Zondlo v. Allied Interstate, LLC

290 F. Supp. 3d 296
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedFebruary 12, 2018
DocketNo. 3:16cv936
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 290 F. Supp. 3d 296 (Zondlo v. Allied Interstate, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Zondlo v. Allied Interstate, LLC, 290 F. Supp. 3d 296 (M.D. Pa. 2018).

Opinion

JUDGE JAMES M. MUNLEY

Pending before the court are cross-motions for summary judgment filed by Plaintiff Cheryl Zondlo and Defendant Allied Interstate, LLC, in this Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, 47 U.S.C. § 277, violation case. The motions have been fully briefed and are ripe for disposition.

Background

Between May 2005 and June 2013, Plaintiff Cheryl Zondlo opened several retail store credit cards including one at Gap, one at American Eagle Outfitters and one at JCPenney. (Doc. 27, Def. Stmt. of Mat. Facts (hereinafter "SOF") ¶ 2).1 Gap, JCPenney and American Eagle Outfitters each issue their credit cards through Synchrony Bank. (Id. ¶ 1). This lawsuit involves Defendant Allied Interstate, LLC, a third-party debt collector, telephoning plaintiff regarding these accounts.

*298Gap Account

After experiencing financial difficulties, plaintiff fell behind on her credit card payments. (Id. ¶ 7). On September 15, 2015, Synchrony Bank placed plaintiff's Gap account with Defendant Allied Interstate, LLC (hereinafter "Allied" or "Defendant") for collections. (Id. ¶ 16).

Soon thereafter, defendant began making calls to the plaintiff on the number she had provided Synchrony Bank, that is, her landline telephone number (hereinafter "9301 Landline Number")(Id. ¶ 14). Defendant's calls involved an attempt to collect the outstanding debt on her Gap account. (Id. ¶¶ 14, 17).

American Eagle Outfitters Account/ Revocation of Consent

Plaintiff also fell behind on her American Eagle Outfitters Account. On October 7, 2015, plaintiff telephoned a number associated with her American Eagle Outfitters account and spoke to an agent at Synchrony Bank. (Id. ¶ 27). Initially, plaintiff asked the agent about the balance owed on her American Eagle Outfitters account and the application of interest on that account. (Id. ¶ 30).

During the phone call, plaintiff revoked consent for Synchrony Bank to telephone her regarding her debt. Specifically, she stated to the Synchrony Bank agent: "You no longer have permission to call me or my spouse on any phone number regarding any accounts." (Doc. 37, Pl.'s SOF ¶ 16).

In response, Synchrony Bank placed a notation on plaintiff's American Eagle Outfitters account that plaintiff should not be contacted by cell phone or automated dialer.2 (Doc. 27, Def.'s SOF ¶ 38). Synchrony did not place such a notation on plaintiff's Gap or JCPenney account. (Id. ¶ 39).

As noted, plaintiff called and spoke to an agent of Synchrony Bank, not the bank's debt collector, Defendant Allied. Synchrony did not inform Defendant Allied that plaintiff revoked consent to be telephoned. Defendant, thus, continued to call plaintiff on her 9301 Landline Number regarding her Gap account. (Id. ¶¶ 40, 43).

JCPenney Account

On October 15, 2015, approximately a week after plaintiff revoked consent to telephone calls, Synchrony Bank placed plaintiff's JCPenney account with defendant for collection. (Id. ¶ 41). Defendant soon thereafter began calling plaintiff's cell phone number (hereinafter "3231 Cell Number").3 (Id. ¶ 44).

Plaintiff saw a "missed call" on her cell phone from an unknown number on October 19, 2015. Plaintiff called the number back and confirmed that Defendant Allied had called her as a third-party debt collector regarding her JCPenney account. (Id. ) Plaintiff did not ask Allied to stop calling her during this phone call. (Id. ¶ 46).

Changing landline service into a cellular service

A month later, on November 18, 2015, plaintiff "ported" her 9301 Landline Number from a landline service to a cellular service. (Doc. 35, Pl.'s Ans. To Def.'s SOF ¶ 72). Through the "porting", calls to plaintiff's landline number now came through a *299wireless network. Defendant continued to call plaintiff on both her 9301 Landline Number and her 3231 Cell Number until January 24, 2016, when plaintiff's accounts were sold to a third-party debt buyer. (Doc. 27, Def.'s SOF ¶ 70).

Number of calls plaintiff received

The parties have stipulated that after plaintiff revoked consent to call her, the defendant placed a total of sixty-six (66) calls to her on the 3231 Cell Number. (Doc. 34, Stipulations of Fact ¶ 1). After plaintiff ported her 9301 Landline Number into a wireless number, the defendant placed 246 calls to plaintiff's 9301 Landline Number. (Id. ¶ 2).4

Thus, at issue, in this case is whether plaintiff's revocation of consent to telephone calls, made while calling about her American Eagle account, also applies to her Gap and JCPenney accounts. Also the issues in this case involve whether plaintiff's revocation of consent to Synchrony Bank applies to the third-party debt collector Synchrony hired, that is, Defendant Allied. Next, the parties argue over whether defendant acted properly in continuing to call plaintiff's landline number after it had been changed into a cell phone number.

Based upon these facts, plaintiff initiated this action by filing a complaint in the Court of Common Pleas for Luzerne County on April 19, 2016, alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. § 227. The defendant removed the matter to this court on May 19, 2016. (Doc. 1). At the close of discovery, the defendant moved for summary judgment. Plaintiff, in response, filed a cross-motion for summary judgment, bringing the case to its present posture.

Jurisdiction

The court has federal question jurisdiction over this Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, 47 U.S.C. § 277, violation case. See 28 U.S.C. § 1331 ("The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of all civil actions arising under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States."); 28 U.S.C. §§ 1343(a)(3), (4) (granting district court jurisdiction over civil actions brought to redress deprivations of constitutional or statutory rights by way of damages or equitable relief).

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Bluebook (online)
290 F. Supp. 3d 296, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zondlo-v-allied-interstate-llc-pamd-2018.