GERALD BRUCE LEE, District Judge.
THIS MATTER is before the Court on Defendants U.S. Bank, N.A., as Trustee for RFMSI 2006-S3 Trust("U.S. Bank"); RFMSI Series 2006-S3 Trust; Homecomings Financial LLC ("Homecomings"); GMAC Mortgage LLC ("GMAC"); Residential Funding Company LLC ("Residential"); Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. ("MERS"); and Samuel I White, P.C.'s ("SIW") Motion to Dismiss First Amended Complaint (Dkt. No. 41) and Defendants United Guaranty Residential Insurance Company of North Carolina ("United Guaranty") and Bank of America, N.A.'s ("Bank of America") Motion to Dismiss all Claims in the Amended Complaint Asserted Against United Guaranty Residential Insurance Company of North Carolina and Bank of America, N.A. (Dkt. No. 43). This case concerns Plaintiffs' allegations that Defendants improperly instituted a non-judicial foreclosure proceeding on their home. There are five issues before the Court. The first issue is whether Plaintiffs sufficiently allege a claim for declaratory relief where the foreclosure sale has already occurred but they now ask the Court to declare that the foreclosure on the property is void and that none of the Defendants has any right, title, or interest in the First Promissory Note. The second issue is whether Plaintiffs sufficiently assert a similar declaratory action seeking a declaration that none of the Defendants has any right, title, or interest in the Second Promissory Note. The third issue is whether Plaintiffs sufficiently state a breach of fiduciary duty claim against SIW where Plaintiffs allege that SIW failed to ensure the entities that sought to enforce the First Deed of Trust (the "Deed of Trust") and foreclose Plaintiffs' property had the legal right to do so. The fourth issue is whether Plaintiffs state a plausible quiet title claim where they acknowledge that they received demands from Defendants for payments on the promissory notes but refused to pay. The fifth issue is whether Plaintiffs sufficiently state a claim against SIW under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("FDCPA"), 15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq., where Plaintiffs allege that SIW, as a debt collector, misrepresented the status, amount, and ownership of the debt owed by Plaintiffs on the promissory notes.
The Court grants Defendants U.S. Bank, RFMSI Series 2006-S3 Trust, Homecomings, GMAC, Residential, MERS, and SIW's (collectively, "U.S. Bank Defendants") Motion to Dismiss Counts I, II, III, IV, and V of the Amended Complaint and Defendants United Guaranty and Bank of America's (collectively, "United Guaranty Defendants") Motion to Dismiss Counts II, IV and V of the Amended Complaint.
This action arises from a residential mortgage foreclosure. Plaintiffs Julio and Edith Tapia purchased the property located at 25759 Tullow Place, South Riding, VA 20152 (the "Property") on January 31, 2006. They signed two deeds of trust and two promissory notes in the amounts of $625,800.00 ("First Promissory Note") and $100,00.00 ("Second Promissory Note"),
In 2008, Plaintiffs began receiving demands for payment and threats of foreclosure from entities including SIW
(Deed of Trust 4.) The Deed of Trust further provides "[t]he [First Promissory] Note or a partial interest in the Note (together with this Security Instrument) can be sold one or more times without prior notice to Borrower." (Deed of Trust 12.)
Plaintiffs continued receiving further correspondence from SIW and GMAC regarding the First Promissory Note. On March 20, 2009, SIW sent Plaintiffs a letter describing itself as a debt collector, indicating that U.S. Bank was creditor, and stating that the amount of the debt was $673,104.01. On April 24, 2009, SIW sent Plaintiffs a letter stating that the amount of the debt was $684,027.24.
As to the Second Promissory Note, Plaintiffs sent a QWR to Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. ("Countrywide")
Defendants U.S. Bank, RFMSI Series 2006-S3 Trust, Homecomings, GMAC, Residential, MERS, and SIW now move the Court to dismiss the Amended Complaint in its entirety. Defendants United Guaranty and Bank of America also move the Court to dismiss Counts II, IV, and V alleged against them.
A Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) motion should be granted unless an adequately stated claim is "supported by showing any set of facts consistent with the allegations in the complaint." Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 561, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (internal citations omitted); see Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). "A pleading that offers labels and conclusions or a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do." Ashcroft v. Iqbal, ___ U.S. ___, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009); Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955. A complaint is also insufficient if it relies upon "naked assertions devoid of further factual enhancement." Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949 (internal citations omitted).
In order to survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss a complaint must set forth "a claim for relief that is plausible on its face." Id.; Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955. A claim is facially plausible "when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged." Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949; Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955.
The Court grants the U.S. Bank Defendants' Motion to Dismiss as to Count I because a declaratory action cannot be used to redress alleged past wrongs and, alternatively, because Plaintiffs fail to allege facts plausibly suggesting an entitlement to declaratory relief. Similarly, the Court grants both Motions to Dismiss as to Count II because the Amended Complaint does not state plausible grounds for declaratory relief. The Court grants the U.S. Bank Defendants' Motion to Dismiss as to Count III because Plaintiffs fail to allege facts plausibly stating a breach of fiduciary duty claim. The Court grants both Motions to Dismiss as to Count IV because Plaintiffs fail to sufficiently plead superior title. The Court grants both Motions to Dismiss as to Count V because Plaintiffs fail to sufficiently allege facts that establish a violation of the FDCPA. The Court analyzes each count in order below.
The Court grants the U.S. Bank Defendants' Motion to Dismiss as to Count I because declaratory relief is inappropriate as the foreclosure has already occurred and because the Amended Complaint fails to set forth facts establishing plausible grounds for declaratory relief. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 57 provides that the federal rules "govern the procedure for obtaining a declaratory judgment under 28 U.S.C. § 2201." FED.R.CIV.P. 57. Under the Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2201(a), "any court of the United States. . . may declare the rights and other legal relations of any interested party seeking such declaration, whether or not further relief is or could be sought."
Here, Plaintiffs ask the Court to void the foreclosure "Deed of Sale" and declare that "none of the Defendants has any right, title, or interest in the First Promissory note." (Am. Compl., "Wherefore"
Two cases with near identical facts were brought in this District and dismissed on similar grounds. See Merino v. EMC Mortgage Corp., No. 1:09-cv-1121, 2010 WL 1039842 (E.D.Va. Mar. 19, 2010) (O'Grady, J.); Horvath v. Bank of New York, No. 1:09-cv-1129, 2010 WL 538039 (E.D.Va. Jan. 29, 2010) (Trenga, J.). Like Plaintiff, the homeowners in Merino and Horvath filed suits against financial institutions alleging a variety of claims based on the foreclosure of their homes following a default on their mortgage loans. Merino, 2010 WL 1039842, at *1; Horvath, 2010 WL 538039, at *1. In Merino, the homeowner sought declaratory relief that "none of the Defendants has any right, title, or interest" in the promissory notes. 2010 WL 1039842, at *4. In Horvath, the homeowner sought declaratory relief that the foreclosure deed of sale was void. 2010 WL 538039, at *1. In both cases, the court noted that the underlying purpose of declaratory relief is to guide parties' conduct in the future. See Merino, 2010 WL 1039842, at *4 ("a declaratory judgment is an inherently forward-looking mechanism, intended to guide parties' behavior in the future"); Horvath, 2010 WL 538039, at *1 ("[d]eclaratory relief is reserved for forward looking actions"). Both the Merino and Horvath courts therefore held that declaratory relief was not appropriate because the property had already been foreclosed. Merino, 2010 WL 1039842, at *4; Horvath, 2010 WL 538039, at *1.
