Andrea Santiago v. City of Chicago ( 2021 )


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  • In the
    United States Court of Appeals
    Hor the Seventh Cireuit
    No. 20-3522
    ANDREA SANTIAGO,
    Plaintiff-Appellee,
    CITY OF CHICAGO,
    Defendant-Appellant.
    Appeal from the United States District Court for the
    Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
    No. 19-cv-4652 — Matthew F. Kennelly, Judge.
    ARGUED SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 — DECIDED DECEMBER 13, 2021
    Before FLAUM, KANNE, and SCUDDER, Circuit Judges.
    KANNE, Circuit Judge. Andrea Santiago, a severely disabled
    Chicago resident, would leave her van parked on the street in
    front of her home for extended periods of time. In 2018, pur-
    suant to the Chicago Municipal Code, her van was towed, im-
    pounded, and disposed of. She sued the City of Chicago on
    her own behalf and on behalf of others similarly situated,
    challenging the constitutionality of various aspects of the
    City’s scheme, among other things. She moved the district
    2 No. 20-3522
    court to certify her suit as a class action, and the district court
    granted her motion in part. However, because the class certi-
    fication order does not fully demonstrate the “rigorous anal-
    ysis” required by Rule 23, an approval, at this point, consti-
    tuted an abuse of discretion. We therefore vacate and remand
    for further consideration.
    I. BACKGROUND
    A. Factual Background
    Santiago is severely disabled. A childhood bout with polio
    left her unable to move any of her extremities. She also suffers
    from multiple sclerosis. She therefore uses a wheelchair to
    move around and cannot drive. Additionally, Santiago’s pri-
    mary language is Spanish, and she does not read, speak, or
    write English effectively. Consequently, she relies on her
    daughter, Lisandra Velez, for transportation, translation, and
    assistance with English-based transactions and daily tasks.
    Although Velez drove for Santiago, the wheelchair-acces-
    sible van they used was owned by Santiago. Velez testified
    that she used the van “very sporadic[ally]” to take her mother
    to appointments and activities. She estimated that they used
    the van at least four times per year, and that it “would sit for
    months at a time sometimes without being moved.” In be-
    tween uses, it would be parked on the street in front of their
    home.
    On May 7, 2018, someone called the City’s non-emergency
    services number to complain that Santiago’s van was aban-
    doned. On June 5, an investigator visited Santiago’s vehicle,
    reported it as abandoned, and affixed a “Tow Notice” sticker
    to one of its windows. Among other things, the Tow Notice
    explained that the vehicle needed to be moved by a certain
    No. 20-3522 3
    date to avoid being towed. Velez saw the notice, removed it
    from the window, did not tell Santiago about it, took her to
    run some errands, and parked the van in a different spot on
    the same street upon returning. Nonetheless, on June 13 a tow
    driver towed Santiago’s van to an impound lot.
    When Velez discovered that the van was missing, she at-
    tempted to locate it, but was unable to do so until several days
    later. Velez determined which impound lot had the van, and
    then learned from employees at the lot that she needed a no-
    tarized letter from Santiago to retrieve the van. She returned
    with a notarized letter but was told it was insufficient. Then,
    while she was figuring out the next steps, an employee noti-
    fied her that her car had been destroyed.
    In between the towing of Santiago’s van and its disposal,
    the City mailed two identical “Vehicle Impoundment No-
    tices” to Santiago on the same day. The notices explained that
    without further action by Santiago within fifteen days, her ve-
    hicle would be disposed of. Velez disputes, however, that she
    or Santiago ever saw these notices.
    B. Tow, Impoundment, and Disposal Procedures
    In Chicago, it is unlawful to abandon any motor vehicle on
    any public way. Chi. Mun. Code § 9-80-110(a). In relevant
    part, vehicles are “deemed to have been abandoned if ... [they
    have] not been moved or used for more than seven consecu-
    tive days and [are] apparently deserted.” Id. If a vehicle is
    deemed abandoned, certain City employees are authorized to
    issue a notice of parking violation and then remove the vehi-
    cle to a City pound. Id. § 9-92-030(d).
