Melanie Garcia v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. ( 2021 )


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  •          USCA11 Case: 19-14097     Date Filed: 04/07/2021   Page: 1 of 20
    [DO NOT PUBLISH]
    IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
    ________________________
    No. 19-14097
    ________________________
    D.C. Docket Nos. 1:09-md-02036-JLK; 1:08-cv-22463-JLK
    In re: Checking Account Overdraft Litigation
    1:09-md-02036-JLK
    THOMAS LARSEN, et al.,
    Plaintiffs,
    MELANIE L. GARCIA,
    CELIA SPEARS-HAYMOND,
    DELORES GUTIERREZ,
    MARC MARTINEZ,
    ALEX ZANKICH,
    Plaintiffs - Appellants,
    versus
    CITIBANK FSB, et al.,
    Defendants,
    WELLS FARGO BANK N.A.,
    WACHOVIA BANK, N.A.,
    WACHOVIA CORPORATION,
    USCA11 Case: 19-14097        Date Filed: 04/07/2021      Page: 2 of 20
    Defendant - Appellee.
    __________________________________________________________________
    1:08-CV-22463-JLK
    MELANIE L. GARCIA,
    Plaintiff - Appellant,
    Versus
    WACHOVIA BANK, N.A..,
    Defendant - Appellee.
    __________________________________________________________________
    1:09-cv-21680-JLK
    CELIA SPEARS-HAMMOND,
    as an individual, and on behalf of all others similarly situated,
    Plaintiff - Appellant,
    versus
    WACHOVIA CORPORATION,
    WACHOVIA BANK N.A.,
    Defendants - Appellees.
    ________________________
    Appeals from the United States District Court
    for the Southern District of Florida
    ________________________
    (April 7, 2021)
    USCA11 Case: 19-14097           Date Filed: 04/07/2021       Page: 3 of 20
    Before WILSON, GRANT, and TJOFLAT, Circuit Judges.
    WILSON, Circuit Judge:
    This case presents the question whether, in light of arbitration agreements
    contained in two contracts, the district court properly dismissed the claims of
    unnamed members of five class actions in favor of individual arbitration. The
    parties—on one side, a bank, and, on the other side, five classes made up of former
    and current customers of the bank—dispute the enforceability of arbitration clauses
    contained in their account agreements. After careful review, we find that
    arbitration is appropriate, and affirm the district court.
    I. Background
    Plaintiffs are members of five class actions filed against Wells Fargo Bank,
    N.A., for itself and its predecessor, Wachovia Bank, N.A.1 Each complaint
    challenges alleged practices of Wells Fargo relating to overdraft fees. Plaintiffs
    allege that such practices breached the covenant of good faith and fair dealing
    under their respective account agreements—either the Wells Fargo Consumer
    Account Agreement (Wells Fargo Agreement) or the Wachovia Deposit
    Agreement (Wachovia Agreement).2 This issue has yet to be addressed, and we
    1
    Wells Fargo acquired Wachovia in January 2009. Wachovia has since ceased to exist as a
    separate bank. For that reason, we refer to both banks jointly as Wells Fargo.
    2
    Wells Fargo is not alone in having been accused of unlawful overdraft-fee practices. The
    Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated these five class actions with dozens of
    similar cases filed against approximately thirty banks. In re Checking Acct. Overdraft Litig., 626
    3
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    will not address it here because this case is about arbitration—specifically, about
    the enforceability of the arbitration clauses contained in the Wells Fargo and
    Wachovia Agreements.
    In relevant part, the Wells Fargo Agreement reads:
    Dispute Resolution Program: Arbitration Agreement
    This section constitutes the Arbitration Agreement
    between you and the Bank.
    Non-Judicial Resolution of Disputes
    If you have a dispute with the Bank, and you are not able
    to resolve the dispute informally, you and the Bank agree
    that any dispute between or among you and the Bank,
    regardless of when it arose, shall be resolved by the
    following arbitration process. You understand and
    agree that you and the Bank are each waiving the right
    to a jury trial or a trial before a judge in a public court.
