JOSEPH F. BIANCO, District Judge.
Plaintiff Maria Mauro (hereinafter "plaintiff" or "Mauro") brings this action against defendants Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. (hereinafter "Countrywide"), Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (hereinafter "MERS"), Peter J. Dawson (hereinafter "Dawson"), BMG Advisory Services, Ltd. (hereinafter "BMG"), and Victoria S. Kaplan and Victoria S. Kaplan, P.C. (hereinafter the "Kaplan defendants"). Plaintiff asserts a federal claim under the Truth in Lending Act ("TILA"), as well as several state law claims, in connection with two mortgage loans obtained by plaintiff, the proceeds of which were allegedly misappropriated by defendant Dawson. Before the Court are motions for summary judgment filed by Countrywide and the Kaplan defendants (hereinafter the "moving defendants"), requesting summary judgment on all of plaintiff's claims. In the alternative, Countrywide moves for summary judgment on its cross-claims against Dawson, BMG, and the Kaplan defendants. The Kaplan defendants likewise move for summary judgment on Countrywide's cross-claims. For the reasons set forth below, the Court grants the moving defendants' motions for summary judgment on plaintiff's Truth in Lending Act claim, plaintiff's only federal claim in this action. Specifically, based upon the uncontroverted facts in the record—namely, that (1) plaintiff
The Court has taken the facts described below from the parties' depositions, affidavits, and exhibits, and from defendants' Rule 56.1 statements of facts.
Plaintiff Maria Mauro has resided at 20 Elm Street in Westbury, New York since 1973. (Mauro Dep. at 11-12.) In addition to her residence at 20 Elm Street, Mauro owns other property in Westbury at 168 Grand Street and 213 Fulton Street. (Mauro Dep. at 12.) Mauro collects rent on those two properties and considers them to be "investment properties." (Mauro Dep. at 13.)
Plaintiff alleges that defendant Peter Dawson was, at all times relevant to this action, a licensed investment advisor who, through his company, BMG Advisory Services, provided financial and investment advice. (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 9-10, 14.)
Countrywide retained the services of Victoria S. Kaplan, P.C. to represent it as its attorney during the closing. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶ 8.) Kaplan executed written agreements with Countrywide regarding the conditions to be followed in connection with the closing. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶ 9.)
Countrywide subsequently approved plaintiff's applications for a $340,000 loan on the Fulton Street property and a $175,000 loan on the Grant Street property. (Am. Compl. ¶ 18; Kaplan Aff. ¶ 2.) The closing on the mortgages took place on May 30, 2006 at Dawson's office with Dawson present. (Kaplan Defs.' 56.1 ¶ 22.) Plaintiff believed that Dawson was an attorney and was acting as her attorney at the closing. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶ 11.) Plaintiff's two children and another individual she knew assisted plaintiff at the closing. (Kaplan Defs.' 56.1 ¶ 25.) The Kaplan defendants were present at the closing representing Countrywide. (See Kaplan Aff. ¶ 3.)
At the closing, plaintiff signed a number of documents related to both properties. These included (1) a mortgage for each property; (2) a note for each property; and (3) a HUD-1 settlement statement and Truth in Lending Disclosure Statement for each property. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶¶ 12-13.) Plaintiff also signed documents authorizing the disbursement of the loan proceeds from the mortgages on the Grant Street and Fulton Street properties to BMG, Dawson's business. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶¶ 16-17.)
Defendants assert that plaintiff gave the relevant loan disclosure documents to Dawson, who promised to provide her with copies in two to three days. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶ 18; Kaplan Defs.' 56.1 ¶ 33.) Plaintiff states that she did not receive any checks or documents at the closing, nor did she receive anything from "the bank" after the closing.
