Yan Mei Zheng-Lawson et al v. Toyota Motor Corporation et al
Filing
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ORDER GRANTING 33 MOTION TO DISMISS FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT WITH LEAVE TO AMEND IN PART AND WITHOUT LEAVE TO AMEND IN PART; AND DENYING 33 MOTION TO STRIKE. Amended Pleading due by 6/20/2018. Signed by Judge Beth Labson Freeman on 5/21/2018.(blflc1S, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 5/21/2018)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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SAN JOSE DIVISION
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YAN MEI ZHENG-LAWSON, et al.,
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Plaintiffs,
United States District Court
Northern District of California
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v.
TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, et al.,
Defendants.
Case No. 17-cv-06591-BLF
ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO
DISMISS FIRST AMENDED
COMPLAINT WITH LEAVE TO
AMEND IN PART AND WITHOUT
LEAVE TO AMEND IN PART; AND
DENYING MOTION TO STRIKE
[Re: ECF 33]
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On May 17, 2018, the Court heard oral argument regarding Defendants’ motion to dismiss
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and/or strike Plaintiffs’ first amended complaint under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6)
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and 12(f), respectively. The Court stated its ruling on the record, granting the motion to dismiss
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and denying the motion to strike. The Court granted leave to amend as to all claims except Count
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VIII, asserted under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, which was conceded by Plaintiffs.
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Finally, the Court granted Plaintiffs’ request for leave to add a new claim under California’s Secret
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Warranty Law, California Civil Code § 1795.90 et seq. The Court indicated that it would issue a
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brief written order memorializing its ruling, and that Plaintiffs would be granted 30 days from the
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date of the order to file an amended pleading.
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Accordingly, for the reasons stated on the record and below, the motion to dismiss is
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GRANTED, with leave to amend as to all claims except Count VIII and with leave to add a new
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claim under California’s Secret Warranty Law, and the motion to strike is DENIED.
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I.
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BACKGROUND1
Plaintiffs Yan Mei Zheng-Lawson, Yuanteng Pei, and Joanne E. Ferrara allege that they
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each purchased a 2016 Toyota Rav 4 XLE based on misrepresentations contained in the “2016
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Rav 4 brochure” available at Toyota dealerships and on the Internet, referred to in the FAC as the
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“Brochure.” FAC ¶¶ 3, 7-8, 59, 62-63, 65-66. According to Plaintiffs, the Brochure stated that
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the model they purchased (2016 Rav 4 XLE) and certain other models (2016 Rav 4 XLE Hybrid
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and 2016 Rav 4 SE) came equipped with projector-beam headlights with an automatic on/off
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feature. FAC ¶¶ 7-8. In fact, the standard versions of the 2016 Rav 4 XLE, 2016 Rav 4 XLE
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Hybrid, and 2016 Rav 4 SE were not equipped with an automatic on/off feature for the vehicle’s
headlights. FAC ¶ 10. Plaintiffs bring this putative class action on behalf of persons who
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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purchased or leased the model Plaintiffs purchased (2016 Toyota Rav 4 XLE) or one of the other
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models mentioned in the Brochure (2016 Rav 4 XLE Hybrid and 2016 Rav 4 SE). FAC ¶ 1.
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Plaintiffs plead the following claims on behalf of a Nationwide Class, a California
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Subclass, a New York Subclass, and a Pennsylvania Subclass: (1) Deceptive Trade Practices in
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violation of General Business Law § 349 on behalf of New York Subclass; (2) Deceptive Trade
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Practices in violation of General Business Law § 350 on behalf of New York Subclass; (3) Breach
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of Express Warranty in violation of California Commercial Code § 2313 on behalf of Nationwide
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Class or, alternatively, California Subclass; (4) Breach of Express Warranty in violation of New
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York Uniform Commercial Code § 2-313 on behalf of New York Subclass; (5) Breach of Express
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Warranty in violation of 13 Pa. C.S.A. § 2313 on behalf of Pennsylvania Subclass; (6) Unfair
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Competition in violation of California Business & Professions Code § 17200 et seq. on behalf of
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Nationwide Class or, alternatively, California Subclass; (7) violation of California’s Consumer
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Legal Remedies Act, California Civil Code § 1750 et seq., on behalf of Nationwide Class or,
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alternatively, California Subclass; (8) violation of California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty
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Act, California Civil Code § 1790 et seq., on behalf of Nationwide Class or, alternatively,
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Plaintiff’s well-pled factual allegations are accepted as true for purposes of the motion to
dismiss. See Reese v. BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., 643 F.3d 681, 690 (9th Cir. 2011).
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California Subclass; (9) Deceptive Acts in violation of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and
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Consumer Protection Law, 73 P.S. 201-2 et seq., on behalf of Pennsylvania Subclass; (10) Unfair
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Conduct in violation of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, 73
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P.S. 201-1 et seq., on behalf of Pennsylvania Subclass; and (11) Unjust Enrichment on behalf of
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Nationwide Class or, alternatively, California Subclass, New York Subclass, and Pennsylvania
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Subclass.
