Whalen v. Ford Motor Company

Filing 348

STIPULATION AND ORDER Approving Protocol for Disseminating Notification to the Certified Classes and Appointing JND Legal Administration as the Notice Administrator. Signed by Judge Edward M. Chen on October 13, 2017. (emclc1, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 10/13/2017)

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STEVE W. BERMAN (pro hac vice)
CATHERINE Y.N. GANNON (pro hac vice)
TYLER WEAVER (pro hac vice)
CRAIG SPIEGEL (122000)
HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP
1918 Eighth Avenue, Suite 3300
Seattle, Washington 98101
Telephone: [phone]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

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ROLAND TELLIS (186269)
MARK PIFKO (228412)
BARON & BUDD, P.C.
15910 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 1600
Encino, California 91436
Telephone: [phone]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

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ADAM J. LEVITT (pro hac vice)
JOHN E. TANGREN (pro hac vice)
DICELLO LEVITT & CASEY LLC
Ten North Dearborn Street
Eleventh Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60602
Telephone: [phone]
[e-mail]
NICHOLAS E. CHIMICLES (pro hac vice)
BENJAMIN F. JOHNS (pro hac vice)
CHIMICLES & TIKELLIS LLP
One Haverford Centre
361 West Lancaster Avenue
Haverford, Pennsylvania 19041
Telephone: [phone]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

Class Counsel

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION
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IN RE

Case No. 3:13-cv-03072-EMC

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MYFORD TOUCH CONSUMER
LITIGATION

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[PROPOSED] ORDER APPROVING
PROTOCOL FOR DISSEMINATING
NOTIFICATION TO THE CERTIFIED
CLASSES, AND APPOINTING JND
LEGAL ADMINISTRATION AS THE
NOTICE ADMINISTRATOR

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Judge:

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Hon. Edward M. Chen

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[PROPOSED] ORDER APPROVING PROTOCOL FOR
DISSEMINATING NOTIFICATION TO THE CERTIFIED
CLASSES, AND APPOINTING JND LEGAL
ADMINISTRATION AS THE NOTICE ADMINISTRATOR
Case No. 3:13-cv-03072-EMC

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Plaintiffs, after having conferred with counsel for Defendant Ford Motor Company

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(“Defendant”) and with the proposed notice administrator, JND Legal Administration (“JND”),

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hereby submit the following notice protocol for approval by the Court:

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1.

Plaintiffs will obtain, from two databases previously provided by Ford in discovery, a

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total of 1,342,092 VIN numbers for class vehicles purchased or leased in the United States (the “VIN

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List”). The Plaintiffs, through the notice administrator, will run the VIN List through the

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Departments of Motor Vehicles (“DMV”) in each of the eight class states to identify all original and

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subsequent lessees/purchasers in those states.

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2.

Plaintiffs will give the VIN List to the notice administrator, who will work with the

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relevant DMVs to cross check those 1,342,092 VINs for all original and subsequent vehicle

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transactions made in each of the eight class states before August 9, 2013. This Court entered an order

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on September 14, 2017 authorizing the notice administrator to receive this information back from the

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DMVs for the purpose of effectuating notice. See Dkt. 332.

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3.

Before mailing the postcard notice, the notice administrator will first update the

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addresses it receives from the DMVs by running them through a national change of address database.

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It will then mail the Court-approved postcard notice to all of these addresses.

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4.

The notice administrator will also provide the information it receives back from the

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state DMVs to Ford so that it can provide any e-mail addresses it has that are associated with those

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purchasers/lessees. Any such e-mail addresses will then be provided by Ford to JND, which will

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send the Court-approved e-mail notice to these addresses.

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5.

The notice administrator will establish and maintain a dedicated website that will

contain the information in the Long Form Notice that was approved by the Court. See Dkt. 330.
6.

Any timely submitted opt-out or exclusion forms will be collected by the notice

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administrator. Shortly after the deadline for opt-outs (January 29, 2018), the notice administrator will

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file a declaration with the Court confirming that the above steps were undertaken, and identifying

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any class members who timely elect to exclude themselves.

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[PROPOSED] ORDER APPROVING PROTOCOL FOR
DISSEMINATING NOTIFICATION TO THE CERTIFIED
CLASSES, AND APPOINTING JND LEGAL
ADMINISTRATION AS THE NOTICE ADMINISTRATOR
Case No. 3:13-cv-03072-EMC

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7.

Plaintiffs respectfully request that the Court approve their selection of JND as the

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notice administrator. JND has extensive experience administrating complex class action lawsuits,

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both in the context of settlements and litigation classes. A copy of JND’s resume is submitted

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herewith as Exhibit A.