Furthermore, even if Plaintiffs' declaratory action was appropriate, Plaintiffs fail to set forth plausible facts showing their entitlement to declaratory relief. Plaintiffs argue that they are entitled to declaratory relief for three reasons: (1) Defendants lack the authority to enforce the terms of the Deed of Trust; (2) Defendants lacked standing to institute the foreclosure proceedings because they could not prove Article III injury; and (3) Defendants could not foreclose on the Property because of the prohibition on double recovery. The Court rejects each of these arguments in turn.
First, Plaintiffs argue that Defendants have no authority to enforce the terms of the First Deed of Trust because none of them are the Lender who, according to Plaintiffs, is the only party authorized to remove and appoint substitute trustees to foreclose on the Property.
In Ruiz v. Samuel I. White, P.C., et al., No. 1:09-cv-688, 2009 WL 4823933, at *1 (E.D.Va. Dec. 11, 2009) (Ellis, J.), the court examined a similar issue and found that MERS, as the nominee, had the authority to appoint successor trustees under the plain terms of the deed of trust. In that case, a homeowner who defaulted on her mortgage loan alleged MERS lacked authority to appoint a substitute trustee to conduct a foreclosure proceeding on her property. Id. The Ruiz court dismissed the claim because, according to the deed of trust, "MERS (as nominee for Lender and Lender's successors and assigns) ha[d] the right: to exercise any or all of those interests, including, but not limited to, the right to foreclose and sell the Property." Id. at *2. The Ruiz court held "[t]he `if necessary to comply with law or custom' language [in the deed of trust] does not . . . require that the nominee have the power to act only when directed by law; rather, the nominee may act on behalf of the Lender as authorized by the deed of trust." Id. at *1. Similarly, in the current suit, Plaintiffs' allegation that Defendants have no right to foreclose the Property fails.
Second, Plaintiffs argue that Defendants could not demonstrate standing to institute the foreclosure because they could not prove Article III injury. The Court rejects Plaintiffs' standing argument
Third, Plaintiffs assert that Defendants have already recovered damages caused by their default and thus Defendants had no right to foreclose on the Property due to the prohibition against double recovery. Plaintiffs assert that Defendants have received pay-outs from mortgage insurance policies or other credit derivatives. According to Plaintiffs, these pay-outs cured the injury allegedly caused by their default on the loans, thus, Defendants are barred from double recovery. The Court rejects Plaintiffs' double recovery argument for two reasons. First, Plaintiffs plead no facts to support their allegations. "[A] plaintiff's obligation to provide the `ground' of . . . `entitle[ment] to relief requires more than labels and conclusions." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955 (citations omitted). Legal conclusions must be supported by factual allegations and the "[f]actual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level," id., as the Supreme Court does not intend to "unlock the doors of discovery for a plaintiff armed with nothing more than conclusions." Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1950.
Here, Plaintiffs set forth nothing but conclusory statements in support of their double recovery theory. In one sweeping generalization Plaintiffs allege
(Am. Compl. ¶ 119.) However, the Amended Complaint contains no specific facts plausibly suggesting that any pay-out actually occurred; that any Defendant received a pay-out as the result of Plaintiffs' default on the first loan; or that the pay-outs satisfied Plaintiffs' obligation under the loan. These conclusory statements do not adequately set forth a claim for relief that is plausible on its face.
The Merino and Horvath courts reached a similar result on this issue. The plaintiffs in Merino and Horvath raised identical arguments that, as a result of their default on the loans, their obligations were satisfied because the default triggered a pay-out. Merino, 2010 WL 1039842, at *4; Horvath, 2010 WL 538039, at *2. The Merino and Horvath courts held, and this Court agrees, that "[Plaintiff] provides no factual or legal basis, and the Court finds none, to support his contention that because [Plaintiffs] default triggered insurance for any losses caused by that default or `credit enhancement,' he is discharged from the promissory notes and the Property is released from the deeds of trust." Merino, 2010 WL 1039842, at *4; Horvath, 2010 WL 538039, at *2.
