Randall v. Maxwell & Morgan, P.C.
Randall v. Maxwell & Morgan, P.C.
Opinion of the Court
Pending before the Court are Defendants Maxwell & Morgan, P.C., Rebecca Easton, and Ryan Daniel Easton's ("Defendants") Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, (Doc. 45), Plaintiff Shannon K. Randall's ("Plaintiff") Motion for Summary Judgment, (Doc. 46), and Defendants' Motion to Strike Portions of the Plaintiff's Reply in Support of the Motion for Summary Judgment, (Doc. 56).
I. Background
Plaintiff is a resident of Pinal County and is employed by the Casa Grande Elementary School District. (Doc. 46 at 2.) Plaintiff owned her primary residence, which was located in Pinal County, until it was foreclosed upon in 2010. (Id. ) As the owner of her primary residence, Plaintiff was obligated to pay homeowners' assessments to her homeowners' association (the "Association"). (Id. ) After Plaintiff failed to pay her homeowners' assessments, an action was filed against her by the Association in the Casa Grande Justice Court of Pinal County. (Doc. 45 at 3-4.) The Association was granted summary judgment in that action against Plaintiff. (Id. at 4.) The judgment awarded, among other things, the unpaid homeowners' assessments and "all reasonable costs and attorneys' fees incurred by [the Association] after entry of this judgment in collecting the amounts awarded therein." (Id. )
On January 31, 2017, Defendants commenced a garnishment action on behalf of the Association (the "Garnishment Action") by filing an Application for Garnishment in the Maricopa County Superior Court against Plaintiff's employer, the Casa Grande Elementary School District. (Doc. 46 at 2.) The Garnishment Action sought payment of the amount adjudged due, "including attorney fees and costs as may be awarded by [the] Court." (Doc. 45 at 4.) Defendants also filed an Application for Amount of Attorney Fees, a China Doll Affidavit in support of the Fee Application, and a statement of costs in the Garnishment Action to seek court approval of the fees and costs identified in the Application for Garnishment. (Id. )
On February 8, 2017, the Maricopa County Superior Court issued a Writ of *980Garnishment to Plaintiff's employer. (Id. ) Plaintiff's employer submitted an Answer of Garnishee, and on February 21, 2017, the Maricopa County Superior Court approved the application for fees and statement of costs. (Id. )
On March 9, 2017, Plaintiff objected to and moved to quash the Writ of Garnishment and vacate the order approving the application for attorneys' fees and statement of costs on the grounds that they were filed in an improper venue. (Id. at 5.) The Maricopa County Superior Court denied the objection and both motions. (Id. )
On November 22, 2017, Plaintiff filed the First Amended Complaint, (Doc. 37). (Id. ) In it, Plaintiff alleges that, by commencing a garnishment action and requesting post-judgment fees and costs in Maricopa County, Defendants violated § 1692i of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("FDCPA"). (Id. ) Plaintiff alleges that under § 1692i, Defendants were required to file the garnishment action and supporting papers in Pinal County. (Id. )
On March 12, 2018, Defendants filed the pending Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings requesting that this Court grant judgment in favor of Defendants on all claims. (Id. at 11.) Plaintiff filed a brief in opposition to the Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, (Doc. 51), as well as a Motion for Summary Judgment. Defendants filed a brief in opposition to the Motion for Summary Judgment, (Doc. 52), as well as a Motion to Strike Portions of Plaintiff's Reply in Support of the Motion for Summary Judgment.
II. Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings
A. Legal Standard
A motion for judgment on the pleadings under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure ("Rule") 12(c) is "functionally identical" to a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss. Cafasso, U.S. ex rel. v. Gen. Dynamics C4 Sys., Inc. ,
To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion for failure to state a claim, a complaint must meet the requirements of Rule 8. Rule 8 requires that a pleading contain "a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). To meet this standard, "a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, 'to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.' " Ashcroft v. Iqbal ,
In deciding a motion to dismiss, the Court must construe the facts alleged in the complaint "in the light most favorable" to the plaintiff. Schlegel v. Wells Fargo Bank ,
B. Discussion
The FDCPA requires that:
Any debt collector who brings any legal action on a debt against any consumer shall...bring such action only in the judicial district or similar legal entity-(A) in which such consumer signed the contract sued upon; or (B) in which such consumer resides at the commencement of the action.
