The plaintiffs are citizens of Spain who spend part of each year working in Evanston, Illinois as guest lecturers at Northwestern University. When they were about to return to Spain, they stored their property with the defendant storage company and informed the defendant to contact them by email. However, the plaintiffs never signed a storage agreement and, thus, had no breach of contract claim.
After an unsuccessful attempt to charge their credit card, the storage company did not inform plaintiffs of the problem, but, instead, sold their belongings to cover the storage bill.
The district court sets forth the events as alleged in the complaint:
"At the same time that plaintiffs signed the rental agreement for the storage unit, they also authorized PS to automatically charge Blazquez's credit card every month to pay for it. On February 2, 2011, PS unsuccessfully attempted to charge Blazquez's card. Plaintiffs allege that any subsequent attempt to charge the credit card would have been successful, but PS did not try again after its first attempt was unsuccessful. PS did not e-mail plaintiffs to tell them of the payment problem as it had promised. Instead, PS sold all of plaintiffs' property to recover the $572 that PS claimed it was owed because of nonpayment in March.
PS Illinois never gave Hausen and Blazquez any notice of the nonpayment or the sale of their property. In late April, plaintiffs noticed that PS had not charged their credit card recently and called to find out why. A PS employee told them of the sale. Plaintiffs requested documents and records related to the nonpayment and sale, but PS has refused to provide any. In addition, PS has not told plaintiffs the amount it received from the sale of their property and has not delivered to them any amount it received in excess of $572."
The Court denied the motion to dismiss the fraud claims on the ground that the plaintiffs could reasonably rely on the statements of the strorage company:
"At the same time that plaintiffs signed the rental agreement for the storage unit, they also authorized PS to automatically charge Blazquez's credit card every month to pay for it. On February 2, 2011, PS unsuccessfully attempted to charge Blazquez's card. Plaintiffs allege that any subsequent attempt to charge the credit card would have been successful, but PS did not try again after its first attempt was unsuccessful. PS did not e-mail plaintiffs to tell them of the payment problem as it had promised. Instead, PS sold all of plaintiffs' property to recover the $572 that PS claimed it was owed because of nonpayment in March.
PS Illinois never gave Hausen and Blazquez any notice of the nonpayment or the sale of their property. In late April, plaintiffs noticed that PS had not charged their credit card recently and called to find out why. A PS employee told them of the sale. Plaintiffs requested documents and records related to the nonpayment and sale, but PS has refused to provide any. In addition, PS has not told plaintiffs the amount it received from the sale of their property and has not delivered to them any amount it received in excess of $572."
Edward X. Clinton, Jr.
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