McDaniel v. Honda Finance

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Ronnette McDaniel, et al. v. American Honda Finance Corporation, No. 108, Sept. Term 2006. CONTRACT LAW - LATE FEES - THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, BY ENACTING COMMERCIAL LAW § 14-2002(G)(1)(I), DELEGATED TO PRIVATE CONTRACTING PARTIES THE AUTHORITY TO SET THE AMOUNT C HARGEABLE FOR LATE FEES, WHICH IT IMPLIED WOULD NOT BE DEEMED INTEREST, OBVIATING THE APPLICATION OF THE MAXIMUM CONSTITUTIONAL RATE OF INTEREST PRESCRIBED BY MAR YLAND C ONSTITUTION ARTICLE III, § 57. CONSTITUTIONAL LAW - SEPARATION OF POWERS - THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, BY ENACTING COMMERCIAL LAW § 14-2002(G)(1)(I), DELEGATED PROPERLY TO PRIVATE CONTRACTING PARTIES ITS AUTHORITY TO D ETERMINE MA XIMUM INTEREST RATES. Circuit Co urt for Prince George s County Case # CAL 00-21321 IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF MARYLAND No. 108 September Term, 2006 RONNETTE MCDANIEL, ET AL. v. AMERICAN HONDA FINANCE CORPORATION Bell, C.J. Raker Cathell Harrell Battaglia Greene Wilner, Alan M. (Retired, specially assigned), JJ. Opinion by Harrell, J. Filed: June 12, 2007 In this appeal we are asked to address the merits of a question, which, because of intervening procedural issues, we foresook in a previous opinion in Simpkins v. Ford Motor Credit, 389 Md. 42 6, 430-31, 886 A .2d 126, 129 (200 5).1 Specifica lly, that question is whether a late fee charged by the lessor of a motor vehicle, in the first instance, constitutes interest and, if so, whether the rate of interest charged was lawful under Maryland constitutional and statutory law . The Circu it Court for P rince Geo rge s Cou nty dismissed lessees-Ap pellants First Amended Complaint, which alleged that the late fee assessed by lessor-Appellee was an a mount in e xcess of th e legal rate of interest of 6% per annum, as provided by Article III, § 57 of the Maryland Constitution. The trial court concluded that the amount charged for the late fee, set by the lease agreement, was lawful because Maryland Code (1975, 2000 R epl. Vol.), Comme rcial Law Article (hereinaf ter Comme rcial Law ), § 14-2002 (g)(1)(i) 2 authorized a lessor to charge late fees set in the lease agreement, which would not be dee med to be interest. Not being interest, the late fees, and in partic ular their amount, were not governed by the limit imposed by Article III, § 57. We shall affirm the 1 The persistence of the question that went unanswered in Simpkins v. Ford M otor Credit traces its provenance even further back to United Cable Television of Baltimore v. Burch, 354 Md. 65 8, 685, 732 A.2d 887, 901 (1999 ) (Burch I), where our predecessors declined to address whether late fees authorized by certain types of statutes constituted interest. 2 Commercial Law § 1 4-2002(g )(1)(i) provides that [i]f a [consumer] lease permits, a lessor may impose on the lessee: [a] late or delinquency charge for payments or portions of payments that are in default under the lease. This section became effective on 1 January 1996. Circuit Co urt s judgm ent. I. FACTS The three represe ntative plain tiffs in this putative class action suit executed lease agreeme nts for personal use motor vehicles, within the same relative period of time,3 with American Honda Finance C orporation and its various entities ( American Honda ). Each agreeme nt, although involving d ifferent dealerships, contained a nearly identical term providing for a late charge : I will pay a late charge equal to the lesser of $25 or 5% of the unpaid portion on any payment that is not received within 10 days after it is due, or such lesser amou nt as set b y law. 4 Each p laintiff a lleged th at Am erican H onda a ssessed , and each plaintiff paid, a single late fee prescribed by the above -quoted term for failing to remit timely a monthly amount due under their respective leases.5 3 Ronnette McDaniel executed her lease on 23 May 1998, Yanick Hazlewood executed her lease on 26 June 1998, and Laura Baptista executed her lease on 8 May 1997. 4 This language appears in the lease of the original, and named representative, plaintiff, Ronne tte McDaniel. The late charge terms contained in the other leases at issue are identical in substance and vary only in the sense that the lease terms applicable to McDaniel and Hazlewood are worded in the first person, an d those ap plicable to Baptista are worded in the second person. 