Stearns v. Ticketmaster Corp.

FOR PUBLICATION
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

STEPHEN C. STEARNS, on behalf of 
himself, and all others similarly
situated,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
No. 08-56065
v.
TICKETMASTER CORP.;  D.C. No.
2:08-cv-00117-DSF-
TICKETMASTER, LLC; JTL
ENTERTAINMENT PUBLICATIONS, INC.,
AKA Entertainment, Inc.;
IAC/INTERACTIVECORP,
Defendants-Appellees.


CRAIG JOHNSON, on behalf of 
themselves, and all others
similarly situated; JULIE JOHNSON,
on behalf of themselves, and all
others similarly situated,
Plaintiffs-Appellants, No. 09-56126
v.  D.C. No.
2:08-cv-07509-DSF-
TICKETMASTER CORP.; JTL
TICKETMASTER, LLC;
ENTERTAINMENT PUBLICATIONS, INC.,
AKA Entertainment, Inc.;
IAC/INTERACTIVECORP,
Defendants-Appellees.


11341
11342 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP.

JOHN MANCINI; ROBERT D. REESE, 
Sr.; DUKE SANDERS; TM, by her
next friend and legal guardian E.
Eileen Gardner, as individuals, on
behalf of themselves, and those
No. 10-55341
similarly situated,
Plaintiffs-Appellants, D.C. No.
v.  2:07-cv-01459-DSF-
JTL
TICKETMASTER CORP.;
OPINION
TICKETMASTER, LLC;
ENTERTAINMENT PUBLICATIONS, INC.,
AKA Entertainment, Inc.;
IAC/INTERACTIVECORP,
Defendants-Appellees.

Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Central District of California
Dale S. Fischer, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted
July 12, 2011—Pasadena, California

Filed August 22, 2011

Before: Ferdinand F. Fernandez, Pamela Ann Rymer, and
Richard C. Tallman, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge Fernandez
11346 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP.

COUNSEL

Adam J. Gutride, Gutride Safier LLP, San Francisco, Califor-
nia, for the plaintiffs-appellants.

Donald R. Brown, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, Los Ange-
les, California, for the defendants-appellees.

OPINION

FERNANDEZ, Circuit Judge:

John Mancini, Duke Sanders, and Taylor Myers appeal the
district court’s denial of certification of their putative class
action in Mancini v. Ticketmaster (Appeal No. 10-55341);
Stephen Stearns appeals the district court’s dismissal of his
putative class action in Stearns v. Ticketmaster (Appeal No.
08-56065); and Craig and Julie Johnson appeal the district
court’s dismissal of their putative class action in Johnson v.
Ticketmaster (Appeal No. 09-56126). Because the issues are
related — at root identical — we will sometimes refer to these
 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP. 11347
parties collectively as Appellants. Appellants’ actions were
directed against a number of entities that were said to have
participated in a deceptive internet scheme, which induced
numerous individuals to unwittingly sign up for a fee-based
rewards program where amounts were charged to their credit
cards or directly deducted from their bank accounts. Those
entities are Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC, Ticketmaster,
LLC (collectively Ticketmaster); Entertainment Publications,
LLC (EPI); and IAC/InterActiveCorp (IAC). Hereafter we
will sometimes refer to them collectively as Appellees.

As relevant here, Appellants’ asserted claims for violations
of California’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL),1 California’s
Consumers Legal Remedies Act (CLRA),2 and the Federal
Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA).3 They sought to certify
their claims for class treatment. The district court denied class
certification of the UCL claim, the EFTA actual damages
claim, and the CLRA claim in the Mancini action. It dis-
missed both the Stearns and Johnson actions. These appeals
followed. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand.

BACKGROUND

While the issues are somewhat complex, many of the basic
facts are not.4 Ticketmaster operates the www.ticketmaster.
com website. It and EPI were operating businesses of IAC at
one time. They have since separated. Since 2004, EPI has
operated the Entertainment Rewards program, which is an
online coupon program. Members of Entertainment Rewards
can download printable coupons from EPI’s website, which
allows them to receive discounts at a variety of retail estab-
1
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17200-17210.
2
Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1750-1784.
3
15 U.S.C. §§ 1693-1693r.
4
These facts are taken, for the most part, from the district court’s orders,
and are not actually in dispute.
11348 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP.
lishments. EPI charges a monthly membership fee following
a free trial (thirty days) for those who enroll.

The Entertainment Rewards program has been linked to
Ticketmaster’s website since April 7, 2004. The Entertain-
ment Rewards “ad unit” is displayed on the ticket purchase
confirmation page, after customers have purchased tickets
from Ticketmaster’s website. An example of the Entertain-
ment Rewards ad unit on the Ticketmaster confirmation page
is as follows:

Get a $25 Cash Back Award with your next Ticket-
master Purchase.
Your order is complete.
Click here for details on the $25 Cash Back Award.

