Security Finance v. Brian Kirsch
Security Finance v. Brian Kirsch
Opinion of the Court
*168*390¶1 This is a review of an unpublished decision of the court of appeals, Security Finance v. Kirsch, No. 2017AP1408, unpublished slip op.,
¶2 This court must consider whether a debtor who has been sued on a consumer credit transaction without first receiving a notice of right to cure default under ch. 425 may sue the creditor for damages under ch. 427, the Wisconsin Consumer Act ("WCA"). We conclude that a creditor's failure to provide such notice does not constitute a sufficient basis for relief under ch. 427. As a result, Kirsch's counterclaims were properly dismissed, and we affirm the court of appeals.
*391I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL POSTURE
¶3 Security and Kirsch entered into a loan agreement, whereby Security loaned Kirsch $1,000 and Kirsch agreed to pay it back with interest in 12 equal payments from July 1, 2016, to June 1, 2017. Kirsch defaulted on the payment obligation. On February 6, 2017, Security filed a small claims lawsuit against Kirsch to enforce the loan agreement and collect the alleged debt. Kirsch answered and counterclaimed, alleging that Security filed this action "seeking to collect money without, upon information and belief, serving defendant with a notice of right to cure default which satisfies the requirements laid out in [ Wis. Stat. §§] 425.104 and [425.]105," seeking damages allowed under
¶4 Security moved to dismiss Kirsch's counterclaims. The circuit court granted the motion to dismiss, stating that Kirsch "baldly asserts that failure to provide proper notice of the right to cure default can constitute threatening or harassing behavior."
*169The circuit court further stated that "[i]n general, the remedy for the violation alleged is dismissal without prejudice." The circuit court concluded that Kirsch made "no showing [he] would be entitled to any other remedy." The circuit court explained:
*392In terms of the dismissal without prejudice, the defendant's counterclaim is moot, and the argument that the defendant is entitled to these additional remedies requires a ... tortured interpretation of the statute and the facts, and that's not an interpretation that I am required to accept.
As a result, the circuit court dismissed the counterclaim relating to the notice of right to cure default.
¶5 The court of appeals affirmed the circuit court's dismissal. Kirsch, No. 2017AP1408, unpublished slip op., ¶¶ 1, 26.
¶6 The petition for review presented one issue:
Whether a customer [who has been] sued on a consumer credit transaction without first receiving a notice of right to cure default may sue the merchant for damages under chapter 427 of the Wisconsin Consumer Act?
¶7 This court's order granting Kirsch's petition for review provides that "pursuant to Wis. Stat. § (Rule) 809.62(6), [Kirsch] may not raise or argue issues not set forth in the petition for review unless otherwise ordered by the court."
II. STANDARD OF REVIEW
¶8 Whether a complaint or a counterclaim "states a claim upon which relief can be granted is a question of law for our independent review; however, we benefit from discussions of the court of appeals and circuit court." Data Key Partners v. Permira Advisers LLC,
*393¶9 In reviewing a motion to dismiss, this court accepts factual allegations in the complaint or counterclaim as true.
¶10 This case requires the interpretation and application of
III. ANALYSIS
¶11 Kirsch argues that Security's failure to provide sufficient notice of right to cure required by
¶13 We begin with the language of
In attempting to collect an alleged debt arising from a consumer credit transaction or other consumer transaction, including a transaction primarily for an agricultural purpose, where there is an agreement to defer payment, a debt collector may not:
(a) Use or threaten force or violence to cause physical harm to the customer or the customer's dependents or property;
(b) Threaten criminal prosecution;
*395(c) Disclose or threaten to disclose information adversely affecting the customer's reputation for credit worthiness with knowledge or reason to know that the information is false;
(d) Initiate or threaten to initiate communication with the customer's employer prior to obtaining final judgment against the customer, except as permitted by statute including specifically s. 422.404, but this paragraph does not prohibit a debt collector from communicating with the customer's employer solely to verify employment status or earnings or where an employer has an established debt counseling service or procedure;
(e) Disclose or threaten to disclose to a person other than the customer or the customer's spouse information affecting the customer's reputation, whether or not for credit worthiness, with knowledge or reason to know that the other person does not have a legitimate business need for the information, but this paragraph does not prohibit the disclosure to another person of information permitted to be disclosed to that person by statute;
(f) Disclose or threaten to disclose information concerning the existence of a debt known to be reasonably disputed by the customer without disclosing the fact that the customer disputes the debt;
(g) Communicate with the customer or a person related to the customer with such frequency or at such unusual hours or in such a manner as can reasonably be expected to threaten or harass the customer;
(h) Engage in other conduct which can reasonably be expected to threaten or *171harass the customer or a person related to the customer;
(i) Use obscene or threatening language in communicating with the customer or a person related to the customer;
*396(j) Claim, or attempt or threaten to enforce a right with knowledge or reason to know that the right does not exist;
(k) Use a communication which simulates legal or judicial process or which gives the appearance of being authorized, issued or approved by a government, governmental agency or attorney-at-law when it is not;
(L) Threaten action against the customer unless like action is taken in regular course or is intended with respect to the particular debt; or
(m) Engage in conduct in violation of a rule adopted by the administrator after like conduct has been restrained or enjoined by a court in a civil action by the administrator against any person pursuant to the provisions on injunctions against false, misleading, deceptive or unconscionable agreements or conduct (ss. 426.109 and 426.110).