5 We digress to note a facially confounding aspect of the relevant pleadings and papers in this regard. The First Amended Complaint alleges generically that [a]t some point during the applicable statute of limitations period, each of the Plaintiffs paid a late fee charged by American Ho nda und er their respec tive leases. In su pport, the on ly demonstrable indication of when a late fee actually was assessed may be inferred from a copy of a billing statement dated 4 September 2000 from A merican H onda to M cDaniel a ttached as a n exhibit (contin ued...) 2 II. PROCEDURAL HISTORY On 15 September 2000, McDaniel filed, in the Circuit Court for Prince George s 5 (...continued) to the original Comp laint, but not attac hed or refe rred to in the F irst Amen ded Co mplaint. Our close comparison of the Record Ex tract and the Record revealed a n anoma lous Aff idavit of Ronnette McDaniel in Support of Plaintiffs Motion for Class Certification found in the Extract, but not contained in the Record, to which was appended another copy of the 4 September 2000 billing statement. No specifications as to w hen Hazlew ood or Baptista w ere assessed or paid a late fee could be found in the Record. McDan iel s billing statement detailed a total amount due of $916.70, comprised of the regular monthly lease installment of $436.52, due on 23 September 2000; an unpaid prior monthly payment of $436.52; a late fee of $21.83 resulting fro m the unp aid prior paym ent; and, an addition al late fee of $21.83 that seemingly was charged in anticipation of the September monthly paym ent being late. Despite American H onda s insistence that, in accord with its lease agree ments, it only charges a s ingle late fee for each m onthly paymen t that is 10 days past due, the 4 September 2000 statement may not be construed reasonably in any way other than that the second $21.83 late fee, listed under the hea ding of Curre nt Cha rges, represente d either: (1) a late fee charged in anticipation of a late 23 September 2000 payment, or (2 ) a second late fee for th e yet unpaid p revious reg ular month ly payment. Although the billing statement does not indicate explicitly for which prior month ly billing period a late f ee was as sessed, the o nly reasonable inference is that the untimely prior payment was from the preceding month s billing period because it is listed among the charges on the 4 S eptembe r 2000 state ment und er the head ing, Prior B illing Deta il. Without any further allegations advanced by Plaintiffs-Appellants, it also would be reasonab le to infer that the previously assessed late fee was the singular late fee referred to in the First Amended Complaint and was from the payment due on 23 August 2000. Commercial Law § 14-1315(d)(1), a provision stating explicitly that late fees provided for in consumer c ontracts are not interest, became effective on 1 June 2000. Chapter 59, § 10 of the Acts of 2000. Therefore, based on the allegations and reasonable inferences drawab le therefrom, the causes of action alleged by Plaintiffs-A ppellants relating to late fees assessed after 1 June 2000 would appear to have accrued after the effective date of § 141315(d)(1), thus rendering § 14-1315(d)(1) controlling on the issue of the legal character of the late f ees Am erican H onda c harged . See infra Part IV.A. Because McDaniel s 4 September 2000 billing statement did not form a part of the First Amended Complaint, how ever, we do n ot consider it in our analysis of the propriety vel non of the trial court s grant of American Honda s motion to dismiss. 3 Cou nty, a Complaint against American Honda, seeking class action certification and asserting that American Honda charged her and putative class members a late fee in excess of the 6% per annum limit on interest prescribed by the Maryland Constitution. On 13 December 2000, McDaniel amended her Complaint to include two additional representative plaintiffs, Yanick Hazlewood and Laura Baptista (collectively Appellants ). The First Amended Complaint alleged four theories of recovery or relief: (1) the late fees provision was an unlawful liquidated damages contract term exceeding the 6% per annum constitutional limit on interest, (2) a declaratory judgment to the effect that the collection of such a damages provision is not permitted by statute, (3) violation of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Leasing A ct,6 and (4) violation of the Maryland Consum er Protection Act. 7 Compensa tory and statutory damages, and decla ratory and injun ctive relief, w ere sough t. Reform ation of the leases wa s not soug ht. The Circuit Court stayed the proceedings on 13 February 2001 in contemplation of the disposition of an expedited appeal to this Court in Dua v. Comcast Cable of Md, Inc., 370 Md. 604, 805 A.2d 1061 (2002 ), a case wh ich the trial cou rt felt raised issue s bearing d irectly on those in the present case. The stay was continued by the Circuit Co urt in 2003 in light of this Court issuing a writ of ce rtiorari to the Cou rt of Specia l Appeals in the Simpkins case, 6 Maryland Code (1 975, 200 0 Repl. Vol.), Com mercial La w Article, § § 14-200 1 to 14- 7 Maryland Code (1975, 2000 Repl. Vol.), Commercial Law Article, §§ 13-301 to 13- 2010. 