Court Opinion

ID: 9463337
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 23:03:30.308931+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:38:02.309731
License: Public Domain

WILLIAM E. DOYLE, Circuit Judge
(dissenting).
I respectfully disagree with the majority opinion.
As to the substantive issues: I tend to agree that the alleged violations here fail to present a substantial case and, therefore, if the majority had come to grips along this line I would have concurred in it. Instead, however, the opinion proceeds at the outset to consider the sufficiency of the case as a class action and my objection goes to the dicta that is included under this heading. In my opinion it was unnecessary to consider whether the trial court erred in dis*1276missing the class action, and I comment on the majority’s discussion of the class action not only because it makes an unjustified attack on class actions generally but, also, its comments are not in accordance with the law. I recognize that no one is enamored with class actions and particularly no trial judge is. Still, this does not justify setting forth comments which are out of harmony with the rules and with court decisions.
I recognize that the requirements of both 23(a) and one of the subdivisions of 23(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure must be met, but I disagree that they have not been met here. First, the class is sufficiently numerous to justify having a class action. It numbers 830 members. The fact that 811 had executed new leases does not automatically eliminate them from the class. Joinder is obviously impractical with this large number.
There exists questions of law and fact which are common to the class. Each member has received the same treatment and any relief granted would be common to all the tenants.
The claims of the plaintiffs are typical of the class and it is not significant that many of the tenants possibly favor a security deposit. See Herbst v. ITT Co., 495 F.2d 1308 (2d Cir. 1974), and see also Mills v. Electric Auto-Lite Co., 396 U.S. 375, 90 S.Ct. 616, 24 L.Ed.2d 593 (1970). After all, the claims need not be identical and the fact that certain of the tenants supported the imposition of a security deposit is not the answer. Fully recognizing the areas of trial court discretion, I submit that the existence of a class is not to be determined by the presence of some members of the group who have expressed opposition to a class action.
From all that is apparent, the representative parties fairly and adequately represent the interests of the class. Their attorney is qualified and the representative plaintiffs do not have interests which are antagonistic to the class.
Finally, I am not saying that this case should be pursued as a class action. I merely say that the analysis of its worth as a class action is not correct. My preference would be to eliminate this part, thereby eliminating this dissent as well.