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II.
MOTION TO DISMISS
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A.
Legal Standard
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“A motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a
claim upon which relief can be granted ‘tests the legal sufficiency of a claim.’” Conservation
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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Force v. Salazar, 646 F.3d 1240, 1241-42 (9th Cir. 2011) (quoting Navarro v. Block, 250 F.3d
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729, 732 (9th Cir. 2001)). While a complaint need not contain detailed factual allegations, it
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“must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible
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on its face.’” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly,
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550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). A claim is facially plausible when it “allows the court to draw the
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reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id.
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B.
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The Court informed Plaintiffs on the record of the defects in the FAC, including the
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Discussion
following:
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Failure to Differentiate Between Defendants
Although Plaintiffs sue three separate Toyota entities, the FAC lumps all three entities
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together, alleging throughout the pleading that “Toyota” and “Defendants” made the actionable
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misrepresentations. See, e.g., FAC ¶¶ 1-3, 6, 9-14. Allegations which lump multiple defendants
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together are insufficient to put any one defendant on notice of the conduct upon which the claims
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against it are based. See Chuman v. Wright, 76 F.3d 292, 295 (9th Cir. 1996). This is particularly
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true with respect to those of Plaintiffs’ claims which are grounded in fraud, which are governed by
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Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b). See Swartz v. KPMG LLP, 476 F.3d 756, 764-765 (9th Cir.
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2007) (“Rule 9(b) does not allow a complaint to merely lump multiple defendants together but
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require[s] plaintiffs to differentiate their allegations when suing more than one defendant . . . and
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inform each defendant separately of the allegations surrounding his alleged participation in the
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fraud.” (internal quotation marks and citation omitted)).
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Plaintiffs argue that group pleading is appropriate in this case because the three defendant
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Toyota entities are intertwined, relying on In re Volkswagen Timing Chain Prod. Liab. Litig., No.
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CV 16-2765 (JLL), 2017 WL 1902160 (D.N.J. May 8, 2017). In Volkswagen, however, the court
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concluded that “[w]hile Plaintiffs do use the term ‘Defendants’ throughout the Complaint, they
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also make particularized allegations against each Defendant, including Defendant VW America,
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separately.” Volkswagen, 2017 WL 1902160, at *9. Plaintiffs have not made particularized
allegations against any of the defendant entities in this case. Plaintiffs must allege facts adequate
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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to put each defendant on notice regarding the bases of the claims against it. See In re Nexus 6P
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Prod. Liab. Litig., 293 F. Supp. 3d 888, 908 (N.D. Cal. 2018) (“Plaintiffs must identify what
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action each Defendant took that caused Plaintiffs’ harm, without resort to generalized allegations
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against Defendants as a whole.” (internal quotation marks and citation omitted)). If the relevant
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facts relate to alter ego, agency, or some other relationship giving rise to liability of one entity for
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the conduct of another, the relationship should be explained in sufficient detail to allege plausibly
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that each defendant is liable for the specified conduct.
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2.
Failure to Plead Breach of Express Warranty
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In Counts III, IV, and V, Plaintiffs plead claims for breach of express warranty under the
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laws of California, New York, and Pennsylvania. The claims are based on alleged statements in
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the Brochure referenced throughout the FAC. However, Plaintiffs neither attach a copy of the
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Brochure to their pleading nor plead its contents verbatim. Defendants provide copies of multiple
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versions of the Brochure, which the Court considers under the incorporation by reference doctrine.
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See Knievel v. ESPN, 393 F.3d 1068, 1076 (9th Cir. 2005) (incorporation by reference doctrine
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permits a court to consider documents referenced in but not physically attached to the complaint).
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Although Plaintiffs provide a copy of the referenced Brochure with their opposition, it is not clear
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from the FAC which version Plaintiffs relied on or even that Plaintiff Pei saw the Brochure before
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purchasing the vehicle. Compare FAC ¶¶ 60, 66 (alleging that Plaintiffs Zheng-Lawson and
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Ferrara reviewed the Brochure before purchase) with FAC ¶ 64 (containing no allegations that
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Plaintiff Pei reviewed the Brochure). Plaintiffs’ express warranty claims therefore are inadequate
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under the laws of all three states at issue. See Williams v. Beechnut Nutrition Corp., 185 Cal.