Continue [button]

Click above to learn how to get $25 Cash Back from
Entertainment Rewards.

Once customers click on that ad unit, they are taken to a
landing page on the EPI website. If they enter their email
address twice on the landing page, and click on a “Sign Me
Up” or “Yes” button, they wind up enrolled in the program.
Once that occurs, any credit or debit card information that had
been given to Ticketmaster is transferred from Ticketmaster
to EPI automatically, and without any communication
between Ticketmaster or EPI and the customer. The process
is euphemistically known as a “data pass.” Once that occurs,
customers, after the thirty-day trial period, will have their
credit cards or bank accounts charged on a monthly basis.

The gravamen of Appellants’ claims is that the Appellees’
website presentations and practices are designed to lull and
induce people, who really only intended to purchase tickets
from Ticketmaster, into inadvertently becoming committed to
purchasing EPI’s services, which they neither expected, nor
 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP. 11349
wanted, nor used, and that EPI then proceeds to mulct them
with continuing charges. EPI even goes so far as to make
charges to their credit cards, or take money directly from their
bank accounts, all without specific authorization. And EPI
does not issue a confirmation at the end of the internet trans-
action to memorialize the fact that a deal has been consum-
mated.

As a result of the above, Appellants sought certification of
a class composed of “[a]ll persons in the United States who:
(1) made a purchase at Ticketmaster.com between September
27, 2004, and the present . . . , (2) were enrolled in Entertain-
ment Rewards by Ticketmaster passing their credit or debit
card information to [EPI], (3) were charged for Entertainment
Rewards, and (4) did not print any coupon or apply for any
cashback award from Entertainment Rewards . . . .”5

JURISDICTION AND STANDARDS OF REVIEW

The district court had jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
§§ 1331, 1332(d)(2)(A). We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28
U.S.C. § 1291 (dismissed actions), in part, and 28 U.S.C.
§ 1292(e) (denial of class action certification), in part.6
5
When pressed, Appellants in Mancini indicated that they would accept
certification of a class further narrowed to those in the above group who
cancelled their enrollment in Entertainment Rewards and “stated at the
time of cancellation that they were unaware of being enrolled in [Enter-
tainment Rewards] and have not received a complete refund.” That would
have significantly narrowed the class, but Appellants did not present evi-
dence to the district court that their only viable class representative —
Myers — would be a member of that class, that is, they presented no evi-
dence that she made the statements in question or, for that matter, that she
had not received a complete refund. Thus, the district court did not con-
sider that narrowing definition further. Appellants’ suggestion that a decla-
ration they filed over nine months after the district court ruled shows that
the court erred is meritless.
6
See Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(f).
11350 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP.
We review a district court’s denial of class certification for
abuse of discretion. Wolin v. Jaguar Land Rover N. Am., LLC,
617 F.3d 1168, 1171 (9th Cir. 2010). The same is true for
“any particular underlying Rule 23 determination involving a
discretionary determination.” Yokoyama v. Midland Nat’l Life
Ins. Co., 594 F.3d 1087, 1091 (9th Cir. 2010). In so doing, we
ask:

whether the district court correctly selected and
applied Rule 23 criteria. An abuse of discretion
occurs when the district court, in making a discre-
tionary ruling, relies upon an improper factor, omits
consideration of a factor entitled to substantial
weight, or mulls the correct mix of factors but makes
a clear error of judgment in assaying them.

Wolin, 617 F.3d at 1171 (internal quotation marks and cita-
tions omitted). “ ‘To the extent that a ruling on a Rule 23
requirement is supported by a finding of fact,’ we review that
finding for clear error.” Id. at 1171-72. And, we review a dis-
trict court’s determination of whether information is immate-
rial under that clearly erroneous standard. See S.E.C. v.
Talbot, 530 F.3d 1085, 1090 (9th Cir. 2008).

“While our review of discretionary class certification deci-
sions is deferential, it is also true that we accord the decisions
of district courts no deference when reviewing their determi-
nations of questions of law. Further, this court has oft
repeated that an error of law is an abuse of discretion.”
Yokoyama, 594 F.3d at 1091.

“We review de novo a district court’s order granting a
motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6).” Cook v. Brewer, 637
F.3d 1002, 1004 (9th Cir. 2011). However, we review a deci-
sion to dismiss with prejudice for an abuse of discretion. See
Schreiber Distrib. Co. v. Serv-Well Furniture Co., Inc., 806
F.2d 1393, 1402 (9th Cir. 1986).
 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP. 11351
DISCUSSION

Although the core of Appellants’ claims is the same, each
of them subtends different issues, especially from a class
action perspective. We will consider each of those in turn. But
first, we will say a few words about class actions in general,
and quickly dispose of a typicality issue.

