Gable v. Universal Acceptance Corp.
Gable v. Universal Acceptance Corp.
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiffs Charles Gable and Precious Castner sued Defendants Universal Acceptance Corporation (WI) (UAC), Minnesota Repossessors, Inc. (RPI), and Chase Towing and Transport, Inc. (Chase), for damages arising out of the defendants' efforts to repossess Gable's car in late 2016 and again in early 2017. Gable and Castner asserted claims for violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("FDCPA"),
I. BACKGROUND
The following background facts, set forth in the light most favorable to Gable and Castner as the nonmoving parties, are taken from the undisputed portions of the parties' proposed findings of fact. In July 2015, Gable bought a 2004 Kia for $6,695 and entered into a motor vehicle retail installment contract with Interstate Auto Group, Inc., (IAG). Under the terms of the agreement, IAG retained a security interest in the vehicle. IAG later assigned its interest in the contract to UAC. Under the agreement, Gable agreed to make bi-weekly payments of $149. Gable also agreed that if an amount greater than one full payment remained unpaid for more than 10 days, then the lender could accelerate the loan and take possession of the vehicle and any personal property contained within it. Gable could reclaim the personal property within 30 days. Castner was not a party to the retail installment contract, is not listed on the purchase contract, and is not a titled owner of the Kia. Gable missed at least two payments under the retail installment contract. On September 9, 2016, UAC sent Gable a Notice of Right To Cure Default and Regarding Repossession by certified letter identifying the payments he had failed to make and notifying him that UAC intended to repossess the vehicle if he failed to cure his default within fifteen days. The notice also advised Gable that if he believed he was not in default or objected to UAC taking possession of the vehicle, he could demand that UAC proceed in court by notifying UAC in writing within fifteen days of the notice. Gable claims not to have received this notice. A second stand-alone Notice of Repossession was sent on November 4, 2016. Although United States Postal Service records show the notice was delivered to an individual at Gable's address on November 7, Gable claims he did not receive it. In any event, he did not demand a court hearing.
Under a contract with UAC, RPI works as an independent, third-party repossession company to repossess vehicles assigned to it by UAC. UAC's contract with RPI expressly classifies RPI as an independent contractor and not an agent of UAC. Pursuant to a repossession order from UAC, two RPI employees, Michael Johnson and Chris Brunette, proceeded to repossess the Kia from the driveway adjacent to Gable's home in Neenah, Wisconsin, on December 22, 2016. When Johnson and Brunette arrived, they parked their flatbed tow truck behind the Kia, confirmed that it had the appropriate vehicle identification number, attached winch chains to both sides of the vehicle frame, and began winching the Kia onto the tilted flatbed. Gable saw the truck backing up to his car when it arrived around 9 p.m., and he, Castner, and Castner's brother came out of the dwelling when the Kia was approximately halfway up onto the bed of the tow truck. Gable entered and sat in the Kia while it was partially winched onto the flatbed.
"With someone in the vehicle, Johnson was unsure of what to do, as he did not *947believe it would be proper or safe to unchain, unwinch or lower the car as long as someone was inside. As a result, he was not able to release the vehicle from its present [tilted] position and was not able to safely leave the scene under those circumstances." ECF No. 37, ¶ 30. Apparently, Johnson never offered to leave without the vehicle if Gable exited it so he could safely release it. In any event, while Gable was in the Kia, Castner called UAC for him. UAC PFOF ¶ 14. During the call, a UAC representative advised Castner that Gable's account was past due and that he would need to make at least one payment to stop the repossession.
When police officers arrived, they spoke with Gable and Castner separately from Johnson and Brunette.
There is no dispute that, while Gable, Castner, and her brother were removing property from the Kia, Gable gave Johnson the key to the vehicle in a cooperative fashion, without any statement, objection, or protest about doing so. RPI PFOF ¶ 54. Before leaving, Johnson and Brunette explained to Gable and Castner how to reclaim the Kia from a secured lot where it would be stored in Green Bay.