    Disputes
    . . . A dispute . . . includes any disagreement about the
    meaning of this Arbitration Agreement, and whether a
    disagreement is a “dispute” subject to binding arbitration
    as provided for in this Arbitration Agreement. . . .
    Binding Arbitration
    ....
    Each arbitration, including the selection of the arbitrator
    shall be administered by the American Arbitration
    Association (AAA), according to the Commercial
    Arbitration Rules and the Supplemental Procedures for
    Consumer Related Disputes . . . . To the extent that there
    is any variance between the AAA Rules and this
    F. Supp. 2d 1333 (U.S. Jud. Pan. Mult. Lit. 2009). The case before us is just the latest
    installment in a series of appeals concerning this multidistrict litigation (MDL).
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    Arbitration Agreement, this Arbitration Agreement shall
    control. . . .
    In relevant part, the Wachovia Agreement reads:
    25. Arbitration of Disputes/Waiver of Jury Trial and
    Participation in Class Actions. If either you or we
    request, any dispute or claim concerning your account or
    your relationship to us will be decided by binding
    arbitration under the expedited procedures of the
    Commercial Financial Disputes Arbitration Rules of the
    American Arbitration Association (AAA), and Title 9 of
    the US Code. . . . Each party will pay its own costs and
    attorney’s fees. . . .
    . . . The arbitration or trial will be brought individually and
    not as part of a class action. If it is brought as a class
    action, it must proceed on an individual (non-class, non-
    representative) basis.         YOU UNDERSTAND AND
    KNOWINGLY AND VOLUNTARILY AGREE THAT
    YOU AND WE ARE WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A
    TRIAL BY JURY AND THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE
    OR BE REPRESENTED IN ANY CLASS ACTION
    LAWSUIT.
    ....
    31. Changing this Agreement. We have the right to
    change the terms of this Agreement . . . . We will notify
    you in writing at least thirty calendar days before the
    change will take effect if the change is not in your favor.
    Notably, the arbitration clauses require individual, nonclass arbitration of
    any disputes concerning the customer’s account. In the agreements, the clauses are
    set off by a heading in bolded type and listed in the tables of contents. The Wells
    Fargo Agreement contains a delegation clause, delegating to the arbitrator “any
    5
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    disagreement about the meaning of this Arbitration Agreement, and whether a
    disagreement is a ‘dispute’ subject to binding arbitration as provided for in this
    Arbitration Agreement.” Both agreements incorporate the American Arbitration
    Association’s (AAA) Commercial Financial Disputes Arbitration Rules, and in the
    case of the Wells Fargo Agreement, the Supplemental Procedures for Consumer
    Related Disputes (AAA Rules).
    Wells Fargo invoked the arbitration clause from each agreement and filed a
    motion to dismiss the claims of the unnamed class members—i.e., all members of
    the certified class other than the named Plaintiffs—and compel arbitration. 3
    Plaintiffs opposed the motion and argued that the arbitration clauses in the Wells
    Fargo and Wachovia Agreements are illusory and unconscionable, and therefore
    unenforceable. The district court rejected Plaintiffs’ arguments and dismissed the
    claims of the unnamed class members without prejudice to the right of any
    unnamed class member to bring his or her claim in an individual arbitration
    according to the terms of the applicable contract.
    With respect to the Wells Fargo Agreement, the district court did not reach
    the question of whether the arbitration clause was illusory and/or unconscionable.
    3
    This is the third time Wells Fargo renewed its motion to dismiss and compel arbitration,
    making this appeal the fourth of the parties’ arbitration-related appeals we have heard. Garcia v.
    Wachovia Corp., 
    699 F.3d 1273
     (11th Cir. 2012); In re Checking Acct. Overdraft Litig., 
    780 F.3d 1031
     (11th Cir. 2015); Gutierrez v. Wells Fargo Bank, NA, 
    889 F.3d 1230
     (11th Cir. 2018).