[1] For a class to be certified, a plaintiff must satisfy each
prerequisite of Rule 23(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Proce-
dure and must also establish an appropriate ground for main-
taining class actions under Rule 23(b). See Rodriguez v.
Hayes, 591 F.3d 1105, 1122 (9th Cir. 2010). The require-
ments of Rule 23(a) are: (1) a class so numerous that joinder
is impractical (numerosity); (2) common questions of fact or
law (commonality);7 (3) typicality of the representatives (typi-
cality); and (4) that the representatives will adequately protect
the class (adequate representation).8 Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(a);
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, ___ U.S. ___, ___, 131 S. Ct.
2541, 2548, ___ L. Ed. 2d ___ (2011).

[2] A plaintiff must also satisfy one of Rule 23(b)’s provi-
sions. The provision at issue here is Rule 23(b)(3), which
requires that “questions of law or fact common to class mem-
bers predominate over any questions affecting only individual
members, and that a class action is superior to other available
methods for fairly and efficiently adjudicating the controver-
sy.” “The predominance inquiry of Rule 23(b)(3) asks
7
The parties do not dispute the district court’s decision that there is
commonality on some issues. But because they do dispute whether com-
mon issues predominate, we note that in deciding upon just what issues
are common, and whether they do predominate, the district court is
required to make a rigorous analysis of the case before it. As the Supreme
Court has recently told us: “Frequently that ‘rigorous analysis’ will entail
some overlap with the merits of the plaintiff’s underlying claim. That can-
not be helped.” Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, ___ U.S. ___, ___, 131
S. Ct. 2541, 2551, ___ L. Ed. 2d ___ (2011).
8
The only relevant Rule 23(a) criterion directly at issue is typicality.
11352 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP.
‘whether proposed classes are sufficiently cohesive to warrant
adjudication by representation.’ The focus is on ‘the relation-
ship between the common and individual issues.’ ” Mevorah
v. Wells Fargo Home Mortg. (In re Wells Fargo Home Mortg.
Overtime Pay Litig.), 571 F.3d 953, 957 (9th Cir. 2009)
(internal citation omitted).

[3] Because Mancini and Sanders complain about the dis-
trict court’s Rule 23(a) typicality decision, we will discuss
that forthwith. “ ‘The purpose of the typicality requirement is
to assure that the interest of the named representative aligns
with the interests of the class.’ ” Wolin, 617 F.3d at 1175.
“The typicality requirement looks to whether the claims of the
class representatives [are] typical of those of the class, and
[is] satisfied when each class member’s claim arises from the
same course of events, and each class member makes similar
legal arguments to prove the defendant’s liability.” Rodriguez,
591 F.3d at 1124 (internal quotation marks omitted).

[4] As the district court pointed out, because Mancini
insisted that he was not really deceived into joining the Enter-
tainment Rewards program and, indeed, decided that he
would not do so, but must have accidentally clicked on “Yes,”
he is not at all typical of the proposed class.9 And Sanders
never saw the site or signed up for the program, and does not
really know how his son did so; he too is far from typical of
the class. His claim to the contrary abounds in crocodility.
The district court did not err in refusing to accept Mancini and
Sanders as class representatives.

I. The California UCL Claim

[5] The district court determined that individual issues pre-
dominated for purposes of the UCL claim because individual-
ized proof of reliance and causation would be required. Were
9
It is also doubtful that he could meet the class representation require-
ments of Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17204.
 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP. 11353
that true, the district court might well have been correct
because it is clear that “[c]onsidering whether ‘questions of
law or fact common to class members predominate’ begins,
of course, with the elements of the underlying cause of
action.” Erica P. John Fund, Inc., v. Halliburton Co., ___
U.S. ___, ____, 131 S. Ct. 2179, 2184, ____ L. Ed. 2d ____
(2011). Unfortunately, the district court did not have the bene-
fit of In re Tobacco II Cases, 46 Cal. 4th 298, 207 P. 3d 20,
93 Cal. Rptr. 3d 559 (2009), when it ruled, and that case
makes all the difference in the world. There the California
Supreme Court reviewed California UCL law and made it
plain that:

[T]o state a claim under either the UCL or the
false advertising law, based on false advertising or
promotional practices, it is necessary only to show
that members of the public are likely to be deceived.
To achieve its goal of deterring unfair business prac-
tices in an expeditious manner, the Legislature lim-
ited the scope of the remedies available under the
UCL. A UCL action is equitable in nature; damages
cannot be recovered. . . . We have stated under the
UCL, [p]revailing plaintiffs are generally limited to
injunctive relief and restitution.

The fraudulent business practice prong of the
UCL has been understood to be distinct from com-
mon law fraud. A [common law] fraudulent decep-
tion must be actually false, known to be false by the
perpetrator and reasonably relied upon by a victim
who incurs damages. None of these elements are
required to state a claim for injunctive relief under
the UCL. This distinction reflects the UCL’s focus
on the defendant’s conduct, rather than the plaintiff’s
damages, in service of the statute’s larger purpose of
protecting the general public against unscrupulous
business practices.
11354 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP.
Id. at 312, 207 P.3d at 29-30, 93 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 569-70
(internal quotation marks and citations omitted).