After the closing, plaintiff did not make any mortgage payments because Dawson "was supposed to take care of them." (Kaplan Defs.' 56.1 ¶ 36.) Dawson apparently made the mortgage payments on behalf of plaintiff for several months. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶ 20.) Plaintiff also received statements of account from Dawson indicating that the loan proceeds were deposited into a trust account in the name of BMG for plaintiff's benefit. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶ 21.) Several months after the closing, a Countrywide representative called plaintiff and asked about her mortgage
In or about November 2006, the Nassau County police raided BMG's offices and arrested Dawson. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶ 23.) Thereafter, Mauro filed a complaint with the Nassau County Police and Nassau County District Attorney's office regarding Dawson's conduct in connection with her Countrywide loans. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶¶ 24-25.) Mauro told investigators that Dawson had advised her to: take the loans; authorize payment to BMG; and allow Dawson to manage and invest the proceeds and make Mauro's mortgage payments. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶ 25-26.) Dawson has since been charged with and convicted of, inter alia, multiple counts of grand larceny. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶ 27.) Mauro has been in payment default on the Grant Street and Fulton Street mortgages since February 1, 2007, although Countywide has not commenced foreclosure proceedings. (Countrywide 56.1 ¶ 28.)
Plaintiff commenced this action on February 8, 2007 by filing a complaint in New York State Supreme Court, Nassau County. The initial complaint named Countrywide, MERS, Peter Dawson, and BMG as defendants. Countrywide and MERS subsequently removed the case to this Court. By stipulation dated May 7, 2007, defendant MERS was dismissed from this action. On May 25, 2007, defendant Dawson requested that the Court stay the proceedings in this action pending resolution of criminal proceedings against him. By Memorandum and Order dated August 27, 2007, 2007 WL 2462677, the Court granted Dawson's request. By Order dated December 14, 2007, the Court lifted the stay and directed the parties to proceed with discovery.
On May 6, 2008, plaintiff filed a motion on consent to add additional parties, specifically, the Kaplan defendants. The Court granted plaintiff's motion on May 28, 2008. On June 19, 2008, plaintiff filed an amended complaint naming Countrywide, BMG, Dawson, Victoria S. Kaplan, and Victoria S. Kaplan, P.C. as defendants.
On July 7, 2008, Countrywide answered the amended complaint and asserted cross-claims for, inter alia, contribution and indemnification against Dawson, BMG, and the Kaplan defendants. The Kaplan defendants answered on September 5, 2008, asserting cross-claims against the other defendants. Countrywide answered the Kaplan defendants' cross-claim on September 29, 2008. Although Dawson has appeared in this action, he has not filed an answer. Defendant BMG has not answered or otherwise appeared.
On February 22, 2010, Countrywide filed a motion for summary judgment with respect to all of plaintiff's claims or, in the alternative, against defendants Dawson, BMG, and the Kaplan defendants on Countrywide's cross-claims. The Kaplan defendants filed their own motion for summary judgment on the same day, seeking summary judgment on all of plaintiff's claims and on Countrywide's cross-claims. Countrywide filed its partial opposition to the Kaplan defendants' motion on April 5, 2010. Plaintiff filed its opposition to the moving defendants' motions on April 5, 2010. The moving defendants filed reply briefs in support of their motions on April 21, 2010. Oral argument was held on July 19, 2010. This matter is fully submitted.
The standards for summary judgment are well settled. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c), summary judgment is appropriate only if "the pleadings, the discovery and disclosure materials on file, and any affidavits show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(c); Reiseck v. Universal Commc'ns of Miami, Inc., 591 F.3d 101, 104 (2d Cir.2010). The moving party bears the burden of showing that he or she is entitled to summary judgment. See Huminski v. Corsones, 396 F.3d 53, 69 (2d Cir.2005). The court "is not to weigh the evidence but is instead required to view the evidence in the light most favorable to the party opposing summary judgment, to draw all reasonable inferences in favor of that party, and to eschew credibility assessments." Amnesty Am. v. Town of W. Hartford, 361 F.3d 113, 122 (2d Cir.2004); see Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986) (summary judgment is unwarranted if "the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party").
