Plaintiff's Motion for Final Approval of Class Action Settlement

379 Pages·2017·6.11 MB·English

CASE 0:15-cv-02184-SRN-BRT Document 279 Filed 02/26/18 Page 1 of 3
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA

TRACEE A. BEECROFT, on behalf of
herself and all others similarly situated,

Plaintiff, Case No. 0:15-cv-02184-SRN-BRT

v.

ALTISOURCE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
PVT. LTD.,

Defendant.

PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR
FINAL APPROVAL OF CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT

The parties to this action have reached a proposed class action settlement requiring
Defendant to establish a $1.8 million, non-reversionary common fund for the benefit of
the Settlement Class. On October 19, 2017, this Court preliminarily approved the
Settlement and conditionally certified the Settlement Class, after which notice was
distributed in accordance with the Court’s order. Dkt. No. 273.
With the expansive notice program now complete, Plaintiff respectfully requests
that the Court grant final approval to the Settlement by: (1) approving the proposed
Settlement as fair, adequate, and reasonable for the certified Settlement Class; (2)
determining that adequate notice was provided to the Settlement Class; (3) granting the
requested attorneys’ fees, costs, and incentive award; and (4) entering the proposed Final
Approval Order and Judgment attached hereto.
CASE 0:15-cv-02184-SRN-BRT Document 279 Filed 02/26/18 Page 2 of 3
In support of this Motion, Plaintiff relies upon the accompanying memorandum of
law, declarations of counsel and the Claims Administrator, and all the files, records, and
proceedings herein.

Respectfully submitted,

TRACEE A. BEECROFT

Dated: February 26, 2018 By: /s/ Mark L. Heaney
Mark L. Heaney (No. 0333219)
HEANEY LAW FIRM, LLC
601 Carlson Parkway, Suite 1050
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Telephone: [phone]
Facsimile: [phone]
[email protected]

Alexander H. Burke (pro hac vice)
BURKE LAW OFFICES, LLC
155 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 9020
Chicago, IL 60601
Telephone: [phone]
Facsimile: [phone]
[email protected]

Counsel for Plaintiff

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CASE 0:15-cv-02184-SRN-BRT Document 279 Filed 02/26/18 Page 3 of 3
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on February 26, 2018, I electronically filed the foregoing with
the Clerk of the Court using the CM/ECF system which will send notification of such
filing to Defendant’s following counsel of record:
Erin L. Hoffman
Larry E. LaTarte
FAEGRE BAKER DANIELS LLP
90 S. Seventh St., Suite 2200
Minneapolis, MN 55402
[email protected]
[email protected]

Counsel for Defendant

/s/ Mark L. Heaney

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CASE 0:15-cv-02184-SRN-BRT Document 280 Filed 02/26/18 Page 1 of 2
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA

TRACEE A. BEECROFT, on behalf of
herself and all others similarly situated,

Plaintiff,

Case No.: 15-cv-02184 (SRN/BRT)
v.

Atlisource Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd.,

Defendant.

NOTICE OF HEARING

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of
Civil Procedure and the Court’s Order [Doc. 273], on March 12, 2018, at 9:30 a.m., at
the Final Approval Hearing, before the Honorable Susan Richard Nelson, in Courtroom
7B of the Warren E. Burger Federal Building & United States Courthouse, located at 316
North Robert Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota, the Plaintiff, by and through counsel, will
move the Court for an Order granting Plaintiff’s Motion for Final Approval of Class
Action Settlement.
HEANEY LAW FIRM, LLC

Date: February 26, 2018 s/ Mark L. Heaney
Mark L. Heaney
(MN #333219, AZ #022492)
601 Carlson Parkway, Suite 1050
Minnetonka, MN 55305-1773
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[email protected]

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CASE 0:15-cv-02184-SRN-BRT Document 280 Filed 02/26/18 Page 2 of 2
Alexander
 H.
 Burke

BURKE LAW OFFICES, LLC
155
 N.
 Michigan
 Ave.,
 Suite
 9020

Chicago,
 IL
 60601

(312)
 729-­‐5288

(312)
 729-­‐5289
 (fax)

[email protected]

(Admission Pro Hac Vice pending)

Attorneys for Plaintiff Ameer A. Hashw
and the proposed class.

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CASE 0:15-cv-02184-SRN-BRT Document 281 Filed 02/26/18 Page 1 of 22
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA

TRACEE A. BEECROFT, on behalf of
herself and all others similarly situated,

Plaintiff, Case No. 0:15-cv-02184-SRN-BRT

v.

ALTISOURCE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
PVT. LTD.,

Defendant.

MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR
FINAL APPROVAL OF CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT
CASE 0:15-cv-02184-SRN-BRT Document 281 Filed 02/26/18 Page 2 of 22
TABLE OF CONTENT

Page

I. FINAL APPROVAL SHOULD BE GRANTED. .................................................... 1

A. The Settlement Is the Result of Informed, Arm’s Length Negotiations. ...... 2

B. Class Members Received the Best Notice Practicable. ................................. 4

C. The Settlement Satisfies the Criteria for Final Approval. ............................. 7

1. The Strength of Plaintiff’s Case Compared to the Amount of the
Settlement ........................................................................................... 8

2. The Complexity and Expense of Further Litigation ........................ 12

3. Lack of Opposition to the Settlement ............................................... 14

4. The Extent of Discovery Completed and the Stage of the
Proceedings ...................................................................................... 14