[6] The court had no doubt that California law had been
changed by the voters so that a person who sought to be a
class representative did have to show some additional factors
as to himself, including injury in fact and causation. Id. at
313-14, 207 P.3d at 31, 93 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 571. That repaired
the danger of frivolous strike suits, but it decidedly did not
change the California rule “that relief under the UCL is avail-
able without individualized proof of deception, reliance and
injury.” Id. at 320, 207 P.3d at 35, 93 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 576; see
also Weinstat v. Dentsply Int’l, Inc., 180 Cal. App. 4th 1213,
1224, 103 Cal. Rptr. 3d 614, 623 (2010). Thus, the district
court’s concerns about reliance and causation were not well
taken.

We do not, of course, suggest that predominance would be
shown in every California UCL case. For example, it might
well be that there was no cohesion among the members
because they were exposed to quite disparate information
from various representatives of the defendant. See, e.g., Wal-
Mart, ____ U.S. at ____, 131 S. Ct. at 2554-57; Kaldenbach
v. Mut. of Omaha Life Ins. Co., 178 Cal. App. 4th 830, 849-
50, 100 Cal. Rptr. 3d 637, 652 (2009). On this record, that
does not appear to be the case, and the district court did not
rule that it was.

Nor do we agree with Appellees’ argument that because it
need not be shown that class members have suffered actual
injury in fact connected to the conduct of the Appellees, the
alternative to the district court’s ruling must be that the class
lacks standing under Article III of the United States Constitu-
tion. See Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555, 560-
61, 112 S. Ct. 2130, 2136, 119 L. Ed. 2d 351 (1992). No
doubt a plaintiff’s injury must be “concrete and particular-
ized.” Id. at 560, 112 S. Ct. at 2136. The injury here meets
both of those requirements. Each alleged class member was
 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP. 11355
relieved of money in the transactions. Moreover, it can hardly
be said that the loss is not fairly traceable to the action of the
Appellees within the meaning of California substantive law.
Id.; see also Canyon Cnty. v. Syngenta Seeds, Inc., 519 F.3d
969, 974-75 n.7 (9th Cir. 2008). That law, as already noted,
keys on the wrongdoing of Appellees and is designed to pro-
tect the public (including the proposed class members).
Tobacco II, 46 Cal. 4th at 312, 207 P.3d at 30, 93 Cal. Rptr.
3d at 570. In other words, this is not a case, as was possible
under California’s UCL before it was amended, where the
representative plaintiff need not even show any connection to
a defendant’s conduct;10 it is plainly a case where Appellants’
claim is that they came, saw, were conquered by stealth, and
were relieved of their money.11 Basically, Appellees’ real
objection is that state law gives a right to “monetary relief to
a citizen suing under it”12 (restitution) without a more particu-
larized proof of injury and causation.13 That is not enough to
preclude class standing here.

Nor does our case law point to a different conclusion. On
the contrary, our law keys on the representative party, not all
of the class members, and has done so for many years. In
Casey v. Lewis, 4 F.3d 1516 (9th Cir. 1993), we declared that:

At least one named plaintiff must satisfy the actual
injury component of standing in order to seek relief
on behalf of himself or the class. The inquiry is
10
See Lee v. Am. Nat’l Ins. Co., 260 F.3d 997, 1001-02 (9th Cir. 2001).
That possibility has been abolished. See Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17204.
11
See San Diego Cnty. Gun Rights Comm. v. Reno, 98 F.3d 1121, 1130
(9th Cir. 1996) (stating “[e]conomic injury is clearly a sufficient basis for
standing.”).
12
Cantrell v. City of Long Beach, 241 F.3d 674, 684 (9th Cir. 2001).
13
One might even say that, in effect, California has created what
amounts to a conclusive presumption that when a defendant puts out
tainted bait and a person sees it and bites, the defendant has caused an
injury; restitution is the remedy.
11356 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP.
whether any named plaintiff has demonstrated that
he has sustained or is imminently in danger of sus-
taining a direct injury as the result of the challenged
conduct.

Id. at 1519 (internal citation omitted). And close to fifteen
years later we made that even more explicit when we held
that: “In a class action, standing is satisfied if at least one
named plaintiff meets the requirements. . . . Thus, we consider
only whether at least one named plaintiff satisfies the standing
requirements . . . .” Bates v. United Parcel Serv., Inc., 511
F.3d 974, 985 (9th Cir. 2007) (en banc); see also Fleming v.
Pickard, 581 F.3d 922, 924 n.3 (9th Cir. 2009). Appellees do
not assert that no named plaintiff has standing.

[7] In sum, while Rule 23 does give the district court broad
discretion over certification of class actions, here the court
erred when it based its exercise of that discretion on what
turned out to be an inaccurate reading of the California UCL.
Thus, we must remand so that the court can reconsider the
certification question. See Wells Fargo, 571 F.3d at 959.

