Opinion ID: 854682
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Walter Huryk

Text: Huryk, a South Carolina resident, purchased a Brother 3220C for approximately $125 from an Office Depot retail store in South Carolina on December 11, 2003. The MFC came with the Limited Warranty and User Manual described above. Based on his professional experience as an executive of a printing company and personal experience with office equipment, Huryk believed his MFC would last between five and seven years. In early 2007, Huryk’s machine displayed the ME41 defect, and by April 2007, stopped working altogether. Huryk became aware of the pending litigation on April 24, 2007, and one day later disconnected his machine, for some reason disposing of it by placing it on the curb. In October 2007, Huryk joined in a putative class action alleging that the MFC he purchased contained the ME41 defect and the ink-purging defect, and that BIC’s omissions and concealments concerning the defects constituted a violation of the NJCFA. Huryk alleges that his machine ceased functioning as a result of BIC’s failure to disclose defects, causing losses because Huryk had to purchase more ink than he otherwise would have, paid more for his MFC machine than it was worth, and had to purchase a replacement machine. Huryk contends that BIC’s omissions and concealments in New Jersey included: (1) observing and when the automated cleaning process took place too frequently. For the Brother 3320C, this typically happened when the machine had been rarely used, paradoxically resulting in faster ink loss. 5 participating in the investigation of the ME41 defect without disclosing it to consumers; (2) persuading BIL not to recall the machines; (3) rejecting the option of suspending sales of the machines; (4) intentionally manipulating the warranty extension announcement by burying it in the company’s website; (5) publishing misleading solutions to the ME41 defect on its website; (6) learning but failing to disclose the breadth of the ink-purging defect; (7) manipulating its website to make it appear the ink-purging software fix was an “upgrade” and not a solution to a defect; and (8) hiding from its customer service operators information about the software defect. BIC moved for summary judgment, arguing that New Jersey law did not apply to Huryk’s claim, and, in the alternative, that even if New Jersey law did apply, Huryk could not establish (1) an ascertainable loss, (2) a causal connection between the alleged conduct and his harm, or (3) that BIC engaged in any wrongful conduct, as required by the NJCFA. The District Court granted BIC’s motion and dismissed the action, finding that under New Jersey choiceof-law rules, the factors set forth in the Restatement (Second) of Conflicts of Law weighed in favor of applying the law of Huryk’s home state of South Carolina, and that South Carolina had the most significant relationship with the litigation. Huryk now appeals.