Opinion ID: 725553
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: fdcpa preemption of the oregon udcpa

Text: 31 On appeal, USA Funds raises for the first time its claim that the FDCPA itself preempts application of the Oregon UDCPA. This is a choice-of-law claim for avoidance of liability, rather than a choice-of-forum claim. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(c); Piekarski v. Home Owners Savings Bank, 956 F.2d 1484, 1489 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 872, 113 S.Ct. 206, 121 L.Ed.2d 147 (1992). Failure to raise an affirmative defense below results in waiver. See, e.g., Harbeson v. Parke Davis, Inc., 746 F.2d 517, 520 (9th Cir.1984); Santos v. Alaska Bar Ass'n, 618 F.2d 575, 576-77 (9th Cir.1980). In particular, a choice-of-law preemption defense is waived if not raised below: only preemption issues affecting the choice of forum and thus raising questions of the court's jurisdiction may be raised for the first time on appeal. Johnson v. Armored Transport of California, Inc., 813 F.2d 1041, 1043 (9th Cir.1987); Gilchrist v. Jim Slemons Imports, Inc., 803 F.2d 1488, 1497 (9th Cir.1986). For these reasons, we decline to address this issue.