318. 4 which facially presented substantive issues very similar to those posed in the instant case. On 21 March 2006, the Circuit Court lifted the stay because of our decision to remand Simpkins to the trial court for the consideration of procedural issues unrelated to the merits of those substantive questions. American Honda filed a M otion to D ismiss for fa ilure of the F irst Amended Complaint to state a cause of action upon which relief may be granted. After conducting a hearing on the mo tion, the trial court, on 1 September 2006, dismissed all claims and declared that American Honda was e ntitled to charge late fees, as framed in the contracts, pursuant to Commercial Law § 14-2002(g). Evidently, the trial court was persuaded, and perceived itself to be bound, by the Court of Special Appeals s opinion in Simpkins v. Ford Motor Credit, 160 Md. App. 1, 862 A.2d 471 (20 04). 8 Simpkins and the present case involve 8 As technical matter, the Court of Special Appeals s opinion in Simpkins v. F ord Motor Credit, 160 Md. A pp. 1, 862 A.2d 4 71 (2004), was not binding, in a stare decisis sense, on the trial court in this matter. This is because this Court reversed the Court of Special Appea ls s judgme nt in Simpkins, thus render ing it a nullity. Carpen ter Realty Corp. v. Imbesi, 369 Md. 549, 562, 801 A.2d 1018, 1025-26 (2002) (quoting Litman v . Mass. M ut. Life Ins. Co., 825 F.2d 1506, 1514 n.11 (11th Cir. 1987)) ( A reversal is defined as the annulling or setting aside by an appellate court of a d ecision of a lower co urt. ); Carpenter Realty Corp., 369 Md. at 562, 801 A.2d at 1026 (quoting Balducc i v. Eberly, 304 Md. 664, 671 n.8, 500 A.2d 1042, 1046 n.8 (1985) ( It has been held that the effect of a general and unqualified reversal of a judgmen t, order or decree is to nullify it completely and to leave the case standing as if such judgment, order or decree had never been rendered, except as restricted by the opinion of the appellate court. ). Thu s, the Simpkins case has no stare decisis effect, but was, at most, p ersuasiv e autho rity. West v. State , 369 Md. 150, 157, 797 A.2d 1278, 12 82 (2002 ) ( A Co urt of Spe cial Appe als opinion underlying a ju dgment, which is reversed o r vacated in its entirety by this Court on another ground, may, depending upon the strength of its reasoning, constitute some persuasive authority in the same sense as (contin ued...) 5 automotive finance co mpanies c harging late fees for untimely lease payments, challenged as exceeding the legal rate of interest set by the Marylan d Con stitution. Article III, § 57 of the Maryland Constitution provides, in p ertinent part, tha t the legal rate of interest is 6% per annum unless otherwise provided by the General Assembly. (emphasis added). As understood by the Circuit Court here, the General Assembly so provided by enacting Commercial Law § 14-2002(g), which states that, if a motor vehicle lease permits, a lessor may impose late payment fees on a lessee. In reaching th is conclusion, the Circuit Co urt relied on the interm ediate appe llate court s reasoning in Simpkins, holding that late fees authorized by Commercial Law § 14-2002(g) are not interest and are exempt from the constitutiona lly prescribed maximum interest rate. Acc ordingly, the Circuit Court dismissed the Com plaint. Appellan ts noted a timely appeal to the Court of Special Appeals. Before the intermediate appellate co urt could decide the case, Appellants petitioned for, and we granted, a writ of certiorari. 396 Md. 12, 912 A.2d 648 (2006). In the petition, two questions are presented for our review: 1. Did § 14-2002(g)(1) of the Commercial Law Article authorize [Appellee] 8 (...continued) other d icta ma y constitut e persu asive au thority. Noneth eless, analytically the intermed iate appellate court s opinion is only dicta because it no longer supports or reflects a viable appellate judgm ent. Accordingly, such an opinion is not a precedent for purposes of stare decisis. ) (citation omitted). Notwithstanding its non-binding effect, the reasoning of the Court of Special Appeals s opinion in Simpkins certainly co uld b e fou nd persu asive by a receptive co urt. 6 American Honda Finance Corporation to charge [Appellants] a late fe e in excess of 6% per annum, the legal limit on interest set forth in Article III, § 57 of the Maryland Constitution? 