Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_13-cv-02132/USCOURTS-cand-4_13-cv-02132-4/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 890
Nature of Suit: Other Statutory Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Fed. Question

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[PROPOSED] ORDER 4:13-CV-02132-YGR

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

WILLIAM HOPWOOD, et al., individually and 

on behalf of a class of similarly situated 

individuals, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC., a 

Delaware corporation, and INFINITY 

CONTACT, INC., an Iowa corporation, 

 Defendants. 

Case No. 4:13-cv-02132-YGR 

[PROPOSED] ORDER GRANTING 

PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS 

ACTION SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT, 

CERTIFYING SETTLEMENT CLASS 

FOR SETTLEMENT PURPOSES ONLY, 

AND APPROVING NOTICE PLAN 

*AS MODIFIED BY THE COURT* 

Judge: Hon. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers 

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[PROPOSED] ORDER 4:13-CV-02132-YGR

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 WHEREAS, a class action is pending before the Court entitled Hopwood, et al. v. Nuance 

Communications, Inc. and Infinity Contact, Inc., Case No. 4:13-cv-02132 (the “Action”); and 

 WHEREAS, Plaintiff William Hopwood (“Plaintiff”), Defendant Nuance Communications, 

Inc. (“Nuance”), and Defendant Infinity Contact, Inc. (“Infinity”) (Nuance and Infinity are together 

“Defendants” and collectively with Plaintiff the “Parties”) have determined to settle all claims 

asserted against Defendants in the Second Amended Complaint in the Action with prejudice on the 

terms and conditions set forth in the Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement (Dkt. No. 101-1 (the 

“Agreement”)) and fully, finally, and forever resolve, discharge, and settle the Released Claims 

against the Released Parties upon the terms and conditions set forth therein, subject to the approval 

of this Court (the “Settlement”); 

WHEREAS, Plaintiff made an application pursuant to Rule 23(e) of the Federal Rules of 

Civil Procedure for an order preliminarily approving the Settlement of the Action, in accordance 

with the Agreement, certifying the Settlement Class for purposes of settlement only, and allowing 

notice to Settlement Class Members as more fully described herein; 

WHEREAS, Plaintiff Teresa Martinez voluntarily dismissed all claims she had asserted in 

the Action and Plaintiff Hopwood has filed a Second Amended Complaint through which he named 

himself as the sole Plaintiff on behalf of a class of only individuals who received calls on their 

cellular telephones and amended the remaining allegations to relate only to calls made to cellular 

telephones; 

 This matter coming before the Court upon the agreement of the Parties, good cause being 

shown, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, DECREED, and ADJUDGED as follows: 

1. Terms and phrases in this Order shall have the same meaning as ascribed to them in 

the Agreement unless otherwise defined herein. 

2. The Parties have moved the Court for an order approving the settlement of the 

Action in accordance with the Agreement, which, together with the documents attached hereto, sets 

forth the terms and conditions for a proposed settlement and dismissal of the Action with prejudice 

against Defendants, and the Court having read and considered the Agreement and having heard the 

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[PROPOSED] ORDER 4:13-CV-02132-YGR

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Parties, hereby preliminarily approves the Agreement in its entirety subject to the Final Approval 

Hearing referred to in Paragraph 17 of this Order. 

3. This Court finds that it has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this Action and 

over all Parties to the Action, including the Settlement Class. 

4. The Court finds that, subject to the Final Approval Hearing, the Agreement is fair, 

reasonable, adequate, and in the best interests of the Settlement Class as to their claims against 

Defendants. The Court further finds that the Agreement substantially fulfills the purposes and 

objectives of the class action, and provides beneficial relief to the Settlement Class. The Court also 

finds that the Agreement (a) is the result of arm’s length negotiations involving experienced counsel 

with the assistance of the Honorable James Larson (ret.) and the Honorable Jacqueline Scott Corley; 

(b) is sufficient to warrant notice of the Settlement and the Final Approval Hearing to the 

Settlement Class; (c) meets all applicable requirements of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 for 

settlement purposes only, including that the Settlement Class is sufficiently numerous, that there are 

questions of law and fact common to members of the Settlement Class that predominate, that the 

claims of Mr. Hopwood are typical of the claims of the Settlement Class, that Mr. Hopwood and his 

counsel adequately represent the interests of the Settlement Class, and a settlement class action is a 

superior method of adjudicating this Action; (d) meets all other applicable requirements of law, 

including the Class Action Fairness Act (“CAFA”), 28 U.S.C. § 1715; and (e) is not a finding or 

admission of liability by Defendants. 

5. For purposes of settlement only, the Court certifies the following class as defined in 

the Agreement: 

All individuals who received a call on a United States wireless telephone number from 

Infinity for the purpose of offering one or more Nuance products between May 8, 2009 and 

the date of this order. 

Excluded from the Settlement Class are Defendants, their officers and directors during the 

Settlement Class Period, the members of their immediate families, and their respective 

representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns. Also excluded from the Settlement Class are those 

persons who otherwise satisfy the above requirements for membership in the Settlement Class, but 

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[PROPOSED] ORDER 4:13-CV-02132-YGR

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who timely and validly request exclusion from the Settlement Class pursuant to the notice 

documents attached hereto. 

