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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND : ANGELA SCREEN : v. : Civil Action No. DKC 2003-3305

: EQUIFAX INFORMATION SYSTEMS, LLC, et al. : MEMORANDUM OPINION Presently pending and ready for resolution in this Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) case is the motion by Defendant Town and Country to Management, Inc. (Town & Country) lack to of dismiss, personal

pursuant

Fed.R.Civ.P.

12(b)(2),

for

jurisdiction.

The issues have been fully briefed and the court Local Rule 105.6.

now rules, no hearing being deemed necessary.

For the reasons that follow, the court will grant the motion to dismiss. However, the court will allow the parties 15 days to

express views on whether the entire case should be transferred to a proper locale where both Defendants may be sued or whether the claims against Defendant Town & Country should be dismissed and the case against Equifax remain in this court. I. Background A. Factual Background The following are facts alleged by Plaintiff Angela Screen. Plaintiff, now a resident of Maryland, leased an apartment in

Alabama from Defendant Town and Country Management, Inc. (Town & Country) from June 1996 through August 1996, during which time she paid her rent in full and on time. In August 1996,

Plaintiff terminated her lease with Defendant Town & Country, and moved to Maryland. In October 1997, Defendant Town &

Country reported to Defendant Equifax Information Services, LLC (Equifax) that Plaintiff owed a balance of $1,460. In March

2003, Plaintiff attempted to obtain a mortgage loan through the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, which obtained a combined credit report from Defendant Equifax and two other credit reporting agencies. Plaintiff subsequently contacted Defendant Equifax and spoke with an agent who informed her that Defendant Town & Country had verified the outstanding balance. On various dates from June

2003 through August 2003, Plaintiff contacted Defendant Town & Country by telephone, "requesting and demanding" that the

allegedly incorrect credit information as reported by Defendant Equifax be corrected. Paper 1 at

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Maryland Law