ANTHONY ISHII, Chief District Judge.
Plaintiff Kim Gardner ("Plaintiff") filed a complaint February 17, 2012, in Fresno County Superior Court seeking declaratory relief and to quiet title to real property in the city of Fresno. Doc. 1 at 7. Plaintiff also sought a temporary restraining order; the motion was denied without prejudice by the Superior Court. Id. at 49. Defendant Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac", "Defendant"), erroneously sued as Freddie Mac, filed a notice of removal of the action on April 6, 2012. On June 8, 2012, Freddie Mac filed the instant motion to dismiss Plaintiff's complaint. The motion was unopposed.
A claim may be dismissed under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) if the claim states no cognizable legal theory or alleges insufficient facts to support a valid allegation. Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep't, 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir. 1990).
For purposes of the 12(b)(6) motion, all well-pleaded allegations are accepted as true and are construed in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Manzarek v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 519 F.3d 1025, 1031-32 (9th Cir. 2008). A well-pleaded allegation contains sufficient facts to state a claim that is plausible on its face. Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (U.S. 2007). To be plausible, alleged facts must be more than "merely consistent with a defendant's liability;" the "sheer possibility" of unlawful behavior is insufficient. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). Allegations that are merely conclusory, unwarranted deductions of fact, or unreasonable inferences do not meet the plausibility standard and need not be accepted as true. Daniels-Hall v. Nat'l Educ. Ass'n, 629 F.3d 992, 998 (9th Cir. 2010).
Where, as here, the plaintiff is a pro se litigant, the plaintiff's complaint is "to be liberally construed" and, "however inartfully pleaded, must be held to less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers." Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).
Plaintiff executed the Deed on his Fresno property on May 8, 2006. The Deed names American Brokers Conduit as the lender, Financial Title Company as trustee, and Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems ("MERS") as nominee for the lender and as beneficiary under the Deed. Doc. 4-1 at 4-5. Plaintiff alleges that the Deed was transferred to "Freddie Mac Fixed Non-Cumulative Perferred [sic] Stock" and that assignments of the Deed to the sponsors or depositor were not recorded, in contravention of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement ("PSA"). Doc. 1 at 9:11-16.
Plaintiff seeks to quiet title on the basis that the defendants "obtained the Subject Property through Fraud and wrongful conduct, and failed to adhere to the strict statutory requirements to effectuate the foreclosure sale. . . ." Id. at 14:10-14. Plaintiff seeks a declaration of the parties' rights and interests in the Property, "[d]ue to the dispute as to the rights and interests of the parties to the Subject property. . . ." Id. at 15:16-25.
In order to properly plead element (b), the basis of title, Plaintiff must allege he is the rightful owner of the property, which includes satisfaction of the obligations under the Deed. Adegbenga Adesokan v. U.S. Bank, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15192, 9-10 (E.D. Cal. Feb. 6, 2012); Kelley v. Mortgage Elec. Resgistration Sys., 642 F.Supp.2d 1048, 1057 (N.D. Cal. 2009). Plaintiff's Deed states that "[b]orrower shall pay when due the principal of, and interest on, the debt evidenced by the Note. . . ." Doc. 4-1 at 7. The Notice of Default and Election to Sell, dated June 27, 2011, and of which the court has taken notice, states that Plaintiff failed to make all payments due on and after Nov. 1, 2010. Plaintiff has therefore failed to sufficiently allege that he is the rightful owner of the Property. California courts have also held that a party seeking equitable relief after a foreclosure sale must offer a valid and viable tender of payment of any indebtedness. Roque v. Suntrust Mortgage, Inc., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11546 at *17-18 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 9, 2010). Plaintiff, however, fails to allege in his complaint that he has offered a full tender of his debt. Defendant's motions to dismiss will be granted, without prejudice, as to the claim to quiet title.
THEREFORE, Defendant Freddie Mac's motion to dismiss the complaint as against it is GRANTED. Plaintiff is given leave to amend his complaint within 30 days of entry of this Order.