    6
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    The court found that the delegation clause delegates to the arbitrator all questions
    of arbitrability, including Plaintiffs’ challenge to the enforceability of the
    arbitration clause. In other words, the district court determined that it was up to the
    arbitrator—not the court—to determine whether the parties must arbitrate.
    Because the Wachovia Agreement does not contain a delegation clause, the district
    court did decide whether the arbitration clause in the Wachovia Agreement is
    illusory and/or unconscionable. Applying Eleventh Circuit precedent, the court
    found that it is neither.
    On appeal, Plaintiffs contest both determinations.4 First, they argue that the
    district court erred because the delegation clause in the Wells Fargo Agreement
    only assigns two arbitrability issues to the arbitrator—and Plaintiffs’ challenge to
    the enforceability of the agreement is not one of them. Second, they argue that the
    district court improperly took a “one-size-fits-all” approach when it analyzed the
    enforceability of the Wachovia Agreement pursuant to Eleventh Circuit caselaw.
    Plaintiffs contend that the district court should have conducted a state-by-state
    analysis when considering if the arbitration clause is illusory or unconscionable.
    To this end, Plaintiffs claim that the district court should have focused on the laws
    4
    Plaintiffs advance a third argument that Wells Fargo waived its arbitration rights. We already
    held in Gutierrez, that Wells Fargo appropriately preserved its arbitration rights as to the
    unnamed class members. See generally 
    889 F.3d 1230
    . While we decided that case on different
    grounds, Plaintiffs concede that they presented the exact same argument in Gutierrez that they
    make here. We see no reason to revisit the issue and maintain that Wells Fargo has not waived
    its right to invoke arbitration.
    7
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    of the District Columbia and other relevant states where Wells Fargo conducted
    business in considering these issues. We address each argument in turn.
    II. Standard of Review
    We review de novo a district court’s order granting a motion to compel
    arbitration. In re Checking Acct. Overdraft Litig., 
    754 F.3d 1290
    , 1293 (11th Cir.
    2014). We also review de novo a district court’s interpretation of an arbitration
    provision. Doe v. Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd., 
    657 F.3d 1204
    , 1213 (11th Cir.
    2011).
    III. The Wells Fargo Agreement
    We start with the Wells Fargo Agreement. Plaintiffs argued before the
    district court that the contract’s arbitration clause is unconscionable, and thus the
    court could not enforce it. The district court did not reach this issue because the
    delegation clause delegates all questions of arbitrability—or gateway issues—to
    the arbitrator. Plaintiffs disagree, arguing that their claim—that the arbitration
    clause is unenforceable—is not governed by the delegation clause. Therefore,
    Plaintiffs contend, the delegation clause does not require them to arbitrate this
    specific gateway issue.
    “Arbitration is a matter of contract and of consent.” JPay, Inc. v. Kobel, 
    904 F.3d 923
    , 928 (11th Cir. 2018). Arbitrators can resolve disputes in arbitration only
    because the parties have agreed to do so in advance. 
    Id.
     Where parties have
    8
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    agreed to arbitrate certain questions, it is the duty of the court to enforce that
    agreement. Id. at 929. But the court may not require arbitration beyond the
    parties’ agreement. Id. So it must use caution when requiring parties to arbitrate
    gateway issues. “A party often might not focus . . . upon the significance of having
    arbitrators decide the scope of their own powers.” First Options of Chi., Inc. v.
    Kaplan, 
    514 U.S. 938
    , 945 (1995). Therefore, we presume that it is up to the court
    to decide arbitrability, unless the parties “clearly and unmistakably” provide that
    the arbitrator should decide arbitrability. AT&T Techs., Inc. v. Commc’ns Workers
    of Am., 
    475 U.S. 643
    , 649 (1986).
