Hudson v. Citibank (South Dakota) NA
Hudson v. Citibank (South Dakota) NA
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
I. INTRODUCTION
Two credit card holders defaulted on their accounts, and the issuing bank
II. FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS
A. Hudson v. Citibank
In April 1999 Janet Hudson opened a Citibank credit card account. The original terms of the Card Agreement did not contain an arbitration clause. In 2001 Citibank mailed Hudson a “Change-in-Terms” form along with her periodic statement. The form included an arbitration clause that allowed either party to “elect mandatory, binding arbitration” of “any claim, dispute, or controversy” (Claims). The arbitration clause stated: “All Claims are subject to arbitration, no matter what legal theory they are based on or what remedy ... they seek. A party who initiates a proceeding in court may elect arbitration with respect to any Claim advanced in that proceeding by any other party.” The clause continued:
At any time you or we may ask an appropriate court to compel arbitration of Claims, ... even if such Claims are part of a lawsuit, unless a trial has begun or a final judgment has been entered. Even if a party fails to exercise these rights at any particular time, or in connection with any particular Claims, that party can still require arbitration at a later time or in connection with any other Claims.
The clause also asserted that “[a]ny questions about whether Claims are subject to arbitration shall be resolved by interpreting this arbitration provision in the broadest way the law will allow it to be enforced.” Finally, the clause stated that “Claims must be brought in the name of an individual person or entity and must proceed on an individual (non-class, non-representative) basis.” Hudson was given the opportunity to opt out of the Change in Terms and did not.
Hudson fell behind on her payments, and in November 2010 Citibank—represented by
In August 2011 Hudson filed a class-action complaint in the superior court, alleging that Citibank, Alaska Law Offices, and Clayton Walker (an attorney at Alaska Law Offices) violated the UTPA by asking the court for attorney’s fees in excess of the “reasonable” fee allowed under Rule 82. Hudson sought damages and prospective injunctive relief under the “private attorney general” provision of the UTPA. Citibank promptly moved to stay the action and to compel arbitration on an individual basis. The superior court granted Citibank’s motion to compel arbitration, but held that Hudson could be awarded statewide injunctive relief by the arbitrator.
B. Stewart v. Midland Funding LLC
Cynthia Stewart opened a Citibank credit card account in 2002 with the same arbitration provision as Hudson’s. Stewart fell behind on her payments, and in December 2010 Midland Funding, which had purchased Stewart’s account from Citibank, initiated an action in Anchorage District Court to collect the debt. Alaska Law Offices represented Midland Funding in the proceeding. The district court entered default judgment against Stewart, who failed to appear. Alaska Law Offices- argued that Midland Funding’s actual attorney’s fees in the case were $-739.04, again 20% of the recovery, and asked for 10% attorney’s fees under Rule 82. The district court awarded the requested fees.
Stewart later filed an action in the superior court alleging that Midland Funding and Alaska Law Offices violated the UTPA by using a contingency fee arrangement as their “reasonable” fees under Rule 82. The defendants moved to stay the action and to compel arbitration. In July 2012, the superior court stayed the action and compelled arbitration “according to the same terms ordered by this court in Hudson v. Citibank.”
C. Petition for Review
Hudson
III. STANDARD OF REVIEW
Citibank argues that waiver is a factual issue that should be reviewed deferentially, while Hudson argues that waiver is a mixed question of law and fact that should ultimately be reviewed de novo. There is conflicting Alaska precedent on the issue,
Where the facts are not in dispute on appeal, as here, we must decide whether the superior court applied the correct legal standard to the undisputed facts.
IV. DISCUSSION
For the reasons that follow we agree with the superior court that Citibank did not waive its right to arbitrate the UTPA claims by litigating the debt-collection actions, but we hold that the superior court erred when it decided the question whether the arbitrator could issue statewide injunctive relief—this question presents an issue of interpretation of the arbitration agreement that should be decided in the first instance by the arbitrator.
A. Citibank Did Not Waive Its Right To Arbitrate Hudson’s UTPA Claims.
1. Federal law controls waiver by litigation conduct.
As a threshold matter, the parties dispute whether Alaska law or federal law should be applied to determine if Citibank waived its right to demand arbitration.
When it enacted the Federal Arbitration Act, “Congress intended to establish a uniform .federal law over contracts which fall within its scope.”
Whether waiver by litigation conduct arises under § 2 or § 3- of the Federal Arbitration Act has rarely been explicitly considered by courts. Many federal courts apply federal law while using default and waiver language interchangeably, and state courts generally apply state law while using waiver language only.
We conclude that waiver by litigation conduct is a defense arising under § 3 of the Federal Arbitration Act such that federal law applies. We believe that waiver is not a defense that gives rise to “the revocation of [a] contract” under § 2.