II. The California CLRA Claim

The district court dismissed and refused to certify the
CLRA claims brought in the Mancini, Stearns and Johnson
actions. The district court first discussed the CLRA claim for
damages in Mancini14 and then in Stearns on the basis that
insufficient notice of a claim had been given. Cal. Civ. Code
§ 1782. It then refused certification of the remainder of the
CLRA action (injunctive relief15) in Mancini on the basis that
because reliance had to be shown as to the class members,
Rule 23(b)(3) had not been complied with. The district court
erred regarding the former issue, but not the latter.
14
Dismissal of the CLRA damage claim in Mancini is not before us on
appeal.
15
See Cal. Civ. Code § 1780(a)(2).
 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP. 11357
[8] California’s CLRA prohibits “unfair methods of com-
petition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices.” Cal. Civ.
Code § 1770(a). The CLRA allows suits by a “consumer who
suffers any damage as a result of the use or employment by
any person of a method, act, or practice declared to be unlaw-
ful by [the CLRA].” Cal. Civ. Code § 1780. The statute
requires that “ ‘plaintiffs in a CLRA action show not only that
a defendant’s conduct was deceptive but that the deception
caused them harm.’ ” In re Vioxx Class Cases, 180 Cal. App.
4th 116, 129, 103 Cal. Rptr. 3d 83, 94 (2009).

[9] A CLRA claim warrants an analysis different from a
UCL claim because the CLRA requires each class member to
have an actual injury caused by the unlawful practice. Steroid
Hormone Prod. Cases, 181 Cal. App. 4th 145, 155-56, 104
Cal. Rptr. 3d 329, 337 (2010). But “[c]ausation, on a class-
wide basis, may be established by materiality. If the trial court
finds that material misrepresentations have been made to the
entire class, an inference of reliance arises as to the class.”
Vioxx, 180 Cal. App. 4th at 129, 103 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 95; see
also Vasquez v. Superior Court, 4 Cal. 3d 800, 814, 484 P.2d
964, 973, 94 Cal. Rptr. 796, 805 (1971); Steroid, 181 Cal.
App. 4th at 156-57, 104 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 338. This rule applies
to cases regarding omissions or “failures to disclose” as well.
See McAdams v. Monier, Inc., 182 Cal. App. 4th 174, 184,
105 Cal. Rptr. 3d 704, 711 (2010) (holding that because of
defendant’s failure to disclose information “which would
have been material to any reasonable person who purchased”
the product, a presumption of reliance was justified); Mass.
Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. Superior Court, 97 Cal. App. 4th 1282,
1293, 119 Cal. Rptr. 2d 190, 198 (2002) (“[H]ere the record
permits an inference of common reliance. Plaintiffs contend
Mass Mutual failed to disclose its own concerns about the
premiums it was paying and that those concerns would have
been material to any reasonable person contemplating the pur-
chase . . . .” If proved, that would “be sufficient to give rise
to the inference of common reliance on representations which
were materially deficient.”).
11358 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP.
Under California law, a misrepresentation or omission is
material

if a reasonable man would attach importance to its
existence or nonexistence in determining his choice
of action in the transaction in question, and as such
materiality is generally a question of fact unless the
fact misrepresented is so obviously unimportant that
the jury could not reasonably find that a reasonable
man would have been influenced by it.

Steroid, 181 Cal. App. 4th at 157, 104 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 338-39
(internal quotation marks omitted); see also Engalla v. Per-
manente Med. Grp., Inc., 15 Cal. 4th 951, 977, 938 P.2d 903,
919, 64 Cal. Rptr. 2d 843, 859 (1997). If the misrepresenta-
tion or omission is not material as to all class members, the
issue of reliance “would vary from consumer to consumer”
and the class should not be certified. Vioxx, 180 Cal. App. 4th
at 129, 103 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 95.

[10] But, while meeting the above criteria is all that is nec-
essary to obtain injunctive relief, if a plaintiff hopes to
recover damages, he must give a thirty-day notice to the
defendant before he commences the action. See Cal. Civ.
Code § 1782. And that notice must contain certain provisions.
Id. § 1782(a).

A. Notice

[11] While others had not done so, it is pellucid that Myers
gave Appellees a thirty-day notice under the CLRA. In fact,
she expressly set forth the nature of the dispute and declared
that damages would be sought if the appropriate corrections
were not made. See Cal. Civ. Code § 1782(a)-(b). There is no
dispute about that. The district court, however, decided that
the notice requirement was not sufficiently complied with
because Myers did not expressly state that she would seek
class action relief if her demand was not met.
 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP. 11359
The district court correctly noted that the notice provision
exists to give an erring defendant an opportunity to avoid lia-
bility for damages,16 and that, therefore, the notice provisions
must be literally complied with.17 That is not controversial,
but for a number of reasons it does not justify the district
court’s conclusion here.