§ 427.104(1). The statute prohibits specific harassing or threatening conduct towards debtors.
¶14 Kirsch also claims that Security violated
¶15 Wisconsin Stat. § 421.201(6)(b), consistent with
¶16 The notice provision statute in ch. 425 does not provide for a penalty for noncompliance arising under any specific WCA subsection, other than the fact that a complaint is not to be filed before notice is properly given.
*173*400¶17 Kirsch does not petition this court to review whether other penalties might be available to him. Instead, he claims that a creditor's duty to provide a notice of default and right to cure under ch. 425 entitles him to the significant penalties available for a ch. 427 violation. Wisconsin Stat. §§ 425.104 and 425.105 establish a creditor's requirement to issue a debtor a notice of default and right to cure prior to filing suit against the debtor. Under § 425.104(1), "A merchant who believes that a customer is in default may give the customer written notice of the alleged default and, if applicable, of the customer's right to cure any such default ( s. 425.105 )." Section 425.105(1) states as follows:
A merchant may not accelerate the maturity of a consumer credit transaction, commence any action except as provided in s. 425.205(6), or demand or take possession of collateral or goods subject to a consumer lease other than by accepting a voluntary surrender thereof (s. 425.204), unless the merchant believes the customer to be in default ( s. 425.103 ), and then only upon the expiration of 15 days after a notice is given pursuant to s. 425.104 if the customer has the right to cure under this section.
¶18 Since it is undisputed that Security was to first provide notice before commencing this action, Kirsch was entitled to dismissal of the action without prejudice. Notably, the language of
¶19 The parties do not dispute that Security failed to properly comply with the notice of default and right to cure provisions of ch. 425. Kirsch, however, seeks to shoehorn Security's failure to comply with ch. 425 into a ch. 427 violation in order to recover the significant remedies and penalties ch. 427 imposes. The sort of threatening and harassing conduct which violates
¶20 Relevant case law further indicates that a failure to comply with ch. 425's procedural requirement to notice and the right to cure does not automatically eliminate a creditor's ability to enforce a loan agreement and does not, in and of itself, constitute a ch. 427 violation. Wisconsin courts and federal courts have recognized the distinction between a failure to comply with the procedural requirements imposed by ch. 425 and conduct which violates ch. 427.
¶21 In Beal v. Wyndham Vacation Resorts,
¶22 The district court granted the creditor's motion for summary judgment on the debtor's
¶23 The court of appeals recognized a similar distinction between chs. 425 and 427 violations in Credit Acceptance Corp. v. Kong,
¶24 The court of appeals affirmed the circuit court, but modified the judgment to remove the $1,000 statutory penalty.
¶25 Thus, like the district court in Beal, the court of appeals in Kong concluded that the creditor violated ch. 425 by sending a noncompliant notice of default and right to cure, but similarly declined to impose concurrent ch. 427 liability. Kong, like Beal, thus stands for the proposition that a failure to provide a notice of default and right to cure does not destroy a creditor's right to enforce a debt in default. Therefore, under Beal and Kong, a mere violation of *406
¶26 Kirsch relies on this court's decision in Kett v. Community Credit Plan, Inc.,
¶27 In Kett a creditor brought replevin actions in the Milwaukee County circuit court against four debtors. Kett,
¶28 Kett is uninstructive to our analysis because it is distinguishable from this case for two important reasons. First, in Kett, this court was faced with a venue issue, not with a claim that the creditor violated
¶29 Second, Kett is distinguishable because it involved three replevin actions where the creditor actually obtained replevin judgments and then physically repossessed the vehicles before the circuit court vacated the judgments. The debtors' claims in Kett in large part centered around the creditor's "nonjudicial enforcement" of the debts, as described in
¶30 We therefore rely on the WCA's plain language, along with Beal and Kong, and reject an application of Kett in this case. The parties do not dispute that Kirsch took a loan from Security and agreed to timely pay back the loan with interest according to the loan agreement. Like the debtors in Beal and Kong, Kirsch does not claim that he timely made all required payments, nor does he claim that he cured any default. Rather, Kirsch asserts the same
IV. CONCLUSION
¶31 This court must consider whether a debtor who has been sued on a consumer credit transaction without first receiving a notice of right to cure default under Wis. Stats. ch. 425 may sue the creditor for damages under Wis. Stats. ch. 427, the Wisconsin Consumer Act. We conclude that a creditor's failure to provide such notice does not constitute a sufficient basis for relief under ch. 427. As a result, Kirsch's counterclaims were properly dismissed and we affirm the court of appeals.