    When a vehicle is impounded in this way, the Department
    of Police or the Department of Streets and Sanitation must
    4 No. 20-3522
    identify the owner within ten days and send the owner notice
    of the impoundment. Id. § 9-92-070(a). If the vehicle is regis-
    tered, the notice must be sent by certified mail. Id. If not, it
    must be sent by first-class mail. Id.
    If an abandoned and impounded vehicle remains un-
    claimed for eighteen days after the notice of impoundment is
    mailed, the Superintendent of Police or the Commissioner of
    Streets and Sanitation may dispose of the vehicle “if, during
    that 18-day period,” they send the owner “an additional no-
    tice by first class mail.” Id. § 9-92-100(a). Unless the vehicle’s
    value substantially exceeds its scrap value, it shall be disposed
    “to a person licensed as an automotive parts recycler, re-
    builder or scrap processor.” Id. § 9-92-100(b).
    In practice, the process begins when a resident makes an
    abandoned-vehicle complaint. An investigator visits the vehi-
    cle and determines if it falls into one of the categories of aban-
    doned vehicles. For cars that lack registration, a sticker is af-
    fixed to the vehicle—not mailed—notifying the owner that
    the car is parked in violation of the municipal code. The tow-
    notice sticker that was in use when Santiago’s car was deemed
    abandoned appears below:
    No. 20-3522 5
    VEHICLE LOCATION : _ :
    Department of Streets and Sanitation CITY OF CHICAGO
    TOW NOTICE
    This vehicle is in violation of Section 9-80-110 of the Municival Gade of Chicace
    Abandoned Motor Vehicle.” ' Tne
    J In a State of ctisrepair incapable of being driven in its present Condition,
    “Not being moved ur used for more than savean consecutive daye, Each day such vehicle
    _femains so abandoned shall constitute a’separate and distinct offense for which a sep:
    penalty may be imposed, : nicig
    “Has been jeft on the public way without stale regi 1 pi np
    : f registration plates or a tamporary stat
    tegistration placard for two or more days. aioe
    “his vehicle Is In violation af Section 9-84-1209 of the Municipal Code of Chicagu.
    O This serves as nolice that the vehicia is parked unlawfully and m
    hic! ay be towed
    after the date of this notice. ; ieee
    He Leiinie is in violation of Section 625 ILCS 5/4-201b of the Iilinois Venicla Code as an Abandoned
    phicla,
    GA vehicle or part thereof abandoned on private or public property other than a highway, in view
    of the public for mare than seven conseciltive days. This vehicle must bo removed from the
    public way/private or public property by. 20 a
    To be driven it must be properly licensed. Your tailure to comply with the provisions of this.
    ordinance will subject the vehicle to be towed and impounded by the City of Chicago,
    J Has been found to be a hazardous dilapidated vehicle under Section 11-4003.1 of the iilinoie
    Municipal Code and may be towed immediately,
    Vastigatnr,
    ‘icker Issued = 20.
    ul (312) 746-4957 between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m.
    Badge No. Ward
    . Ifyou have any questions. about this noilce,
    For vehicles deemed abandoned because they were not
    moved for seven days, the investigator checks the second and
    second-to-last boxes and indicates a date by which the vehicle
    must be moved to avoid being towed. Notably, at the bottom
    of the notice there is anumber that people can call if they have
    any questions.
    On the date indicated, a tow driver is dispatched to the
    location where the vehicle was parked when the sticker was
    affixed to it. If the vehicle is still there, then the tow driver
    removes the vehicle and impounds it.