It is true that the Supreme Court has used language that arguably sanctions the use of state law for all defenses to the arbitrability of contracts. For example, in Arthur Andersen LLP v. Carlisle, the Court explained, “ ‘[SJfcate law,’ therefore, is applicable to determine which contracts are binding under § 2 and enforceable under § 3 ‘if that law arose to govern issues concerning the validity, revocability, and enforceability of contracts generally.’ ”
There is no uniformly accepted federal rule to determine whether a party seeking arbitration has waived its right to arbitration, but the circuit courts generally consider the following elements: (1) knowledge of the right to compel arbitration; (2) acts inconsistent with that right; and (3) prejudice to the opposing party because of those acts.
2. Citibank did not waive its right to arbitrate the UTPA claims because the totality of the circumstances does not evidence an intention to waive its right to arbitrate.
In this case Citibank filed a debt-collection suit in state court, and after prevailing it was awarded attorney’s fees; Hudson later filed a separate action based on the alleged unfair trade practices associated with the attorney’s fees award. Citibank then moved to arbitrate Hudson’s separate action.
We conclude that, based on the totality of the circumstances, Citibank’s decision to litigate its debt collection claim and ask for attorney’s fees did not evidence an intent to waive its right to arbitrate the different, more complex UTPA claim. First, it is well accepted that “the law favors arbitration”
Second, the Arbitration Agreement governing the relationship between the parties allowed either party to “elect mandatory, binding arbitration” of “any claim, dispute, or controversy.” The arbitration clause stated: “All Claims are subject to arbitration, no matter what legal theory they are based on or what remedy ... they seek. A party who initiates a proceeding in court may elect arbitration with respect to any Claim advanced in that proceeding by any other party.” The clause continued:
At any time you or we may ask an appropriate court to compel arbitration of Claims, ... even if such Claims are part of*50 a lawsuit, unless a trial has begun or a final judgment has been entered. Even if a party fails to exercise these rights at any particular time, or in connection with any particular Claims, that party can still require arbitration at a later time or in connection with any other Claims.
The clause also asserted that “[a]ny questions about whether Claims are subject to arbitration shall be resolved by interpreting this arbitration provision in the broadest way the law will allow it to be enforced.” Finally, the clause stated that “Claims must be brought in the name of an individual person or entity and must proceed on an individual (non-class, non-representative) basis.” The text of the Arbitration Agreement clearly provides that Citibank was authorized under its contract with Hudson to seek arbitration on claims distinct from its original debt collection action and its request for attorney’s fees.
Third, a party may waive its right to arbitrate separate claims, but the claims must be closely related in order for the party’s act in bringing suit on one claim to be inconsistent with the existing right to arbitrate another claim.
We conclude that Citibank’s decision to litigate its simple debt-collection action does not convey that it also intended to forgo arbitration on a different, more complex UTPA claim. The UTPA claim broadens the scope of the proceeding by such a magnitude that it fundamentally transforms the litigation.
Other courts considering similar fact patterns have likewise held that a debt collection proceeding does not waive arbitration of a later consumer-protection claim. A federal district court in Michigan noted that “[n]u-merous courts across the country have found that commencing a separate debt collection lawsuit does not, on its own, waive the right to arbitration.”
Hudson relies on Midwest Window Systems, Inc. v. Amcor Industries, Inc.,
But Midwest Window is distinguishable. The majority of the claims at issue in that case were breach of contract claims all arising from the same contract. The fraud claims on the notes were mainly incidental to these claims. Thus the issue was whether the two suits—one for payment and one for performance, both on the same contract—were related. The Seventh Circuit reasonably concluded they were related. The two proceedings concerned the “same facts and legal issues”
We conclude that Citibank’s debt collection claims and Hudson’s UTPA attorney’s fees claims are not sufficiently closely related such that they would be considered only one controversy. Given this conclusion, and giving due regard to the strong federal policy resolving all doubts in favor of arbitration, we also conclude that Citibank’s filing a state court action to recover its debt did not evidence a clear intent to waive its right to arbitrate a subsequent UTPA claim. Therefore, under the totality of the circumstances—particularly given the language of the arbitration provision and the unrelatedness of the two sets of litigation—we hold that Citibank did not waive its right to arbitrate Hudson’s UTPA attorney’s fees claim and affirm this aspect of the superior court’s decision.
B. It Was Error To Hold That The Arbitrator Could Issue Statewide Injunctive Relief.
The superior court concluded, notwithstanding the explicit language of the Arbitration Agreement providing that “the arbitrator may award relief only on an individual (non-class, non-representative) basis,” that under the UTPA Hudson had a non-waivable right to pursue relief on a statewide basis. By drawing a distinction between the right to litigate a claim and the right to pursue a type of relief, the court held that the arbitrator could grant statewide relief.
The Supreme Court has been exceedingly clear' that parties to an arbitration agreement may not be subjected to procedures for which they did not bargain. In Stolb-Nielsen S.A. v. AnimalFeeds International Corp., the Supreme Court decided whether class arbitration was available when the contract was silent on the issue.
We do not need to decide whether the arbitration agreement in this appeal prohibits statewide injunctive relief. The interpretation of an arbitration agreement is a question for arbitration.