6. For purposes of settlement only: (a) Jay Edelson, Rafey S. Balabanian, and 

Benjamin H. Richman of Edelson PC are appointed Class Counsel for the Settlement Class; and (b) 

Plaintiff William Hopwood is named Class Representative. For purposes of settlement, the Court 

finds that these attorneys are competent and capable of exercising the responsibilities of Class 

Counsel and that Plaintiff Hopwood will adequately protect the interests of the Settlement Class. 

7. Should the Agreement not receive the Court’s final approval, should final approval 

be reversed on appeal, or should the Agreement otherwise fail to become effective, the Court’s 

grant of class certification shall be vacated, and the Class Representative and the Settlement Class 

would once again bear the burden of establishing the propriety of class certification. In such case, 

neither the certification of the Settlement Class for settlement purposes, nor any other act relating to 

the negotiation or execution of the Agreement shall be considered as a factor in connection with any 

class certification issue(s). 

8. Pursuant to the Agreement, The Garden City Group is hereby appointed as 

Settlement Administrator and shall be required to perform all the duties of the Settlement 

Administrator as set forth in the Agreement and this Order. 

9. The Court approves, as to form, method, and content, the Notice, Summary Notice, 

Long Claim Form and Short Claim Form to be provided to the Settlement Class as set forth 

substantially in the form attached to the Agreement and more specifically as attached hereto as 

Attachments 1-4. The Court finds that such notice complies with the requirements of Fed. R. Civ. P. 

23 and Due Process, and constitutes the best notice practicable under the circumstances. The Court 

further finds that the notice is reasonably calculated to, under all circumstances, apprise Settlement 

Class Members of the pendency of this Action, the certification of the Settlement Class for purposes 

of the Settlement, the terms of the Agreement, and the right of members to object to the Settlement 

or to exclude themselves from the Settlement Class. The Parties, by agreement, may revise the 

notice in ways that are not material, or in ways that are appropriate to update those documents for 

purposes of accuracy or formatting. 

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[PROPOSED] ORDER 4:13-CV-02132-YGR

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10. Pursuant to paragraph 4 of the Agreement, the notice shall be provided as follows: 

The Settlement Administrator shall within fourteen (14) days following the entry of this Order post 

notice of the Settlement on the settlement website at www.SoftwareCallSettlement.com. Within 

twenty-eight (28) days following the entry of this Order, the Settlement Administrator shall provide 

direct notice to Settlement Class Members as set forth in the Agreement. This direct notice shall be 

supplemented by online media to the extent necessary as set forth in the Agreement. If they have 

not done so already, Defendants will comply with the requirements of 28 U.S.C. § 1715 by serving 

notice of the proposed Settlement upon the appropriate government officials within ten (10) days 

after the Agreement was filed with the Court. 

11. Settlement Class Members who wish to receive a payment under the Agreement 

must complete and submit a valid Long Claim Form or Short Claim Form. All claim forms must be 

postmarked or received by the Settlement Administrator no later than forty (40) days after the 

Notice Date. 

12. Settlement Class Members who wish to exclude themselves from the Settlement 

Class may submit a request for exclusion by sending a written request to the Settlement 

Administrator postmarked on or before August 3, 2015, which will be specified in the Notice and 

Summary Notice. A request for exclusion must be signed by the Settlement Class Member, and 

must include the Settlement Class Member’s name, address, and the cellular telephone number that 

allegedly received a call by Infinity on behalf of Nuance during the Settlement Class Period, and 

must clearly state that the person wishes to be excluded from the Action and the Agreement. A 

request for exclusion that does not include all of this information, or that is sent to an address other 

than that designated in the notice, or that is not postmarked within the time specified, shall be 

invalid. 

13. Any Settlement Class Member who submits a valid and timely request for exclusion 

(i) shall not be bound by the terms of the Agreement or by the Final Judgment and Order of 

Dismissal with Prejudice (“Final Judgment”); (ii) shall be deemed to have waived any rights or 

benefits under the Agreement; and (iii) may not file an objection to the Settlement. However, any 

Settlement Class Member who fails to submit a valid and timely request for exclusion shall be 

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bound by all terms of the Agreement, the Court’s Order granting class certification for settlement 

purposes, and the Final Judgment, regardless of whether he or she has requested exclusion from the 

Settlement Class. 

14. Any Settlement Class Member who has not timely filed a request for exclusion may 

object to the fairness, reasonableness, or adequacy of the Agreement, to the Final Judgment being 

entered as to Defendants in accordance with the terms of the Agreement, to the attorneys’ fees and 

expense reimbursement sought by Class Counsel, or to the award sought by the Class 

Representative as set forth in the Notice and Agreement. At least fourteen (14) days prior to 

August 3, 2015, papers supporting the Fee Award shall be filed with the Court and posted to the 

settlement website. Settlement Class Members may object on their own, or may do so through 

separate counsel at their own expense. 