Following the repossession, Gable called UAC about reclaiming his property and was directed to call a different number. PPFOF ¶ 11. Gable does not dispute that RPI subsequently told him that, if he wanted to reclaim any personal property left in the Kia, he would have to make an appointment to pick up the personal property from RPI's storage facility in Green Bay. RPI PFOF ¶¶ 65, 67. Nor does Gable dispute that RPI also told him that he would have to pay $75 in order to recover his personal property, though he does not know whether that amount reflects a storage fee or an administrative fee.
Within two weeks of the December 22, 2016 repossession, Gable paid a portion of the amount past due on his account with UAC, and UAC authorized him to retrieve the Kia from an auction site where it was being held. UAC PFOF ¶ 17. Around the time that Gable recovered the vehicle, UAC offered to modify his loan to lower the bi-weekly payment amount, but Gable declined the offer.
On March 29, 2017, Johnson attempted to repossess the Kia for RPI at a gas station where it was parked in Fox Crossing.
On March 30, 2017, the plaintiffs filed this action. Their complaint asserts six separate claims for relief: (1) violation of the FDCPA; (2) violations of the Wisconsin Consumer Act (WCA); (3) conversion and violation of
II. SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD
A motion for summary judgment seeks to avoid the time and expense of a trial when there are no material facts in dispute that require a trial to resolve. Summary judgment should be granted when the moving party shows that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). In deciding a motion for summary judgment, all reasonable inferences are construed in *949favor of the nonmoving party. Foley v. City of Lafayette ,
With these standards in mind, I now turn to the specific claims of the complaint.
III. ANALYSIS
A. Plaintiffs' FDCPA Claims
1. The December 22, 2016 Repossession
The plaintiffs allege that RPI and Chase violated the FDCPA by repossessing the Kia on December 22, 2016, over their unequivocal objection. The FDCPA expressly prohibits a "debt collector" from using "unfair or unconscionable means to collect or attempt to collect any debt." 15 U.S.C. § 1692f. The term "debt collector" generally "is defined as excluding repossessors and other enforcers of security interests, 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6), except that a repossessor may not take or threaten to take nonjudicial action to dispossess a person of property if 'there is no present right to possession of the property claimed as collateral through an enforceable security interest.' " Nadalin v. Auto. Recovery Bureau, Inc. ,
"Courts presented with the issue of determining whether a repossession agency has violated § 1692f(6) look to the applicable state self-help repossession statute which identifies the circumstances under which an enforcer of a security interest does not have a present right to the collateral at issue." Alexander v. Blackhawk Recovery & Investigation, L.L.C. ,
Wisconsin courts, like most courts, do not require an actual breach of the peace in order to hold that a repossessor violated Section 425.206(2)(a). It is enough to show a breach of the peace if the repossessor *950takes the car over the debtor's unequivocal objection. See Hollibush v. Ford Motor Credit Co. ,
The underlying theory of the UCC cases is that a verbal objection to a repossession is the precursor to violence, and that it should not be necessary for a debtor to resort to violence to provide the breach of the peace necessary to defeat a self-help repossession. This potential for violence exists whether or not a replevin judgment exists. Repossessions are emotional matters, and a paper judgment does not calm this emotion.
In this case, there is strong evidence that Gable and Castner objected to the repossession of Gable's car before it was accomplished. The plaintiffs contend that Castner explicitly told the repossession agents that they did not have a legal right to take the car, and Gable got into the car at Castner's direction, even though Johnson and Brunette had already begun hoisting it onto their truck. RPI and Chase dispute that Castner made such an unequivocal statement and assert, somewhat disingenuously it would seem, that Johnson did not know why Gable got into the car, suggesting that he may have needed to make a phone call. RPI and Chase also offer the undisputed factual assertion that Johnson was unsure what to do because he believed it was unsafe "to unchain, unwinch, or lower the car as long as someone was inside," and so he could not leave the scene. Even if Gable and Castner did object initially, RPI and Chase contend that they changed their mind after police were called, removed their personal property from the car, and gave Johnson the keys. Thus, RPI and Chase contend they are entitled to summary judgment.