2. Did § 14-1315 of the Commercial Law Article authorize [Appellee] American Honda Finance Corporation to charge [Appellants] a late fee in excess of 6% per annum even though [Appellants ] lease agreements with American Honda w ere entered into prior to the Octob er 1, 2000 e ffective da te of section 14-1315? Because we conclude that Appellants did not state a claim upon which relief could be granted, we affirm the judgment of the Circuit Court dismissing the action. III. STANDARD OF REVIEW The standard of review for a grant of a motio n to dismiss is well-settled. In Debbas v. Nelson, 389 M d. 364, 885 A.2d 80 2 (2005), w e reiterated tha t: In reviewing the underlying grant of a motion to dismiss, we must assume the truth of the well-pleaded factual allegations of the complaint, including the reasonable inferences that may be drawn from those allegations. In the end, [d]ismissal is proper only if the complaint would fail to provide the plaintiff with a judicial remedy. In sum, because we must deem the facts to be true, our task is co nfined to determining wh ether the trial court was legally correct in its decision to dismiss. 389 Md. at 37 2, 885 A .2d at 807 (c itations omitted ); see also Fioretti v. M d. State Bd. of Dental Exam rs, 351 Md. 66, 71 -72, 716 A.2d 2 58, 261 (1998). IV. DISCUSSION Appellan ts argue that, under our decision in United Cable Television of Baltimore v. Burch, 354 Md. 65 8, 732 A.2d 88 7 (1999) (Burch I), the late fees American Honda assessed them for late payments under their leases constitute intere st subject to the Constitution al rate 7 limitation thereon. T his is because the late fee, like the administrative fee charged by United Cable Television in Burch I for the late payment of cable bills, is not authorized by statute to exceed the 6% p er annum limit on interes t. Burch I, 354 Md. at 675, 732 A.2d at 896. Appellants contend, in riposte to American H onda s assertions and the Circuit Court s reasoning, that Com mercial La w § 14-2 002(g)(1)( i) does not sa nction wh at Appella nts calculate to be a 182.5% annual interest rate.9 Therefore, they seek restitution and other recompense for any late fee amounts exceedin g the cons titutional 6% rate cap. We hold, however, pursuant to Commercial Law § 14-2002(g)(1)(i), that the late fees American Honda charged Appellants are not interest and the timing and amount of such fees are governed by the terms of the leases in question. A. The General Assembly Provided Otherwise by Enacting Comm ercial Law § 14-200 2(g)(1)(i) As we noted previously, Article III, § 5 7 of the M aryland Con stitution provid es, in pertinent part, that the legal rate of interest is 6% per annum unless otherwise provided by the General Assem bly. (emphasis added). This Court, in Burch I, held that, because the General Assembly did not authorize or regulate by statute the assessment of late fees for untimely payment of cable bills, the late fees charged by the cable provider remained subject 9 This calculation is premised on American Honda charging 5% on the balance of a monthly lease installme nt yet unpaid after the lapse of 10 days from th e due date of paymen t. Appellants extrapolate this scheme to m ean that 5% is cha rged every 10 days for an en tire year, thus amo unting to 36.5 paym ents of 5%, o r 182 .5% annually. American Honda claims, as noted supra at note 5, that it charges only a one time late fee for each late monthly payment. 8 to the limit on interest rates imposed by Article III, § 57. 354 Md. at 681, 732 A.2d at 899. That is not the case he re. Application of the princ iples of statutory interpretation le ad us to the conclusion that the General Assembly provided otherwise by enacting Commercial Law § 14-2002(g)(1)(i), which applies to consumer motor vehicle leasing contracts such as those b inding Appe llants. See Commerc ial Law § 14-20 01(g). In Mayor & Town Council of Oakland v. Mayor & Town Council of Mountain Lake Park, 392 Md. 301, 896 A.2d 1036 (2006), we said: The cardinal rule of statutory construction is to ascertain and effectuate the intent of the Legislature. In ascertaining legislative intent, we first examine the plain language of the statute, and if the plain language of the statute is unambiguous and consiste nt with th e statute's apparent purpose, we give effect to the statute as it is w ritten. If a statute h as more th an one rea sonable interpretation, it is ambiguous. If the language of the statute is ambiguous, we resolve the ambiguity in light of the legislative intent, considering the legislative history, case law, and statutory purpose. We consider both the ordinary meaning of the language of the statute and how that language relates to the ove rall mea ning, se tting, and purpo se of th e act. We avoid a construction of the statute that is unreason able, illogical, or in consistent w ith common sense. We construe a statute as a whole so that no word, clause, sentence, or phrase is rendered surplusage, superfluous, meaningless, or nugatory. 