JOSE L. LINARES, District Judge.
The remaining defendant in this action, Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (hereinafter, "MERS"), moves pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (hereinafter, "Rule") 12(b)(1) and Rule 12(b)(6) to dismiss the claims that are asserted against it in this action (hereinafter, "the Federal Action") by the pro se plaintiff, Melchior Pierre. (
This Court has previously granted the motion filed by the other original defendant in this action, M & T Bank (hereinafter, "the Bank"), to dismiss the claims that were asserted against it. (
This Court resolves MERS's motion to dismiss upon a review of the papers and without oral argument.
When Pierre defaulted on the payments related to the mortgage on his property (hereinafter, "the Mortgaged Property"), a foreclosure action was brought against him in New Jersey state court (hereinafter, "the State Foreclosure Action") in May 2010 by: (1) the Bank, which was the lender; and (2) MERS, which was the servicing agent for the mortgage.
Pierre filed an answer, and he was represented by counsel in the State Foreclosure Action. (
Pierre instituted the Federal Action against the Bank and MERS in November 2016. (
This Court is guided by the following standards in resolving MERS's motion to dismiss.
It is not necessary for this Court to restate the standard for resolving a motion to dismiss that is made pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1), because that standard has been already enunciated.
It is also not necessary for this Court to restate the standard for resolving a motion to dismiss that is made pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), because that standard has been already enunciated.
Pierre has not opposed MERS's motion to dismiss. However, this Court is required to address a motion to dismiss on the merits even if it is unopposed.
This Court, in addressing MERS's motion to dismiss: (1) construed Pierre's claims liberally; and (2) accepted all of Pierre's factual allegations as being true, construed the claims in the light most favorable to Pierre, and considered whether Pierre may be entitled to relief in federal court under any reasonable reading of those claims.
Violations of federal constitutional rights are actionable under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The gravamen of Pierre's Section 1983 claims that are asserted against MERS is a dispute between Pierre and a private entity, and thus those claims raise no proper federal causes of action and have no call upon a federal forum. Pierre cannot maintain claims under Section 1983 that essentially seek relief based on the private conduct of a private actor, i.e., MERS, no matter how allegedly wrongful.
Therefore, the part of MERS's motion to dismiss Pierre's claims for Constitutional violations is granted.
Pierre's remaining claims that are asserted against MERS for misrepresentation, negligent conduct, and fraudulent conduct are barred by the Rooker-Feldman doctrine, because he is seeking to avoid the State Judgment issued in the State Foreclosure Action by bringing the Federal Action.
The proper way for Pierre to proceed would be to seek review and relief through the state appellate process, and then seek certiorari directly to the United States Supreme Court, because this Court is prohibited from providing relief that would effectively reverse the decisions, directly or indirectly invalidate the determinations, prevent the enforcement of the State Judgment, or void the rulings issued by the state court in the State Foreclosure Action.
Therefore, the part of MERS's motion to dismiss Pierre's remaining claims is granted. This Court notes that Pierre's claims for Constitutional violations would be barred by the
The determinations set forth above "preclude[] the necessity to address [any] alternative grounds for dismissal," but this Court will exercise the discretion to discuss alternative grounds "for the sake of completeness."
Pierre is raising claims concerning MERS's alleged conduct that occurred before the State Judgment was entered. Because those claims either have been raised or should have been raised in the State Foreclosure Action, those claims are barred by the doctrine of res judicata.
Res judicata applies, because (1) the State Judgment and any related state court orders are valid, final, and on the merits, (2) the parties in the State Foreclosure Action and the Federal Action are either the same or in privity with each other, and (3) the claims in the Federal Action arise from the same transactions and occurrences underlying the State Foreclosure Action.
Therefore, this Court could also grant MERS's motion to dismiss pursuant to res judicata.
Pierre's claims that are asserted against MERS are also barred by the entire controversy doctrine, because he could have raised any allegations concerning MERS's conduct that was constitutionally violative, misrepresentative, fraudulent, or negligent in the State Foreclosure Action.
The entire controversy doctrine, "which does not require commonality of issues, precludes a party from later bringing claims that could have been joined in the earlier action," particularly when those claims "arise from related facts or the same transaction or series of transactions."
Therefore, this Court could also grant MERS's motion to dismiss pursuant to the entire controversy doctrine.
This Court is also without authority in general to review and adjudicate issues that have arisen in the state court in the State Foreclosure Action.
For the aforementioned reasons, this Court: (1) grants the motion to dismiss filed by the defendant Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems; and (2) dismisses Pierre's claims that are asserted against the defendant Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems.
The Court will enter an appropriate order and judgment.