[12] Simply put, the statute states that the notice must be
given and must set forth certain information; it does not liter-
ally state that the threat of a class action must be set forth.18
See Kagan v. Gibraltar Sav. & Loan Ass’n, 35 Cal. 3d 582,
594-95, 676 P.2d 1060, 1066, 200 Cal. Rptr. 38, 44 (1984),
disapproved on other grounds by Meyer v. Sprint Spectrum
L.P., 45 Cal. 4th 634, 200 P.3d 295, 88 Cal. Rptr. 3d 859
(2009).

Secondly, the notice section expressly recognizes that a
class action might ensue. Cal. Civ. Code § 1782(c). More than
that, it provides that if a defendant seeks to avoid facing a
class action, it must take certain steps regarding “[a]ll con-
sumers similarly situated” to the person giving notice. Id.
§ 1782(c)(1). And, Myers’ notice expressly told the Appellees
that they must do all of the things that were required by
§ 1782(c)(1)-(c)(4) if they hoped to avoid litigation. Only an
exceedingly obtuse (or even comatose) defendant would fail
to understand that it had received notice that a class action
was in the offing if it remained obdurate.

Finally, we see no reason to read a provision requiring a
plaintiff to use the phrase “class action” into the statute. Even
if we were inclined to do so, we lack that authority.
16
See Morgan v. AT&T Wireless Servs., Inc., 177 Cal. App. 4th 1235,
1261, 99 Cal. Rptr. 3d 768, 789 (2009).
17
See Outboard Marine Corp. v. Superior Court, 52 Cal. App. 3d 30,
40-41, 124 Cal. Rptr. 852, 858-59 (1975).
18
It is notable that the district court found that Appellees were undoubt-
edly aware that a class action was sought.
11360 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP.
[13] Thus, the district court erred when it determined that
the Myers notice was insufficient and then dismissed the
Stearns action on that account.

B. Reliance

[14] The district court determined that no class action
could be certified because there was no showing of material
misrepresentations or omissions to the whole class, as pro-
posed by Appellants.

[15] Appellants asserted that the design of both the Ticket-
master site and the EPI site was misleading both by what was
said and by what was omitted. For example, the prominent
Continue button on the Ticketmaster site did not truly alert
users to the fact that they were going to land on another’s
website where, perforce, by other misleadingly placed queries
and directions they could inadvertently find themselves sub-
ject to monthly charges, which would come out of their credit
cards or bank accounts. Interestingly enough, without any fur-
ther notice or ado, the credit card or debit card information,
which had been given to Ticketmaster, transferred to EPI.
Indeed, there was no confirmation page on the EPI site — a
page of that sort is normal and had a much better chance of
alerting people that they had just agreed to pay monthly fees
to EPI. It might even have satisfied the requirements of the
EFTA, but more of that later.

[16] In short, on the present state of the record the form
and content of the websites were “materially deficient” as to
those consumers who did not know they signed up for Enter-
tainment Rewards. See Mass. Mut., 97 Cal. App. 4th at 1293,
119 Cal. Rptr. at 198. Nevertheless, the proposed Mancini
class was so broad that it cannot be said that the websites
were “materially deficient” as to the entire class. Therefore,
the district court did not err when it determined that the class
could not be certified. See Vioxx, 180 Cal. App. 4th at 134.
Notable are the myriad reasons that someone who was not
 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP. 11361
misled and intentionally signed up might have chosen not to
take advantage of the available product by actually printing a
coupon or obtaining a rebate for some period. Perhaps, for
example, the person had been ill, or distracted by family
emergencies, or just did not see anything that he really wanted
during that time. Or, perhaps, a person decided after a few
months that the premiums were not worth the price of admis-
sion. But all of those people would have been swept willy-
nilly into the class. Had Appellants limited the class as they
proposed in their failed attempt referred to in footnote 5,
supra, this would have been a much closer case. As it is, we
cannot say that on the record before it the district court abused
its discretion when it failed to certify the proposed CLRA
class in Mancini. Because the action in Stearns was duplica-
tive of Mancini, we also affirm its dismissal.

Johnson (No. 09-56126) presents a more thorny issue as far
as the CLRA is concerned. The district court dismissed the
case at the pleading stage on the basis that it was simply
duplicative of Mancini and suffered from the same defects.
See Frost v. Symington, 197 F.3d 348, 359 (9th Cir. 1999) (if
an already existing class action involves the same issues as a
new individual action, the claims of the latter may have to be
brought in the former action); Crawford v. Bell, 599 F.2d 890,
892-93 (9th Cir. 1979) (where a new individual complaint
merely duplicates the allegations of an existing class action
complaint, it is proper to dismiss the former); see also Adams
v. Cal. Dep’t of Health Servs., 487 F.3d 684, 688 (9th Cir.
2007) (duplicative actions generally). In that the district court
erred.

