COLLEEN KOLLAR-KOTELLY, United States District Judge.
Plaintiffs Erik Segelstrom and Cathie Hamer, who are proceeding pro se, filed this lawsuit against five "Doe" defendants and seven named defendants — Citibank N.A. ("Citibank"), Nationstar Mortgage LLC ("Nationstar"), Sheriff Thomas Allman, in his personal and private capacity, and the Mendicino County Sheriff's Department (collectively the "Law Enforcement Defendants"), and TFLG A Law Corporation, Eric G. Fernandez, and Viana G. Barbu
Before proceeding to the facts of this case, the Court shall address Plaintiffs' Motion to Amend the Complaint. Plaintiffs properly filed a Motion to Amend the Complaint on October 14, 2014.
For the purposes of these motions to dismiss, the Court accepts as true the well-pleaded allegations in Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint. The Court has been able to discern the following facts from Plaintiffs' lengthy and often rambling Amended Complaint.
Plaintiffs' claims arise out of a July 15, 2004, mortgage transaction with Lehman Brothers Bank FSB, evidenced by a promissory note ("the Note") in the amount of $520,000 ("the Loan"), and secured by a Deed of Trust placing a lien on certain real property located at 29850 Ten Mile Road, Point Arena, California 95468 ("the Property"). Am. Compl. ¶ 14. The mortgage servicer for Plaintiffs' Loan at the time the Loan was originally made was Aurora Loan Services. Id. ¶ 13. The Mortgage and Note were securitized and sold to a REMIC known as Structured Asset Securities Corporation Mortgage Loan Trust 2005-2XS. Id. ¶ 1. Plaintiffs allege that Citibank, NA is the Securities Administrator for the REMIC. Id. ¶¶ 1, 4. In June of 2012, Lehman Brothers sold the assets of Aurora Bank, FSB and Aurora Loan Servicing to Nationstar Mortgage LLC. Id. ¶ 4. The Mortgage Electronic Registration System ("MERS") assigned Plaintiffs' note and Deed of Trust to Nationstar on December 11, 2012. Id. ¶¶ 11, 12, Ex. B (Assignment of Deed of Trust). Nationstar began servicing Plaintiffs' Loan. Id. ¶ 4.
Plaintiffs defaulted on their obligation to repay the Loan in or around October 2013. See Id. at Ex. E (Notice of Default). Plaintiffs do not contest that they defaulted on their Loan and owe money. Plaintiffs received a Notice of Default from Nationstar on or around October 17, 2013. Id. Plaintiffs allege that Citibank is using Nationstar as their proxy and agent with respect to the foreclosure and eviction. Id. ¶ 62. Plaintiffs' property was sold to Nationstar in a non-judicial foreclosure sale on or around February 14, 2014.
On March 28, 2014, Nationstar filed an unlawful detainer proceeding against Plaintiffs in California state court. Am. Compl. ¶ 94, Ex. F* (Unlawful Detainer Compl.).
Plaintiffs filed suit in this Court on June 25, 2014, against Citibank, Nationstar, and the Law Firm and Law Enforcement Defendants challenging the foreclosure and eviction proceedings with regards to their property and bringing several claims under the False Claims Act. Defendant Nationstar and the Law Firm Defendants filed motions to dismiss on August 4, 2014. On August 8, 2014, Plaintiff Segelstrom filed a voluntary petition for bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. See Suggestion of Bankruptcy, ECF No. [11]. Shortly thereafter, Plaintiffs filed a Motion for Preliminary Injunction or Temporary Restraining Order in this Court. In light of Plaintiff Segelstrom's pending voluntary petition for bankruptcy, the Court stayed this case as to Plaintiff Segelstrom until resolution of Plaintiff Segelstrom's bankruptcy matter, or until Plaintiff Segelstrom withdrew his bankruptcy petition. See Order (Aug. 21, 2014), ECF No. [14]. However, as Plaintiff Hamer was not included in the petition for bankruptcy, the Court set a briefing scheduling for Plaintiff Hamer to respond to Defendants' motions to dismiss and to further brief Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction and Temporary Restraining Order.