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8.

Counsel for Ford has reviewed and is not opposed to any of the foregoing.

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ORDER

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WHEREUPON, the Court having reviewed the foregoing [PROPOSED] ORDER
APPROVING PROTOCOL FOR DISSEMINATING NOTIFICATION TO THE CERTIFIED

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CLASSES, AND APPOINTING JND LEGAL ADMINISTRATION GROUP AS THE

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NOTICE ADMINISTRATOR, it is hereby ORDERED that (1) the notice protocol described

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above is approved, and (2) Plaintiffs’ selection of JND Legal Administration as the notice

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administrator is approved.

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DATED: October 13, 2017
Hon. Edward M. Chen
United States District Judge

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DATED: October 13, 2017

CHIMICLES & TIKELLIS LLP
By:

/s/ Benjamin F. Johns
BENJAMIN F. JOHNS
Nicholas E. Chimicles (pro hac vice)
Benjamin F. Johns (pro hac vice)
CHIMICLES & TIKELLIS LLP
One Haverford Centre
361 West Lancaster Avenue
Haverford, Pennsylvania 19041
[PROPOSED] ORDER APPROVING PROTOCOL FOR
DISSEMINATING NOTIFICATION TO THE CERTIFIED
CLASSES, AND APPOINTING JND LEGAL
ADMINISTRATION AS THE NOTICE ADMINISTRATOR
Case No. 3:13-cv-03072-EMC

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Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
E-mail: [e-mail]

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Steve W. Berman (pro hac vice)
Catherine Y.N. Gannon (pro hac vice)
Tyler Weaver (pro hac vice)
Craig R. Spiegel (122000)
HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP
1918 Eighth Avenue, Suite 3300
Seattle, WA 98101
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
E-mail: [e-mail]
E-mail: [e-mail]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Adam J. Levitt (pro hac vice)
John E. Tangren (pro hac vice)
DICELLO LEVITT & CASEY LLC
Ten North Dearborn Street
Eleventh Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
E-mail: [e-mail]

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Roland Tellis (186269)
Mark Pifko (228412)
BARON & BUDD, P.C.
15910 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 1600
Encino, California 91436
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
E-mail: [e-mail]

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Class Counsel

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[PROPOSED] ORDER APPROVING PROTOCOL FOR
DISSEMINATING NOTIFICATION TO THE CERTIFIED
CLASSES, AND APPOINTING JND LEGAL
ADMINISTRATION AS THE NOTICE ADMINISTRATOR
Case No. 3:13-cv-03072-EMC

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DATED: October 13, 2017

O’MELVENY & MYERS LLP
By: /s/ Randall W. Edwards
Randall W. Edwards (179053)
O’MELVENY & MYERS LLP
Two Embarcadero Center, 28th Floor
San Francisco, California 94111
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Warren E. Platt
SNELL & WILMER LLP
Plaza Tower
600 Anton Boulevard, Suite 1400
Costa Mesa, California 92626
Telephone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Janet L. Conigliaro (pro hac vice)
DYKEMA GOSSETT PLLC
400 Renaissance Center
Detroit, Michigan 48243
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Attorneys for Defendant
FORD MOTOR COMPANY

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[PROPOSED] ORDER APPROVING PROTOCOL FOR
DISSEMINATING NOTIFICATION TO THE CERTIFIED
CLASSES, AND APPOINTING JND LEGAL
ADMINISTRATION AS THE NOTICE ADMINISTRATOR
Case No. 3:13-cv-03072-EMC

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ATTESTATION PURSUANT TO LOCAL RULE 5-1(i)(3)
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I hereby certify that on October 13, 2017, I electronically filed the foregoing document using

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the CM/ECF system which will send notification of such filing to the email addresses registered in

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the CM/ECF system.

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DATED: October 13, 2017

CHIMICLES & TIKELLIS LLP
By:

/s/ Benjamin F. Johns
BENJAMIN F. JOHNS

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STIPULATION REGARDING CLASS NOTICE PARAMETERS
Case No. 3:13-cv-03072-EMC

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
The undersigned hereby certifies that a true and accurate copy of the foregoing was filed

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electronically via the Court’s ECF system, on October 13, 2017. Notice of electronic filing will be

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sent to all parties by operation of the Court’s electronic filing system.

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DATED: October 13, 2017

CHIMICLES & TIKELLIS LLP

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By:
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/s/ Benjamin F. Johns
BENJAMIN F. JOHNS

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STIPULATION REGARDING CLASS NOTICE PARAMETERS
Case No. 3:13-cv-03072-EMC