NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS AUG 16 2017
MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
CHRISTINE BAKER, No. 15-17020
Plaintiff-Appellant, D.C. No. 3:13-cv-08169-SPL
v.
MEMORANDUM*
MIDLAND FUNDING, LLC; et al.,
Defendants-Appellees.
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the District of Arizona
Steven Paul Logan, District Judge, Presiding
Submitted August 9, 2017**
Before: SCHROEDER, TASHIMA, and M. SMITH, Circuit Judges.
Christine Baker appeals pro se from the district court’s summary judgment
and dismissal orders in her action alleging claims under the Fair Credit Reporting
Act (“FCRA”) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”). We have
jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We review de novo. Gorman v. Wolpoff &
*
This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
**
The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision
without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).
Abramson, LLP, 584 F.3d 1147 (9th Cir. 2009) (summary judgment); Underwood
Cotton Co. v. Hyundai Merch. Marine (Am.), Inc., 288 F.3d 405, 407 (9th Cir.
2002) (judgment on the pleadings based on statute of limitations). We affirm in
part, reverse in part, vacate in part, and remand.
The district court properly granted summary judgment for Equifax
Information Services LLC (“Equifax”) on Baker’s FCRA claims under 15 U.S.C.
§§ 1681e and 1681i because Baker failed to raise a genuine dispute of material fact
as to whether Equifax’s procedures in assuring the accuracy of information
reported to it were unreasonable. See id. § 1681i(a)(1) (setting forth
reinvestigation requirements when a consumer disputes the accuracy of
information in her file with a consumer reporting agency); Guimond v. Trans
Union Credit Info. Co., 45 F.3d 1329, 1333 (9th Cir. 1995) (“Liability under
§ 1681e(b) is predicated on the reasonableness of the credit reporting agency’s
procedures in obtaining credit information.”).
The district court properly granted summary judgment for Equifax on
Baker’s FCRA claim that she was entitled to a free credit report under 15 U.S.C.
§ 1681j because Baker failed to raise a genuine dispute of material fact as to
whether she “furnish[ed] proper identification.” 15 U.S.C. § 1681h(a)(1) (“A
consumer reporting agency shall require, as a condition of making the disclosures
required under section 1681g of this title, that the consumer furnish proper
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identification.”); see id. § 1681g (disclosures to consumers); id. § 1681j(a)(1)(A)
(consumer reporting agencies shall make all disclosures pursuant to § 1681g
annually as requested and without charge).
The district court properly granted summary judgment for defendants
Midland Funding, LLC and Midland Credit Management, Inc. (“Midland
defendants”) on Baker’s claims under 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2 because Baker failed to
raise a genuine dispute of material fact as to whether the high credit amount and
current balance, as reported by Midland, were inaccurate. See Gorman, 584 F.3d
at 1154 (setting forth responsibilities of furnishers of information to consumer
reporting agencies).
However, the district court erred in granting summary judgment on Baker’s
claim under § 1681s-2 based on the reported date of first delinquency because
Baker raised a genuine dispute of material fact as to whether the Midland
defendants reported inaccurate information. See id. at 1154. Baker declared that
the statements in her separate statement were true, and that she became delinquent
on one of her accounts in June 2008. Baker has personal knowledge of when her
account became delinquent. We reverse summary judgment for the Midland
defendants on Baker’s claim under § 1681s-2 based on the accuracy of the date of
first delinquency, and remand for further proceedings.
The district court entered judgment for the Midland defendants and
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defendants Bursey & Associates, P.C., Bursey, LeRoy, Derrick, and Scalese on
Baker’s FDCPA claims because it concluded that they were time-barred based on
the date of filing of a state court collection action, and that defendants’ litigation
conduct in the state court collection action “did not constitute separate violations of
the FDCPA that extend the statute of limitations beyond the filing date.” However,
the district court did not have the benefit of our recent decision in Lyons v. Michael
& Associates, 824 F.3d 1169, 1173 (9th Cir. 2016), which held that the discovery
rule applies to statutes of limitations where the alleged FDCPA violation is the
filing of a collection lawsuit. Moreover, Baker’s FDCPA claims based on
defendants’ litigation conduct in the state court collection action may constitute
separate violations of the FDCPA. See McCollough v. Johnson, Rodenburg &
Lauinger, LLC, 637 F.3d 939, 950 (9th Cir. 2011) (FDCPA includes litigation
activities). We vacate the judgment for further proceedings on Baker’s FDCPA
claims.
The district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Baker’s motion to
amend her complaint after the deadline set forth in the pretrial scheduling order
because Baker failed to establish “good cause.” Johnson v. Mammoth Recreations,
Inc., 975 F.2d 604, 607, 609-10 (9th Cir. 1992) (setting forth standard of review
and the “good cause” requirement to modify a scheduling order).
The district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Baker’s motion for
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a discovery extension because Baker failed to establish good cause, or that she was
prejudiced by the denial. See id.; see also Hallett v. Morgan, 296 F.3d 732, 751
(9th Cir. 2002) (“[B]road discretion is vested in the trial court to permit or deny
discovery, and its decision to deny discovery will not be disturbed except upon the
clearest showing that denial of discovery results in actual and substantial prejudice
to the complaining litigant.” (citation and internal quotation marks omitted)).
In sum, we reverse summary judgment for the Midland defendants on
Baker’s § 1681s-2 claim based on the accuracy of the date of first delinquency.
We vacate the judgment on Baker’s FDCPA claims against the Midland defendants
and defendants Bursey & Associates, P.C., Bursey, LeRoy, Derrick, and Scalese.
The parties shall bear their own costs on appeal.
AFFIRMED in part, REVERSED in part, VACATED in part, and
REMANDED.
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