The Law Enforcement Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss on August 28, 2014. On September 3, 2014, the Court lifted the stay in this matter as to Plaintiff Segelstrom upon learning that Plaintiff Segelstrom's bankruptcy petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Northern District of California had recently been dismissed. See Order (Sept. 3, 2014), ECF No. [23]. The Court set a briefing schedule for Plaintiff Segelstrom to respond to Defendants' motions to dismiss and to further brief Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction and Temporary Restraining Order. The Court put Plaintiffs on notice "that the resolution of their Motion for Preliminary Injunction and Motion for Temporary Restraining Order [would] be delayed because of the stay that the Court was required to impose." Id. at 3. The Court found that "[a]s only one property is at issue in which both Plaintiffs have an interest, ... it [would] have a more complete record on which to rule if it wait[ed] for both Plaintiffs to complete their briefing of their Motion and resolve[d] the Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction and Motion for Temporary Restraining Order in one order addressing both parties' arguments. Id.
Defendant Citibank filed a Motion to Dismiss on September 29, 2014. On October 14, 2014, Plaintiffs properly filed a Motion for Leave to file an Amended Complaint. As discussed above, while certain Defendants opposed Plaintiffs' Motion to Amend Complaint, all Defendants indicated that the motions to dismiss they filed prior to Plaintiffs filing their Amended Complaint still applied fully to Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint.
As all motions have now been fully briefed, this matter is ripe for the Court's review. In short, the Law Firm Defendants seek to dismiss Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint arguing that this Court lacks personal jurisdiction over them and that Plaintiffs have not stated any claim against them. Similarly, the Law Enforcement Defendants seek to dismiss Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint on the basis of personal jurisdiction and failure to state a claim. The Law Enforcement Defendants also argue that this Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over Plaintiffs' claims pursuant to the Rooker-Feldman doctrine and, alternatively, that venue is
Defendants Nationstar and Citibank seek to dismiss Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint on the basis that Plaintiffs have failed to state a claim. Defendant Citibank also moves for dismissal on the basis that venue is improper in this Court. The Court will evaluate Plaintiffs' claims as they relate to Defendants Nationstar and Citibank under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), as the Court finds this case is most efficiently resolved by addressing the merits of Plaintiffs' claims against these Defendants.
When personal jurisdiction is challenged under Rule 12(b)(2), the plaintiff
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), a party may move to dismiss a complaint on the grounds it "fail[s] to state a claim upon which relief can be granted." Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure require that a complaint contain "`a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief,' in order to `give the defendant fair notice of what the... claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.'" Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (quoting Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 47, 78 S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957)); accord Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 93, 127 S.Ct. 2197, 167 L.Ed.2d 1081 (2007) (per curiam). "[A] complaint [does not] suffice if it tenders `naked assertion[s]' devoid of `further factual enhancement.'" Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 557, 127 S.Ct. 1955). Rather, a complaint must contain sufficient factual allegations that, if accepted as true, "state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955. "A claim has facial plausibility 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, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937.
In evaluating a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, a court must construe the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff and must accept as true all reasonable factual inferences drawn from well-pleaded factual allegations. In re United Mine Workers of Am. Employee Benefit Plans Litig., 854 F.Supp. 914, 915 (D.D.C.1994). Further, in deciding a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, a court may consider "the facts alleged in the complaint, documents attached as exhibits or incorporated by reference in the complaint," or "documents upon which the plaintiff's complaint necessarily relies even if the document is produced not by the plaintiff in the complaint but by the defendant in a motion to dismiss." Ward v. D.C. Dep't of Youth Rehab. Servs., 768 F.Supp.2d 117, 119 (D.D.C.2011) (citations omitted).
In Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint, Plaintiffs clarify that they are bringing two sets
The Law Enforcement and Law Firm Defendants each move to dismiss Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint for, inter alia, lack of personal jurisdiction. The Court agrees that Plaintiffs have failed to establish personal jurisdiction over these Defendants and, accordingly, Plaintiffs' claims against these Defendants are dismissed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2).
In this Circuit, courts determine whether personal jurisdiction may be exercised "by reference to District of Columbia law." United States v. Ferrara, 54 F.3d 825, 828 (D.C.Cir.1995). "A District of Columbia court may exercise personal jurisdiction over a person domiciled in, organized under the laws of, or maintaining his or its principal place of business in, the District of Columbia as to any claim for relief." D.C. Code § 13-422. Exercise of this so-called "general jurisdiction" requires that the defendant's contacts within the forum be "continuous and systematic" in order for the defendant to be forced to defend a suit arising out of any subject matter unrelated to the defendant's activities within the forum. See Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia, S.A. v. Hall, 466 U.S. 408, 415-16, 104 S.Ct. 1868, 80 L.Ed.2d 404 (1984). Alternatively, this Court may exercise "specific jurisdiction" to entertain controversies based on acts of a defendant that "touch and concern the forum." Kopff v. Battaglia, 425 F.Supp.2d 76, 81 (D.D.C.2006) (citing Steinberg v. Int'l Criminal Police Org., 672 F.2d 927, 928 (D.C.Cir.1981)).