    When it is impounded and inventoried, two identical Ve-
    hicle Impoundment Notices are printed and mailed sepa-
    rately, but on the same day, to the owner of the vehicle. These
    notices contain instructions for how to retrieve the vehicle and
    how to request a hearing to contest the validity of the tow and
    6 No. 20-3522
    associated charges, and a warning that the car will be dis-
    posed of if the owner does not act within fifteen days. When
    vehicles are disposed of, they are generally sold for fifteen
    dollars to the City’s contractor, United Road Towing, Inc.
    C. Santiago's Claims
    Santiago’s complaint comprises ten counts, divided be-
    tween two purported classes of plaintiffs. Counts I to III were
    brought on behalf of a proposed “Tow Class” and focused on
    the City’s pre-tow notice. Counts IV to X were brought on be-
    half of a proposed “Vehicle Disposal Class” and concerned
    the City’s alleged failure to send a statutorily required addi-
    tional notice to vehicle owners before their vehicles were dis-
    posed of.
    In a March 18, 2020 order, the district court dismissed
    Counts II, IX, and X. It then terminated Santiago’s pending
    motion for class certification to allow her to revisit it in light
    of the dismissal order. She promptly did and renewed the mo-
    tion.
    The claims that remained when Santiago filed her re-
    newed motion for class certification were:
    e Tow Class: Count I (Declaratory and Injunctive Relief);
    Count IIT (§ 1983 Due Process);
    e Vehicle Disposal Class: Count IV (Declaratory and In-
    junctive Relief-Unlawful Disposal); Count V (Unjust
    Enrichment); Count VI (Mandamus); Count VII (De-
    claratory and Injunctive Relief-Takings),; Count VIII
    (§ 1983 Takings).
    No. 20-3522 7
    D. Class-Certification Order
    By the time the district court considered Santiago’s motion
    for class certification, her proposed class definitions took the
    following forms:
    All individuals and entities who, since June 11, 2017,
    had their vehicle towed by the City of Chicago due
    to it being considered “abandoned” by the City un-
    der [Section 9-80-110(a)(b) of the Municipal Code of
    Chicago] and where the vehicle lacked current state
    registration at the time of the tow (the “Tow Class”).
    All individuals and entities who, since June 11, 2014,
    had their vehicle towed—by or through the Depart-
    ment of Streets and Sanitation pursuant to Chapter
    9-92 of the Municipal Code of Chicago—and dis-
    posed of by the City (the “Vehicle-Disposal Class”).
    Santiago sought class certification under two parts of Fed-
    eral Rule of Civil Procedure 23: (b)(2) and (b)(3). Rule 23(b)(2)
    covers declaratory and injunctive relief, while Rule 23(b)(3)
    governs situations where common questions predominate
    over individual inquiries.
    The district court found that neither the Tow Class nor the
    Vehicle Disposal Class could be certified under Rule 23(b)(2)
    because “Santiago ha[d] not alleged that she faces a real and
    immediate threat of future injury” sufficient to entitle her to
    prospective relief. (R. 80 at 13.) Therefore, it determined, she
    would not be an adequate representative for either proposed
    23(b)(2) class. Seemingly, this means that Counts I, IV, VI, and
    VII did not make the cut for class certification, as all sought
    prospective relief. While the mandamus claim was not men-
    tioned specifically, neither party has referred to the claim on
    8 No. 20-3522
    appeal or otherwise acted as though it continues to be rele-
    vant.
    With respect to the certification of each class under Rule
    23(b)(3), the district court found, in relevant part, that Santi-
    ago was an adequate representative and that common issues
    predominated. Regarding adequacy, the court “found noth-
    ing in the record to suggest that Santiago’s interests are con-
    trary to those of the proposed class members, that she is in-
    sufficiently interested, or that her counsel are unqualified or
    inexperienced.” (R. 80 at 13.) The common issues that it found
    to predominate were the “adequacy of notice given to the pro-
    posed class members before the tow (the tow class) and the
    constitutionality of the City’s standard practices (the vehicle-
    disposal class).” (Id. at 14.)