392 Md. at 31 6, 896 A.2d at 10 45 (citations omitted). Section 14-2002(g)(1)(i) provides, [i]f a lease permits, a lessor may impose on the lessee: [a] late or delinquency charge for payments or portions of payments tha t are in defau lt under the lease. The statute plainly authorizes late fees, thus permitting and regulating that which ordinarily was not permitted otherwise at that time . See Burch I, 354 Md. at 680, 732 A.2d at 899. The question remains whether these authorized late fees constitute interest. We 9 believe that had the General Assembly intended the late cha rges und er § 14-20 02(g)(1)(i) to be considered inte rest, the Legislature would have labeled them as such.10 Instead, the General Ass emb ly chose to refer to them as late or delinquency charges. The General Ass emb ly, particularly at the time Commercial Law § 14-2002(g)(1)(i) was enacted, demonstrated that it knew how to d istinguish late charges from interest. See, e.g., Maryland Code (1995, 2003 Repl. Vol.), Insurance Article, § 6-108(a) ( A tax not paid when a report or declaration is due to be filed is subject to a penalty of 5% and interest . . . . ) (emphas is added); Maryland C ode (1974, 2003 Repl. Vol.), Real Property Article, § 11110(d) ( Payment of assessments, together with interest, late charges, if any, costs of collection and reasonable attorney s fees may be enforced by the imposition of a lien on a unit in accordance with the provisions of the Mar yland Contra ct Lien A ct. ) (emph asis added); Maryland Code (1974, 2003 Repl. Vo l.), Real Prop erty Article, § 11A -110(e)(1)(ii) (same); Maryland Cod e (1993, 2004 R epl. Vol.), State P ersonn el & P ension s Article , § 21314(d)(2) ( A participa ting emp loyer that d oes n ot su bmit sup porting p ayroll data as required by the State Retirement Agency within the time required is liable for: (i) a late charge of $250 for each payroll for which the supporting data is late; and (ii) interest on delinqu ent late 10 The General Assemb ly has show n, in legislation c ontempo raneously ado pted with the enactment of Commercial Law § 14-2002(g)(1)(i), that it is capable of discerning and classifying certain types of late fees as intere st. See, e.g., Maryland C ode (199 5, 2003 R epl. Vol.), Insurance Article, § 15-1221(g) ( The plan of operation shall provide for imposition of an interest penalty for late payment of assessm ents. ) (enac ted 1 Octo ber 1997 ) (emphas is added). 10 charges at 10% per year if the late charge is not paid by the date certif ied by the State Retirement Ag ency. ) (emphasis added). It makes no difference in our analysis that seve ral other statu tes, c lassi fied by Burch I as Class II and III statutes,11 declare specifically that the late charges they authorize are not interest. See Burch I, 354 Md. at 676-77 & nn. 6-8, 732 A.2d at 897-98 & nn. 6-8. Th is is because Class I statutes, which do not state specifically that their authorized late fees are not interest, are no more informative on the matter of interest than Class IV statutes, of which § 14-2002(g)(1)(i) is an example;12 yet, late fees autho rized by Class I statutes presu mably still are not sub ject to the limitatio n on interes t in Article III, § 57. See Burch I, 354 Md. at 680, 732 A.2d at 89 9 ( [A]bsent statutory authorization, [late fees] would constitute interest on the presently due and payable debt and would be sub ject to the limitations on interest. ). But see Burch I, 354 Md. at 685, 732 A.2d at 901 ( [W]e intimate no opinion o n wheth er late charges in other types of transactions [than those unauthorized by statute], particularly those falling within Class IV , . . . are or are not interest. ). In any ev ent, Burch I did not rely on 11 Judge Rodowsky, writing for the Burch I Court, delineated four distinct classes of statutes pertaining to the imposition of late fees. Class I statutes regulate the amount and timing of a late charge. Burch I, 354 M d. at 675, 732 A .2d at 896. [A ] Class II statute regulates the amount and timing of late charges and, in addition, expressly provides that those charges are not interest. Burch I, 354 Md. at 676-77, 732 A.2d at 897. Class III statutes authorize late charges without fixing any maximum late charge. Further, these statutes expressly state that any late charge permitted by the statute is neither interest nor a finance charge . Burch I, 354 Md. a t 677, 73 2 A.2d at 897. Class IV statutes simply recognize that late charge s, or late c harges permitte d by law , may in fa ct be ass essed. Burch I, 354 Md. at 678, 732 A.2d at 898. 