To determine whether it may exercise specific jurisdiction over a particular defendant, a court must engage in a two-part inquiry. First, the Court must determine
Such minimum contacts must arise from some act by which the defendant "purposefully avails" himself of the privilege of conducting activities within the District of Columbia, thus invoking the "benefits and protections of its laws." Asahi Metal Indus. Co. v. Super. Ct. of Cal., Solano Cty., 480 U.S. 102, 109, 107 S.Ct. 1026, 94 L.Ed.2d 92 (1987). Put differently, the court "must insure that the defendant's conduct and connection with the forum `are such that he should reasonably anticipate being hauled into court there.'" Marshall v. Labor & Indus., State of Washington, 89 F.Supp.2d 4, 9 (D.D.C. 2000) (citing World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson, 444 U.S. 286, 297, 100 S.Ct. 559, 62 L.Ed.2d 490 (1980)).
Here, Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint fails entirely to demonstrate that this Court has personal jurisdiction over the Law Enforcement and Law Firm Defendants. The Complaint alleges no facts suggesting that these Defendants transacted business, contracted to supply services, or caused tortious injury in the District of Columbia. Indeed, the only mention of personal jurisdiction, which is found in Plaintiffs' Opposition, is the following:
Moreover, these Defendants do not reside within the District of Columbia, and their principal places of business are outside of the District. TFLG A Law Corporation ("TFLG") is a California law firm, of which Defendant Fernandez is a partner, with its only office in that state. Law Firm Defendants' MTD, Ex. 1 (Fernandez Decl.), ¶¶ 1, 7. TFLG is not engaged in the practice of law in the District of Columbia, and none of its lawyers are admitted to practice before the courts of the District of Columbia. Id. ¶ 7. Similarly, Defendant Mendocino County Sheriff's Department does not do business, advertise, or contract with persons in the District of Columbia and has no subsidiaries, offices, or employees in the District of Columbia. Law Enforcement Defendants' MTD, Ex. A (Allman Decl.) ¶¶ 7-8, 7*.
Based on the preceding discussion, the only remaining Defendants in this suit are Citibank and Nationstar. Accordingly, the Court discusses Plaintiffs' claims as they relate to Citibank and Nationstar.
Plaintiffs make four FCA claims against Defendants Citibank and Nationstar pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 3729(a)(1)(A), (B), (D), and (G). See Am. Compl. ¶¶ 97-128. The Court need not delve into the
Even more importantly, Plaintiffs are proceeding pro se and thus cannot bring a qui tam action ex relatione as they allege they are seeking to do. See Am. Compl. ¶ 3 (alleging that "Plaintiffs are private attorneys general, pursuant to the sections of Title 18 authorizing the Plaintiffs to act... [and] the Plaintiffs are about to suffer irreparable harm and thus the Plaintiffs are authorized to appear Ex Relatione..."); ¶ 5 ("the Plaintiff's [sic] are appearing Ex Rel ..."); ¶ 53 ("Pursuant to the Federal Civil False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729 et seq. (the "FCA"), Relators seek to recover, on behalf of the United States of America, damages and civil penalties arising from the sale by Defendants of MBS, and other forms of asset-backed securities, using funds provided by the United States ("U.S.") government."). It is well-established law that "a relator in a qui tam action may not proceed pro se." Anaviev v. Freitas, et al., 37 F.Supp.3d 297, 307, No. 13-00341, 2014 WL 1400857, at *6 (D.D.C. Apr. 11, 2014); U.S. ex rel. Fisher v. Network Software Assocs., 377 F.Supp.2d 195, 196 (D.D.C.2005); Rockefeller v. Westinghouse Elec. Co., 274 F.Supp.2d 10, 16 (D.D.C.2003) (holding that "[t]he need for adequate legal representation on behalf of the United States is obviously essential."). For each of the foregoing reasons, Counts II through V fail to state a claim upon which relief could be granted and, accordingly, must be dismissed.
Plaintiffs formally assert two counts challenging the foreclosure and eviction proceedings against Plaintiffs. In addition, the Court discerns several claims within these counts and throughout Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint that the Court will address in turn.
Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint, citing to various California statutes and provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code,
California courts have repeatedly and consistently rejected claims akin to Plaintiffs' claims. Specifically, California courts consistently reject the argument that securitization precludes a foreclosure action. See, e.g., Preciado v. Wells Fargo Home Mortg., No. 13-00382 LB, 2013 WL 1899929, at *5 (N.D.Cal. May 7, 2013) ("the weight of persuasive authority in this district is that a plaintiff has `no standing to challenge foreclosure based on a loan's having been securitized.'") (quoting Niranjan v. Bank of America, N.A., No. C 12-05706, 2013 WL 1701602, at *2 (N.D.Cal. April 18, 2013)); McGough v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., No. C12-0050, 2012 WL 2277931, at *4 (N.D.Cal. June 18, 2012) ("Theories that securitization undermines the lender's right to foreclose on a property have been rejected by the courts."); Wadhwa v. Aurora Loan Servs., LLC, No. S-11-1784, 2011 WL 2681483, at *4 (E.D.Cal. July 8, 2011) (noting that "this position has been rejected by numerous courts"); Flores v. GMAC Mortg., LLC, No. C 12794, 2013 WL 2049388, at *2 (N.D.Cal. May 14, 2013) ("[plaintiff contends that] because MIT securitized the note, this allegedly stripped MERS of any ability to assign the deed of trust. Courts have consistently rejected this theory."); Lane v. Vitek Real Estate Indus. Group, 713 F.Supp.2d 1092, 1099 (E.D.Cal.2010) ("The argument that parties lose their interest in a loan when it is assigned to a trust pool has also been rejected by many district courts.").
California courts have also rejected Plaintiffs' argument that Defendants must demonstrate their legal possession of the note (as well as physical possession of the original copy of the note) in order to foreclose. "California appellate courts have consistently rejected the theory that California's nonjudicial foreclosure scheme (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 2924-2924k) requires a foreclosing party to have a beneficial interest in or physical possession of the note." McNeil v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., No. 13-5519 S.C. 2014 WL 2967629, at *3 (N.D.Cal. July 1, 2014). See also Jenkins v. JP Morgan Chase Bank, 216 Cal.App.4th 497, 156 Cal.Rptr.3d 912, 925 (2013) ("the foreclosing beneficiary-creditor need not produce the promissory note or otherwise prove it holds the note to nonjudicially foreclose on a real property security."); Garcia v. Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., No. 1:12-cv-00397, 2012 WL 3756307, at *4 (E.D.Cal.2012) ("the California nonjudicial foreclosure process does not require physical possession of the note by the party initiating foreclosure."); Javaheri v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. CV10-08185, 2011 WL 1131518, at *2
As for Plaintiffs' argument that the note and Deed of Trust were not properly assigned and thus Defendants cannot foreclose on Plaintiffs because they cannot show they have an ownership interest in the note or Deed of Trust, this claim must fail because Plaintiffs have not alleged prejudice.
Garcia, 2012 WL 3756307, at *5. Here, there is no dispute that Plaintiffs' original loan was valid and that Plaintiffs are in default on their loan. Rather, Plaintiffs devote their Amended Complaint to alleging and arguing that Citibank and Nationstar are improper parties to foreclose
Plaintiffs also allege irregularities in the Notice of Default, foreclosure sale, and the recording of the Trustee Deed. As with the alleged irregularities in the assignment of the note and/or Deed of Trust, irregularities in the foreclosure process do not change the fact that Plaintiffs were in default under the loan and subject to foreclosure. See Lazo, 2014 WL 3362289, at *10 ("`mere irregularities' in the foreclosure process are insufficient to show prejudice." (citing Fontenot v. Wells Fargo Bank., 198 Cal.App.4th 256, 129 Cal.Rptr.3d 467, 481 (2011)). Consequently, "any irregularities in the proceedings caused by Defendants have not made Plaintiff[s] worse off than [they] would have been in the absence of any problem." Garcia, 2012 WL 3756307, at *5. Accordingly, the Court rejects Plaintiffs' claims that Defendants lack standing to foreclose on their property.