By the Court. -The decision of the court of appeals is affirmed.
¶32 REBECCA FRANK DALLET, J., did not participate.
The Honorable Todd K. Martens presided.
All subsequent references to the Wisconsin Statutes are to the 2015-16 version unless otherwise indicated.
We will not reach this new argument regarding liability for an independent Wis. Stat. ch. 425 claim because it was not raised in the petition for review, it was not raised in the counterclaim, and it was not argued to the circuit court. We do however consider the issue raised in Kirsch's petition for review regarding ch. 427, but decline to consider any issues presented outside the petition for review. We therefore need not consider any arguments regarding Kirsch's counterclaims arising under ch. 425 and decline to do so. See, e.g., State v. Sholar,
The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions ("WDFI") has provided commentary on the severity of Wis. Stat. ch. 427 violations. The WDFI cautions creditors, stating that "[w]hile you have a right to attempt to collect a legitimate debt owed you, Wisconsin law provides that there are certain things you cannot do in attempting to collect that debt...." Wisconsin Dep't of Financial Insts., Prohibited Practices, https://www.wdfi.org/wca/business_guidance/creditors/debt_collection/prohibited_practices.htm (last visited Feb. 20, 2019). Prior to listing the threatening or harassing conduct prohibited by
Wisconsin Stat. § 425.103(2) states in relevant part as follows:
(2) "Default", with respect to a consumer credit transaction, means without justification under any law:
(a) With respect to a transaction other than one pursuant to an open-end plan and except as provided in par. (am); if the interval between scheduled payments is 2 months or less, to have outstanding an amount exceeding one full payment which has remained unpaid for more than 10 days after the scheduled or deferred due dates, or the failure to pay the first payment or the last payment, within 40 days of its scheduled or deferred due date; ....
§ 425.103(2)(a).
We note that
See
Wisconsin Stat. § 425.304 states that a person who violates the WCA in a manner covered by the section is liable for "the greater of: (1) Twice the amount of the finance charge in connection with the transaction, except that the liability under this subsection shall not be less than $100 nor greater than $1,000; or (2) The actual damages, including any incidental and consequential damages...."
See
Wisconsin Stat. § 425.206 is titled, "Nonjudicial enforcement limited," and restricts the circumstances in which a creditor "may take possession of collateral or goods subject to a consumer lease," providing that a violation of the section is subject to remedies and penalties under
Our presumption is based on the fact that the debtors in Kett v. Community Credit Plan, Inc.,
Concurring Opinion
¶33 Distinguishing between cases is about more than interferometry; we don't simply overlay the specifics of one case on another and pronounce them distinguished if they imprecisely map each other. As law school professors are wont to say, all cases are distinguishable, if for no other reason than that they involve different parties. A meaningful distinction, on the other hand, is one in which a logical hitch prevents the lessons of a prior case from applying to the one at bar. Comparing this case to Kett v. Community Credit Plan, Inc.
¶34 The question both here and in Kett is whether a creditor trying to collect a debt arising from a consumer credit transaction engaged in collection practices prohibited by
¶35 Here, as in Kett, the error giving rise to Mr. Kirsch's claim was procedural. Specifically, he claimed Security Finance filed its collection action without first giving him written notice of his right to cure the default, as required by
¶36 So here is the problem. We held in this case that the "right" identified in
¶37 But the court tries. In an attempt to distinguish the two cases, it says "[a] claim of improper venue is not the same as a claim that a creditor failed to provide a notice of default and right to cure." Majority op., ¶28. Yes, that is true-proper venue is not the same thing as proper notice. The former governs where the suit may be filed. The latter governs whether it may be filed at all. But nothing in the *413opinion explains why
¶38 The court also believes it can distinguish Kett on the ground that Community Credit used the judgments obtained in the wrong venue to repossess collateral that had secured the loans. It says "[t]he debtors' claims in Kett in large part centered around the creditor's 'nonjudicial enforcement' of the debts, as described in
¶39 I think the court's opinion today correctly analyzes the relationship between procedural errors and
¶40 I am authorized to state that Justice REBECCA GRASSL BRADLEY joins this concurrence.