V. CONCLUSION
We AFFIRM the superior court’s order staying court proceedings and submitting the dispute to arbitration, but we REVERSE and VACATE the superior court’s ruling that the arbitrator can order statewide injunctive relief, and we REMAND for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
. In both cases Citibank (South Dakota) NA issued the cards, but in Stewart's case Midland Funding LLC purchased the account from Citibank.
. Alaska R. Civ. P. 82(b)(1), (b)(4).
. For convenience, the parties will be referred to collectively as “Citibank'1 and "Hudson.”
. Compare Airoulofski v. State, 922 P.2d 889, 894 n.5 (Alaska 1996) (holding that waiver should be reviewed de novo when decided without trial on undisputed facts), with Blood v. Kenneth Murray Ins. Co., 68 P.3d 1251, 1254 (Alaska 2003) (holding without elaborating that waiver is an issue of fact),
. See, e.g., La. Stadium & Exposition Dist. v. Merrill Lynch, 626 F.3d 156, 159 (2d Cir. 2010); In re Tyco Int’l Ltd. Sec. Litig., 422 F.3d 41, 44 (1st Cir. 2005) ("A determination that a party has waived its right to arbitrate is reviewed de novo, whereas the district court’s findings of fact are subject to 'clear error’ review.”); Hoover v. Am. Income Life Ins. Co., 206 Cal.App.4th 1193, 142 Cal.Rptr.3d 312, 319 (2012) ("The waiver issue may be reviewed de novo when the question is whether the superior court properly applied the correct legal standard to the undisputed facts.,..”); LAS, Inc. v. Mini-Tankers USA, Inc., 342 Ill.App.3d 997, 277 Ill.Dec. 547, 796 N.E.2d 633, 636 (2003) (holding that because the facts are not in dispute the court should review the
. Guttchen v. Gabriel, 49 P.3d 223, 225 (Alaska 2002) (citing Foss Alaska Line, Inc. v. Northland Servs., Inc., 724 P.2d 523, 526 (Alaska 1986)).
. Guin v. Ha, 591 P.2d 1281, 1284 n.6 (Alaska 1979).
. Classified Emps. Ass'n v. Matanuska-Susitna Borough Sch. Dist., 204 P.3d 347, 352 (Alaska 2009) (quoting Lexington Mktg. Grp., Inc. v. Gold-belt Eagle, LLC, 157 P.3d 470, 472 (Alaska 2007)).
. Citibank also argues that the arbitrator should decide the question whether a party waived its right to arbitrate by participating in litigation. But if "the waiver turns on the significance of action taken in a judicial forum, 'the issue is one for the court, rather than the arbitrator, to decide.' " Int’l Bhd. of Teamsters Local 959 v. King, 572 P.2d 1168, 1174 (Alaska 1977) (quoting Weight Watchers of Que., Ltd. v. Weight Watchers Int'l, Inc., 398 F.Supp. 1057, 1058-59 (E.D.N.Y. 1975)). This is the majority view among state and federal courts. See River House Dev. Inc. v. Integrus Architecture, P.S., 167 Wash.App. 221, 272 P.3d 289, 295 (2012) ("The weight of both federal authority under the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1-14, and state authority under the current and former versions of the [Uniform Arbitration Act] treat litigation-conduct waiver as an issue for the court rather than an issue for the arbitrator, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's including waiver in its list of arbitrable procedural issues in Howsam [v. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc., 537 U.S. 79, 84, 123 S.Ct 588, 154 L.Ed.2d 491 (2002) ]_”); see also Marie v. Allied Home Mortg. Corp., 402 F.3d 1, 3 (1st Cir. 2005) ("The issue of waiver of the right to arbitrate due to inconsistent activity in another litigation forum remains an issue for the court even after the Howsam and Green Tree holdings.”); Perry Homes v. Cull, 258 S.W.3d 580, 587 (Tex. 2008) (noting that every federal circuit to consider the issue after Howsam has held that waiver by litigation conduct is still a decision for the court). Courts have reasoned that "[c]ontracting parties would expect the court to decide whether one party’s conduct before the court waived the right to arbitrate,” Tristar Fin. Ins. Agency, Inc. v. Equicredit Corp. of Am., 97 Fed.Appx. 462, 464 (5th Cir. 2004), because the court is in a much better position to decide whether conduct in its own courtroom amounted to waiver. See Peny Homes, 258 S.W.3d at 588.
. 9 U.S.C. §§ 1-14(2012).
. 9 U.S.C. § 2 (“A written provision in any maritime transaction or a contract evidencing a transaction involving commerce to settle by arbitration a controversy thereafter arising out of such contract or transaction, or the refusal to perform the whole or any part thereof, or an agreement in writing to submit to arbitration an existing controversy arising out of such a contract, transaction, or refusal, shall be valid, irrevocable, and enforceable, save upon such grounds as exist at law or in equity for the revocation of any contract." (emphasis added)).