    We have repeatedly ruled that the reference or incorporation of AAA Rules
    with language providing that “the arbitrator shall have the power to rule on his or
    her own jurisdiction, including any objections with respect to the existence, scope
    or validity of the arbitration agreement” demonstrates a clear and unmistakable
    intent that the arbitrator should decide all questions of arbitrability. See JPay, 904
    F.3d at 938–39 (alteration adopted) (“[W]e read an arbitration agreement
    incorporating AAA rules containing this language as clear and unmistakable
    evidence that the parties contracted around the default rule and intended to
    delegate questions of arbitrability to the arbitrator.”); Spirit Airlines, Inc. v. Maizes,
    
    899 F.3d 1230
    , 1233 (11th Cir. 2018) (“The parties’ agreement plainly chose AAA
    rules [containing this language]. . . . [T]his is clear and unmistakable evidence that
    9
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    the parties chose to have an arbitrator decide whether their agreement provided for
    class arbitration.”); U.S. Nutraceuticals, LLC v. Cyanotech Corp., 
    769 F.3d 1308
    ,
    1311 (11th Cir. 2014) (“When the parties incorporated into the 2007 contract the
    [AAA Rules containing this language], they clearly and unmistakably contracted to
    submit questions of arbitrability to an arbitrator.”); Terminix Int’l Co. v. Palmer
    Ranch Ltd., 
    432 F.3d 1327
     (11th Cir. 2005) (“[T]he parties have agreed that the
    arbitrator will answer this [gateway] question by providing . . . that ‘arbitration
    shall be conducted in accordance with the [AAA Rules].”).
    Our caselaw is dispositive here. Plaintiffs and Wells Fargo clearly and
    unmistakably agreed to arbitrate all gateway issues. The Wells Fargo Agreement
    explicitly incorporates commercial AAA Rules: “Each arbitration, including the
    selection of the arbitrator shall be administered by the [AAA], according to the
    Commercial Arbitration Rules and the Supplemental Procedures for Consumer
    Related Disputes.” Further, those commercial AAA Rules specifically provide that
    the arbitrator will decide questions of arbitrability: “The arbitrator shall have the
    power to rule on his or her own jurisdiction, including any objections with respect
    to the existence, scope, or validity of the arbitration agreement or to the
    arbitrability of any claim or counterclaim.”5 This alone is sufficient for us to find
    the requisite clear and unmistakable intent to arbitrate arbitrability.
    5
    Am. Arb. Ass’n, Commercial Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures R-7(a).
    10
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    Plaintiffs raise four arguments in support of their theory that the delegation
    clause does not apply to all gateway issues, and importantly, does not apply to the
    gateway issue at hand. However, we do not find them persuasive. First, Plaintiffs
    argue that the incorporation is ineffective because the agreement incorporates
    commercial AAA Rules rather than consumer AAA Rules. But we have been
    willing to accept the incorporation of any AAA Rules so long as they contain the
    proper language as clear and unmistakable evidence of an agreement to arbitrate
    gateway issues. See, e.g., JPay, 904 F.3d at 937 (noting that we do not
    “interrogate which specific AAA rules were incorporated through the contract’s
    general incorporation language”). As such, our precedent compels that we
    construe the delegation clause in the Wells Fargo Agreement as a clear and
    unmistakable intent to delegate to the arbitrator questions of arbitrability.
    Second, relying on an out-of-circuit, unpublished district court decision,
    Plaintiffs contend that incorporation of AAA Rules is “insufficient to establish
    delegation in consumer contracts involving at least one unsophisticated party.”
    Ingalls v. Spotify USA, Inc., 
    2016 WL 6679561
     (N.D. Cal. Nov. 14, 2016).
    However, we have never distinguished between agreements involving
    sophisticated and unsophisticated parties, and those involving only sophisticated
    parties; in fact, our precedent includes cases about agreements involving
    unsophisticated parties. See generally, e.g., JPay, 
    904 F.3d 923
     (incorporation of
    11
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    the AAA Rules signaled clear and unmistakable intent to arbitrate arbitrability
    issues arising between a money-transfer vendor and its customers); Spirit Airlines,
    
    899 F.3d 1230
     (incorporation of AAA Rules signaled clear and unmistakable intent
    to arbitrate arbitrability issues arising between a major airline company and its
    customers).