Nizan has minimum value here for two reasons. First, although Nizan provides for a double recovery defense, Nizan focuses on a dispute between a trustee and a guarantor over a deficiency after a foreclosure. Here, however, Plaintiffs cite no cases extending this defense to apply to actions challenging the legitimacy of a foreclosure. The Merino court reached a similar conclusion. See Merino, 2010 WL 1039842, at *4 n. 6 (rejecting homeowner's double recovery argument because "Plaintiffs cite no case indicating [double recovery] defense can be converted somehow into a basis on which to bring a claim before this Court."). Second, even if the double recovery theory applies here, as mentioned above, "Plaintiffs' allegations on this issue are completely naked and `devoid of further factual enhancement' and provide no plausible basis" for the relief they seek. Id. (quoting Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949). In short, the Amended Complaint contains no facts that allow the Court to conclude that, despite their default, Plaintiffs are discharged from the promissory notes and that they alone can claim title to the Property because of any alleged payouts to Defendants. Therefore, the Court grants the U.S. Bank Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Count I because the declaratory action is untimely and Plaintiffs fail to plead plausible grounds for declaratory relief.
The Court grants both Motions to Dismiss as to Count II for the same reasons it dismissed Count I, above. Count II, almost identical to Count I, requests that the Court declare that none of the Defendants has any right, title, or interest in the Second Promissory Note. However, the only facts alleged as to Count II are that: (1) Plaintiffs borrowed the loan and began paying the loan (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 16, 19, 21); (2) the Second Trust Note was placed in an unknown pool or trust (Am. Compl. ¶ 78); (3) Plaintiffs refused to pay the loan (Am. Compl. ¶ 77);
The Court grants the U.S. Bank Defendants' Motion to Dismiss as to Count III on the same grounds that it dismisses Count I. In Count III, Plaintiffs argue that SIW breached its fiduciary duty by failing to confirm the parties' authority to enforce the Deed of Trust, appoint the substitute trustee, and foreclose the Property. (Pls.' Opp'n to U.S. Bank's Mot. to Dismiss 16.) Plaintiffs make the same arguments in support of these allegations as presented as to Count I, namely that Defendants lacked authority to enforce the Deed of Trust and had no right to foreclose the Property. As discussed in Section A of the Analysis above, these arguments fail because the Deed authorized MERS to foreclose the Property in the event of a default. Therefore, the Court dismisses Count III for the same reasons it dismisses Count I.
The Court grants both Motions to Dismiss as to Count IV because the Amended Complaint contains no facts supporting Plaintiffs' claim of superior title. "An action to quiet title is based on the premise that a person with good title to certain real or personal property should not be subjected to various future claims against that title." Maine v. Adams, 277 Va. 230, 672 S.E.2d 862, 866 (2009). A party asserting a quiet title action must plead that he or she has superior title to the property. See id.
Here, Plaintiffs allege no facts that plausibly suggest that they have superior title. In fact, the allegations contained in the Amended Complaint suggest quite the opposite. Plaintiffs allege in conclusory fashion that they are the only parties that "can prove legal and equitable ownership interest in the Property." (Am. Compl. ¶ 134.) However, the Amended Complaint states Plaintiffs refused to pay Defendants on the Notes (Am. Compl. ¶ 77). Even if the Court accepts Plaintiffs' allegation that Defendants do not have a legal interest in the Property, Plaintiffs do not allege that they fully satisfied their obligations to the real party in interest. Furthermore, Plaintiffs make no factual showing that the debt was otherwise forgiven or cancelled. Thus, the facts pled in the Amended Complaint do not plausibly suggest Plaintiffs have an interest in the Property superior to "any competing interest." Plaintiffs therefore fail to state a claim for quiet title.
Moreover, the Court rejects Plaintiffs' allegation that, "[g]iven the splitting, selling, trading, and insuring of the pieces of the Notes on the secondary market, the Deeds of Trust are split from the Notes and are unenforceable . . ." (Am. Compl. ¶ 139) for three reasons. First, this allegation is a legal conclusion not entitled to the assumption of truth. See Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1940. Second, in arguing against Defendants' Motions, Plaintiffs cite no legal authority supporting their assertion of unenforceability. Third, this allegation contradicts the terms of the Deed of Trust and Virginia law.
