Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_05-cv-01206/USCOURTS-cand-5_05-cv-01206-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 890
Nature of Suit: Other Statutory Actions
Cause of Action: 15:1692 Fair Debt Collection Act

---

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR COSTS OF SERVICE AND ATTORNEY'S FEES—C-05-01206 RMW

MAG

E-FILED on 8/25/05

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SAN JOSE DIVISION

JUDY DAVILLA,

Plaintiff,

v.

THINLINE COLLECTIONS, LLC; KENNETH

W. BURTON; and BURTON LAW OFFICE

Defendants.

No. C-05-01206 RMW

ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR COSTS

OF SERVICE AND ATTORNEY'S FEES

[Re Docket No. 14]

Plaintiff Judy Davilla moves for the costs of service of process on defendants Thinline Collections,

Kenneth Burton, and Burton Law Office, and the costs of filing this motion to recover costs, including

attorney's fees, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(d)(2) and (5). Defendants have filed no

opposition. The court considers this matter appropriate for decision on the papers and vacates the hearing

presently scheduled for September 2, 2005. For the following reasons, the court grants plaintiff's motion.

I. BACKGROUND

On March 24, 2005, plaintiff filed a complaint against defendants, alleging that defendants violated

the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq., by attempting to collect and

collecting amounts not authorized by contract or by law, and sending false, deceptive, or misleading letters

containing false threats of suit in an attempt to collect a debt.

Case 5:05-cv-01206-RMW Document 21 Filed 08/25/05 Page 1 of 4
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

1 Plaintiff does not submit documentation to support assertions regarding the oral and written

exchanges between counsel. However, because the assertions are uncontested and generally supported by

the accompanying declaration of plaintiff's counsel, the court credits the account.

ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR COSTS OF SERVICE AND ATTORNEY'S FEES—C-05-01206 RMW

MAG 2

On March 31, 2005, plaintiff sent a notice of request of waiver of summons, two copies of a

waiver of service of summons, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and a copy of the complaint to

defendants. On April 6, counsel for defendants, Kenneth Burton (also personally named as a defendant in

plaintiff's complaint), contacted plaintiff's counsel, Ronald Wilcox, to discuss the merits of the complaint. 

On April 13, plaintiff's counsel faxed a letter to defendants regarding the failure to return the waiver of

summons. On May 30, Mr. Burton stated that defendants would not waive service. Plaintiff then

employed a private process server, who personally served Burton and the Burton Law Office on June 8,

2005.1

Plaintiff now moves for attorneys' fees in the amount of $900.00 and private service costs totaling

$170.28 incurred as a result of defendants' failure to return the waiver of service of process. 

II. ANALYSIS

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(d) permits a plaintiff to avoid the costs of personal service by

providing a defendant with written notice, through first-class mail or other reliable means, of the

commencement of an action and with a request that defendant waive service of summons. Once notified, a

defendant "has a duty to avoid unnecessary costs of serving the summons." Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(d)(2). The

plaintiff "shall allow the defendant a reasonable time to return the waiver, which shall be at least 30 days

from the date on which the request is sent." Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(d)(2)(F). If the defendant does not comply

with the request, "the court shall impose costs subsequently incurred in effecting service on the defendant

unless good cause for the failure be shown." Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(d)(2)(G). Rule 4(d)(5) provides that the

costs to be imposed on a defendant under paragraph (2) for failure to comply with a request to waive

service of a summons shall include the costs subsequently incurred in effecting service under subdivision (e),

(f), or (h) together with the costs including a reasonable attorney's fee, of any motion required to collect the

costs of service. Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(d)(5).

The record clearly shows that defendants failed to comply with the provisions set forth in the rule. 

In addition, plaintiff has met and conferred with counsel for defendants, followed the appropriate

procedures, and set forth the costs incurred as a result of defendants' lack of compliance. Counsel for

Case 5:05-cv-01206-RMW Document 21 Filed 08/25/05 Page 2 of 4
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR COSTS OF SERVICE AND ATTORNEY'S FEES—C-05-01206 RMW

MAG 3

plaintiff, Ronald Wilcox, attests that he spent 3 hours in preparing the motion for reimbursement of costs,

which, at his hourly rate of $300.00, totals $900.00. See Declaration of Ronald Wilcox ("Wilcox Decl.") ¶

9. Wilcox also attests that the costs of for private process service was $170.28. Id. ¶ 11.

Because defendants failed to comply with plaintiff's request for waiver of service of summons, and

because they have not shown good cause for the failure, the court finds that plaintiff is entitled to

reimbursement of costs and an award of reasonable attorney's fees in preparing this motion. See, e.g.,

Kennemer v. Jefferson Autoplex, L.L.C., 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10623 at 5-6 (D. La. 2004) (awarding

costs and attorneys' fees to plaintiff pursuant to Rule 4(d)(2) and (5) for defendant's failure to return waiver

of service of summons); Graves v. Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostalic Faith, Inc., 2003

U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25495, 2003 WL 21659168 at 1 (E.D. Pa. 2003) (same); Ferguson v. Interpublic

Group., Inc., 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3992 at 1-2 (S.D.N.Y. 1998) (same). 

III. ORDER

For the foregoing reasons, the court GRANTS plaintiff's motion. The Court awards costs in the

amount of $170.28 and attorney's fees in the amount of $900.00. 

DATED: 8/25/05 /s/ Ronald M. Whyte

RONALD M. WHYTE

United States District Judge

Case 5:05-cv-01206-RMW Document 21 Filed 08/25/05 Page 3 of 4
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR COSTS OF SERVICE AND ATTORNEY'S FEES—C-05-01206 RMW

MAG 4

Notice of this document has been electronically sent to:

Counsel for Plaintiff(s):

Ronald Wilcox ronaldwilcox@post.harvard.edu 

Counsel for Defendant(s):

Kenneth W. Burton 

2668 Grant Ave. 

Suite 105 

Ogden, UT 84401

Counsel are responsible for distributing copies of this document to co-counsel that have not registered for

e-filing under the court's CM/ECF program.

Dated: 8/25/05 /s/ MAG

Chambers of Judge Whyte

Case 5:05-cv-01206-RMW Document 21 Filed 08/25/05 Page 4 of 4