Page 1
No. 13-1339
1ln tbe $wrtme @rurt of tlle @rlitgù åtrted
SPOKIIO, INC''PE{TroNER,
THOMASROBINS,. RESPoNDENT.
On Writ of Certiorari to the United States Courtof Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
. BRIEF oF AI,ABAMA. CoLoRADo, IIhCHIGAN,. .
NEBTqAS&A, TENÑESSEE, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCoNSIN,AND IryYoMING As Amcr Cunr¡r rN SUPPoRT oF
PETITIoNER
July 9, 2015
Luther StiangeAlabøma Atørnq, Gen eral
Ani]rèY\¡ t. Brasher . .
lSo!ícitor Generø\,Cgunsgl of !eco*,, .
Brett J. TaìieyD epuiy S olícitor G en er aI
O¡'rrco or ruo Ai¡neue .
AtronNoy Gnxrn¡r-501 Washington Ave.Montgor.n ery; 4L 36130(334).242-73O0,abrasher@agg : state: al:usAounsel for Amici .Curiae
[additional.counsèl listeil on iusidè cover]
Page 20
24pa
rty m
ight
hav
e be
en a
ble
to s
ue a
cre
dit r
epor
ting
agen
cy u
nder
any
num
ber o
f com
mon
law
or
stat
utor
y ca
uses
of a
ctio
n. B
ut in
ord
er to
hav
eAr
ticle
III s
tand
ing
to d
o so
, he
or s
he w
ould
nee
d to
alle
ge a
n ac
tual
inju
ry.
Con
gres
s ca
nnot
rem
ove
that
requ
irem
ent
bypa
ssin
g a
new
stâ
tute
. It c
an c
reat
e a
new
cau
se o
fac
tion
to s
impl
ify r
ecov
ery
for i
njur
ed p
artie
s. It
can
crea
te s
tatu
tory
dan
ages
in c
ases
whe
re a
ctua
lda
mag
es a
re s
mal
l or d
ifÊcu
Ìt to
asc
erta
in, a
nd it
can
crea
te a
righ
t of a
ctio
n in
case
s ot
herw
ise
barre
d by
prud
entia
l sta
ndin
g ru
les.
It ca
n ev
en c
reat
e a
new
Iega
l rig
ht th
e vi
olat
ion
of w
hich
may
giv
e ris
e to
ala
wsu
it, s
uch
as c
allin
g to
col
lect
a d
ebt a
_fte
r ace
rtain
hou
r at n
ight
. Wha
t it c
anno
t do
is e
limin
ate
the
requ
irem
ent
for a
n in
jury
in fa
ct th
at is
mor
eth
an th
e m
ere
viol
atio
n of
the
stat
ute
itsel
f. It
cann
ot"e
rase
Arti
cle
III's
stan
ding
requ
irem
ents
by
stat
utor
ily g
rant
ing
the
right
to s
ue to
a p
lain
tiff
who
wou
id n
ot o
ther
wis
e ha
ve s
tanù
ing.
" Røi
nes
u.By
rd,,
527
U.S
. 811
, 820
n.3
(199
7). O
ther
wis
e,st
andi
ng w
ould
be
limite
d on
ly b
y th
e w
ill of
Con
gres
s, n
ot th
e le
tter o
f the
Con
stitu
tion.
B.
A ro
bust
sta
ndin
g re
quire
rnen
the
lps
acco
mpl
ish,
rat
her
than
hind
ers,
the
goal
s of
sta
tuto
ry-
darn
ages
law
s.
Req
uirin
g a
party
see
king
stâ
tuto
ry d
amag
es t
osh
ow a
ctua
l har
m w
ould
not
onl
y co
nstra
in a
busi
vean
d un
fair
clas
s ac
tions
. It
wou
ld a
lso
bette
r ser
veth
e go
als
of s
tatu
tory
-dam
ages
law
s th
an th
e lo
wer
cour
t's u
nbou
nded
app
roac
h to
sta
ndin
g.
)äå;
i
ffi;r
'ii,Ê;
i *i :Í..
'åì I tj I I 1l i j il ,i I I : i I l ; l
25
Stat
utor
y da
mag
es s
erve
sev
era-
l pur
pose
s. T
hey
enco
urag
e ci
tizen
s to
enfo
rce
the
law
, whi
ch is
parti
cula
rly im
porta
nt â
t a ti
me
of s
trapp
ed s
tate
and
fede
ra-l
budg
ets.
The
y ea
se a
cces
s to
the
cour
tsby
allo
win
g fo
r rec
over
y, e
ven
whe
n da
mag
es a
resm
all o
r diff
icul
t to
quan
tify.