Plaintiffs' fraud claim is similarly subject to dismissal. Plaintiffs appear to allege that Defendants committed fraud when MERS assigned Plaintiffs' mortgage from Lehman Brothers to Nationstar because the individual signing off on the assignment on behalf of MERS was not authorized to make the assignment. See Am. Compl. ¶ 13. First, to the extent that Plaintiffs claim should be read as alleging that MERS procured a fraudulent assignment of Plaintiffs' mortgage, this claim must fail because MERS is not a Defendant in this case. Even if Plaintiffs' fraud claim can be read as alleging fraud by one of the two remaining Defendants — Citibank and Nationstar — the Court concludes that Plaintiffs' fraud claim must nevertheless be dismissed because Plaintiffs have failed to allege or set out any actions taken by Plaintiffs in reliance on the allegedly false statements made by Defendants.
In analyzing Plaintiffs' fraud claim, the Court applies California law.
Plaintiffs next assert that Defendants Citibank and Nationstar are in violation of the Consent Judgment entered into by Citibank and several other banks in United States v. Bank of America Corp., et al., No. 12-0361 (D.D.C. Apr. 4, 2012), ECF No. 14 (Consent Judgment). Citibank and Nationstar have moved to dismiss this claim, arguing that because Plaintiffs were not a party to this Consent Judgment, they are unable to enforce any obligation imposed upon the parties to the judgment. The Court agrees, as by its terms, this Consent Judgment is not enforceable by individual third-party beneficiaries. The Consent Judgment specifically states that enforcement actions may be brought by a "Party to this Consent Judgment or the Monitoring Committee." Id. Plaintiffs, as individual mortgagees, are neither party to the Consent Judgment nor members of the monitoring committee. Other courts in this district considering identical claims from other individual homeowner plaintiffs have reached the same conclusion. See, e.g., Conant v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., et al., 24 F.Supp.3d 1, 16, 2014 WL 575758, at *9 (D.D.C. Feb. 14, 2014) ("by its terms, this Consent Judgment is not enforceable by individual third-party beneficiaries"); McCain v. Bank of America, 13 F.Supp.3d 45, 55 (D.D.C.2014) ("The plaintiff was not a party to this consent judgment, and therefore, is unable to enforce any obligation imposed upon the parties to the judgment."); Glaviano v. JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 13-cv-2049, 2013 WL 6823122, at *1 n. 1 (D.D.C. Dec. 27, 2013) ("Plaintiffs also erroneously claim that the foreclosure sale of their property is prohibited by the Consent Orders issued in United States v. Bank of America.... Plaintiffs were not parties in United States v. Bank of America, which dealt with mortgage servicing, origination, and certification in general and did not involve Plaintiffs' mortgage or any other particular mortgage."); Ghaffari v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 6 F.Supp.3d 24, 30 (D.D.C. 2013) ("claims by individual borrowers, such as Plaintiff, are excluded from the Consent Judgment"); see also SEC v. Prudential Sec. Inc., 136 F.3d 153, 158 (D.C.Cir.1998) ("this circuit has opted for a bright line rule ... that third parties to government consent decrees cannot enforce those decrees absent an explicit stipulation by the government to that effect.")
Plaintiffs' claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress ("IIED") similarly fails. Plaintiffs allege that "Defendants intentionally inflicted emotional distress knowing that they and their client and co-conspirator does not have standing to foreclose on said property and knowing the loss of a persons [sic] home is one of the most traumatic things that anyone can experience." Am. Compl. ¶ 90. Plaintiffs make no other allegation in support of their IIED claim. As with Plaintiffs' fraud claim, the Court applies California law. See Lopez, 741 F.Supp.2d at 235 ("The Court considers the place where the injury occurred, the place where the conduct causing the injury occurred, the residence, domicile, place of incorporation or place of business of the parties, and the place where the parties' relationship, if any, is centered."). "The elements of the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress are: `(1) outrageous conduct by the defendant; (2) the defendant's intention of causing or reckless disregard of the probability of causing emotional distress; (3) the plaintiff's suffering severe or extreme emotional distress; and (4) actual and proximate causation of the emotional distress by the defendant's outrageous conduct.'" Odinma v. Aurora Loan Svcs., No. C-09-4674, 2010 WL 1199886, at *9 (N.D.Cal. Mar. 23, 2010) (quoting Trerice v. Blue Cross of Cal., 209 Cal.App.3d 878, 257 Cal.Rptr. 338, 340 (1989)). "Outrageous conduct must `be so extreme as to exceed all bounds of that usually tolerated in a civilized society.'" Id. (quoting Trerice, 257 Cal.Rptr. at 340).