    In rejecting the City’s arguments that individual issues ac-
    tually predominated in the Tow Class, the court relied exclu-
    sively on the fact that Santiago “is asserting only a facial chal-
    lenge: the ordinance is unconstitutional because it fails to re-
    quire adequate notice before a vehicle has been towed.” (Id. at
    14-15.) Therefore, “personal circumstances do not matter.”
    (Id. at 15.)
    It then pivoted to the Vehicle Disposal Class, rejecting the
    City’s arguments “[f]or the same reasons already discussed”
    in its Tow Class analysis. (Id. at 16.) It also “overrule[d] the
    City’s assertion that state law requires the vehicle-disposal
    class to show prejudice from the City’s failure to strictly fol-
    low its ordinance” because the “class’s takings claim is based
    in federal law, not state law.” (Id.)
    No. 20-3522 9
    II. ANALYSIS
    We review the grant of a motion for class certification for
    an abuse of discretion, “which can occur when a district court
    commits legal error or makes clearly erroneous factual find-
    ings.” Bell v. PNC Bank, Nat’ Ass’n, 
    800 F.3d 360
    , 373 (7th Cir.
    2015) (citing Reliable Money Ord., Inc. v. McKnight Sales Co.,
    Inc., 
    704 F.3d 489
    , 498 (7th Cir. 2013)). “Our review is deferen-
    tial, but exacting: ‘A class may only be certified if the trial
    court is satisfied, after a rigorous analysis, that the prerequi-
    sites’ for class certification have been met.” 
    Id.
     (quoting CE
    Design Ltd. v. King Architectural Metals, Inc., 
    637 F.3d 721
    , 723
    (7th Cir. 2011)). “The party seeking certification bears the bur-
    den of demonstrating that certification is proper by a prepon-
    derance of the evidence.” 
    Id.
     (citing Messner v. Northshore
    Univ. HealthSystem, 
    669 F.3d 802
    , 811 (7th Cir. 2012)).
    Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 governs class actions.
    “Rule 23(a) sets forth four universal requirements for class ac-
    tions: ‘numerosity, typicality, commonality, and adequacy of
    representation.” Beaton v. SpeedyPC Software, 
    907 F.3d 1018
    ,
    1025 (7th Cir. 2018) (quoting Messner, 669 F.3d at 811). “Rule
    23(b) then identifies particular types of classes, which have
    different criteria. Where, as here, certification is sought under
    Rule 23(b)(3), common questions of law or fact must predom-
    inate over individual inquiries, and class treatment must be
    the superior method of resolving the controversy.” Id.
    The City challenges, on the same grounds, the district
    court’s decisions to certify the Tow Class and the Vehicle-Dis-
    posal Class under Rule 23(b)(3). It asserts that the district
    court erred when it determined that Santiago is an adequate
    representative of the classes, see Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(a)(4), and
    when it determined that questions of law or fact common to
    10 No. 20-3522
    each class predominate over individual inquiries, see Fed. R.
    Civ. P. 23(b)(3). We will address these in reverse order.
    A. Predominance
    If Rule 23(a) is satisfied, a class action may only be main-
    tained under Rule 23(b)(3) if “the court finds that the ques-
    tions of law or fact common to class members predominate
    over any questions affecting only individual members, and
    that a class action is superior to other available methods for
    fairly and efficiently adjudicating the controversy.” Fed. R.
    Civ. P. 23(b)(3).
    “The guiding principle behind predominance is whether
    the proposed class’s claims arise from a common nucleus of
    operative facts and issues.” Beaton, 907 F.3d at 1029 (citing
    Messner, 669 F.3d at 815). “This requires more than a tally of
    common questions; the district court must consider their rel-
    ative importance.” Id. (citing Parko v. Shell Oil Co., 
    739 F.3d 1083
    , 1085 (7th Cir. 2014)). “On the other hand, not every issue
    must be amenable to common resolution; individual inquiries
    may be required after the class phase.” 