    Third, Plaintiffs argue that the incorporation of the AAA Rules cannot
    overcome the plain language of the delegation clause, which limits the arbitrability
    of gateway issues to only two specific instances: “[A]ny disagreement about [1]
    the meaning of this Arbitration Agreement, and [2] whether a disagreement is a
    ‘dispute’ subject to binding arbitration as provided for in this Arbitration
    Agreement.” This, Plaintiffs contend, expressly contradicts and creates tension
    with AAA Rules. However, we see no direct conflict between the two. Nothing in
    the Wells Fargo Agreement explicitly excludes or contradicts anything included in
    the AAA Rules. Read together, we view the incorporation and delegation clause as
    “mutually reinforcing methods of delegation.” JPay, 904 F.3d at 941. We have
    already said that the incorporation of the AAA Rules was enough to indicate the
    parties’ clear and unmistakable intent to arbitrate gateway issues. Now, that
    incorporation, coupled with the delegation clause, proves to be more than enough.
    Finally, Plaintiffs argue that the delegation clause is unconscionable and
    therefore unenforceable. Because the Wells Fargo Agreement delegates issues of
    12
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    interpretation, scope, and enforceability to the arbitrator, we only retain jurisdiction
    over challenges directed specifically at that delegation. Rent-A-Center W., Inc. v.
    Jackson, 
    561 U.S. 63
    , 70–71 (2010). Where a plaintiff’s only challenge applies to
    the arbitration agreement more broadly, we leave those challenges to the arbitrator.
    See Parnell v. CashCall, Inc., 
    804 F.3d 1142
    , 1146 (11th Cir. 2015). As the
    district court properly noted, “Plaintiffs do not identify any specific defect in the
    delegation clause and instead argue only that it is unconscionable ‘for the same
    reasons’ as the contract more generally.” Without Plaintiffs pointing to any
    specific deficiencies in the delegation clause, we find no reason to deem it
    unconscionable. Plaintiffs may take up their challenges to the contract as a whole
    with the arbitrator.
    IV. The Wachovia Agreement
    We now turn to the Wachovia Agreement. Because the Wachovia
    Agreement contains no delegation provision like the one in the Wells Fargo
    Agreement, the district court considered whether the arbitration clause was illusory
    and/or unconscionable, ultimately determining it was neither.
    A. Illusoriness
    Plaintiffs argue that the Wachovia Agreement is illusory because it
    unilaterally empowers Wells Fargo to modify or delete the arbitration clause.
    However, the Wachovia Agreement only authorizes Wells Fargo to change the
    13
    USCA11 Case: 19-14097        Date Filed: 04/07/2021     Page: 14 of 20
    terms of the agreement so long as it “notif[ies] [Plaintiffs] in writing at least thirty
    calendar days before the change will take effect if the change is not in [their]
    favor.” In other words, Wells Fargo can make no changes to the agreement that
    would disadvantage Plaintiffs without first providing 30-days’ notice of such
    change. During that time, Plaintiffs could opt out of the contract by closing their
    bank account.
    In another decision from this MDL, we held that similar notice protections
    defeated arguments that an arbitration clause was illusory. See Larsen v. CitiBank,
    FSB, 
    871 F.3d 1295
     (11th Cir. 2017). In Larsen, we considered an account
    agreement where the bank “reserve[d] the right to change or add to the terms and
    conditions of [the] Agreement or change the terms of [plaintiffs’] Account[s] at
    any time.” 
    Id. at 1317
    . Per the agreement, the bank would provide “notice of the
    change as [it] determine[s] appropriate.” 
    Id.
     The Larsen court interpreted the
    modification language as “specifically obligat[ing] [the bank] to provide
    consumers with notice prior to making any amendment.” 
    Id. at 1321
    . Even though
    the bank had discretion to determine what notice period was “appropriate,” its
    “commitment to provide notice [was] accompanied by an implied duty of good
    faith and fair dealing.” 