The fact that Gable and Castner acquiesced in the repossession after the police arrived and informed them the repossession was lawful, however, does not mean that they withdrew their objections to RPI and Chase's conduct. The police officers were simply wrong in their conclusion that Johnson and Brunette were legally entitled to take the car over the debtor's objection. See Marcus v. McCollum ,
RPI and Chase cite this court's decision in Bednarz v. Lovald for the proposition that when a debtor changes his mind and consents to the repossession, even in the *951presence of police, no breach of the peace occurs. No. 15-C- 458,
RPI and Chase also contend that Castner lacks standing to bring a claim under the FDCPA because she was not the debtor. These defendants note that Castner was not married to Gable and that she was not a party to any automobile purchase or loan agreement. Thus, even if Gable's FDCPA claim survives, RPI and Chase contend that Castner's claim should be dismissed. The Seventh Circuit has concluded, however, that it is "readily apparent" under § 1692f that "anyone aggrieved by a debt collector's unfair or unconscionable collection practices can fall within the provision's zone of interest." Todd v. Collecto, Inc. ,
RPI and Chase are therefore not entitled to summary judgment on the claim arising out of the December 22, 2016 repossession of Gable's 2004 Kia. Indeed, were the court to grant summary judgement to either party, it would be more inclined to grant summary judgment on this claim to the plaintiffs. Given RPI's and Chase's factual contention that Gable changed his mind, however, and since there remain factual disputes that require a trial in any event, I conclude that it is more prudent to await a more complete record for either the jury or, if the evidence allows only one conclusion, the court to determine whether a breach of the peace occurred.
2. Personal Property in the Vehicle
In addition to their claim that the December 22, 2016 repossession violated the FDCPA, Gable and Castner contend that RPI violated the FDCPA by taking possession of their personal property in the vehicle, holding that personal property, and charging them a fee to recover it. There is no dispute that Gable's contract with UAC permits the lender to "take items of personal property found in the Vehicle when we take back the Vehicle and hold them for you. If you do not claim them within 30 days or any other applicable time period required by law, we will dispose of them in a commercially reasonable manner." ECF No. 23-1 at 3; RPI PFOF ¶ 2. The Seventh Circuit has observed that the presence of such a term in the lending agreement is consistent with the reality that a repossessor takes possession *952of any personal property contained within a vehicle "not as collateral for the principal's loan but instead as an unintended incident to the repossession of that collateral." Nadalin ,
Arguing in opposition to the motions for summary judgment, Gable and Castner assert that a jury could reasonably conclude that the $75 fee RPI demanded for return of their personal property was intended to be an impermissible payment to UAC. Assessing whether a similar, $25 fee charged by a repossessor to recover personal property violated the FDCPA, the Seventh Circuit in Nadalin observed that, "[s]o far as the [FDCPA] is concerned, the only thing that's important is that the repossessor was not acting as the lender's agent when in effect it asserted a lien in order to enforce its $25 fee."
Here, Gable and Castner do not dispute that the contract between UAC and RPI disclaims any agency relationship between the two and instead classifies RPI as an independent contractor. UAC PFOF ¶ 10. Gable also admits that he does not know whether the $75 fee that RPI sought to charge him to reclaim his personal property was a storage or administrative fee, and his lack of knowledge necessarily implies that he has no evidence regarding the actual purpose of the fee. Indeed, RPI does not dispute that its contract with UAC does not expressly permit it to charge a fee for personal property collection (PPFOF ¶ 13), and the absence of any term in that contract regarding fees for collection of personal property further undermines the plaintiffs' claim that RPI charged the $75 on UAC's behalf. Based on these undisputed facts, the court finds that no reasonable jury could conclude that RPI was acting as UAC's agent and impermissibly charging the $75 fee to satisfy Gable's debt. The plaintiffs' FDCPA claim with regard to the charging of such a fee will therefore be dismissed. But since summary judgment on the repossession of the vehicle has been denied, the plaintiffs' claim for the value of that property remains in the case.