First, even if the Myers notice had been defective, which it
was not, Johnson had given a separate notice, which complied
with the district court’s added requirements. It is not clear that
the district court determined otherwise.

[17] Second, while it is true that the proposed class in the
Johnsons’ original complaints was, in fact, subject to the same
11362 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP.
defects as Mancini, the Johnsons then proposed a second
amended complaint which narrowed the class by adding a
limitation to those who “reported in the course of cancellation
or seeking a refund that they were unaware that they would
be enrolled in or charged for Entertainment Rewards.” The
district court based its denial of the Johnsons’ motion to
amend on its determination that the limitation made no differ-
ence. We do not agree.

The proposed change was not insignificant, once one rec-
ognizes that the omissions in Appellees’ websites were mate-
rial as to certain consumers. The change limited the class to
people for whom the websites were presumptively “materially
deficient,” because they told EPI they had been signed up for
Entertainment Rewards without realizing it. See Mass. Mut.,
97 Cal. App. 4th 1293, 119 Cal. Rptr. at 197-98. In fact, it
may have been even narrower than the class proposal that had
been made by Appellants in Mancini19 because it expressly
restricted the class to those who did not know they would be
“charged,” although that is implied in the lack of knowledge
of enrollment.

Thus, by the second amended complaint stage, this was not
a case where a plaintiff was, in effect, attempting to avoid an
unfavorable prior ruling in one case by filing essentially the
same claims in a new case. See Adams, 487 F.3d at 688.20 The
Mancini CLRA action failed of class certification because the
proposed class was overbroad. But that would not preclude
the Johnsons from bringing an individual action. Nor do we
see a defect in their asserting an action for a different — more
narrow — class than the overbroad class defined in Mancini.
In fact, the district court did not rule that any CLRA action
19
See n.5, supra.
20
Incidentally, we recognize the fact that the same plaintiffs’ counsel
was involved in these cases, and while we find the flailing about that has
occurred here to be far from exemplary, we are loath to preclude the possi-
bility of class action relief on that basis alone.
 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP. 11363
would be duplicative. It simply did not believe that a legally
significant narrowing of the class had taken place; that was
the basis of its ruling with which we disagree.

[18] The above being so, Johnson was significantly differ-
ent from Mancini, and the district court erred in determining
that it was not. See Frost, 197 F.3d at 359; Crawford, 599
F.2d at 893. Thus, we must reverse the dismissal of the com-
plaint based on the determination that it was duplicative. Of
course, we express no opinion on whether, upon further con-
sideration by the district court, a class can properly be certi-
fied in the Johnson action; we only determine that dismissal
of the CLRA claim on the basis that it was duplicative of
Mancini cannot stand.

III. The EFTA Claim

[19] In Mancini (No. 10-55741), Myers sought class certi-
fication for claims against EPI under the EFTA.21 That Act
provides that: “A preauthorized electronic fund transfer from
a consumer’s account may be authorized by the consumer
only in writing, and a copy of such authorization shall be pro-
vided to the consumer when made.” 15 U.S.C. § 1693e(a).
When the Act is violated, plaintiffs can obtain an award of
“any actual damage sustained . . . as a result” of the violation,
and statutory damages. Id. § 1693m(a).

The district court denied class certification of the actual
damages claim in Mancini. In so doing, the district court
determined that EPI had violated the EFTA when it failed to
follow the requirements of 15 U.S.C. § 1693e(a). Appellees
do not contest that determination.

However, the district court denied class certification of the
actual damages claim because it decided both that the actual
21
Johnson also contained an EFTA claim, which was dismissed. No
issue about that dismissal is raised on appeal.
11364 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP.
damages could not, as a matter of law, be the total amount
taken from the class members’ accounts, and that some mem-
bers might not have cared whether the money was charged to
a credit card or to a debit card, if they knew that a charge was
going to be made. In other words, the district court rejected
the claim for actual damages on the merits and rejected class
certification on the ground of lack of predominance under
Rule 23(b)(3). We agree in part with the district court’s rea-
soning.

We have held that the mere fact that there might be differ-
ences in damage calculations is not sufficient to defeat class
certification. Yokoyama, 594 F.3d at 1094. As we have put it:

Damage calculations will doubtless have to be made
under [the] consumer protection laws. In this circuit,
however, damage calculations alone cannot defeat
certification. We have said that “[t]he amount of
damages is invariably an individual question and
does not defeat class action treatment.” Thus,
because there are no individualized issues sufficient
to render class certification inappropriate under Rule
23, class issues predominate.