    Id.
     And so we found that the bank’s “power to amend the
    Provision [was] therefore not unfettered, unlimited, or absolute.” 
    Id.
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    USCA11 Case: 19-14097       Date Filed: 04/07/2021    Page: 15 of 20
    Here, the modification provision’s notice requirement demands more from
    the bank than the notice requirement in Larsen. Rather than “appropriate” notice,
    Wells Fargo must provide 30-days’ notice of any changes to the terms of the
    agreement. Having already found that “appropriate” notice was enough, we can
    confidently say that the 30-days’ notice protection is more than enough to
    overcome the argument that the Wachovia Agreement is illusory. This is true even
    though the Wachovia Agreement affords the bank discretion as to when it must
    provide notice. Like the agreement in Larsen, and any contract for that matter, the
    Wachovia Agreement is subject to an implied duty of good faith and fair dealing.
    And so Wells Fargo’s power to change the terms is not “unfettered, unlimited, or
    absolute.” 
    Id.
    However, Plaintiffs argue that Larsen is inapplicable. They allege the
    Wachovia Agreement is illusory under the laws of California, Colorado, the
    District of Columbia, Maryland, Nevada, Tennessee, and Texas—and the district
    court failed to conduct a thorough state-by-state analysis before determining the
    Wachovia Agreement was not illusory. We have held that “choice of law
    questions can be avoided if the laws of the different jurisdictions lead to identical
    results.” Shapiro v. Associated Int’l Ins. Co., 
    899 F.2d 1116
    , 1118 n.2 (11th Cir.
    1990). So applying Larsen is only problematic if the relevant jurisdictions’ laws
    would turn up different results. But Plaintiffs do not demonstrate how state-
    15
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    specific analyses would result in different outcomes. Accordingly, we do not find
    that it was improper for the district court to rely on Larsen to conclude that the
    modification provisions in the Wachovia Agreement do not render the contract
    illusory. To the contrary, we agree with the court’s well-reasoned, albeit brief,
    analysis of precedent from the relevant states, which actually confirms this
    conclusion.
    B. Unconscionability
    Plaintiffs argue that the Wachovia Agreement is also unenforceable because
    it is unconscionable. As a preliminary matter, while these issues of
    unconscionability are state-law matters, Plaintiffs have not shown that the state
    laws that would apply here differ in any material respect from those addressed in
    prior Eleventh Circuit decisions. See 
    id.
     As such, we measure conscionability
    against those cases.
    1. Procedural Unconscionability
    To start, Plaintiffs allege several theories of procedural unconscionability.
    But binding caselaw and decisions from this MDL have already rejected Plaintiffs’
    arguments. First, Plaintiffs argue that the arbitration clause is procedurally
    unconscionable because it is the product of a gross disparity in bargaining power.
    However, “[a]s the Supreme Court has recognized, ‘[m]ere inequality in
    bargaining power . . . is not a sufficient reason to hold that arbitration agreements
    16
    USCA11 Case: 19-14097        Date Filed: 04/07/2021    Page: 17 of 20
    are never enforceable.’” In re Checking Acct. Overdraft Litig. MDL No. 2036
    (Hough), 
    672 F.3d 1224
    , 1229 (11th Cir. 2012) (per curiam) (alteration in original)
    (quoting Gilmer v. Interstate/Johnson Lane Corp., 
    500 U.S. 20
    , 33 (1991)). And
    we further noted in Hough that the disparity in bargaining power must result in a
    contract that is “so one-sided that no sane man not acting under a delusion would
    make and that no honest man would participate in the transaction.” 
    Id.
     (internal
    quotation marks omitted). The arbitration clause in the Wachovia Agreement—
    nearly identical to the one in Hough—“falls well short of this standard.” 
    Id.
    Additionally, Plaintiffs argue that the arbitration clause is procedurally
    unconscionable because it was “buried” in a lengthy agreement “consisting of
    small print legalese.” But also in Hough, we rejected the notion that the arbitration
    clause was “not conspicuous because it was buried on the twenty-first page of a
    forty-three page, single-spaced document and in a maze of fine print.” 