B. Plaintiffs' Remaining Claims
In addition to their federal claims against RPI and Chase, Gable and Castner assert state law claims for conversion, statutory theft, illegal nonjudicial repossession, violations of the WCA, and unconscionable behavior against all of the defendants, and an additional false imprisonment against Chase alone. Each will be addressed in turn.
1. Conversion and Statutory Theft Under
The plaintiffs' second claim is for conversion and statutory theft against all of the defendants. The claim is based upon the defendants' December 22, 2016 repossession of the 2004 Kia and refusal to return the vehicle until the plaintiffs paid $225, and their seizure and failure to return the personal property that the plaintiffs allege they were unable to remove before the car was taken on that date. Though the plaintiffs appear to conflate them in their complaint, a common law claim for conversion is not the same as a claim of statutory theft. Conversion is an intentional tort, but conversion does not *953include as an element criminal intent. In other words, a person is liable for conversion of another's property even if he takes the property with the good faith belief that he is entitled to do so. The crime of theft, in contrast, requires knowledge that the property taken legally belongs to another and the intent to permanently deprive the owner of possession of the property despite such knowledge. See Lechner v. Ebenreiter ,
Section 895.446 of the Wisconsin Statutes authorizes the victim of criminal theft to bring a civil action against the perpetrator for recovery of any damages sustained thereby, exemplary damages of up to three times the actual loss, attorneys' fees, and costs of investigation and recovery. On a common law claim of conversion, on the other hand, a plaintiff can recover only actual damages unless he or she can show that the defendant acted maliciously and in intentional disregard of the plaintiff's rights.
The question is less clear as to the plaintiffs' claim for conversion. Conversion, according to the RESTATEMENT , "is an intentional exercise of dominion or control over a chattel which so seriously interferes with the right of another to control it that the actor may justly be required to pay the other the full value of the chattel." RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS § 222A (1965). Defendants RPI and Chase argue that they cannot be liable for conversion because Gable had no right to the car as a result of his failure to make the required payments under his loan agreement with UAC and because they did not commit a breach of the peace in repossessing his car. But for the reasons set forth above, I have already rejected the argument that the undisputed facts establish that RPI and Chase did not commit a breach of the peace. And the defendants have offered no authority for the proposition that they cannot be liable for conversion for the unlawful repossession of a car where the owner is in default under the loan agreement for which the car was pledged as security. There is also the personal property allegedly left in the trunk that was never returned to the plaintiffs. Absent more than the defendants have offered by way of argument or authority, summary judgment will be denied as to these defendants.
Defendant UAC offers the additional argument that it cannot be liable in conversion because neither RPI nor Chase were acting as its agent. Instead, UAC contends based on its contract with RPI that RPI was its independent contractor and Chase was an agent for RPI. UAC also notes that under the terms of its contract with RPI, RPI is required to indemnify and hold UAC harmless for any liability UAC incurs as a result of RPI's repossession attempts. But the fact that UAC may not be liable for the unlawful repossession does not mean it cannot be held liable for the conversion of the vehicle that followed. Once RPI took possession of Gable's car, indeed, before RPI even took possession, UAC
*954was directly involved. RPI was acting at UAC's direction. It was UAC that decided what Gable had to do to get his car back once it was taken by RPI. In other words, while the car may not have been held in UAC's actual possession, it was at least in UAC's constructive possession. And as explained above, the fact that UAC did not know its possession of the vehicle may have been unlawful does not mean it cannot be liable for conversion. It may have lacked any criminal intent, but it did not lack the intent to take possession of Gable's car as a result of his default under the loan agreement. Finally, that RPI agreed to indemnify UAC and hold it harmless for any liability it incurred as a result of RPI's repossession does not absolve UAC of any liability it may have to the plaintiffs. To the contrary, the indemnification and hold harmless provision assumes UAC could incur liability for RPI's conduct. I therefore conclude on the record as it now stands and in light of the arguments offered and authority cited by the parties that the defendants are not entitled to summary judgment on the plaintiffs' claim for conversion.
