Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_11-cv-02105/USCOURTS-azd-2_11-cv-02105-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 480
Nature of Suit: Consumer Credit
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition for Removal - Fair Credit Reporting Act

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WO 

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 

Stanley Fishman, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

Trans Union Inc., 

Defendant. 

No. CV 11-2105-PHX-JAT

ORDER 

 Pending before the Court is Defendant Trans Union LLC’s Motion to Dismiss 

(Doc. 4). The Court now rules on the Motion. 

I. BACKGROUND 

On September 30, 2011, Plaintiff pro se filed a Complaint in Maricopa County 

Superior Court against Trans Union Inc. On October 26, 2011, Defendant removed the 

case to this Court based on diversity jurisdiction. Thereafter, Defendant filed a Motion to 

Dismiss Plaintiff’s Complaint (Doc. 4). Plaintiff did not file a Response. 

II. LEGAL STANDARD 

To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion for failure to state a claim, a complaint must 

meet the requirements of Rule 8. Rule 8(a)(2) requires a Ashort and plain statement of the 

claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief,@ so that the defendant has Afair notice 

of what the . . . claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.@ Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 

550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007) (quoting Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 47 (1957)). 

Although a complaint attacked for failure to state a claim does not need detailed 

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factual allegations, the pleader=s obligation to provide the grounds for relief requires 

Amore than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause 

of action will not do.@ Id. (citing Papasan v. Allain, 478 U.S. 265, 286 (1986)). The 

factual allegations of the complaint must be sufficient to raise a right to relief above a 

speculative level. Id. 

Rule 8=s pleading standard demands more than Aan unadorned, the-defendantunlawfully-harmed-me accusation.@ Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing 

Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555). A complaint that offers nothing more than blanket assertions 

will not suffice. To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient 

factual matter, which, if accepted as true, states a claim to relief that is Aplausible on its 

face.@ Id. Facial plausibility exists if the pleader pleads factual content that allows the 

court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct 

alleged. Id. Plausibility does not equal Aprobability,@ but plausibility requires more than 

a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully. Id. AWhere a complaint pleads 

facts that are >merely consistent= with a defendant=s liability, it >stops short of the line 

between possibility and plausibility of entitlement to relief.=@ Id. (quoting Twombly, 550 

U.S. at 557). Because Plaintiff is proceeding pro se, the Court must construe his 

Complaint liberally, even when evaluating it under the Iqbal standard. Johnson v. Lucent 

Technologies Inc., 653 F.3d 1000, 1011 (9th Cir. 2011). 

In deciding a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), the Court must construe the 

facts alleged in a complaint in the light most favorable to the drafter of the complaint, and 

the Court must accept all well-pleaded factual allegations as true. Shwarz v. United 

States, 234 F.3d 428, 435 (9th Cir. 2000). Nonetheless, the Court does not have to accept 

as true a legal conclusion couched as a factual allegation, Papasan, 478 U.S. at 286, or an 

allegation that contradicts facts that may be judicially noticed by the Court, Shwarz, 234 

F.3d at 435. 

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III. ANALYSIS

Defendant moves to dismiss Plaintiff’s Complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of 

Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) because the Complaint fails to state facts sufficient to support a 

claim for relief. The sole facts alleged in Plaintiff’s Complaint are as follows: 

Due to the way [Defendant] does [its] practice I have sent [a] 

letter asking them to remove all these claims. I have asked 

them for proof. My signature showing that I punched all these items they claim I owed money on but they have refuse[d] to do anything but harm my credit with all the compan[ies] I have applied [for] credit with. 

(Doc. 1-1). 

Defendant construes this as alleging a Fair Credit Reporting Act claim and asserts 

that Plaintiff must allege the specific inaccurate information that was included on his 

credit report. The Court agrees. To raise his right to relief above the speculative level, 

Plaintiff must allege facts that would provide Defendants with the grounds for his claims. 

For instance, if Plaintiff were attempting to assert a claim under the Fair Credit Reporting 

Act, Plaintiff should include facts in his complaint, such as the inaccurate information on 

his credit report, when Plaintiff discovered the inaccurate information was being 

reported, specific details about his attempts to have such information removed from his 

credit report, and specific details about the companies to which he applied for credit and 

was denied. Essentially, Plaintiff must set forth the factual “grounds” on which his 

claims rest. Because Plaintiff has failed to do so, the Court must grant Defendant’s 

Motion to Dismiss. Further, because Plaintiff has failed to respond to Defendant’s 

Motion to Dismiss, such non-response “may be deemed a consent to the denial or 

granting of the motion and the Court may dispose of the motion summarily.” LRCiv 

7.2(i). 

IV. LEAVE TO AMEND 

 Plaintiff has not requested leave to amend. However, the Ninth Circuit has 

instructed district courts to grant leave to amend when dismissing a case for failure to 

state a claim, “unless the court determines that the pleading could not possibly be cured 

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by the allegations of other facts.” Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1127 (9th Cir. 2000) 

(quoting Doe v. United States, 58 F.3d 494, 497 (9th Cir.1995)). Because the Court 

cannot find that Plaintiff’s Complaint could not be cured by allegations of other facts, the 

Court will give Plaintiff an opportunity to amend his Complaint. 

V. CONCLUSION 

Based on the foregoing, 

IT IS ORDERED that Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 4) is granted. 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Plaintiff shall file an amended Complaint 

within 21 days of the date of this Order. If Plaintiff does not file an amended Complaint, 

the Clerk of the Court shall dismiss this case with prejudice, without further notice, and 

enter judgment accordingly. 

 Dated this 20th day of June, 2012. 

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