12 Burch I, 354 Md. at 678-79 & n.11, 732 A.2d at 898 & n.11. 11 the fact that Class II and III statutes contained disclaimers stating that certain statutor ily authorized late charges are not interest, but viewed them as merely reinforcing [its] conclusion that Class I, II, and III statutes depart from the constitutional interest rate limitation. 354 Md. at 680, 732 A.2d at 899. The very fact that Commercial Law § 142002(g)(1 )(i) was enacted to permit late fees is indica tive that the L egislature inten ded to fit situations such as are presented in the present case within the exception provided in Art. III, § 57. By its plain terms, the statute allows contracting parties to agree to the assessment of late fees. Comm ercial Law § 14-200 2(g)(1)(i) ( If the lease permits . . . . ). This provision allows contracting parties to dec ide wheth er to assess and the amount of the late fee, rather than be governed by a default mechanism where Art. III, § 57 would treat such charges as interest. We believe it to be no coincidence that the language delegating the assessment of a late fee to the contracting parties also is found in the representative Class II and III statutes highlighted in Burch I, 354 Md. at 897 & nn. 6-8, 732 A.2d at 676-77 & nn. 6-8. The representative Class II statute contained the phrase [i]f the loan contract provides for them . . . . Comm ercial Law § 12-105 (b). The hig hlighted Class III statutes contained similar wording. Commercial Law § 12-910(a) ( If the agreement governing a revolving credit plan permits . . . . ); Commercial Law § 12-1008(a) ( If the agreement governing a loan permits . . . . ). Accordingly, we conclude that, pursuant to Comm ercial Law § 14-2 002(g)(1)(i), 12 whatever late fees A ppellants incurred before 1 Ju ne 2000 and a fter 1 January 1996 were not interest, and therefore were not subject to the limitation of 6% per annum interest rate imposed by Art. III, § 57. As for any late fees that may have been assessed after 1 June 2000,13 we hold that the controlling statute is Commercial Law § 14-1315(d)(1), which was enacted by the General Assembly in response to Burch I specifically to clarif y that [a] late fee imposed under [a consum er contract] is n ot . . . [i]nterest. There is no question that the motor vehicle leases executed by Appellants fall within the bounds of § 14-1315.14 The 13 This is the effective date of Commercial Law § 14-1315(d)(1), which inter alia, made even more explicit that late fees in consumer contracts of the type involved here are not interest. Chapter 59, §§ 1, 10 of the Acts of 2000. 14 Comm ercial Law § 14-131 5 Late fe es, provide s, in relevant p art: (a) Definition s. - (1) In this sectio n the following words have the meanings indicated. (2) Consumer contract means a contract involving the sale, lease, or provision of goods or services which are for person al, family, or household purposes. (3) Contract, unless specifically provided otherwise, includes consumer, comme rcial, and business contracts, covenants, leases of an y kind , and tarif fs on file w ith an y regu lator y auth ority. (4) (i) Late fee means any charge or fee imposed because a payment is not made when the payment is due under the terms of a contra ct. (ii) Late fee includes a fee imposed under subparagraph (i) of this paragrap h that is described: 1. As a flat ra te 2. As a percentage of the amount due; or 3. In any other terms. (b) Agreement by parties. - The parties to a contract may agree to require the (contin ued...) 13 statute plainly co vers c onsum er contr acts, w hich en tail the . . . lease . . . of goo ds . . . which are for personal, family, or household purposes. Commercial Law § 14-1315(a)(2). The lease of a motor vehicle is undoubtedly the type of contract for a persona l or family good contemplated by the statute.15 It is also evident that American Honda s late fee, wh ich is calculated a s a percenta ge of the a mount d ue, is precisely w hat the statute re gards as a la te fee. Comm ercial Law § 14-131 5(a)(4)(ii)2. Because Commercial Law § 14-1315(d)(1) states that late fees assessed in accord with consumer contracts are not interest, contradicting the foundation of Appellants argument that any late fees charged here after 1 June 2000 are interest, the remainder of their argument concerning the constitutional rate of interest becomes moot. Thus, any late fees charged by American Honda after 1 June 2000 are governed properly by the terms of the contrac ts Americ an Hon da execu ted with its lessees. See Commerc ial Law § 14-13 15(b), (c). To the extent that § 14-1315(d)(1) is construed to govern any late fees assessed to 14 (...continued) payment of a late fee when a party fails to make a payment when the payment is due. (c) Contract disclosure terms. - A contract that requires the p ayment of a late fee shall disclose, by its terms or by notice: (1) The amount of the late fee; (2) The con ditions und er which the late fee will be imposed; and (3) The timing for the imposition of the late fee. (d) Nature of fee. - A late fee imp osed und er this section is n ot: (1) Inter est; . . . . 