2. Illegal Nonjudicial Repossession
The third claim in the plaintiffs' complaint which is asserted against all of the defendants is for illegal nonjudicial repossession in violation of the WCA, and in particular, Section 425.206(2)(a). In essence, this seems little more than a restatement of the FDCPA claim for unlawful self-help repossession, except that this claim is asserted against UAC, as well as RPI and Chase. As to this claim, too, UAC contends it cannot be held liable because RPI was an independent contractor under its contract with UAC and not its agent, and Chase was apparently RPI's agent. The defendants also argue the Castner's claim should be dismissed since she was not the customer or debtor and therefore has no standing to assert a claim under WCA.
As the RESTATEMENT explains, the term "independent contractor" does not exclude an agency relationship: "[T]he common term 'independent contractor' is equivocal in meaning and confusing in usage because some termed independent contractors are agents while others are nonagent service providers." RESTATEMENT (THIRD) OF AGENCY § 1.01, cmt. c (2006). Thus, "[w]hether a relationship is characterized as agency in an agreement between parties or in the context of industry or popular usage is not controlling."
Regardless of the language UAC included in its contract with RPI, it was UAC that directed RPI to repossess Gable's car, and it is UAC that falls within the definition of merchant contained in the WCA. The WCA states that "[i]n taking possession of collateral or leased goods, no merchant may ... [c]ommit a breach of the peace."
a person who regularly advertises, distributes, offers, supplies or deals in real or personal property, services, money or credit in a manner which directly or indirectly results in or is intended or designed to result in, lead to or induce a consumer transaction. The term includes but is not limited to a seller, lessor, manufacturer, creditor, arranger of credit and any assignee of or successor to such person. The term also includes a person who by his or her occupation holds himself or herself out as having knowledge or skill peculiar to such practices or to whom such knowledge or skill may be attributed by his or her employment as an agent, broker or other intermediary.
The same is not true for Castner, however. A key purpose of the WCA is "[t]o protect customers against unfair, deceptive, false, misleading and unconscionable practices by merchants."
3. Violation of Section 427.104
The fourth claim of the complaint alleges that the defendants violated Section 427.104 of the Wisconsin Statutes, a section of the WCA that prohibits certain debt collection practices. The complaint appears to allege that the defendants engaged in two of the prohibited practices listed in the statute. It alleges that "in holding plaintiffs' personal property, and in then saying that plaintiff must pay $75 to retrieve that property, all defendants directly or indirectly engaged in conduct which could be reasonably expected to harass the plaintiffs." Compl. ¶ 58. The complaint also alleges under this claim that "in taking the vehicle and personal property in the manner alleged herein, all defendants claimed a right (to seize, hold, and sell plaintiffs' property) with reason to know said right did not exist (because the nonjudicial repossession was accomplished as a breach of the peace and because under no circumstances did any defendant have the right to keep plaintiffs' personal property)."
In their respective motions seeking summary judgment, the defendants do not directly address the merits of the alleged violations, though for the reasons stated above, the plaintiffs' claim that the defendants violated the WCA by charging them *956$75 for the return of their personal property likely fails, since it appears the $75 was an administrative or storage charge by the repossessor and there is no evidence it was an effort to collect a debt. To the extent it addresses this claim at all, UAC essentially repeats its argument that since it was not present at the repossession incident, it cannot be liable. All of the defendants argue that Castner has no standing to assert a claim under the WCA since she was not the debtor.
The WCA defines the term "Debt collector" as "any person engaging, directly or indirectly, in debt collection, and includes any person who sells, or offers to sell, forms represented to be a collection system, device or scheme, intended or calculated to be used to collect claims."