For purposes of our review, we accept the allegations of Kirsch's counterclaims as true. See Hausman v. St. Croix Care Center,
See Mary Spector, Debts, Defaults, and Details: Exploring the Impact of Debt Collection Litigation on Consumers and Courts,
As amicus Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee details, even a dismissed lawsuit can have decidedly negative consequences for a consumer. The record of a dismissed suit is still publicly available on CCAP, "an internet accessible case management system provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access program." See State v. Wayerski,
Dissenting Opinion
¶41 An imbalance occurs when the middle class, the poor and the powerless are held accountable while the monied and powerful are able to act with impunity. The Wisconsin Legislature tried to address such an imbalance when in 1971 it enacted the Wisconsin Consumer Act (WCA).
*180¶42 Heralded as "the most sweeping consumer credit legislation [then] enacted in any state," its intent is "clearly ... to assist customers, particularly those of limited means, in combating unfair business practices." Kett v. Community Credit Plan, Inc.,
¶43 When Security Finance tried to collect a $1000 debt from Brian Kirsch, it did so after violating this notice provision of the WCA.
*415¶44 Nevertheless, the majority pardons Security Finance's error and allows it to escape accountability for putting Kirsch through a lawsuit that should never have been filed. In so doing, it arrives at a determination that is irreconcilable with the language of Kirsch's loan agreement and our case law.
¶45 The majority's conclusion also flies in the face of the stated purpose of the WCA, which "was designed to protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, and unconscionable merchant practices...." Credit Acceptance Corp. v. Kong,
¶46 Unlike the majority, I would give the WCA the teeth the legislature intended it to have. In my *416view, Security Finance's attempt to enforce a right with reason to know that the right did not exist constitutes a violation of
I
¶48 Kirsch entered into a consumer loan agreement with Security Finance whereby Security Finance loaned Kirsch $1,000. Majority op., ¶3. Subsequently, Security Finance alleged that Kirsch defaulted on the loan and brought a small claims action against him.
*417¶49 Kirsch filed counterclaims against Security Finance, arguing that under the WCA it "has no right to file an action without first serving a sufficient notice of right to cure default."
¶50 Security Finance voluntarily dismissed its complaint and moved to dismiss Kirsch's counterclaims. The circuit court granted the motion and the court of appeals affirmed.
*418Instead, it opines that the right that Security Finance was enforcing was the right to collect an unpaid balance on a loan.
II
¶51 The majority begins its analysis on the wrong foot when it misclassifies the "right" Security Finance is attempting to enforce. This initial misstep creates a skewed focus from which the majority opinion does not recover.
¶52 Wisconsin Stat. § 427.104(1)(j) prohibits debt collectors from "[c]laim[ing], or attempt[ing] or threaten[ing] to enforce a right with knowledge or reason to know that the right does not exist."
¶53 I begin with the plain language of the parties' consumer loan agreement. Under the heading, "RIGHTS UPON DEFAULT ," the parties' loan agreement provides as follows:
If you default and, after we send you a notice and opportunity to cure if required by § 425.105 Wis. Stats., we shall have the right to go to court and, to the extent permitted by law, obtain a judgment against you for the then unpaid amount of your debt.
¶54 This language is unambiguous. It indicates that the "right" identified is not simply the right to *419collect the unpaid balance on the loan, as the majority determines, but the specific right "to go to court" to "obtain a judgment against" Kirsch.
¶55 Importantly, the right to go to court is a right that can be relinquished by contract,
¶56 Security Finance had reason to know that it had no "right to go to court" to "obtain a judgment against" Kirsch because it did not satisfy the notice requirements set forth in
¶57 Nevertheless, Security Finance went to court in a premature attempt to obtain a judgment against Kirsch. This is a quintessential example of attempting to enforce a right that does not exist in violation of
*420¶58 Not only does the majority's conclusion contravene the language of the loan agreement, but it also is inconsistent with our case law, specifically Kett,
¶59 The consumers brought separate lawsuits in Waukesha and Walworth Counties against the creditor for its alleged violations of the WCA. Id., ¶2. Each included allegations that the creditor had engaged in prohibited debt collection practices within the meaning of
¶60 This court concluded that the consumers had stated a valid claim. It reasoned that creditors do not have a right to file suit when they have not complied with necessary preconditions set forth in the *183WCA.