15 Appellants conceded in the F irst Amended C omplaint that their leases were consumer leases. 14 and/or paid by Appellants after 1 June 20 00, App ellants argue the applicatio n of the statu te to their leases executed befo re the effective date of the statute impairs their contract rights impermissib ly. They are wrong for the sim ple reason that the supervening law has not changed the substance of their leases. The test for determining whether a subsequently enacted statute impairs the obligations of a contract under the Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution16 and its closest Maryland counterpart 17 is well-settled. In determining whether an enactment violates the clause, a court eng ages in a thre e part inquiry: [(1 )] whethe r there is a con tractual relationship, [(2)] whether a change in law impairs that contractual relationship, and [ (3)] whether the impairment is substantial. Allstate Ins. Co. v. Kim , 376 Md. 276, 299, 829 A.2d 611, 624 (2003) (quoting Gen. Motors Corp. v. Romein, 503 U.S. 181, 186, 112 S. Ct. 1105, 1109, 117 L. Ed. 2d 328, 337 (1992)); see also E. Prince Frederick Corp. v. Bd. of Co unty Comm rs, 320 Md. 178, 183, 577 A.2d 27 , 30 (1990 ). There is no question that a contractual relationship here pre-existed the effective date of § 14-1315, but Appellants argument begs the question o f whethe r that relationship actually was impaired by application of a change 16 U.S. C ONST. art. I, § 10, cl. 1 ( No State shall . . . pass any . . . Law impairing the Obligation of Co ntracts. ). 17 The clo sest ana logous Marylan d prov ision to th e Con tracts C lause is A rticle III, § 40 of th e Mar yland Co nstitution , which regulate s the po wer of emine nt dom ain. Id. ( The General Assembly shall enact no Law auth orizing p rivate property, to be taken for public use, without just compensation . . . . ). Appellants contention with regard to Art. III, § 40 wo uld be that they posses sed contrac tual rights that w ere taken b y the State vis-a-vis the enactment of § 14-1315. 15 in law cre ated by th e enac tment o f § 14- 1315( d)(1). Appellants argument fails because, as our holding that the controlling law pre-ex isting § 14-1 315 desig nated the late fees here as non-interest makes plain, there was no appreciable change in law. Our analytical conclusion is unaffected whether we apply § 14-2002(g)(1)(i) or § 14-1315(d)(1). In either case, the late fees are not interest, obviating the application of Art. III, § 57. Thus, although a change in law occurred in the sense th at a new statute was enacted to govern consumer leases, that new statute made no substantive change to the law governing such leases. Accordingly, no impairment occurred. B. Com mercial La w § 14-2 002(g)(1)( i) Did No t Uncon stitutionally Delegate the Law -making A uthority of the G eneral As sembly Appellan ts argue that even if the General Assembly intended for Commercial Law § 14-2002 (g)(1)(i) to allow motor vehicle lessors and lessees to determine whether to assess and the permissible amount of late fees, such an act constitutes an unlawful delegation of law-making authority in violation of the sepa ratio n of pow ers d octrine. P artic ularly, Appellants explain that because Art. III, § 57 invested in the Legislature the exclusive authority to provide for an interest rate in excess of 6% per annu m, it is unlawful for § 142002(g)(1 )(i) to delegate completely that authority to private parties, such as American Honda, to set a different rate by contract. We do not agree with Appellants contention that § 14-2002(g)(1)(i) represents a complete or invalid delegation of constitutionally-granted auth ority. Appellan ts rely on several opinions of this Court expressing the general proposition 16 that the General Assembly cannot constitutionally delegate to another body its fundamental decision making a uthority in the sen se that it cannot delegate a function which the Constitution expressly and unqualifiedly vests in the General Assembly itself. Christ by Christ v. Dept. of