As for Castner's standing to bring a claim for violating the WCA debt collection provisions, the issue is not as clear-cut as the defendants suggest. It is true that Castner was not UAC's customer; nor was she a debtor under the loan agreement. But the protections afforded by the WCA are not limited to customers and debtors. Whether a person has standing to assert a claim under the WCA depends on "whether the party seeking standing was injured in fact, and whether the interest allegedly injured is arguably within the zone of interests to be protected or regulated by the statute or constitutional guarantee in question." Zehetner v. Chrysler Fin. Co., LLC ,
4. Unconscionable Behavior
The plaintiffs' fifth claim for relief is entitled "unconscionable behavior." Though not stated in the complaint, the plaintiffs explain in their opposition to the defendants' motions for summary judgment that the claim seeks relief for a violation of Section 425.107 of the Wisconsin Statutes. That section provides in pertinent part:
With respect to a consumer credit transaction, if the court as a matter of law finds that any aspect of the transaction, any conduct directed against the customer by a party to the transaction, or any result of the transaction is unconscionable, the court shall, in addition to the remedy and penalty [underWis. Stat. § 425.303 ], either refuse to enforce the transaction against the customer, or so limit the application of any unconscionable aspect or conduct to avoid any unconscionable result.
Three separate courts have now held that this section provides a defense to an action brought by a creditor and does not constitute an affirmative claim for relief.
*957See Riel v. Navient Sols. Inc. , No. 16-CV-1191-JPS,
5. False Imprisonment
The plaintiffs' sixth claim is a common law state law claim for false imprisonment against Chase alone based on the allegations that Chase deprived the plaintiffs of the freedom of movement when on March 29, 2017, Johnson parked his tow truck directly behind the 2004 Kia in an effort to again take possession of it. The plaintiffs claim they were unable to back up in their car because of Johnson's actions and they waited as long as twenty minutes before a police officer arrived and directed Johnson to move his truck.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has defined the tort of false imprisonment as "[t]he unlawful restraint by one person of the physical liberty of another." Maniaci v. Marquette Univ. ,
An actor is subject to liability to another for false imprisonment if
(a) he acts intending to confine the other or a third person within boundaries fixed by the actor, and
(b) his act directly or indirectly results in such a confinement of the other, and
(c) the other is conscious of the confinement or is harmed by it.
RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS § 35 (1965). In order to constitute a false imprisonment, "the other's confinement within the boundaries fixed by the actor must be complete."
In this case, it is clear that Johnson did not intend to confine the plaintiffs within fixed boundaries. He didn't intend to confine them at all; what he intended was to repossess Gable's car. It is also clear from the undisputed facts that the plaintiffs were not confined. They were free to leave their car, and in fact they did so to call the police. Johnson's actions may well have been unlawful, but they do not amount to the tort of false imprisonment. Accordingly, summary judgment will also be granted as to this claim.
C. Remaining Issues
UAC also seeks to limit the plaintiffs' damages for the claims that survive. UAC argues that the plaintiffs have not sustained emotional distress damages and *958have no grounds to recover punitive damages. The emotional distress the plaintiffs claim is not a separate claim, but a component of the damages they seek for the surviving claims asserted in their complaint. The same is true of the punitive damages they seek. The WCA explicitly allows recovery for emotional distress caused by violations.
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, Defendant UAC's motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 24) and Defendants RPI and Chase's motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 21) are GRANTED-IN-PART and DENIED-IN-PART . Summary judgment is DENIED on the FDCPA claims against RPI and Chase arising out of the December 22, 2016 repossession of Gable's 2004 Kia. Summary judgment is likewise DENIED as to the plaintiffs' state law claims for conversion and violations of Section 427.104, as well as Gable's claim of illegal nonjudicial repossession. Summary judgment will be GRANTED as to Castner's claim for illegal nonjudicial repossession and as to both the plaintiffs' claims for unconscionable behavior and false imprisonment. UAC's motion to strike the plaintiffs' emotional distress and punitive damage claims is DENIED .
SO ORDERED this 17th day of September, 2018.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Charles GABLE v. UNIVERSAL ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION (WI)
- Cited By
- 9 cases
- Status
- Published