Once the moving party has met its burden, the opposing party "`must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.... [T]he nonmoving party must come forward with specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.'" Caldarola v. Calabrese, 298 F.3d 156, 160 (2d Cir.2002) (quoting Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586-87, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986) (emphasis in original)). As the Supreme Court stated in Anderson, "[i]f the evidence is merely colorable, or is not significantly
Plaintiff's only federal claim in this action arises under the Truth in Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq. Specifically, plaintiff alleges that defendants failed to provide her with various required disclosures in connection with the mortgages on the Fulton Street and Grant Street properties. The moving defendants argue, inter alia, that TILA does not apply to them in this case. Specifically, Countrywide argues that plaintiff obtained the loans in question for a business purpose, making the transactions exempt from TILA's coverage. The Kaplan defendants argue that, as attorneys for Countrywide, they are not "creditors" within the meaning of TILA and, therefore, cannot be liable.
As a threshold matter, plaintiff does not respond in her papers to the argument that TILA does not apply in this case because plaintiff obtained the loans for business purposes. Because, as discussed below, this argument is potentially dispositive of plaintiff's TILA claim, and because plaintiff does not respond to the argument, plaintiff's TILA claim is deemed to be abandoned and/or withdrawn, and summary judgment could be granted on that basis alone. See Bellegar de Dussuau v. Blockbuster, Inc., No. 03 Civ. 6614(WHP), 2006 WL 465374, at *7 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 28, 2006) (finding claim abandoned by virtue of plaintiff's failure to address it in opposition to defendant's summary judgment motion on the claim (citing Douglas v. Victor Capital Grp., 21 F.Supp.2d 379, 393 (S.D.N.Y.1998))); see also DeVito v. Barrant, No. 03-CV-1927 (DLI)(RLM), 2005 WL 2033722, at *10 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 23, 2005) (same); Taylor v. City of N.Y., 269 F.Supp.2d 68, 75 (E.D.N.Y.2003) ("Federal courts may deem a claim abandoned when a party moves for summary judgment on one ground and the party opposing summary judgment fails to address the argument in any way."); Arias v. NASDAQ/AMEX Mkt. Group, No. 00 Civ. 9827(MBM), 2003 WL 354978, at *13 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 18, 2003) (dismissing claims as "abandoned" where plaintiff's summary judgment opposition "neither refute[d] nor even mention[ed]" defendant's argument for summary judgment on two of his claims); see also Local Civ. Rule 7.1 ("[A]ll oppositions thereto shall be supported by a memorandum of law, setting forth the points and authorities relied upon ... in opposition to the motion .... Willful failure to comply with this rule may be deemed sufficient cause for the ... granting of a motion by default.").
Nevertheless, in an abundance of caution, the Court has considered the substance of defendants' arguments. For the reasons set forth below, the Court concludes that TILA is inapplicable in this
"[TILA] was enacted to assure meaningful disclosure of credit terms, avoid the uninformed use of credit, and to protect the consumer against inaccurate and unfair credit billing and credit card practices." See McAnaney v. Astoria Fin. Corp., 357 F.Supp.2d 578, 583 (E.D.N.Y. 2005) (citing, inter alia, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1601-65(b) (2004) and Ford Motor Credit Co. v. Milhollin, 444 U.S. 555, 559, 100 S.Ct. 790, 63 L.Ed.2d 22 (1980)). "Failure to make a required disclosure and satisfy the Act may subject a lender to statutory and actual damages that are traceable to the lender's failure." Id. When it enacted TILA, "Congress delegated authority to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors to promulgate implementing regulations and interpretations known as Regulation Z." Id. (citing 15 U.S.C. § 1604(a)). "These regulations, which are located at 12 C.F.R. Part 226 may be relied upon by creditors for protection from any civil or criminal liability." Id. (citing Household Credit Servs., Inc. v. Pfennig, 541 U.S. 232, 124 S.Ct. 1741, 158 L.Ed.2d 450 (2004)).