. 9 U.S.C. § 3 ("If any suit or proceeding be brought in any of the courts of the United States upon any issue referable to arbitration under an agreement in writing for such arbitration, the court in which such suit is pending, upon being satisfied that the issue involved in.such suit or proceeding is referable to _arbitration under such an agreement, shall on application of one of the parties stay the trial of the action until such arbitration has been had in accordance with the terms of the agreement, providing the applicant for the stay is not in default in proceeding with such arbitration." (emphasis added)).
. Goodwin v. Elkins & Co., 730 F.2d 99, 108 (3d Cir. 1984).
. Id.
. See 9 U.S.C. § 3 (emphasis added).
. Under § 3, the court must apply federal law because “if the Arbitration Act is deemed applicable, federal law applies in construing and enforcing an arbitration clause, even in those cases in which jurisdiction is based on diversity.” Goodwin, 730 F.2d at 108.
. 9 U.S.C. § 2 (emphasis added).
. Perry v. Thomas, 482 U.S. 483, 492-93, 107 S.Ct. 2520, 96 L.Ed.2d 426 (1987); 9 U.S.C. § 2.
. See, e.g., Marie v. Allied Home Mortg. Corp., 402 F.3d 1, 13 (1st Cir. 2005) ("A ‘default’ has generally been viewed by courts as including a ‘waiver.’ ”); Ehleiter v. Grapetree Shores, Inc., 482 F.3d 207, 218 (3d Cir. 2007) (holding that waiver and default are synonymous); Thompson v. Skipper Real Estate Co., 729 So.2d 287, 290-93 (Ala. 1999) (discussing waiver under state law but not default); Kirk v. Credit Acceptance Corp., 346 Wis.2d 635, 829 N.W.2d 522, 532-34 (2013) (same); Townsend v. Quadrant Corp., 173 Wash.2d 451, 268 P.3d 917, 922-23 (2012) (same); Saint Agnes Med. Ctr. v. PacifiCare of Cal, 31 Cal.4th 1187, 8 Cal.Rptr.3d 517, 82 P.3d 727, 737 (2003) (same).
. Thomas J. Lilly, Jr., Participation in Litigation as a Waiver of the Contractual Right to Arbitrate: Toward a Unified Theory, 92 Neb. L. Rev. 86, 100 (2013) (citing Ehleiter, 482 F.3d at 217; Marie, 402 F.3d at 14; Patten Grading & Paving, Inc. v. Skanska USA Bldg., Inc., 380 F.3d 200, 204 (4th Cir. 2004)); see, e.g., S & H Contractors, Inc. v. A.J. Taft Coal Co., 906 F.2d 1507, 1514 (11th Cir. 1990) ("Our determination of whether S & H waived its right to arbitration, as opposed to whether the contract is void under Alabama law, is controlled solely by federal law.”).
. See, e.g., Townsend, 268 P.3d at 922-23; Saint Agnes Med. Ctr., 8 Cal.Rptr.3d 517, 82 P.3d at 737.
. 9 U.S.C. § 2.
. 13 R. Lord, Williston On Contracts § 39:14, at 612-13 (4th ed. 2012) ("[E]ither party to a contract may waive virtually any contractual provision or right in its favor-”); id. § 39:27, at 678 (“Waiver of a contract provision may be made by a party's express declaration, or it may be implied from representations that fall short of an express declaration of waiver....” (emphasis added)).
. 563 U.S. 333, 354, 131 S.Ct. 1740, 179 L,Ed.2d 742 (2011) (Thomas, J., concurring).
. Compare 13 R. Lord, Williston On Contracts § 39:15, at 622 (4th ed. 2012) ("[Ojnce it has been established that a right has been waived, the party possessing the right prior to the waiver is generally precluded from asserting it in a court of law, particularly when the nonwaiving party has suffered prejudice or has relied to its detriment on the waiver." (footnotes omitted)), with 27 id. § 70:106, at 530 (“A contract may be rescinded where there is a clear, bona fide, mutual mistake regarding a material fact or law.”).
. Doctor’s Assocs., Inc. v. Casarotto, 517 U.S. 681,687, 116 S.Ct. 1652, 134 L.Ed.2d 902 (1996) ("[Generally applicable contract defenses, such as fraud, duress, or unconscionability, may be applied to invalidate arbitration agreements without contravening § 2_”).
. 556 U.S. 624, 629-31, 129 S.Ct. 1896, 173 L.Ed.2d 832 (2009) (quoting Perry v. Thomas, 482 U.S. 483, 493 n.9, 107 S.Ct. 2520, 96 L.Ed.2d 426 (1987)).
. Id.