15 U.S.C. § 1692i.
Plaintiff alleges that Defendants violated § 1692i by bringing the Garnishment Action in Maricopa County, where Plaintiff neither signed a contract sued upon nor resided at the commencement of the action. (Doc. 37 at 3-4.) Plaintiff also alleges that Defendants violated § 1692i by seeking post-judgment fees and costs in Maricopa County. (Id. at 4.)
Defendants argue that the Garnishment Action and request for post-judgment fees and costs are actions "against" Plaintiff's employer, and not Plaintiff herself, so § 1692i does not apply to the Garnishment Action or the request for post-judgment fees and costs. (Doc. 45 at 6-11.)
1. The Garnishment Action
The Court must first address whether the Garnishment Action was "against" Plaintiff as the judgment-debtor or "against" Plaintiff's employer as the garnishee. While the Ninth Circuit has not answered this specific question, it has considered if a garnishment action may be subject to § 1692i. See Fox v. Citicorp Credit Servs. Inc. ,
a. Applicability of Fox
In Fox , the Ninth Circuit addressed the meaning of the term "legal action" within § 1692i.
Yet, in Fox the Ninth Circuit did not answer the question of who a garnishment action is "against." See
Fox , in addition, is distinguishable from the case at bar. In Fox , the judgment-debtor did not have an opportunity to defend *982against the underlying action on their debt in a convenient venue because the debt collector had not filed the underlying action in the proper venue.
b. Other Circuits and the Federal Trade Commission
Although the Ninth Circuit has not addressed the question presented in this case, other circuits have answered whether a garnishment action is "against" a judgment-debtor under § 1692i. Those circuits looked to the nature of the state's garnishment scheme and held that a garnishment action is not an action "against" a debtor under § 1692i, but is an action against the garnishee. See, e.g. , Hageman v. Barton ,
In determining who a garnishment action is against, circuit courts have looked to the nature of the underlying state garnishment scheme for guidance. Jackson ,
Other circuits have also considered the concerns addressed in Fox regarding the burdens consumers would face by "having to defend against suits in 'distant or inconvenient' courts." Fox ,
The Federal Trade Commission's ("FTC") interpretation of § 1692i supports the contention that once a debtor has an opportunity to defend against a debt action in a convenient forum, a garnishment action for that debt may be initiated in another forum. See Statements of General Policy or Interpretation Staff Commentary On the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act,
c. Other District Courts within the Ninth Circuit
Though the Ninth Circuit has not directly addressed who a garnishment action is against, district courts within the Ninth Circuit have answered this question. In Muhammad v. Reese Law Group , on a motion for summary judgment, the court found that § 1692i did not apply to a garnishment action because a garnishment action is "against" the garnishee rather than the judgment-debtor. No. 16CV2513-MMA (BGS),
Cole v. Cardez Credit Affiliates, LLC also discussed the two-step process in determining if a garnishment action was "against" the judgment-debtor or the garnishee. No. 1:14-CV-00077-REB,
Here, applying the two-step process used by other districts in the Ninth Circuit, it is clear that § 1692i does not apply to the garnishment action at issue. First, Plaintiff does not contest the fact that the underlying judgment was obtained in the proper venue in compliance with § 1692i. (See Doc. 47 at 2.) Second, similar to the examination performed in Muhammad and the other circuit courts, an examination of Arizona's garnishment scheme shows that a garnishment action is against the garnishee, not the judgment debtor. See supra Part II.B.1.b. Thus, Plaintiff's claim that Defendants violated § 1692i by bringing the Garnishment Action on behalf of the Association in Maricopa County fails as a matter of law, and Defendants' Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings regarding the garnishment action is granted.