TILA applies only to consumer credit transactions and, therefore, does not apply to credit extended for "business, commercial, or agricultural purposes." 15 U.S.C. § 1603(1); see also Regulation Z, 12 C.F.R. § 226.3(a)(1) (stating that Regulation Z does not apply to "[a]n extension of credit primarily for a business, commercial or agricultural purpose"). The Second Circuit has not articulated a standard for determining whether a loan is obtained for personal or business purposes under TILA. Most other courts that have addressed the issue have held that a court must look at the entire transaction and surrounding circumstances to determine a borrower's primary motive. For instance, in the Ninth Circuit:
Daniels v. SCME Mortg. Bankers, Inc., 680 F.Supp.2d 1126, 1129 (N.D.Cal.2010) (citing Thorns, 726 F.2d at 1419). Other courts have taken a similar approach. See, e.g., Hinchliffe v. Option One Mortg. Corp., Civ. No. 08-2094, 2009 WL 1708007, at *3 (E.D.Pa. June 16, 2009) ("In order to determine whether the loan was primarily personal or commercial in nature, we must look at the entire transaction and determine the borrower's primary motive for seeking the loan." (citation omitted)); Shames-Yeakel v. Citizens Fin. Bank, 677 F.Supp.2d 994, 1002 (N.D.Ill.2009) ("In determining
As a general matter, the burden is on plaintiff to show that the loan in question was obtained for personal, as opposed to business, purposes. See, e.g., Hinchliffe, 2009 WL 1708007, at *3 ("[Plaintiff] has the burden of evidencing his intent and showing that the loan was entered into primarily for personal purposes, as opposed to financing his businesses." (citing Katz v. Carte Blanche Corp., 496 F.2d 747, 751 (3d Cir.1974))) (granting summary judgment for defendant creditor); see also, e.g., Macheda, 2009 WL 113474, at *5 ("When there is a dispute between parties as to the type of transaction, `[t]he plaintiff has the burden of showing that the disputed transaction was a consumer credit transaction, not a business transaction.'" (quoting Searles v. Clarion Mortg. Co., 87-CV-3495, 1987 WL 61932, at *3 (E.D.Pa. Dec. 7, 1987))).
In the instant case, there is no dispute that plaintiff obtained the Fulton Street and Grant Street mortgage loans for investment purposes. Plaintiff alleges in the amended complaint that the proceeds of the loan were to be used to pay off the mortgages on the rental properties and for investment. (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 15-17.) Plaintiff repeatedly testified in her deposition that the loans were obtained for investment purposes. (See, e.g., Mauro Dep. at 39, 42-43, 47-49.) For instance, plaintiff testified:
(Mauro Dep. at 79-80; see also Mauro Dep. at 49 ("Q. Did Dawson tell you that he would invest your money in a hedge fund that would earn a higher rate of interest? A. Yes, that's why we trusted him, yes.").) It is also undisputed that plaintiff did not reside in either of the mortgaged properties, which plaintiff rented out for investment purposes. (See Mauro Dep. at 12-13; Countrywide Exs. E, F.)
As a general matter, when a party obtains a loan in order to make a profit, that loan is not considered a "personal" loan under TILA. See, e.g., In re Booth, 858 F.2d 1051, 1054-55 (5th Cir. 1988) ("Cases decided under the Truth in Lending Act indicate that when the credit transaction involves a profit motive, it is outside the definition of consumer credit." (collecting cases)). In particular, it is well settled that a loan obtained in order to invest in non-owner occupied rental properties is a loan for business purposes. See Official Staff Commentary, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Section 226.3, Commentary 3(a)(3), 46 Fed. Reg. 50288, 50297 (Oct. 9, 1981) ("Credit extended to acquire, improve, or maintain rental property (regardless of the number
To the extent plaintiff argues that the loans were obtained in order to invest for some unspecified personal purpose, plaintiff has failed to meet her burden in opposing the instant motion for summary judgment. At oral argument, plaintiff's counsel pointed to no evidence of a personal purpose for the loans and acknowledged that the loans were specifically designed for plaintiff to give the loan proceeds directly to Dawson for investment purposes.