Natural Res., 335 Md. 427, 444, 644 A.2d 34, 42 (1994); see also Ahlgren v. Cromw ell, 179 Md. 243, 247, 17 A.2d 134, 136 (1941); Pressman v. Barnes, 209 Md. 544, 552, 121 A.2 d 816, 82 0 (1956); Citizens Sec. & Land Co. v. Uhler, 48 Md. 455, 459 (1878). This general proposition, however, is inapposite when Appellants attempt to extend it beyond its intende d boun ds. It is clear that the Ge neral Asse mbly is not perm itted to assign e ntirely its law-making po wers to another branch of gov ernme nt, or the people of the S tate. Christ, 335 Md. at 444-45, 6 44 A.2d at 42 ( Th us the Ge neral Asse mbly could n ot delegate to an administrative agency its pow er to impea ch, to propose constitutiona l amendm ents, or to enact statutes. ). The General Assembly, however, may enact statutes expressing its general disposition and policy decisions on certain matters. Those statutes, b y virtue of their delegation of a degree of interpretive or enforcement authority to other branches of governm ent, or individual persons, do not equate necessarily with the wholesale delegation of law-m aking a uthority. Christ makes this point clearly. In upholding the General Assembly s delegation of power to the executive branch for regulatory rule-making on certain issues, we recognized that when the General Assembly enacts a statute, embodying its policy decision or decisions, the Legislature often mu st delegate sig nificant auth ority to the executive branch which is vested w ith the constitutional responsibility of administering 17 the statute. 335 Md. at 445, 644 A .2d at 42 . Also, this Court has noted previously many instances in whic h autho rity is lodge d in and permitte d to priv ate pers ons by the Legisla ture. Price v. Clawns, 180 Md. 532, 538, 25 A.2d 672, 675 (1942). There is a vast difference between the Legislature abdicating completely its law-making authority, and the enactment of a statute that ve sts a certain degree of discretion to parties affected by the statute. In the present case, the General Assembly did not hand over to motor vehicle lessors and lessees the authority to pass statute s pertaining to late fees, but m erely enacted a statute recognizing the ability of private contracting parties to agree on their own accord to te rms regard ing late fees. Indeed, aside from Commercial Law § 14-2002(g)(1)(i), the Burch I Court identified prev ious ly, without invalidating them, several statutes leaving it to contracting parties the question of whether to permit late fees. See, e.g., Commercial Law § 12-105(b) ( If the loan contract provides for them . . . . ; Commercial Law § 12-910(a) ( If the agreement governing a revolving credit plan permits . . . . ); Commercial Law § 12-1008(a) ( If the agreement governing a loan p ermits . . . . ). In fact , Burch I implicitly noted the propriety of the Legislature s choice, in light of Art. III, § 57, to leav e it to private contracting parties whether to assess late fees in stating that these statutes permit that which would otherwise be unpermitted . . . . 354 Md. at 680, 732 A.2d at 899. We also find co mpelling th e determin ation in Fish Market Nominee Corp. v. G.A.A ., Inc., 337 Md . 1, 65 0 A.2d 705 (1 994 ), tha t the G ener al Assem bly s abili ty to otherwise 18 provide [under Art. III, § 57] is unrestricted. 337 Md. at 10, 650 A.2d at 709. In Fish Market, this Court held that the General Assemb ly did not relent u nlawfully its law-making power by allowing Baltimore City to set the redemption interest rate on the tax sale of real property greater than the default interest rate of 6% fixed by Art. III, § 57. 337 Md. at 10-11, 650 A.2d at 709. The Fish Market Court concluded, based on the principles of constitutional interpretation and the ev olution of A rt. III, § 57, that the f ramers intended that the power granted to the General Assembly in § 57 [be] of a plenary and unrestricted nature. 337 Md. at 10, 650 A.2d at 709 (quoting Carozza v. Fed. Fin. Co., 149 Md. 223, 247, 131 A.2d 332, 341 (1925)). Although Fish Market involved the delegation of authority from the General Assemb ly to a local municipality, and not private individuals, as is the case in the present controversy, the overarching principle of Fish Market still controls. So long as the delegation of authority to set interest rates does not violate provisions of the State or Federal constitutions, no unlawful delegation of law-making authority has occurred. Appellants do not indicate, and we cannot find, any such violations here. JUDGMENT OF THE CIRCUIT COURT F O R PRINCE GEOR GE S COUNTY AFFIRMED; COSTS TO BE DIVIDED EQUALLY B Y APPELLAN TS. 19

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