. E.g., ABF Freight Sys., Inc. v. Int’l Bhd. of Teamsters, 728 F.3d 853, 862 (8th Cir. 2013) (citing Wootten v. Fisher Invs., Inc., 688 F.3d 487, 492-93 (8th Cir. 2012)); Sovak v. Chugai Pharm. Co., 280 F.3d 1266, 1270 (9th Cir. 2002) (citing Britton v. Co-op Banking Grp., 916 F.2d 1405, 1412 (9th Cir. 1990)). Some courts consider a variety of nonexclusive factors related to these elements in determining whether the right to arbitration has been waived. E.g., Rota-McLarty v. Santander Consumer USA, Inc., 700 F.3d 690, 702 (4th Cir. 2012); In re Pharmacy Benefit Managers Antitrust Litig., 700 F.3d 109, 117 (3d Cir. 2012) (quoting Gray Holdco, Inc. v. Cassady, 654 F.3d 444, 451 (3d Cir. 2011); Nino v. Jewelry Exch., Inc., 609 F.3d 191, 208 (3d. Cir. 2010)); Hill v. Ricoh Ams. Corp., 603 F.3d 766, 772-73 (10th Cir. 2010) (quoting Peterson v, Shearson/Am. Express, 849 F.2d 464, 467-68 (10th Cir. 1988)); Khan v. Parsons Global Servs., Ltd., 521 F.3d 421, 425 (D.C. Cir. 2008) (quoting Nat'l Found, for Cancer Research v. A.G. Edwards & Sons, 821 F.2d 772, 774-75 (D.C. Cir. 1987)); In re Crysen/Montenay Energy Co., 226 F.3d 160, 163 (2d Cir. 2000); PPG Indus., Inc. v. Webster Auto Parts, Inc., 128 F.3d 103, 107 (2d Cir. 1997); Cabinetree of Wis., Inc. v. Kraftmaid Cabinetry, Inc., 50 F.3d 388, 391 (7th Cir. 1995).
. Compare Sovak, 280 F.3d at 1270 (noting in Ninth Circuit party has “heavy burden” in showing prejudice (quoting Britton, 916 F.2d at 1412)), with In re Tyco Int’l Ltd. Sec. Litig., 422 F.3d 41, 44-45 (1st Cir. 2005) (noting First Circuit requires party to demonstrate "modicum of prejudice" (quoting Rankin v. Allstate Ins. Co., 336 F.3d 8, 12 (1st Cir. 2003))).
. 969F.2d585, 590 (7th Cir. 1992).
. Nat'l Found, for Cancer Research, 821 F.2d at 777.
. See AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, 563 U.S. 333, 339, 131 S.Ct. 1740, 179 L.Ed.2d 742 (2011); see also Am. Express Co. v. Italian Colors Rest., — U.S. —, 133 S.Ct. 2304, 2309, 186 L.Ed.2d 417 (2013).
. Blood v. Kenneth Murray Ins., Inc., 68 P.3d 1251, 1255 (Alaska 2003) (citing Bd. of Educ., Fairbanks N. Star Borough Sch. Dist. v. Ewig, 609 P.2d 10, 13 (Alaska 1980)); Midwest Window Sys., Inc. v. Amcor Indus., Inc., 630 F.2d 535, 536 (7th Cir. 1980).
. Blood, 68 P.3d at 1255 (citing S & R Co. of Kingston v. Latona Trucking, Inc., 159 F,3d 80, 83 (2d Cir. 1988)).
. Moses H. Cone Mem'l Hosp. v. Mercury Constr. Corp., 460 U.S. 1, 24, 103 S.Ct. 927, 74 L.Ed.2d 765 (1983); Blood, 68 P.3d at 1255 (citing Doctor’s Assocs. Inc. v. Distajo, 107 F.3d 126, 130 (2d Cir. 1997)).
. 9 U.S.C. § 3 (2012) (emphasis added).
. We disagree with the dissent’s analysis about what would have happened had Hudson actually raised a UTPA counterclaim in the collection litigation. If Hudson had raised the UTPA simply to defend and reduce the Rule 82 award, Citibank may have been locked in to the superior court litigation. But if Hudson had raised the UTPA to assert an affirmative counterclaim of some kind, Citibank would have had every right under the arbitration provision to demand arbitration of that counterclaim, regardless of its connection to the Rule 82 claim. Under the dissent's analysis, Hudson avoids the plain language of the arbitration provision to which she agreed simply by defaulting in the first lawsuit and waiting to assert her counterclaim in a separate lawsuit. That cannot be the correct result.
. See Midwest Window Sys., Inc., 630 F.2d at 537; PPG Indus., Inc. v. Webster Auto Parts, Inc., 128 F.3d 103, 110 (2d Cir. 1997); see also Gutor Int'l AG v. Raymond Packer Co., 493 F.2d 938, 946 (1st Cir. 1974) (holding that "[a]ll related matters” must be arbitrated); G.T. Leach Builders, LLC v. TCMS, Inc., No. 13-11-310 CV, 2012 WL 506568, at *3-5 (Tex. App. Feb. 16, 2012) (applying federal law and finding waiver when the two claims were based on the same contract).
. Midwest Window Sys., Inc., 630 F.2d at 537 (holding claims waived because they all "[grew] out of their unsatisfactory business relationship”).
. PPG Indus., Inc., 128 F.3d at 110.