Arrd
they
hel
p to
ens
ure
com
plia
nce
by th
e in
dust
ries
they
regu
late
. Win
dfal
lcl
ass
actio
ns u
nder
mile
thes
e go
als.
1. L
egis
lativ
e hi
stor
y de
rnon
stra
tes
that
Con
gres
sen
acte
d st
atut
ory-
ilam
ages
law
s to
cor
rect
ser
ious
abus
es a
nd fi
ll ga
ps i¡
r the
law
, not
to a
llow
win
dfal
lcl
ass
actio
ns fo
r tec
hnic
al v
iola
tions
. For
inst
ance
,w
hen
it en
acte
d th
e Fa
ir D
ebt C
olle
ctio
ns P
ract
ices
Act,
Con
gres
s po
inte
d to
"the
use
of a
busi
ve,
dece
ptiv
e, a
nd u
nfai
r deb
t col
lect
ion
prac
tices
" th
at"c
ontri
bute
to th
e nu
mbe
r of p
erso
nal b
ankr
uptc
ies,
to m
arita
l ins
tabi
lity,
to th
e lo
ss o
f job
s, a
nd to
inva
sion
s of
indi
vidu
al p
rivac
y."
15 U
.S.C
. $ 1
692(
a).
It al
so n
oted
that
exi
stin
g la
ws
wer
e "in
adeq
uate
topr
otec
t con
sum
ers.
" 15
U.S
.C. S
169
2@).
Con
gres
sde
scrib
ed th
e ac
cura
te c
redi
t rep
ortin
g re
quire
men
tsin
the
FC
RA
as "e
ssen
tial t
o th
e co
ntin
ued
func
tioni
ng o
f the
ban
king
sys
tem
," an
d ne
cess
ary
toen
sure
that
repo
rting
age
ncie
s "e
xerc
ise
thei
r gra
vere
spon
sibi
litie
s w
ith fa
irnes
s, im
parti
ality
, and
are
spec
t for
the
cons
umer
's rig
ht to
priv
acy.
" 15
U.S
.C. $
168
1(a)
(1),
(a)(a
). Th
e le
ad H
ouse
spo
nsor
of
FAC
TA d
escr
ibed
the
legi
slat
ion
as c
ritic
al in
the
frght
aga
inst
iden
tity
thef
t, w
hich
ât t
he ti
me
was
estim
ated
to c
ost A
mer
ican
con
sum
ers
$50
billio
n a
year
. 149
Con
g. R
ec. 2
1734
(2O
O3)
(sta
tem
ent
ofR
ep.
Page 22
28
"pre
fer
'no
rese
arch
' law
suits
that
app
ear l
ikel
y(fr
om th
e in
vest
igat
ion
itsei
f) to
yie
ld lu
crat
ive
settl
emen
ts w
ith o
nly
a m
inim
al in
vest
men
t of t
ime
and
mon
ey."
Id. a
t 745
3-54
. As
a re
sult,
this
t¡1p
e of
clas
s ac
tion
fai-l
s to
"bro
aden
the
scop
e of
Ìaw
enfo
rcem
ent,
but r
athe
r on
ly in
tens
ifies
the
pena
lty."
John
C. C
offe
e, J
r., R
escu
íng
the
Priu
ate
Atto
rney
Gen
eral
: Why
the
Mod
,el o
f the
Law
yer
As B
ount
yH
unte
r Is
Not
Wor
hing
, 42
MD
. L. R
sv. 2
75, 2
23(1
e83)
.
Muc
h in
k ha
s be
en s
pille
d on
way
s to
bet
ter
chan
nel s
o-ca
lled'þr
ivat
e at
torn
eys
gene
rali'
tow
ard
frllin
g th
e ga
ps in
pub
lic e
nfor
cem
ent o
f the
law
. But
wea
keni
ng th
e in
jury
-in-fa
ct re
quire
men
t doe
s no
the
lp. B
ecau
se o
f the
com
mon
ality
and
typi
calit
yan
alys
is o
f Rul
e 23
(a),
clas
s co
unse
l hav
e an
ince
ntiv
e to
see
k ou
t nar
row
, tec
hnic
al v
iola
tions
of
the
law
. The
se a
ctio
ns a
re m
ore
likel
y to
sur
vive
the
certi
ficat
ion
proc
ess
and
resu
lt in
a p
rofrt
able
settl
emen
t. O
n th
e ot
her
hand
, the
mor
e se
rious
the
viol
atio
n, t
he m
ore
serio
us th
e ha
rm-a
nd th
e m
ore
com
plic
ated
the
fact
pat
tern
. If g
iven
the
choi
cebe
twee
n a
diffi
cult
case
invo
lvin
g ac
tual
har
m a
nd a
stra
ight
forw
ard,
no-
harm
cla
ss a
ctio
n, c
lass
cou
nsel
will
choo
se th
e la
tter.