    Id.
     (citing Kleen Prods.
    LLC v. Int7 Paper Co., 
    831 F.3d 919
    , 922 (7th Cir. 2016)). “Rule
    23(b)(3) requires a showing that questions common to the class
    predominate, not that those questions will be answered, on
    the merits, in favor of the class.” Amgen Inc. v. Conn. Ret. Plans
    & Tr. Funds, 
    568 U.S. 455
    , 459 (2013). Fundamentally, this “in-
    quiry tests whether proposed classes are sufficiently cohesive
    to warrant adjudication by representation.” Amchem Prods.,
    Inc. v. Windsor, 
    521 U.S. 591
    , 623 (1997) (citing 7A Charles Alan
    Wright, Arthur R. Miller & Mary Kay Kane, Federal Practice
    and Procedure § 1777 (2d ed. 1986)).
    No. 20-3522 11
    We encounter a fatal flaw in the district court’s order very
    early in our analysis. The Supreme Court has noted that
    “{cJonsidering whether ‘questions of law or fact common to
    class members predominate’ begins, of course, with the ele-
    ments of the underlying cause of action.” Erica P. John Fund,
    Inc. v. Halliburton Co., 
    563 U.S. 804
    , 809 (2011). The district
    court’s order, however, does not discuss any of the elements
    of the underlying causes of action, nor in clear terms explain
    what the causes of action are. This and other clarity issues
    throughout the record have created difficulty on appeal.
    As we briefly touched on above, it is not entirely apparent
    which claims survived to the class-certification stage, but os-
    tensibly there are seven. The seven are divided between the
    two proposed classes. Santiago urged that the classes be cer-
    tified under two different provisions of Rule 23. In its order,
    the district court analyzed the proposed classes under each
    provision, but never made clear which claims the analyses re-
    fer to. Did it analyze all claims in the Tow Class under Rule
    23(b)(2) and then again under Rule 23(b)(3)? Did it do the
    same for the Vehicle Disposal Class? Or did it separate the
    claims into four distinct classes: Tow Class damages, Tow
    Class prospective relief, Vehicle Disposal Class damages, Ve-
    hicle Disposal Class injunctive relief? If it divided the claims
    this way, then which claims did it put into each class?
    The district court appears to have organized its analysis
    around potential common questions rather than the claims at
    issue. It writes that “[t]he predominant issues in this case for
    each class are the adequacy of notice given to the proposed
    class members before the tow (the tow class) and the consti-
    tutionality of the City’s standard practices (the vehicle-dis-
    posal class).” (R. 80 at 14.) Presumably, this means it analyzed
    12 No. 20-3522
    the Tow Class as though only Counts I and III are contained
    within it, both premised on an alleged due process violation.
    And if further divided, that means there is a proposed Tow
    Class for injunctive relief with Count I in it and a proposed
    Tow Class for damages with Count III’s § 1983 claim in it. We
    could also venture that the Vehicle Disposal Class contains
    Counts VII and VIII in it, both premised on an alleged uncon-
    stitutional taking. And if further divided, that means there is
    a proposed Vehicle Disposal Class for injunctive relief with
    Count VII in it and a proposed Vehicle Disposal Class for
    damages with Count VIII's § 1983 claim in it.
    We wonder, then, what happened to the mandamus and
    unjust enrichment claims? Neither appear to have been dis-
    missed from the action, and both were purportedly brought
    on behalf of one of the classes. No one mentions the manda-
    mus claim, but the unjust enrichment claim is a point of con-
    tention on appeal. The City argues that the district court “ig-
    nored the ... unjust enrichment claim altogether.” (Appel-
    lant’s Br. at 9.) Santiago claims that “the City did not make
    any arguments below challenging the propriety of certifying
    [her] unjust enrichment claim.” (Appellee’s Br. at 10.) And the
    district court did not analyze the claim at all or connect it to
    the purported predominant takings issues in the Vehicle Dis-
    posal Class analysis. It does mention it in a parenthetical,
    though, as a justification for Santiago changing her proposed
    Vehicle Disposal Class definition to account for a five-year
    statute of limitations. So, did the district court include this
    claim in its class certification? We do not know.