. Owens & Minor Med., Inc. v. Innovative Mktg. & Distrib. Servs., 711 So.2d 176, 177 (Fla. Dist. App. 1998).
. See Midwest Window Sys., Inc., 630 F.2d at 536-37 (holding that fraudulent collection on promissory note was reasonably related to breach of contract claim); Blackburn v. Citifinancial, Inc., No. 05AP-733, 2007 WL 927222, at *5 (Ohio App. Mar. 29, 2007) (holding that debt-collection action was closely related to fraud in origination of the loan); G.T. Leach Builders, LLC, 2012 WL 506568, at *3-5 (holding that claims in two separate lawsuits—one for breach of contract and one for payment—were reasonably related).
. See Plaintiff's Shareholders Corp. v. Southern Farm Bureau Life Ins. Co., 486 Fed.Appx. 786, 790 (11th Cir. 2012) ("Nonetheless, where a plaintiff files an amended complaint that ‘unexpectedly changes the scope or theory of the plaintiff's claims,’ fairness dictates that a defendant's prior waiver of arbitration be nullified and the right to compel arbitration revived.” (quoting Krinsk v. SunTrust Banks, Inc., 654 F.3d 1194, 1202 (11th Cir. 2011))); Cabinetree of Wis. v. Kraftmaid Cabinetry, Inc., 50 F.3d 388, 391 (7th Cir. 1995) ("The shape of the case might so alter as a result of unexpected developments during discovery or otherwise that it might become obvi
. See PPG Indus., Inc., 128 F.3d at 110 (holding that the claims must be "so closely related as to form what is really a single controversy” and share the "same facts and legal issues").
. The essence of Hudson’s UTPA claim is that Citibank’s attorneys performed relatively little work to obtain a default judgment on a simple debt action, yet because the attorneys were being compensated under a 20% contingency fee agreement, the attorney’s fees requested and awarded under Rule 82(b)(1) were disproportionately higher than the hourly fee they would have charged, making them unreasonable. Hudson alleges this attorney’s fee practice violates the UTPA.
. Cf. Midwest Window Sys., Inc., 630 F.2d at 537 (finding waiver for two disputes—one for payment and one for performance—that grew out of the same contract); G.T. Leach Builders, LLC, 2012 WL 506568, at *4 (same).
. Garcia v. Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co. of Mich., No. 2:13-CV-14362, 2014 WL 1746522, at *5-6 (E.D. Mich. Apr. 30, 2014).
. No. IP-01-1036-C-B/S, 2002 WL 418011, at *7-8 (S.D. Ind. Mar. 14, 2002).
. Id.
. No. 12-2221-JAR/DJW, 2013 WL 394198, at *7-8 (D. Kan. Feb. 1, 2013).
. 630 F.2d 535 (7th Cir. 1980).
. Id.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id. at 537.
. PPG Indus., Inc. v. Webster Auto Parts, Inc., 128 F.3d 103, 110 (2d Cir. 1997). Hudson points to another case from the Ohio Court of Appeals where an elderly woman was fraudulently convinced to sign a mortgage and loan secured by her house. See Blackburn v. Citifinancial, Inc., No. 05AP-733, 2007 WL 927222, at *4 (Ohio App. Mar. 29, 2007). Citifinancial instituted a foreclosure action in court and sought judgment on the underlying promissory note, which was covered by an arbitration agreement. The suit was dismissed as premature, and the plaintiffs filed suit against Citifinancial alleging fraud in the origination of the loan. Citifinancial immediately moved to stay the proceedings and compel arbitration, but the court held that it had waived the right to arbitrate by litigating the foreclosure. Blackburn is distinguishable because the claims were more closely related. The same evidence would have been relevant to both claims—the origination of the note and the specifics of the contract.
. 559 U.S. 662, 130 S.Ct. 1758, 176 L.Ed.2d 605 (2010).
. Id. at 682-83, 130 S.Ct. 1758 (quoting Volt Info. Scis., Inc. v. Bd. of Trs. of Leland Stanford Junior Univ., 489 U.S. 468, 479, 109 S.Ct. 1248, 103 L.Ed.2d 488 (1989).)
. Id. at 684, 130 S.Ct. 1758.
. 563 U.S. 333, 131 S.Ct. 1740, 1756, 179 L.Ed.2d 742 (2011).
. Id. at 1748 (alteration in original) (quoting Volt, 489 U.S. at 478, 109 S.Ct. 1248).
. See Johnson v. Aleut Corp., 307 P.3d 942, 949 (Alaska 2013); Ahtna, Inc. v. Ebasco Constructors, Inc., 894 P.2d 657, 662 (Alaska 1995).
.733 F.3d 928, 937 (9th Cir. 2013).
Dissenting Opinion
with whom FABE, Chief Justice, joins, dissenting.
