Opinion ID: 151893
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Unfair Practices and Unjust Enrichment

Text: We now proceed to analyze the district court's entry of summary judgment against Siegel on his individual ICFA unfair practices claim and unjust enrichment claim sounding in tort. On appeal, Siegel does not contend that the defendants' conduct was deceptive, does not dispute that the price he paid was clearly advertised at the gasoline station, and does not argue that he had to purchase the defendants' branded gasoline. But, Siegel maintains that the defendants engaged in unfair practices by manipulating gasoline prices and that, as a result of the defendants' conduct, he paid too much for their gasoline. Summary judgment is the put up or shut up moment in a lawsuit. Johnson v. Cambridge Indus., Inc., 325 F.3d 892, 901 (7th Cir.2003), reh'g denied. Once a party has made a properly-supported motion for summary judgment, the nonmoving party may not simply rest upon the pleadings but must instead submit evidentiary materials that set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e). The nonmoving party must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586-87, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). The mere existence of a scintilla of evidence in support of the nonmoving party's position will be insufficient to survive a summary judgment motion; there must be evidence on which the jury could reasonably find in favor of the nonmoving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 252, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). We review the grant of summary judgment de novo. Priebe v. Autobarn, Ltd., 240 F.3d 584, 587 (7th Cir.2001). We can sympathize with Siegel's contention that gasoline is expensive. No one likes to pay high prices for gasoline. Or for any commodity. But absent proof that but for the defendants' conduct, he would not have purchased the defendants' gasoline, he is not entitled to relief under ICFA. While it is true that Siegel need not establish all three criteria of unfairness under Robinson to establish his ICFA claim, he must prove causation, i.e., that he was harmed and that the defendants' conduct caused his harm. We conclude that Siegel does not satisfy either prong of proximate causation: he fails to show that he was harmed and he fails to demonstrate that the defendants' conduct caused him harm. Even if Siegel could establish that the defendants' conduct was unfair, in order to establish harm under Montes, Siegel must still show that he suffered substantial injury, and that he could not avoid this injury. 612 A.2d at 1147. Siegel cannot establish harm because he testified that he could (and did) purchase gasoline from stations owned by non-defendants, and that he continued to purchase gasoline from the defendants even after he brought this lawsuit. And Siegel cannot show that the defendants' conduct caused him to purchase their gasoline, because many factors contributed to Siegel's gasoline purchasing decision; his claim that the defendants' conduct caused him to purchase their gasoline at artificially inflated prices is therefore undermined. His unjust enrichment claim carries similar shortcomings. To state a cause of action based on a theory of unjust enrichment, a plaintiff must allege that the defendant has unjustly retained a benefit to the plaintiff's detriment, and that defendant's retention of the benefit violates the fundamental principles of justice, equity, and good conscience. HPI Health Care Servs., Inc. v. Mt. Vernon Hosp., Inc., 131 Ill.2d 145, 137 Ill.Dec. 19, 545 N.E.2d 672, 679 (1989). A claim of unjust enrichment is not a separate cause of action that, standing alone, will justify an action for recovery. Martis v. Grinnell Mut. Reinsurance Co., 388 Ill.App.3d 1017, 329 Ill. Dec. 82, 905 N.E.2d 920, 928 (2009). Here, Siegel's theory of unjust enrichment is based on the defendants' conduct which he deemed unfair under ICFA. We rejected his ICFA claim. And absent that the defendants engaged in an unfair practice, Siegel's unjust enrichment claim is not viable. See Ass'n Ben. Servs., Inc. v. Caremark RX, Inc., 493 F.3d 841, 855 (7th Cir.2007).