    If we assume the district court divided the claims as we
    did above, which there is some justification for, (see R. 80 at 17
    (“The court denies plaintiff's request for certification of
    No. 20-3522 13
    injunctive relief classes under Rule 23(b)(2) ... .”)), then it is
    likely the case that the district court certified a Tow Class for
    damages regarding only a § 1983 due process claim and a Ve-
    hicle Disposal Class for damages regarding only a § 1983 tak-
    ings claim.
    If so, the district court should have begun its analysis with
    the elements of these claims. See Erica P. John Fund, Inc., 
    563 U.S. at 809
    . Then it could have more clearly framed within
    those elements what it deemed to be the common and indi-
    vidual issues. By juxtaposing them in that way, the district
    court’s predominance inquiry would have better “train[ed] on
    the legal or factual questions that qualify each class member’s
    case as a genuine controversy.” Messner, 669 F.3d at 814 (quot-
    ing Amchem Prods., Inc., 
    521 U.S. at 623
    ).
    Only by properly circumscribing the claims and breaking
    them down into their constituent elements can a district court
    decide which issues are common, individual, and predomi-
    nant. Id. at 815 (“If, to make a prima facie showing on a given
    question, the members of a proposed class will need to pre-
    sent evidence that varies from member to member, then it is
    an individual question. If the same evidence will suffice for
    each member to make a prima facie showing, then it becomes
    a common question.” (quoting Blades v. Monsanto Co., 
    400 F.3d 562
    , 566 (8th Cir. 2005))); see also Beaton, 907 F.3d at 1029 (not-
    ing that the predominance inquiry “requires more than a tally
    of common questions; the district court must consider their
    relative importance”).
    Moreover, this exercise would crystallize the import of
    certain arguments, like whether Santiago had actual notice
    that her car would be towed or disposed of, and whether her
    claims are facial or as-applied challenges. See 1 Joseph M.
    14 No. 20-3522
    McLaughlin, McLaughlin on Class Actions § 3:12, Westlaw (da-
    tabase updated October 2021) (“A court must look beyond
    pleadings in order to properly understand the claims, de-
    fenses, relevant facts, and applicable substantive law in order
    to make a meaningful decision on class certification, as it must
    consider how a trial on the merits would be conducted.”).
    Because the district court did not engage in the detailed
    analysis that a Rule 23 decision requires, an abuse of discre-
    tion occurred.
    B. Adequacy of Representation
    One of Rule 23(a)’s four core prerequisites to class certifi-
    cation is that the representative party —here, Santiago— must
    “fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class.” Fed.
    R. Civ. P. 23(a)(4).
    To be an adequate representative, “[a] named plaintiff
    must be a member of the putative class and have the same
    interest and injury as other members.” Beaton, 907 F.3d at 1027
    (citing Conrad v. Boiron, Inc., 
    869 F.3d 536
    , 539 (7th Cir. 2017)).
    The “representative might be inadequate if he is subject to a
    substantial defense unique to him.” 
    Id.
     (citing CE Design Ltd.,
    
    637 F.3d at 726, 728
    ). “Conflicts of interest, as distinct from
    differences in entitlements, create an issue of adequacy of rep-
    resentation by requiring the class representative to choose be-
    tween competing class members.” Johnson v. Meriter Health
    Servs. Emp. Ret. Plan, 
    702 F.3d 364
    , 372 (7th Cir. 2012). But even
    if conflicts materialize, “it may be possible to resolve them by
    [creating] subclasses and appointing new class representa-
    tives” for them. 