¶61 I find the majority's attempt to distinguish Kett unconvincing, and instead conclude that Kett's reasoning applies in this case. Like the creditor in Kett that had reason to know it had no right to venue its actions in Milwaukee County, Security Finance had reason to know it had no "right to go to court" to "obtain a judgment against" Kirsch until it provided notice that complied with the WCA and the parties' loan agreement. By prematurely filing suit without *421providing that notice, Security Finance attempted to enforce a right it had reason to know did not exist in violation of
¶62 Unlike the majority, I would follow Kett and the plain language of the parties' loan agreement. Accordingly, I conclude that Kirsch stated a claim against Security Finance for violation of
III
¶63 In addition to being inconsistent with Kirsch's loan agreement and our case law, the majority opinion is likewise inconsistent with the purpose of the WCA.
¶64 As amicus Legal Action of Wisconsin correctly emphasizes, the WCA was intended to be a *422"sea-change" in the law.
¶65 Accordingly, the legislature directed courts to "liberally construe[ ]" the WCA to promote its "underlying purposes and policies."
¶66 Further, "[a] basic purpose of the remedies the legislature adopted in the Wisconsin Consumer Act is to induce compliance with the Wisconsin Consumer *423Act and thereby promote its underlying objects." Kett,
¶67 Disregarding the legislature's stated purpose, the majority allows Security Finance to escape accountability for its violation of the WCA. With impunity, Security Finance has put Kirsch through a lawsuit that it had no right to bring. By being forced to vigorously defend Security Finance's defective suit, Kirsch is most certainly not "in at least as good a position as if the creditor had fully complied with" the WCA. See
¶68 Simply dismissing the suit without prejudice provides no inducement to compliance with the WCA. See
¶69 In sum, I conclude that Kirsch stated a claim against Security Finance for engaging in a prohibited debt collection practice in violation of
*424¶70 For the reasons stated above, I respectfully dissent.
¶71 I am authorized to state that Justice SHIRLEY S. ABRAHAMSON joins this dissent.
State v. Dombrowski,
So was the court of appeals. It said the creditor "had a duty to know that Milwaukee County was not the proper place of trial," and "[a]s the creditor, it is in a much better position than the customer to investigate matters such as appropriate venue." Kett v. Community Credit Plan, Inc.,
Wisconsin Stat. § 427.104(1)(j) provides in relevant part: "In attempting to collect an alleged debt arising from a consumer credit transaction or other consumer transaction, ... a debt collector may not: ... [c]laim, or attempt or threaten to enforce a right with knowledge or reason to know that the right does not exist...."
Wisconsin Stat. § 425.104 sets forth:
(1) A merchant who believes that a customer is in default may give the customer written notice of the alleged default and, if applicable, of the customer's right to cure any such default (s. 425.105 ).
(2) Any notice given under this section shall contain the name, address and telephone number of the creditor, a brief identification of the consumer credit transaction, a statement of the nature of the alleged default and a clear statement of the total payment, including an itemization of any delinquency charges, or other performance necessary to cure the alleged default, the exact date by which the amount must be paid or performance tendered and the name, address and telephone number of the person to whom any payment must be made, if other than the creditor.
Pursuant to
A merchant may not accelerate the maturity of a consumer credit transaction, commence any action except as provided in s. 425.205(6), or demand or take possession of collateral or goods subject to a consumer lease other than by accepting a voluntary surrender thereof (s. 425.204), unless the merchant believes the customer to be in default (s. 425.103 ), and then only upon the expiration of 15 days after a notice is given pursuant to s. 425.104 if the customer has the right to cure under this section.
Violation of this subsection not only entitles the consumer to the statutory penalties provided by
For example, parties may contract to resolve disputes in arbitration as opposed to a court. See, e.g., J.J. Andrews, Inc. v. Midland,
This line of analysis was adopted by the federal district court in a case with facts very similar to those we address here. In Satran v. LVNV Funding, LLC, No. 17-cv-896-JDP,
Framing the question as "whether a creditor has the 'right' to sue a debtor when it has not given notice of the right to cure default as required by section 425.105 [,]" the district court determined that the consumer stated a claim.
Further, the district court observed that under the same framework espoused by the majority here, "courts would have to determine whether each provision of the WCA affects a creditor's right to file suit or merely provides the debtor with a complete defense once the creditor does file suit."
See Ch. 239, Laws of 1971. For insightful commentary on the history of consumer protection law in Wisconsin and the drafting of the Wisconsin Consumer Act, see generally James D. Jeffries, Protection for Consumers Against Unfair and Deceptive Businesses,
See n.2, supra.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- SECURITY FINANCE, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. Brian KIRSCH, Defendant-Appellant-Petitioner.
- Cited By
- 19 cases
- Status
- Published