The determinative issue in this ease is whether Citibank’s claim for attorney’s fees under Alaska Civil Rule 82 is “closely related” to Janet Hudson’s claim in response: that Citibank’s attorney’s fees claim is greatly inflated, violates the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act (UTPA), and entitles Hudson to statutory remedies. I believe the attorney’s fees claim and the UTPA-based response to it are indeed closely related. For that reason, and because the language of the parties’ contract has no effect on the court’s authority to find that a party waived arbitration through its use of the judicial process, I would hold that Citibank, by deliberately bringing its attorney’s fees claim in Alaska’s courts and pursuing it to judgment, waived its right to arbitrate Hudson’s factual and legal challenges to the claim’s basis and amount. I therefore dissent from the court’s holding today.
A. Hudson’s UTPA Claim Based On Citibank’s Rule 82 Claim Is Closely Related To Citibank’s Rule 82 Claim.
Citibank’s complaint against Hudson demanded not only “[a] money judgment in the amount of $ 24[,]170.24” but also “Alaska Rule of Civil Procedure 82 Attorney[’]s fees” in an unspecified amount.
Hudson did not appear in the collection suit. She did not object to the fees award
The court’s application of this test today goes astray, in my view, when it contrasts “[t]he evidence and legal theories included in the two different claims”—the debt collection action and the UTPA claim—and concludes that they “have little if any overlap.”
The essence of Hudson’s UTPA claim is that Citibank’s attorneys performed relatively little work to obtain a default judgment on a simple debt action, yet because the attorneys were being compensated under a 20% contingency fee agreement, the attorney’s fees requested and awarded under Rule 82(b)(1) were disproportionately higher than the hourly fee they would have charged, making them unreasonable.[12]
One simply cannot articulate Hudson’s UTPA claim outside the context of Citibank’s Rule 82 attorney’s fees claim.
Nor do I believe that the closely related claim and response lost their relatedness because Hudson chose to file her action on behalf of a proposed class. The proposed class consists of persons like Hudson “against whom defendants obtained a default judgment including attorney’s fees since July 15, 2009.” Had the collections cases been defended, Citibank could reasonably have expected a challenge to the amount of fees from each of these class member-defendants; it waived its right to arbitrate the Rule 82 claim in each individual case and as to each potential class member. That Hudson seeks to consolidate the cases for decision adds procedural efficiencies this court has long encouraged;
B. The Language Of The Arbitration Agreement Does Not Restrain The Court’s Application Of Waiver Principles.
The court today relies heavily on the language of the parties’ Arbitration Agreement to conclude that Citibank retained the right “to seek arbitration on claims distinct from its original debt collection action and its request for attorney’s fees” regardless of waiver principles that would otherwise apply.
Federal courts are appropriately skeptical of “no waiver” clauses in arbitration agreements. “[T]he presence of [a] ‘no waiver’ clause does not alter the ordinary analysis undertaken to determine if a party has waived its light to arbitration.”
Citibank chose to file its debt-collection action in Alaska’s courts, where Civil Rule 82 and the efficient default-judgment process allowed it to increase Hudson’s consumer debt by what it claimed to be thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees. It opted against arbitration, where its right to Rule 82 fees would be at best problematic.
. I describe the background of only Hudson’s case here; Cynthia Stewart's ran a parallel course and is analytically indistinguishable.
. Citibank contends that it "would have had the right to pursue its fees” in arbitration; it chose to litigate them in court instead.
. Op. at 50 ("[TJhe filing of separate actions alone does not make the claims unrelated.'').
. PPG Indus., Inc. v. Webster Auto Parts, Inc., 128 F.3d 103, 108 n.2 (2d Cir. 1997); see also In re Enron Corp., 364 B.R. 489, 512 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2007) (“A party waives the right to invoke arbitration where it has previously litigated the same legal and factual issues even if that litigation occurred as part of a separate action or in a different forum.”).
. Op. at 50 (quoting PPG Indus., Inc., 128 F.3d at 110).
. Id. (quoting Owens & Minor Med., Inc. v. Innovative Mktg. & Dist. Servs., 711 So.2d 176, 177 (Fla. Dist. App. 1998)).
. Op. at 51.
. See Op. at 51-52, 52-53.
. The court’s attempt to distinguish Midwest Window Systems, Inc. v. Amcor Indus., Inc., 630 F.2d 535 (7th Cir. 1980), is thus irrelevant, in my view, because whether Hudson's claim is related to any aspect of Citibank’s debt-collection action other than its Rule 82 claim is beside the point. Op. at 52-53. I find support in the court's discussion of Blackburn v. Citifinancial, Inc., No. 05AP-733, 2007 WL 927222 (Ohio App. Mar. 29, 2007), which the court distinguishes because "[t]he same evidence would have been relevant to both claims.” Op. at 52 n.58. That is the situation here.
. As the court describes it, Hudson’s UTPA claim "arose from the bank's fee agreement with its lawyers and post-litigation attorney’s fees motions”—in other words, Hudson’s UTPA claim "arose from” Citibank's Rule 82 claim. Op. at 51.
. Op. at 51 (quoting Owens & Minor Med., 711 So.2d at 177).