    Id.
    The City’s only argument here with respect to the Tow
    Class is that the district court erred in finding that Santiago is
    No. 20-3522 15
    an adequate representative because she is subject to a unique
    defense: that she received actual notice through Velez, who
    read and removed the sticker, that her car would be towed.
    Santiago contends that the district court properly concluded
    that actual notice does not preclude a plaintiff from challeng-
    ing the notice’s procedural sufficiency. In other words, in her
    view, the actual notice defense is irrelevant. This dispute cen-
    ters around the proper interpretation of the holding in Mem-
    phis Light, Gas & Water Division v. Craft, 
    436 U.S. 1
     (1978).
    The City attacks the district court’s Vehicle Disposal Class
    adequacy ruling with the same type of argument. It asserts
    that, regardless of whether the City violated its Municipal
    Code by sending two notices on the same day, Santiago had
    actual notice through Velez that the van had been towed and
    impounded, and indeed Velez attempted to retrieve the vehi-
    cle before it was disposed of. Santiago responds that the dis-
    trict court was correct in its conclusion that she was an ade-
    quate representative. The district court, for its part, concluded
    that the City’s argument “fails here too. A central issue in this
    case is whether sending two copies of the same notice at the
    same time meets the requirements of the ordinance, so on this
    point Santiago’s situation is typical of that of the other class
    members. Moreover, all of the proposed vehicle-disposal
    class members challenge the sufficiency of the notice they re-
    ceived.” (R. 80 at 12.)
    The district court’s analysis of the adequacy element for
    both classes suffers from the same deficiency that the predom-
    inance inquiry suffered from. Because the classes and claims
    are not clearly defined and because the district court does not
    attach its arguments to specific elements of the claims, we are
    not confident that the district court has conducted a rigorous
    16 No. 20-3522
    analysis. For the Tow Class, at a minimum, the district court
    should have mentioned the relevant claim, listed the ele-
    ments, and explained how the Memphis Light actual-notice
    controversy relates to those elements.
    Similarly, for the Vehicle Disposal Class, the district court
    should have identified the claim at issue and explained how
    the City’s arguments relate to that claim. When the district
    court wrote that “all of the proposed vehicle-disposal class
    members challenge the sufficiency of the notice they re-
    ceived,” it brought into relief one of the issues not fully ad-
    dressed. Santiago challenges the sufficiency of the sticker no-
    tice in her due process claim in the proposed Tow Class. It is
    not relevant to the Vehicle Disposal Class. Here, a more rigor-
    ous analysis would have avoided conflating these arguments.
    We believe the district court’s less-than-rigorous analysis
    of this issue also constitutes an abuse of discretion.
    a a
    Because it did not properly engage in the rigorous analysis
    that a class certification order requires, the district court in
    several ways abused its discretion. However, that is not to say
    that the errors of omission of the district court lead it to reach
    a result that was substantively incorrect.
    We simply do not have enough information organized ef-
    ficiently to reach a conclusion that the order of class certifica-
    tion is correct or incorrect; in fact, we are unable to reach any
    conclusions here about whether common issues predominate,
    whether Santiago is an adequate representative of either class,
    or whether she brings meritorious claims.
    Therefore, we vacate the decision of the district court and
    remand for another try, if that is the course the parties choose
    No. 20-3522 17
    to chart. Once this case is back in the district court, the parties
    may want to consider the prudence of assisting the district
    court by amending their pleadings, accounting for all claims,
    clearly defining the proposed classes and the claims within
    them, and cleaning up their arguments before revisiting class
    certification. And if another motion for class certification is
    submitted, we hope that the parties will assist the court in
    providing a sufficiently clear and rigorous analysis regarding
    certification.
    III. CONCLUSION
    For the reasons stated above, the district court abused its
    discretion in certifying the Tow Class and the Vehicle Dis-
    posal Class. We VACATE and REMAND for further consider-
    ation.