WILLIAM G. YOUNG, District Judge.
Plaintiff Robert S. Cabacoff ("Cabacoff") brings this action for monetary damages against Defendant John Fitzgerald Willis ("Willis") for alleged misconduct arising out of a foreclosure action in New Hampshire. The complaint includes five claims: Intentional Misconduct (count 1), Abuse of Process/Malicious Prosecution (count 2), Intentional or Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress (count 3), Breach of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11 (count 4), and Violation of Civil Rights (count 5). Compl. ¶ 2, ECF No. 1. On October 18, 2016, Willis moved to dismiss the complaint, Def.'s Mot. Dismiss Compl., ECF No. 7. This Court entered an Order dismissing the complaint with prejudice on November 21, 2016. Order of Dismissal, ECF No. 19. This memorandum sets forth the analysis undergirding the Court's decision.
On a motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), a complaint must contain factual allegations, "enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level."
Cabacoff contends that Willis exhibited "intentional misconduct" by representing Wells Fargo in its attempted foreclosure on Cabacoff's property, despite knowing that the mortgage instruments were unreformed. Compl. ¶ 30. The very premise, however, that Wells Fargo engaged in illegal conduct in connection with Cabacoff's mortgage, was repeatedly rejected by Judge Barbadoro in the prior case,
In count 2, Cabacoff asserts a claim of abuse of process or malicious prosecution, arguing that Willis's actions were an "attempt to conceal wrongful foreclosure improprieties." Compl. ¶ 37. Under Massachusetts state law, the tort of abuse of process requires that "(1) `process' was used; (2) for an ulterior or illegitimate purpose; (3) resulting in damage."
Cabacoff next advances a claim for intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress. Compl. ¶¶ 42-46. Massachusetts state law provides that in order to prevail on a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress, a plaintiff must show: "(1) that the defendant intended to cause, or should have known that his conduct would cause, emotional distress; (2) that the defendant's conduct was extreme and outrageous; (3) that the defendant's conduct caused the plaintiff's distress; and (4) that the plaintiff suffered severe distress."
Cabacoff's mere recitation of the elements in his complaint is insufficient here. Cabacoff was merely on the losing side of litigation and does not allege facts to suggest any more invidious conduct by Willis. Losing a legal suit is an unexceptional happenstance that is insufficient to establish "that a reasonable person would have suffered emotional distress under the circumstances,"
Rule 11 sanctions may be imposed when an attorney files "for an improper purpose or under circumstances in which a competent attorney, on objectively reasonable inquiry, could not have believed that the filing was grounded in fact and warranted either by existing law or by a good-faith argument."
Finally, Cabacoff brings a claim for violation of his civil rights. Compl. ¶¶ 50-52. Neither the complaint nor Cabacoff's opposition to the motion to dismiss identifies a violation of a specific right secured by either state or federal law. Thus, even when liberally construed, there are no facts to support a plausible claim for an infringement upon Cabacoff's civil rights, and this Court must dismiss the claim.
For the foregoing reasons, the Court's earlier order, ECF No. 19, GRANTED Willis's motion to dismiss, ECF No. 7.