    Id.
     That
    was because there were “other aspects of the document that made apparent the
    agreement to arbitrate.” 
    Id.
     The same is true here: the Wachovia Agreement
    specifically identifies the arbitration by including it in the table of contents and
    using a prominent heading.
    Last, Plaintiffs argue that the clause is procedurally unconscionable because
    it is a take-it-or-leave-it proposition offering no opportunity to opt out of
    arbitration. We have previously stated that a contract is not procedurally
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    unconscionable simply because it is a contract of adhesion. See, e.g., 
    id.
     (“take-it-
    or-leave-it” contract was not per se procedurally unconscionable); Larsen, 871
    F.3d at 1310 (same). Additionally, we have already rejected the argument that “a
    consumer may not be bound by a term contained within a standardized adhesion
    contract merely because he has not been offered an opportunity to opt out of that
    provision.” Larsen, 871 F.3d at 1311–12. For these reasons, we find that the
    Wachovia Agreement is not procedurally unconscionable under our precedent.
    2. Substantive Unconscionability
    Next, Plaintiffs argue substantive unconscionability. Plaintiffs first argue
    that the Wachovia Agreement is substantively unconscionable because it requires
    customers to pay Wells Fargo’s attorney’s fees and allows Wells Fargo to deduct
    those fees from customers’ accounts without notice. But the only place where the
    Wachovia Agreement calls for customers to pay attorney’s fees is a clause
    governing conflicts and disputes involving the account—not the arbitration clause.
    The arbitration clause explicitly states that “[e]ach party will pay its own costs and
    attorney’s fees.” There is no fee shifting when it comes to arbitration—so there is
    no fee-shifting argument to be made.6
    6
    Even if the fee-shifting provision in the conflicts-and-dispute clause was unconscionable, it is
    severable. Thus the arbitration provision would be enforceable regardless. See In re Checking
    Acct. Overdraft Litig. MDL No. 2036 (Barras), 
    685 F.3d 1269
    , 1274 (11th Cir. 2012) (finding
    that an unconscionable cost-and-fee-shifting provision did not apply to the arbitration provision
    and was therefore severable).
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    Finally, Plaintiffs argue that the Wachovia Agreement is substantively
    unconscionable because it leaves consumers facing “insurmountable filing fees” as
    a condition of initiating arbitration. The AAA, however, charges no filing fee for
    consumers to arbitrate monetary claims against a company, and it caps the
    arbitrator fee at $125.7 Furthermore, Plaintiffs have not shown that the unnamed
    class members would be unable to pay other arbitration-related fees. See Musnick
    v. King Motor Co. of Fort Lauderdale, 
    325 F.3d 1255
     (11th Cir. 2003) (citing
    Green Tree Fin. Corp.-Ala. v. Randolph, 
    531 U.S. 79
    , 90 (2000)) (“Under Green
    Tree, [the plaintiff] has an obligation to offer evidence of the amount of fees he is
    likely to incur, as well as of his inability to pay those fees.”). Without directing us
    to evidence of that inability to pay, Plaintiffs have not shown that the alleged
    “insurmountable filing fees” would render the Wachovia Agreement substantively
    unconscionable.
    V. Conclusion
    To conclude, we find no error on the part of the district court for two
    reasons. First, the delegation clause in the Wells Fargo Agreement delegates all
    gateway issues, including the one here, to the arbitrator. As such, it was not for the
    district court to determine whether the agreement is illusory and unconscionable.
    7
    The $125 fee is hardly insurmountable, as we previously held in Larsen that a $150 filing fee is
    not unconscionable. 871 F.3d at 1315–16.
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    Second, the Wachovia Agreement is neither illusory nor unconscionable. There is
    no need to remand for state-specific analyses because Plaintiffs have not shown
    how state-by-state analyses would deliver a different result. Accordingly, we
    affirm.
    AFFIRMED.
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