15. To object, a Settlement Class Member must sign and submit a written objection no 

later than August 3, 2015. To be valid, the objection must include: (1) the objector’s name and 

address; (2) the cellular phone number that allegedly received any call promoting a Nuance product 

during the Settlement Class Period; (3) all grounds for the objection, including if applicable all 

citations to legal authority and evidence supporting the objection; (4) the name and contact 

information of any and all attorneys representing, advising, or in any way assisting the objector in 

connection with the preparation or submission of the objection or who may profit from the pursuit 

of the objection; and (5) a statement indicating whether the objector intends to appear at the Final 

Approval Hearing (either personally or through counsel who files an appearance with the Court in 

accordance with the Local Rules of this District). 

16. All objections and any papers submitted in support of said objection, shall be 

considered by the Court at the Final Approval Hearing only if, on or before August 3, 2015, the 

person making an objection submits copies of such papers to the Court either by mailing them to the 

Class Action Clerk, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Ronald V. 

Dellums Federal Building, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, California, 94612, or files them in person at 

any location of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, except that 

any objection made by a Settlement Class Member represented by counsel must be filed through the 

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[PROPOSED] ORDER 4:13-CV-02132-YGR

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Court’s CM/ECF system. Settlement Class Members who fail to file and serve timely written 

objections in the manner specified above shall be deemed to have waived any objections and shall 

be foreclosed from making any objection (whether by appeal or otherwise) to the Agreement at the 

Final Approval Hearing, or from seeking review of this Agreement by appeal or other means and 

shall be deemed to have waived his, her or its objections and be forever barred from making any 

such objections in the Action or any other action or proceeding. By filing an objection, objectors 

and their counsel submit to the jurisdiction of the Court for all purposes, including but not limited to 

subpoenas and discovery. 

17. The Fairness Hearing shall be held before this Court on September 8, 2015 at 

2 p.m. in Courtroom 1 on the 4th Floor of the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building, 1301 Clay 

Street, Oakland, California to consider: (a) whether the proposed Settlement of the Action on the 

terms and conditions provided for in the Agreement is fair, reasonable and adequate and should be 

given final approval by the Court; (b) whether the Final Judgment should be entered; (c) whether to 

award payment of attorneys’ fees and expenses to Class Counsel; and (d) whether to award payment 

of an incentive award to the Class Representative. 

18. Papers in support of final approval of the Agreement shall be filed with the Court on 

or before August 25, 2015. The parties shall file a joint supplement of no more than five pages by 

September 4, 2015 if the relevant circumstances change after the August 25 filing in light of the 

contemplated 30-day extensions for submission of cell phone bills in connection with the Long 

Claim Forms. 

19. In order to protect its jurisdiction to consider the fairness of this Agreement and to 

enter a Final Judgment and Order of Dismissal with Prejudice having binding effect on all 

Settlement Class Members, the Court hereby enjoins all Settlement Class Members, and anyone 

who acts or purports to act on their behalf, from pursuing all other proceedings in any state or 

federal court that seeks to address any Released Party’s or Settlement Class Member’s rights or 

claims relating to, or arising out of, any of the Released Claims. 

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[PROPOSED] ORDER 4:13-CV-02132-YGR

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20. Settlement Class Members who do not properly exclude themselves from this 

settlement shall be bound by all determinations and judgments in the Action concerning the Action 

and/or Agreement, whether favorable or unfavorable. 

21. In the event that the Agreement is terminated pursuant to the provisions of the 

Agreement, then (i) the Agreement shall be null and void, and shall have no further force and effect 

with respect to any Party in this Action, and shall not be used in this Action or in any other 

proceeding for any purpose; (ii) all negotiations, proceedings, and statements made in connection 

therewith shall be without prejudice to any person or Party hereto, shall not be deemed or construed 

to be an admission by any Party of any act, matter, or proposition, and shall not be used in any 

manner or for any purpose in any subsequent proceeding in this Action or in any other action in any 

court or other proceeding, provided, however, that the termination of the Agreement shall not shield 

from subsequent discovery any factual information provided in connection with the negotiation of 

this Agreement that would ordinarily be discoverable but for the attempted Settlement; and (iii) 

other than as expressly preserved by the Agreement in the event of its termination, the Agreement 

shall have no further force and effect with respect to any Party and shall not be used in the Action or 

any other proceeding for any purpose. 

22. The Court reserves the right to adjourn the date of the Final Approval Hearing 

without further notice to the members of the Settlement Class. The Court may approve the 

Settlement, with such modifications as may be agreed to by the Parties, if appropriate, without 

further notice to the Settlement Class. The Parties may, without further approval from the Court, 

agree to and adopt such amendments, modifications, and expansions of the Agreement within one 

hundred eighty (180) days of final approval so long as they are consistent in all material respects 

with this Order and do not affect the rights of the Settlement Class. 

This Order terminates Docket Number 101. 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated: May 12, 2015 

_____________________________________________ 

THE HONORABLE YVONNE GONZALEZ ROGERS 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 

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