12. Op. at51n.46.
. The court's reliance on three unpublished cases that "consider[ed] similar fact patterns” is unpersuasive. Op. at 51. The cases are similar in that they involved consumer protection suits following debt collection actions, but, unlike here,
.Even this is questionable, given our longstanding application of the UTPA to debt-collection practices. See, e.g., State v. O’Neill Investigations, Inc., 609 P.2d 520, 523-36 (Alaska 1980) (rejecting constitutional challenges to the UTPA and applying it to independent debt-collection practices).
. Op. at 51.
. This also differentiates other cases on which the court relies, in which it is a defendant who acquiesces in a court proceeding and later invokes arbitration when the plaintiff expands the theory or scope of the claims at issue. See Plaintiffs' S’holders Corp. v. S. Farm Bureau Life Ins. Co., 486 Fed.Appx. 786, 790 (11th Cir. 2012) ("[W]here a plaintiff files an amended complaint that 'unexpectedly changes the scope or theory of the plaintiff's claims,” fairness dictates that a defendant’s prior waiver of arbitration be nullified and the right to compel arbitration revived.” (quoting Krinsk v. SunTrust Banks, Inc., 654 F.3d 1194, 1202 (11th Cir. 2011))); Cabinetree of Wis. v. Kraftmaid Cabinetry, Inc., 50 F.3d 388, 389, 390 (7th Cir. 1995) (finding presumptive waiver of arbitration when defendant to a contract claim first sought removal to federal court and later "dropped a bombshell into the proceedings” by seeking arbitration instead, but acknowledging that the defendant might be allowed to rescind the waiver under certain "extraordinary circumstances"); Op. at 50-51 n.44. The same fairness concerns are not implicated in a case like this one—at least not in favor of the party demanding arbitration—where it is that party who opted for court in the first place.
. See State, Commercial Fisheries Entry Comm’n v. Carlson, 65 P.3d 851, 872 (Alaska 2003) ("Class action suits, in which the result for one becomes the result for many in the same legal predicament, are necessary to avoid a multiplier
. Op. at 50; see also id. at 53 ("Therefore, under the totality of the circumstances—particularly given the language of the arbitration provision and the unrelatedness of the two sets of litigation— we hold that Citibank did not waive its right to arbitrate Hudson’s UTPA attorney's fees claim and affirm this aspect of the superior court’s decision.” (emphasis added)).
. Johnson Assoc. Corp. v. HL Operating Corp., 680 F.3d 713, 717 (6th Cir. 2012) (quoting S &R Co. of Kingston v. Latona Trucking, Inc., 159 F.3d 80, 86 (2d Cir, 1998)); see also Gray Holdco, Inc. v. Cassady, 654 F.3d 444, 452 (3d Cir. 2011) (holding "that the clause in the [agreement] allowing either party to seek injunctive relief until the arbitration award is rendered d[id] not override the applicability of the ... analysis which examines whether a party, by its participation in litigation, has waived its right to invoke arbitration”); Republic Ins. Co. v. PAICO Receivables, LLC, 383 F.3d 341, 348-49 (5th Cir. 2004) ("The inclusion of a ‘no waiver’ clause in a contract does not eliminate the district court’s inherent power to control its docket. In this case the Settlement Agreement’s 'no waiver’ clause is not sufficient to overcome the district court's exercise of its inherent authority in light of Republic’s extensive use of the judicial process.”); Thomas Oehmke & Joan Brovins, Causes of Action Involving Arbitrable Disputes, 32 Causes of Action 2d 385 § 33 (2006 & Oct. 2016 Update) (discussing Republic Ins.); Jay Grenig, 1 Alt. Disp. Resol. § 23.32 (3d ed. 2015) (emphasizing as "important” that "[a] 'no waiver' clause in an arbitration provision of a settlement agreement is not sufficient to overcome a court’s exercise of its inherent authority to find that a party has waived its right to arbitrate” (citing Republic Ins., 383 F.3d 341 (5th Cir. 2004))).
. Johnson Assoc., 680 F.3d at 717 (alteration in original) (quoting S & R Co., 159 F.3d at 86).
. According to Citibank, it could recover Rule 82 fees in arbitration because the agreement allows it to recover "court costs or any other fees as allowed by law.” According to Hudson, it is Citibank’s position that South Dakota law applies, and Citibank acknowledges that an "award of attorney’s fees is not the norm” in South Dakota but argues that they are permitted. Regardless of the forum and the applicable law, Citibank admits that "there may [have been] a difference in the amount of fees Citibank might ... have recovered if it pursued Hudson's undisputed debt in arbitration.”
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Janet HUDSON, on Behalf of Herself and All Others, Petitioner, v. CITIBANK (SOUTH DAKOTA) NA, Alaska Law Offices, Inc., and Clayton Walker, Respondents; Cynthia Stewart, on Behalf of Herself and All Others Who Are Similarly Situated, Petitioner, v. Midland Funding LLC, Alaska Law Offices, Inc., and Clayton Walker, Respondents
- Cited By
- 8 cases
- Status
- Published