Id. (internal citations omitted); see also De La Fuente v.
Stokely-Van Camp, Inc., 713 F.2d 225, 233 (7th Cir. 1983)
(“It is very common for Rule 23(b)(3) class actions to involve
differing damage awards for different class members.”); Blac-
kie v. Barrack, 524 F.2d 891, 905 (9th Cir. 1975) (individual-
ity of damage amounts does not defeat certification). Were we
dealing with a class limited to individuals who did not want
the service and did not know they would be charged at all, we
would find it unduly speculative to imagine that some of them
might not have cared if the funds they did not intend to spend
were taken from their bank accounts. Some variations in dam-
ages would be acceptable. But as we have already noted, the
proposed class was not so limited.
 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP. 11365
Moreover, we are well aware of the fact that statutory dam-
ages are not designed to impose a roadblock in a plaintiff’s
path. As we have indicated previously in the context of
another statute: “Congress expressly created a statutory dam-
ages scheme that intended to compensate individuals for
actual or potential damages resulting from . . . violations,
without requiring individuals to prove actual harm.” Bateman
v. Am. Multi-Cinema, Inc., 623 F.3d 708, 719 (9th Cir. 2010).
And as we said in Planned Parenthood of the Colum-
bia/Willamette Inc. v. Am. Coal. of Life Activists, 422 F.3d
949, 963 n.7 (9th Cir. 2005): “Statutory damages are meant
to compensate victims when actual loss is hard to prove.”

[20] Nonetheless, a plaintiff must show that the claimed
actual damages were “as a result of” the violation, that is, he
must show a causal connection between the EFTA violation
and the claimed actual damages. That would at least require
the establishment of “a substantial nexus between the injury”
and the statutory violation. Valladolid v. Pac. Operations Off-
shore, LLP, 604 F.3d 1126, 1139 (9th Cir. 2010); see also
Brown v. Gardner, 513 U.S. 115, 119, 115 S. Ct. 552, 555-
556, 130 L. Ed. 2d 462 (1994) (“as a result of” language
imposes a casual connection).

In any event, in the mine run of cases, it may well be true
that the only wrong to the plaintiff will have been the fact of
removal of funds directly from the plaintiff’s account, which
may even have occurred without any added charges to the
plaintiff by the bank where the account was located. The harm
will not actually have been in the amount of the funds them-
selves. For example, if a plaintiff fully intended to purchase
merchandise or a service and to use a debit card, but the mer-
chant or other seller obtained the transfer from the plaintiff’s
account without first obtaining a proper authorization, the
plaintiff will, most likely, find it difficult or impossible to
show actual damages measured by the amount removed from
his account. Logically, he would be hard pressed to show that
the removal was caused by the authorization failure. In that
11366 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP.
event, he would, instead, be relegated to the statutory dam-
ages portion of the EFTA. See 15 U.S.C. § 1693m(a)(2)(A);
see also id. § 1693m(a)(2)(B) (class actions). That, of course,
is not to say that actual damages can never include the full
amount taken from a plaintiff’s account.

[21] In this case, because of the breadth of the proposed
class,22 it might well encompass numerous people who are
part of that mine run and who, therefore, would not be able
to claim actual damages based on the amounts removed from
their accounts.23 We need not, and do not, opine on whether
a different approach would apply if the proposed class had
been less expansive in its embrace of all who ultimately failed
to make use of the product offered by EPI.

[22] As it is, we cannot say that the district court abused
its discretion when it denied EFTA class certification regard-
ing actual damages in Mancini.

CONCLUSION

While we are reversing the district court’s certification
decision regarding the UCL, we hasten to add that we are not
deciding whether Appellees were lax or louche or neither or
both. Nor are we substituting our own decision by deciding
whether one or more classes (perhaps even a narrowed one)24
should or could now be certified. We are simply rejecting the
district court’s reasons for refusing to certify at this time.

That said, we reverse the district court’s denial of the
22
Again, it covers everyone who just did not happen to use the EPI
product before cancelling.
23
Appellants do not argue on appeal that they effectively sought to nar-
row the EFTA class to eliminate the causation problem.
24
See Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(c)(1)(C); Gen. Tel. Co. v. Falcon, 457 U.S.
147, 160, 102 S. Ct. 2364, 2372, 72 L. Ed. 2d 740 (1982) (stating that
class certification orders are “ ‘inherently tentative’ ”).
 STEARNS v. TICKETMASTER CORP. 11367
motions for class certification of the UCL claims in Mancini
(No. 10-55341), and affirm its determination that Mancini and
Sanders are not typical of the class members and, therefore,
are not proper representatives. We affirm the district court’s
dismissal of the CLRA claim in Stearns (No. 08-56065).25 We
also affirm the district court’s refusal to certify a class regard-
ing the CLRA injunctive relief claims in Mancini. We reverse
the district court’s dismissal of the Johnson action (No. 09-
56126) regarding the CLRA claim. Finally, we affirm its
refusal to certify a class regarding the EFTA actual damage
claim in Mancini.

AFFIRMED in part, REVERSED in part, and
REMANDED. The parties shall bear their own costs on
appeal.

25
However, in so doing, we reject the district court’s determination
regarding notice in the CLRA cases.