3. F
inal
ly, a
lthou
gh C
ongr
ess
certa
inly
inte
nded
for c
itize
n-en
forc
emen
t of t
he la
w, d
oing
so
with
out a
mea
ning
ful s
tand
ing
requ
irene
nt r
aise
s th
e sp
ecte
rof
ove
renf
orce
men
t. As
this
Cou
rt ha
s re
cogn
ized
,w
hen
a go
vern
men
t age
ncy
is in
volv
ed,
a co
mpl
exba
lanc
ing
act h
elps
to li
mit
actio
ns to
thos
e th
at a
rem
ost i
mpo
rtant
. "An
age
ncy
gene
rally
can
not a
ctag
ains
t eac
h te
chni
cal v
iola
tion
of th
e st
atut
e it
isch
arge
d w
ith e
nfor
cing
." H
echl
er u
. Cha
ney,
4?0
U.S
.
.;ffi-
,#r
. ä .$ '.tu-
.,'ti -rr
l ä 'i ,ì: .ir !: ä f t, iì ll Ì. I i l ! ' :
.)o
821,
831
(198
5). R
athe
r, an
age
ncy
face
d w
ith a
clec
isio
n ab
out w
heth
er to
pur
sue
an e
nfor
cem
ent
actio
n "m
ust n
ot o
nly
asse
ss w
heth
er a
vio
latio
n ha
soc
curre
d,"
but m
ust a
lso
look
to "w
heth
er a
genc
yre
sour
ces
are
best
spe
nt o
n th
is v
iola
tion
or a
noth
er,
whe
ther
the
agen
cy is
like
ly to
succ
eed
if it
acts
,w
heth
er th
e pa
rticu
lar e
nfor
cem
ent a
ctio
n re
ques
ted
best
fits
the
agen
cy's
over
all p
olic
ies,
and
, ind
eed,
whe
ther
the
agen
cy h
as e
noug
h re
sour
ces
toun
derta
ke t
he a
ctio
n at
aIl.
" Id,
.
In p
rivat
e ac
tions
, the
doc
trine
of s
tand
ing,
and
parti
cula
rly it
s in
jury
-in-fa
ct r
equi
rem
ent,
serv
es a
role
as
a si
mila
r che
ck o
n ov
eren
forc
emen
t. C
ourts
are
not "
publ
icly
fund
ed fo
rum
.s fo
r the
ven
tilat
ion
ofpu
blic
grie
vanc
es o
r th
e re
finem
ent o
fju
rispr
uden
tial u
nder
stan
ding
." Va
lley
Forg
eC
hris
tíøn
CoI
I. u.
Am
eric
øtls
Un¿
ted
for S
epør
øtio
n of
Chu
rch
& St
ate,
Inc.
, 454
U.S
. 464
, 473
í982
).Vi
olat
ions
of t
he la
w, n
o m
atte
r ho
w s
erio
us, d
o no
tgi
ve li
tigan
ts "
a sp
ecia
l lic
ense
to ro
am th
e co
untry
''in
sea
rch
of w
rong
s to
righ
t. Id
. at 4
87. E
ven
in q
zitø
ln c
ases
, thi
s C
ourt
has
foun
d th
at re
lato
rs h
ave
stan
tling
not
on
the
basi
s of
a s
tatu
tory
vio
latio
n or
the
boun
ty th
ey w
ill re
ceiv
e if
the
suit
is s
ucce
ssfu
l,bu
t rat
her a
s an
ass
igne
e of
the
inju
ry in
fact
suffe
red
by th
e U
nite
d St
ates
. Ver
rnon
t Age
ncy,
529
U.S
. at 7
72-7
4.
Ove
renf
orce
men
t com
es a
t a c
ost;
it st
rails
judi
cial
reso
urce
s, c
hills
pro
duct
ive
activ
ities
, and
gene
rate
s un
fair
resu
lts. A
s co
mm
enta
tors
exam
inin
g th
is p
robl
em h
ave
reco
gniz
ed,
"Not
aII
subs
tant
ive
prin
cipl
es n
eces
saril
y w
arra
nten
forc
emen
t to
the
nth
degr
ee."
Ric
hard
A.
Nag
arec
la, A
ggre
gatio
n an
d lts
Dis
cont
ents
: Clø
ss
