO'S
*679 EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS) RELATING TO OR ARISING OUT OF THE PRODUCT SHALL BE RESOLVED BY FINAL AND BINDING ARBITRATION, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE ACTION SOUNDS IN WARRANTY, CONTRACT, STATUTE, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL OR EQUITABLE THEORY.

The warranty further specifies that any action against Tamko must be arbitrated individually rather than as part of a consolidated or class action:

ANY ACTION BROUGHT BY YOU AGAINST TAMKO WILL BE ARBITRATED (OR, IF ARBITRATION OF THE ACTION IS NOT PERMITTED BY LAW, LITIGATED) INDIVIDUALLY AND YOU WILL NOT CONSOLIDATE, OR SEEK CLASS TREATMENT FOR, ANY ACTION UNLESS PREVIOUSLY AGREED TO IN WRITING BY BOTH TAMKO AND YOU. 2

B

Enter Douglas Bohn and Stephen Dye. Both are Florida residents whose homes are fitted with Tamko's Heritage 30 shingles. Bohn hired Duffield Home Improvements to install a new roof on his Middleburg, Florida home. After a few years, he noticed that his shingles were crumbling and that asphalt granules were shedding and collecting in his gutters. Similarly, Dye hired Tampa Roofing Company to replace the roof on his house in Tampa, Florida. Shortly after installation, Dye too noticed his shingles cracking and granules littering his patio.

Bohn and Dye filed a putative class action seeking damages and declaratory relief on behalf of a class of building owners who had used Tamko shingles. Their complaint alleged that Tamko manufactured its Heritage 30 shingles with less asphalt than necessary to comply with industry standards and building codes, which caused the shingles to crack and split. The complaint included claims for breach of express and implied warranties, strict products liability, negligence, and violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. In response, Tamko filed a motion to compel arbitration and an accompanying motion to dismiss or stay court proceedings. Tamko contended that by unwrapping and retaining its shingles the homeowners had accepted the terms of its purchase agreement and were thus bound, pursuant to the agreement's plain terms, to arbitrate their claims.

The district court granted Tamko's motion and dismissed the homeowners' complaint. The court reasoned that the homeowners were bound to arbitrate because through their roofers, whom they had hired to buy and install the shingles, they had accepted the terms of Tamko's purchase agreement, including its mandatory-arbitration provision. This appeal followed.

II

On appeal, we must determine whether Tamko's warranty-emblazoned shingle wrappers set forth a valid offer that gave purchasers an adequate opportunity to assent to its terms-most notably, the mandatory-arbitration clause-and, if so, whether the roofers, as the homeowners' agents for the purposes of purchasing and installing shingles, bound the homeowners to arbitrate by unwrapping *680 the shingle packages. We consider each issue in turn. 3

A

First up, we consider whether the shingle wrappers conveyed a valid offer of Tamko's contract terms-in particular, that any product-related dispute must be arbitrated rather than litigated. Of course they did, Tamko says, asserting that the law is well-settled that opening and retaining a product constitutes acceptance of terms printed on the product's packaging. The homeowners, by contrast, contend that consumers aren't on notice that shingles come wrapped in purchase terms and can't assent to terms of which they are unaware. The nub of the dispute is whether Tamko's shingle wrappers provide a reasonable opportunity for consumers to review and accept the company's terms of purchase.

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Stephen Dye v. Tamko Building Products, Inc., 908 F.3d 675 (11th Cir. 2018).

908 F.3d 675 (Stephen Dye v. Tamko Building Products, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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