The Court grants both Motions to Dismiss as to Count V for three reasons.
Second, the Court dismisses Count V because the claim that SIW misrepresented "the status of the debt, the amount of the debt, and ownership of the debt" (Pls.' Opp'n to U.S. Bank's Mot. to Dismiss 16) is partially time-barred. A suit alleging a violation of the FDCPA must be brought within one year of the violation's occurrence. See 15 U.S.C. § 1692k(d). An alleged FDCPA violation occurs, and the action accrues, when the alleged debt collector sends the debtor the notice of default. See Vitullo v. Mancini, 684 F.Supp.2d 747, 753 (E.D.Va.2010).
Here, four communications from SIW to Plaintiffs are relevant: two letters dated May 22, 2008, one letter dated March 20, 2009, and one letter dated April 24, 2009. SIW sent the first two letters informing Plaintiffs of the default more than one year before Plaintiffs filed the current suit on August 13, 2009. Therefore, alleged violations arising from these two letters are time-barred.
Third, as to the two remaining letters sent in 2009, Plaintiffs fail to allege sufficient facts to support their FDCPA claims against SIW. The FDCPA provides a cause of action where a debt collector "use[s] any false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of any debt." 15 U.S.C. § 1692e. False representation of the character, amount, or legal status of any debt violates FDCPA. See 15 U.S.C. § 1692e(2)(A). The Amended Complaint alleges that, in addition to providing the total amount due at the time, the two letters stated that SIW was a debt collector and U.S. Bank was the creditor. (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 33-35, 40.) It further alleges that SIW also provided a copy of payment history on the loan along with the letter dated April 14, 2009. (Am. Compl. ¶ 41.) Plaintiffs allege the amounts disclosed in the payment history "as being applicable to the note do not add up" to the amount due in either letter. (Am. Compl. ¶ 41.) However, the Amended Complaint does
The Court grants the U.S. Bank Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Counts I, II, III, IV, and V of the Amended Complaint and the United Guaranty Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Counts II, IV and V of the Amended Complaint. The Court grants the U.S. Bank Defendants' Motion to Dismiss as to Count I because declaratory relief is not available where the alleged wrongs have already been suffered and, alternatively, because Plaintiffs fail to state plausible grounds for declaratory relief. The Court grants both Motions to Dismiss as to Count II because Plaintiffs fail to plausibly allege facts that warrant the declaratory relief sought. The Court grants the U.S. Bank Defendants' Motion to Dismiss as to Count III because Plaintiffs fail to state plausible grounds for a breach of fiduciary duty claim. The Court grants both Motions to Dismiss as to Count IV because Plaintiffs fail to sufficiently allege superior title. The Court grants both Motions to Dismiss Count V as unopposed as to all Defendants except for SIW, and as to SIW because the claim is insufficiently pled. Accordingly, it is hereby
ORDERED that Defendants U.S. Bank, RFMSI Series 2006-S3 Trust, Homecomings, GMAC, Residential, MERS, and SIW's Motion to Dismiss First Amended Complaint is GRANTED. It is further
ORDERED that Defendants United Guaranty and Bank of America's Motion to Dismiss all Claims in the Amended Complaint Asserted Against United Guaranty Residential Insurance Company of North Carolina and Bank of America, N.A. is GRANTED. It is further
ORDERED that dismissal is WITH PREJUDICE as to all Defendants and no further leave to amend will be granted because Plaintiffs had two full opportunities to plead their claims and the Court's analysis set forth herein demonstrates that further pleading would be futile as a matter of law. See Foman v. Davis, 371 U.S. 178, 182, 83 S.Ct. 227, 9 L.Ed.2d 222 (1962).
The Clerk is directed to forward a copy of this Order to counsel.