Burks et al v. Equity Group Eufaula Division, LLC

MOTION to Sever Claims and Decertify Class

M.D. Ala.August 1, 2008

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA - NORTHERN DIVISION BETTY ANN BURKS, et al., : : Plaintiffs, : : v. : No. 2:06-CV-1081-MEF : EQUITY GROUP EUFAULA : DIVISION LLC, : : Defendant. : MOTION TO DECERTIFY CLASS AND SEVER CLAIMS Defendant, Equity Group-Eufaula Division LLC (“Equity”), by its counsel, comes and files this Motion to Decertify Class and Sever Claims for the following reasons: 1. Decertification of the class is appropriate given (1) the widely divergent pay practices between the departments within the putative class; (2) the varying claims for relief beyond and unrelated to that encompassed by the donning and doffing claims set forth in plaintiffs’ First Amended Complaint; (3) the widely varying items of sanitary clothing required to be worn; and, (4) the disorderly putative class that contains plaintiffs who, by definition, are outside the class, not covered by a collective bargaining agreement or never even worked for Equity. 2. For the same reasons supporting decertification, the named plaintiffs’ claims should be severed as they are improperly joined and lack any common transaction or occurrence sufficient to comply with the permissive joinder standards of Rule 20(a), F.R.C.P. 3. Equity moves for decertification and severance for Case 2:06-cv-01081-MEF-TFM Document 105 Filed 08/01/2008 Page 1 of 4 -2- these reasons, and for the reasons set forth in the supporting Memorandum of Law which is being filed contemporaneously and is incorporated by reference. WHEREFORE, defendant requests that its Motion to Decertify Class and Sever Claims be granted. /s/Gary D. Fry Howard A. Rosenthal Gary D. Fry OF COUNSEL: Malcolm S. Gould Pelino & Lentz, P.C. Attorneys for Equity Group One Liberty Place Eufaula Division, LLC Thirty-Second Floor 1650 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215)665-1540 Joel P. Smith, Jr., Esquire Williams, Pothoff, Williams & Smith, LLC 125 South Orange Avenue Eufaula, Alabama 36027-1626 (334)687-5834 Case 2:06-cv-01081-MEF-TFM Document 105 Filed 08/01/2008 Page 2 of 4 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA - NORTHERN DIVISION BETTY ANN BURKS, et al., : : Plaintiffs, : : v. : No. 2:06-CV-1081-MEF : EQUITY GROUP EUFAULA : DIVISION LLC, : : Defendant. : CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE The undersigned counsel for Equity Group Eufaula Division LLC certifies that true and correct copies of the Motion to Decertify Class and Sever Claims and supporting Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion to Decertify Class and Sever Claims were filed and served electronically with the Clerk of Court and also was served by depositing true and correct copies in the United States Mail, first class postage prepaid, on August 1, 2008, and addressed as follows: Robert J. Camp, Esquire The Cochran Firm 505 North 20th Street Suite 825 Birmingham, AL 35203 rcamp@cochranfirm.com M. John Steensland, III, Esquire Parkman, Adams & White 739 West Main Street Dothan, AL 36301 parkman@graceba.net, jjsteensland@yahoo.com Richard Martin Adams, Esquire Parkman, Adams & White 505 North 20th Street Suite 825 Birmingham, AL 35203 parkman@graceba.net Samuel A. Cherry, Jr. Esquire Cochran, Cherry, Givens, Smith, Lane & Taylor, P.C. 163 West Main Street Dothan, AL 36301 scherry@cochranfirm.com, samcherry@cochranfirm.com Case 2:06-cv-01081-MEF-TFM Document 105 Filed 08/01/2008 Page 3 of 4 -2- Joseph David Lane, Esquire Cochran, Cherry, Givens, Smith, Lane & Taylor, P.C. 163 West Main Street Dothan, AL 36301 jlane@cochranfirm.com, jdavidlane@aol.com Candis A. McGowan, Esquire Wiggins Childs Quinn & Pantanis, P.C. The Kress Building 301 North 19th Street Birmingham, AL 35203-3204 CMcGowman@wcqp.com Attorneys for Plaintiffs /s/Gary D. Fry Howard A. Rosenthal Gary D. Fry OF COUNSEL: Malcolm S. Gould Pelino & Lentz, P.C. Attorneys for Equity Group One Liberty Place Eufaula Division, LLC Thirty-Second Floor 1650 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215)665-1540 Joel P. Smith, Jr., Esquire Williams, Pothoff, Williams & Smith, LLC 125 South Orange Avenue Eufaula, Alabama 36027-1626 (334)687-5834 Case 2:06-cv-01081-MEF-TFM Document 105 Filed 08/01/2008 Page 4 of 4 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA - NORTHERN DIVISION BETTY ANN BURKS, et al., : : Plaintiffs, : : v. : No. 2:06-CV-1081-MEF : EQUITY GROUP EUFAULA : DIVISION LLC, : : Defendant. : O R D E R AND NOW, this _____ day of ________, 2008, upon consideration of Defendant’s Motion to Decertify Class and Sever Claims, and supporting Memorandum of Law, as well as plaintiffs’ Response, it is ORDERED and DECREED that the Motion to Decertify Class and Sever Claims is granted. BY THE COURT: ________________________________________ Honorable Mark E. Fuller, Chief Judge Case 2:06-cv-01081-MEF-TFM Document 105-2 Filed 08/01/2008 Page 1 of 1