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App. 3d 135, 142 (1986) (Under California law, plaintiff must allege “the exact terms of the
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warranty, plaintiff’s reasonable reliance thereon, and a breach of that warranty which proximately
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causes plaintiff injury.”); DiBartolo v. Abbott Labs., 914 F. Supp. 2d 601, 626 (S.D.N.Y. 2012)
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(Under New York law, “a claim for breach of express warranty must rest on specific misleading
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statements.”); McLaughlin v. Bayer Corp., 172 F. Supp. 3d 804, 824 (E.D. Pa. 2016) (finding
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express warranty claim inadequate under Pennsylvania law where brochure was not adequately
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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identified and complaint failed to allege when each plaintiff encountered the warranty).
Defendants argue that under any version of the Brochure, Plaintiffs’ express warranty
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claims are inadequate because the Brochures contained disclaimers sufficient to negate the express
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warranty claims. The Court is not prepared to take up that issue at this stage of the proceedings,
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particularly where Plaintiffs have yet to allege with adequate specificity what brochure contained
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the express warranty and that they all reviewed the brochure prior to purchase of their vehicles.
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3.
Failure to Plead Violation of Consumer Protection Statutes
In Counts I, II, VI, VII, IX and X, Plaintiffs allege violations of the consumer protection
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laws of California, New York, and Pennsylvania. The thrust of each of these claims is that
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Defendants’ deceptive Brochure misled Plaintiffs into believing that the vehicles they purchased
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were equipped with automatic on/off headlights when in fact the vehicles did not have that feature.
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Because the claims are grounded in fraud, they are subject to the heightened pleading
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requirements of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b). See Davidson v. Kimberly-Clark Corp., No.
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15-16173, 2018 WL 2169784, at *5 (9th Cir. May 9, 2018). As discussed above, Plaintiffs have
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not identified in their pleading which Brochure contained the deceptive statements. At the bare
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minimum, Plaintiffs must allege precisely which statements are at issue and why those statements
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are misleading. See id. (“To properly plead fraud with particularity under Rule 9(b), a pleading
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must identify the who, what, when, where, and how of the misconduct charged, as well as what is
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false or misleading about the purportedly fraudulent statement, and why it is false.” (internal
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quotation marks and citation omitted)).
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Failure to Plead Violation of Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act
Plaintiffs concede Defendants’ motion with respect to Count VIII for violation of
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California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. Plaintiffs’ request for leave to replace Count
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III with a new claim under California’s Secret Warranty Law was granted on the record.
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Unjust Enrichment
Count XI asserts a claim for unjust enrichment. Defendants argue that to the extent the
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claim is asserted under California law, it fails because California does not recognize a standalone
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cause of action for unjust enrichment. This Court has held that a claim for unjust enrichment may
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be asserted under California law. See Romero v. Flowers Bakeries, LLC, No. 14-CV-05189-BLF,
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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2015 WL 2125004, at *9 (N.D. Cal. May 6, 2015). However, Plaintiffs do not allege that Count
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XI is asserted under California law or under any particular state’s law. The claim is subject to
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dismissal on that basis.
The Court declines to take up Defendants’ argument that Plaintiffs have not adequately
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alleged that they received a benefit unless and until Plaintiffs make clear which state’s law on
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unjust enrichment is to be applied.
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III.
MOTION TO STRIKE
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A.
Legal Standard
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Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(f) permits a court to “strike from a pleading an
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insufficient defense or any redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter.” The
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function of a motion made under this rule is “to avoid the expenditure of time and money that
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must arise from litigating spurious issues by dispensing with those issues prior to trial.”
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Whittlestone, Inc. v. Handi–Craft Co., 618 F.3d 970, 973 (9th Cir. 2010) (quotation marks and
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citation omitted). “While a Rule 12(f) motion provides the means to excise improper materials
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from pleadings, such motions are generally disfavored because the motions may be used as
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delaying tactics and because of the strong policy favoring resolution on the merits.” Barnes v. AT
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& T Pension Ben. Plan-Nonbargained Program, 718 F. Supp. 2d 1167, 1170 (N.D. Cal. 2010).
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B.
Discussion
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Defendants ask the Court to strike Plaintiffs’ claims as to non-purchased and non-leased
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vehicles for lack of standing and to strike Plaintiffs’ nationwide class action allegations.
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Defendants raise significant issues regarding Plaintiffs’ standing, and their ability to maintain a
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nationwide class, which ultimately may preclude class certification. However, the Court
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concludes that it would be premature to address those issues at this early stage of the proceedings.
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It is the Court’s experience that class claims frequently are narrowed by the time a case reaches
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the class certification stage. The Court’s ruling is without prejudice to reassertion of Defendants’
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arguments if and when this case reaches class certification.
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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IV.
ORDER
(1)
The motion to dismiss is GRANTED, with leave to amend as to all claims except
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Count VIII and with leave to add a new claim under California’s Secret Warranty
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Law;
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(2)
The motion to strike is DENIED; and
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(3)
Any amended pleading shall be filed on or before June 20, 2018 (30 days from date
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of this order).
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Dated: May 21, 2018
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BETH LABSON FREEMAN
United States District Judge
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