Weekes-Walker v. Macon County Greyhound Park, Inc.

281 F.R.D. 520, 33 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 1168, 2012 WL 887466, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34739
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Alabama
DecidedMarch 15, 2012
DocketNo. 3:10-cv-895-MEF
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 281 F.R.D. 520 (Weekes-Walker v. Macon County Greyhound Park, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Weekes-Walker v. Macon County Greyhound Park, Inc., 281 F.R.D. 520, 33 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 1168, 2012 WL 887466, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34739 (M.D. Ala. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND CERTIFICATION ORDER

MARK E. FULLER, District Judge.

Plaintiffs filed a single-count class action Complaint (Doe. # 1), alleging that Defendant Macon County Greyhound Park, Inc. (“MCGP”) violated the Worker Adjustment and Retaining Act of 1988 (“WARN”), 29 U.S.C. § 2101 et seq. The case is now before the Court on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Class Certification (Doc. # 55), which has been fully briefed (Doc. # 63). For the reasons set forth below, the motion is due to be GRANTED.

I. JURISDICTION AND VENUE

Subject matter jurisdiction is exercised pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331 and 29 U.S.C. § 2104(a)(5). The parties do not contest personal jurisdiction or venue, and the court finds adequate allegations in support of both.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

“A district court must conduct a rigorous analysis of the [R]ule 23 prerequisites before certifying a class.” Vega v. T-Mobile USA Inc., 564 F.3d 1256, 1266 (11th Cir.2009) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). To obtain class certification, a named plaintiff must: (1) have standing; (2) satisfy each requirement of Rule 23(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; and (3) satisfy at least one of the requirements of Rule 23(b). Busby v. JRHBW Realty, Inc., 513 F.3d 1314, 1321 (11th Cir. 2008). It is the plaintiffs burden to establish every element of Rule 23 and to generally show that class certification is appropriate. See Vega, 564 F.3d at 1267 (citing Valley Drug Co. v. Geneva Pharm., Inc., 350 F.3d 1181, 1187 (11th Cir.2003)).

“Rule 23 establishes the legal road-map courts must follow when determining whether class certification is appropriate.” Valley Drug Co., 350 F.3d at 1187. A class or sub-class may be formed and any person or group of people may represent the class in litigation if (1) the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable; (2) there are questions of law or fact common to the class; (3) the claims or defenses of the named representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class; and (4) the named representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class. Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(a); see also Valley Drug Co., 350 F.3d at 1187-88. Failure to prove any of the four Rule 23(a) requirements and at least one of the alternative requirements of Rule 23(b) precludes class certification. Valley Drug Co., 350 F.3d at 1188 (citing Amchem Prods., Inc. v. Windsor, 521 U.S. 591, 615-18, 117 S.Ct. 2231, 138 L.Ed.2d 689 (1997)).

In determining whether these requirements are met, the court must take the allegations in support of certification as true and try to refrain from analyzing the merits of the case. Eisen v. Carlisle & Jacquelin, 417 U.S. 156, 177, 94 S.Ct. 2140, 40 L.Ed.2d 732 (1974). “ Although the trial court should not determine the merits of the plaintiffs claim at the class certification stage, the trial court can and should consider the merits of the ease to the degree necessary to determine whether the requirements of Rule 23 will be satisfied.’” Vega, 564 F.3d at 1266 (quoting Valley Drug Co., 350 F.3d at 1188 n. 15).

III. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Accepting as true the allegations in support of class certification, the Court finds the following facts:

Plaintiffs Judy Weekes-Walker, Mona Thomas, Keyla Exford, and Ritchie L. Stalnaker are former employees of MCGP. MCGP operated a large-scale entertainment complex in Macon County, Alabama, and allegedly was the County’s largest employer [524]*524with approximately 2,000 employees. (Compl. ¶ 8; Mot. for Class Cert. 6.)

Plaintiffs were laid off on one of three dates in 2010. (Compl. ¶ 5.) Plaintiffs Mona Thomas and Ritchie L. Stalnaker were terminated on January 5, 2010, along with approximately 200 or 225 other employees. (Compl. ¶ 11(225); Mot. for Class Cert. 6(200); Thomas Aff. (Doc. #43-21); Stalnaker Aff. (Doc. #43-6).) Plaintiff Weekes-Walker was terminated on February 4, 2010, along with approximately 1,800 other employees. Finally, Plaintiff Keyla Exford was terminated on August 8, 2010, along with all 600 (some had been re-hired) of MCGP’s remaining employees.1 (Compl. ¶ 17; Mot. for Class Cert. 7.)

Plaintiffs allege that MCGP “was required by the provisions of the WARN Act to give notice to all affected employees of a ‘mass-layoff or ‘plant closing’ a minimum of 60 days prior to the date of termination and failed to give such notice as required by the WARN Act.” (Compl. ¶ 38.) Plaintiffs seek back pay under 29 U.S.C. § 2104(a)(1)(A) and benefits, including incurred medical expenses, under § 2104(a)(1)(B). Plaintiffs also seek attorney fees pursuant to § 2104(a)(6).

Plaintiffs ask the Court to certify the following class:

Any employee of [MCGP] who was not given a minimum of 60 days notice of termination and whose employment was terminated during the 2010 calender year as a result of a ‘mass layoff or ‘plant closing’ as defined in 20 C.F.R. § 639.3 and regulated by federal statute as codified under 29 U.S.C. § 2101 under the [WARN] Act of 1988.

(Mot. for Class Cert. 8.) The proposed class excludes “[t]he officers and directors of the defendant; any judge or judicial officer assigned to this matter or his or her immediate family; [and] any legal representative, successor, or assign of any excluded persons or entities.” (Mot. for Class Cert. 8.)

IV. DISCUSSION

A. Ascertainability

“Although not explicit in Rule 23(a) or (b), courts have universally recognized that the first essential ingredient to class treatment is the ascertainability of the class.” Keller v. Macon Cnty. Greyhound Park, Inc., No. 07cv1098, 2011 WL 1085976, at *3 (M.D.Ala. March 24, 2011) (Watkins, J.) Ascertainability is an “ ‘implied requirement’ ” of class certification. Id. (quoting In re Initial Public Offerings Sec. Litig., 471 F.3d 24, 30 (2d Cir.2006)).

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281 F.R.D. 520, 33 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 1168, 2012 WL 887466, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34739, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weekes-walker-v-macon-county-greyhound-park-inc-almd-2012.