Jesse Meyer v. Portfolio Recovery Associates
2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 26708
| 9th Cir. | 2012Background
- PRA appeals a district court order (Sept. 14, 2011) granting Meyer’s preliminary injunction and provisional class certification under the TCPA.
- Meyer alleged PRA’s debt-collection calls to cellular numbers with CA area codes violated the TCPA.
- Court restrained PRA from using its predictive dialer to call CA-area-code cellular numbers obtained via skip-tracing.
- Questions on appeal: district court jurisdiction/authority, provisional class certification under FRCP 23(a)/(b)(2), and the propriety of the preliminary injunction.
- Court reviews jurisdiction and the merits of class certification and the injunction, applying de novo review to jurisdiction and legal standards, and abuse-of-discretion review to class certification and injunction decisions.
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction to issue Sept. 14 order | Meyer | PRA | Jurisdiction affirmed; June 23 minute order was not final |
| Provisional class certification proper under FRCP 23(a) | Commonality/typicality/adequacy satisfied | Issues too individualized; overbroad | Discretionary approval; commonality, typicality, adequacy met |
| Preliminary injunction standard and irreparable harm | TCPA violations cause irreparable privacy harm | Injunction inappropriate without irreparable harm | Irreparable harm established under traditional four-factor test; injunction affirmed |
| Scope of 23(b)(2) and provisional class vs. final relief | 23(b)(2) allows injunctive relief for class | Only final relief contemplated | 23(b)(2) authority extends to provisional class relief |
Key Cases Cited
- Satterfield v. Simon & Schuster, Inc., 569 F.3d 946 (9th Cir. 2009) (defines TCPA ‘automatic telephone dialing system’ capacity requirements)
- Hanlon v. Chrysler Corp., 150 F.3d 1011 (9th Cir. 1998) (typicality and commonality in class actions)
- Dukes v. Walmart Stores, Inc., 131 S. Ct. 2541 (2011) (commonality/typicality guidance for class actions)
- eBay, Inc. v. MercExchange, LLC, 547 U.S. 388 (S. Ct. 2006) (irreparable harm standards in injunctions not categorical)
- Antoninetti v. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., 643 F.3d 1165 (9th Cir. 2010) (equitable relief standards post-eBay; injunction context)