California courts have uniformly rejected IIED claims related to foreclosure actions, including allegedly wrongful foreclosure. See, e.g., Baidoobonso-lam v. Bank of America, No. CV 10-9171, 2011 WL 5870065, at *5 (C.D.Cal. Nov. 22, 2011) ("to the extent that Collier's claim is solely predicated on the foreclosure of his property, California courts have held that such conduct does not state a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress."); Smith v. Wachovia, No. C 09-01300, 2009 WL 1948829, at *4 (N.D.Cal. July 6, 2009) (allegations that defendant "wrongfully and intentionally initiated non-judicial foreclosure proceedings" were "not so extreme as to exceed the bounds of civilized society"); Davenport v. Litton Loan Servicing, LP, 725 F.Supp.2d 862, 884 (N.D.Cal.2010) (holding that the act of foreclosing on a home "falls shy of `outrageous,' however wrenching the effects on the borrower."). Plaintiffs provide no response to Defendants' arguments on this point and therefore their IIED claim is dismissed.
Finally, under the heading "Additional Relief Requested," Plaintiffs allege that the foreclosure sale violated their due process rights under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Am. Compl. ¶ 144. Plaintiffs fail to state a claim for relief under the Due Process clause because "[i]n order to trigger the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, or a comparable federal action to invoke the Fifth Amendment, there must be a `state action.'" Simms v. District of Columbia, 699 F.Supp.2d 217, 224 (D.D.C.2010). The Due Process Clause "offers no shield" against "private conduct, however discriminatory or wrongful." Jackson v. Metropolitan
Plaintiffs name five Doe Defendants in their Amended Complaint and explain in the Amended Complaint that "[t]he identity of the DOE defendants are not known to the Plaintiff at this time but the Plaintiff will add their names in an amended complaint as needed, and as their names become known to the Plaintiff." Am. Compl. ¶ 58. Plaintiffs do not give any explanation about the role the Doe Defendants played in the facts underlying this case. Nor have Plaintiffs sought to amend their complaint to name the Doe Defendants. When Plaintiffs amended their Complaint on October 14, 2014, they did not add the names of the Doe Defendants. More importantly, they did not provide any explanation of the roles and relevance of the Doe Defendants at that time. The time for serving defendants has now passed. Even if Plaintiffs cannot know the names of the Doe Defendants without discovery, they should at least be able to indicate in their Complaint what roles these defendants played in the foreclosure and eviction proceedings. As Plaintiffs have not indicated that the Doe Defendants played roles in the foreclosure and eviction proceedings that are any different from the roles played by the named Defendants Plaintiffs have sued, the Court's analysis of the legal infirmities of Plaintiffs' claims in Part B applies with equal force to the Doe Defendants whom, accordingly, must also be dismissed.
For the foregoing reasons, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs' Motion to Amend the Complaint and GRANTS the motions to dismiss of Defendants Citibank, Nationstar, the Law Enforcement Defendants, and the Law Firm Defendants. Specifically, the Law Enforcement and Law Firm Defendants are DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE for lack of personal jurisdiction. Defendants Citibank and Nationstar and the Doe Defendants are DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE as Plaintiffs have failed to state a claim against these Defendants under the False Claims Act or a claim for wrongful foreclosure, fraud, violation of the consent judgment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, or violation of due process. In light of this decision on Defendants' Motions to Dismiss, Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction and Temporary Restraining Order is DENIED AS MOOT. An appropriate Order accompanies this Memorandum Opinion.
Even though Rooker-Feldman does not bar the Court's jurisdiction over Plaintiffs' claims, it is possible that the Court's review of certain of Plaintiffs' claims is precluded by res judicata now that a final judgment has been entered in the unlawful detainer proceeding. Id. at 293, 125 S.Ct. 1517 ("[d]isposition of the federal action, once the state-court adjudication is complete, would be governed by preclusion law."). As the Court is dismissing the Law Firm and Law Enforcement Defendants because the Court lacks personal jurisdiction over them, the Court need only consider the preclusive effect of res judicata for Defendants Citibank and Nationstar. However, neither Citibank nor Nationstar raise res judicata — which is an affirmative defense — in their motions to dismiss. Accordingly, the Court will not address res judicata and will dispose of Plaintiffs' claims against these Defendants pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Nevertheless, as Nationstar does invoke res judicata in its Opposition to Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction and Temporary Restraining Order, the Court will note that res judicata would likely require the dismissal of Plaintiffs' claims which should have been raised in the unlawful detainer proceeding either as a defense or counterclaim. In any event, the Court dismisses all of Plaintiffs' claims with regards to Nationstar and Citibank pursuant to 12(b)(6).