5. The Opinion of Counsel ................................................................... 16

II. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 16
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CASE 0:15-cv-02184-SRN-BRT Document 281 Filed 02/26/18 Page 3 of 22
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Page(s)
Cases
Adams v. AllianceOne Receivables Mgmt., Inc.,
No. 08-00248, Dkt. 109 (S.D. Cal. 2008) .................................................................... 6, 9
Aliano v. Joe Caputo & Sons-Algonquin, Inc.,
No. 09-910, 2011 WL 1706061 (N.D. Ill. May 5, 2011) .............................................. 12
Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor,
521 U.S. 591 (1997) ....................................................................................................... 10
Boland v. Baue Funeral Home Co.,
No. 15-469, 2015 WL 7300507 (E.D. Mo. Nov. 18, 2015) ............................................ 2
Cohn v. Nelson,
375 F. Supp. 2d 844 (E.D. Mo. 2005) ........................................................................... 12
EEOC v. McDonnell Douglas Corp.,
894 F. Supp. 1329 (E.D. Mo. 1995) .............................................................................. 16
Ferrington v. McAfee, Inc.,
No. 10-01455, 2012 WL 1156399 (N.D. Cal. Apr. 6, 2012) ........................................... 1
Forcellati v. Hyland’s, Inc.,
No. 12-1983, 2014 WL 1410264 (C.D. Cal. Apr. 9, 2014) ............................................. 1
Fraley v. Facebook, Inc.,
966 F. Supp. 2d 939 (N.D. Cal. 2013) ............................................................................. 6
Grant v. Capital Mgmt. Servs., L.P.,
449 F. App’x 598 (9th Cir. 2011) .................................................................................... 9
Grunin v. Int’l House of Pancakes,
513 F.2d 114 (8th Cir. 1975) ........................................................................................... 7
Hashw v. Dep’t Stores Nat’l Bank,
182 F. Supp. 3d 935 (D. Minn. 2016) .............................................................................. 9
In re BankAmerica Corp. Sec. Litig.,
210 F.R.D. 694 (E.D. Mo. 2002) ......................................................................... 2, 14, 16
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CASE 0:15-cv-02184-SRN-BRT Document 281 Filed 02/26/18 Page 4 of 22
In re Capital One TCPA Litig.,
No. 11-5886, 2015 WL 605203 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 12, 2015) ............................................... 9
In re Gen. Motors Corp. Pick-Up Truck Fuel Tank Prod. Liab. Litig.,
55 F.3d 768 (3d Cir. 1995) ............................................................................................ 12
In re Uponor, Inc., F1807 Plumbing Fittings Products Liab. Litig.,
716 F.3d 1057 (8th Cir. 2013) ......................................................................................... 2
In re Wireless Tel. Fed. Cost Recovery Fees Litig.,
396 F.3d 922 (8th Cir. 2005) ....................................................................................... 7, 8
In re Wireless Tel. Fed. Cost Recovery Fees Litig.,
No. 03-015, 2004 WL 3671053 (W.D. Mo. Apr. 20, 2004) .................................... 12, 14
In re Zurn Pex Plumbing Products Liab. Litig.,
No. 08-1958, 2013 WL 716088 (D. Minn. Feb. 27, 2013) ............................................ 15
Isby v. Bayh,
75 F.3d 1191 (7th Cir. 1996) ........................................................................................... 7
Little Rock Sch. Dist. v. Pulaski Cnty. Special Sch. Dist. No. 1,
921 F.2d 1371 (8th Cir. 1990) ......................................................................................... 2
O’Connor v. Diversified Consultants, Inc.,
No. 11-1722, 2013 WL 2319342 (E.D. Mo. May 28, 2013) ......................................... 10
Perez v. Asurion Corp.,
501 F. Supp. 2d 1360 (S.D. Fla. 2007) ............................................................................ 6
Petrovic v. Amoco Oil Co.,
200 F.3d 1140 (8th Cir. 1999) ......................................................................... 7, 8, 12, 14
Reynolds v. Nat’l Football League,
584 F.2d 280 (8th Cir. 1978) ......................................................................................... 14
Schulte v. Fifth Third Bank,
805 F. Supp. 2d 560 (N.D. Ill. 2011) ............................................................................. 11
Scott v. Westlake Servs., LLC,
740 F.3d 1124 (7th Cir. 2014) ......................................................................................... 9
Spencer v. Comserv Corp.,
No. 84-794, 1986 WL 15155 (D. Minn. Dec. 30, 1986) ................................................. 7
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CASE 0:15-cv-02184-SRN-BRT Document 281 Filed 02/26/18 Page 5 of 22
Van Horn v. Trickey,
840 F.2d 604 (8th Cir. 1988) ......................................................................................... 14
Walker v. Calusa Investments, LLC,
244 F.R.D. 502 (S.D. Ind. 2007) ................................................................................... 11
Watkins v. Simmons & Clark, Inc.,
618 F.2d 398 (6th Cir. 1980) ......................................................................................... 11
White v. Nat’l Football League,
822 F. Supp. 1389 (D. Minn. 1993) ........................................................................... 7, 16
Statutes
47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(1)(A)(iii) .............................................................................................. 9
Other Authorities
Federal Judicial Center, Judges’ Class Notice and Claims Process Checklist and Plain
Language Guide (2010) ................................................................................................... 5
H. Newberg & A. Conte, Newberg on Class Actions (4th ed. 2002) .................................. 2
In re Rules & Regs. Implementing the TCPA,
23 FCC Rcd. 559 (2008) .................................................................................................. 9
In re Rules & Regs. Implementing the TCPA,
30 FCC Rcd. 7961 (2015) .............................................................................................. 11
Manual for Complex Litig., Fourth (2010) ......................................................................... 2
Manual for Complex Litig., Third (1997) ......................................................................... 14
Rules
Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(e)(2) ....................................................................................................... 2

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