2. Post-Judgment Fees and Costs
Plaintiff also alleges that Defendants violated § 1692i by bringing a separate action on Plaintiff's debt when seeking court approval of post-judgment fees and costs in Maricopa County. (Doc. 37 at 4.) Defendant argues that the request for court approval of post-judgment fees and costs does not violate § 1692i because it is merely a procedural step in the Garnishment Action. (Doc. 45 at 9.) Defendant reasons that, because § 1692i does not apply to the Garnishment Action, § 1692i should not apply to the request for post-judgment fees and costs that is simply a procedural step in the Garnishment Action. (Id. ) Therefore, the Court must determine if Defendants' request for fees and costs was a separate action on a debt, or just a step in the underlying garnishment action.
The Supreme Court has made clear that garnishment actions are not wholly new actions, but are simply "supplemental proceedings" to satisfy the underlying judgments. Endicott-Johnson Corp. v. Encyclopedia Press ,
The District of Arizona is in line with Endicott-Johnson holding that no due process is owed to a judgment-debtor in a garnishment proceeding because a garnishment proceeding is not a new action against a judgment-debtor. Neeley v. Century Fin. Co. of Ariz. ,
If Defendants had made a new demand on Plaintiff, § 1692i might apply. For example, in Costa v. Maxwell & Morgan PC , a debt collector sent a bill for post-judgment fees and costs directly to the judgment-debtor with no approval or oversight from the court. No. CV-15-00315-PHX-NVW,
In her Reply in Support of Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment, (Doc. 55), Plaintiff argues that A.R.S. § 12-1580(E) is the "exclusive fee recovery remedy in garnishment proceedings and no contractual language [can] waiver it." (Doc. 55 at 5 (citing Bennett Blum, M.D., Inc. v. Cowan ,
A request for post-judgment fees and costs is not a new action against a debtor because a request for post-judgment fees and costs is "a request to a third party-the court-for consideration, not a demand to the debtor himself." Zizlsperger v. Maxwell & Morgan, PC , No. CV 11-01376-PHX-FJM,
III. Motion for Summary Judgment and Motion to Strike
Plaintiff filed a Motion for Summary Judgment in which she alleges that Defendants' garnishment action and request for post-judgment fees and costs are in violation of § 1692i. (Doc. 46 at 3-6.) As discussed above, these arguments fail as a matter of law. See supra Part II.B.1-2.
*986Plaintiff additionally argues that Defendants are debt collectors and thus subject to the FDCPA. (Doc. 46 at 6.) Because Plaintiff's FDCPA claims fail as a matter of law, the Court will not address whether Defendants are debt collectors.
Defendants filed a Motion to Strike Portions of the Plaintiff's Reply in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment. Because the arguments in Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment either fail as a matter of law or are immaterial to the Court's analysis, the Court will deny Defendants' Motion to Strike as moot.
IV. Conclusion
For the reasons stated above,
IT IS ORDERED that Defendants' Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, (Doc. 45), is granted. The Clerk of the Court shall enter judgment accordingly.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment, (Doc. 46), is denied.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Defendants' Motion to Strike Portions of Plaintiff's Reply in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment, (Doc. 56), is denied.
15 U.S.C. § 1692a(5) defines debt to include obligations that have been "reduced to judgment."
Plaintiff also asserts, albeit passingly, that "post-judgment fees and costs are legally improper." (Doc. 46 at 5.) Yet, in support of this claim, Plaintiff fails to cite any cases within the District of Arizona. (Id. ) Courts within the District of Arizona have repeatedly held that such post-judgment fees are proper and have awarded them. See, e.g. , Kinna ,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Shannon K. RANDALL v. MAXWELL & MORGAN, P.C., an Arizona professional corporation, Rebecca Easton and Ryan Daniel Easton
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published