Accordingly, because it is uncontroverted that plaintiff obtained the Grant Street and Fulton Street mortgages in order to give the proceeds directly to Dawson for investment purposes, used non-owner occupied rental property as security for the loans, and has failed to point to any evidence indicating that the loans were obtained for a personal purpose, Countrywide's motion for summary judgment on plaintiff's TILA claim is granted.
The Kaplan defendants argue that they are entitled to summary judgment on
TILA's disclosure obligations apply only to "creditors," which the statute defines as
15 U.S.C. § 1602(f) (emphasis added).
Regulation Z defines a "creditor" as: "[a] person who regularly extends consumer credit that is subject to a finance charge or is payable by written agreement in more than 4 installments (not including a downpayment), and to whom the obligation is initially payable, either on the face of the note or contract, or by agreement when there is no note or contract." 12 C.F.R. § 226.2(a)(17)(i).
In several cases, courts have found that attorneys do not qualify as "creditors" under TILA, and this Court agrees with the analysis in these decisions.
In short, plaintiff's TILA claim fails as a matter of law because the uncontroverted evidence in the record demonstrates that the loans in question were obtained for business purposes. The Kaplan defendants are also entitled to summary judgment on plaintiff's TILA claim for the additional reason that they are not creditors within the meaning of the statute. Accordingly, the moving defendants' motions for summary judgment on plaintiff's TILA claim are granted.
Having determined that plaintiff's only federal claim in this action does not survive defendants' motions for summary judgment, the Court concludes that retaining jurisdiction over any state law claims is unwarranted. 28 U.S.C. § 1367(c)(3) ("The district courts may decline to exercise supplemental jurisdiction [] if ... the district court has dismissed
Therefore, in the instant case, the Court, in its discretion, declines to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over plaintiff's state law claims. Kolari v. N.Y.-Presbyterian Hosp., 455 F.3d 118, 122 (2d Cir.2006); see also Cave v. E. Meadow Union Free Sch. Dist., 514 F.3d 240, 250 (2d Cir.2008) ("We have already found that the district court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over appellants' federal claims. It would thus be clearly inappropriate for the district court to retain jurisdiction over the state law claims when there is no basis for supplemental jurisdiction.") (citing 28 U.S.C. § 1367(c)(3)); Karmel v. Claiborne, Inc., No. 99 Civ. 3608(WK), 2002 WL 1561126, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. July 15, 2002) ("Where a court is reluctant to exercise supplemental jurisdiction because of one of the reasons put forth by § 1367(c), or when the interests of judicial economy, convenience, comity and fairness to litigants are not violated by refusing to entertain matters of state law, it should decline supplemental jurisdiction and allow the plaintiff to decide whether or not to pursue the matter in state court.").
Accordingly, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1367(c)(3), the Court declines to retain jurisdiction over the remaining state law claims given the absence of any federal claims that survive the motions for summary judgment and dismisses such claims without prejudice.
Because defendants' motions for summary judgment are granted with respect to plaintiff's TILA claim, and because the Court declines to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over plaintiff's state law claims, the moving defendants' cross-claims, which seek indemnification on plaintiff's claims, are dismissed as moot.
For the foregoing reasons, defendants' motions for summary judgment are granted with respect to plaintiff's federal TILA claim. The Court declines to retain jurisdiction over plaintiff's remaining state law claims and dismisses such claims without prejudice. The Clerk of the Court shall enter judgment accordingly and close this case.
SO ORDERED.