JOHN CORBETT O'MEARA, District Judge.
Before the court are two motions to dismiss filed by Defendants Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. ("MERS") and U.S. Bank, National Association, and Defendants Marshall Isaacs and Orlans Associates, P.C., which have been fully briefed. Pursuant to L.R. 7.1(f)(2), the court did not hear oral argument.
This case involves real property located at 1304 Belmar Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Plaintiff Michael J. Conlin obtained a refinancing loan for the property in the amount of $240,000 on April 8, 2005, from Bergin Financial, Inc.
Plaintiff defaulted on the loan and U.S. Bank proceeded with foreclosure by advertisement. The property was sold at a sheriff's sale on March 31, 2011. U.S. Bank purchased the property for $159,200. Plaintiff did not attempt to redeem the property before the six-month redemption period expired on September 30, 2011.
A motion under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure seeks to have the complaint dismissed based upon the plaintiff's failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. The court must "accept all the ... factual allegations as true and construe the complaint in the light most favorable to the Plaintiff[ ]."
Plaintiff alleges the following claims in his complaint: Count I, fraud (related to the assignment of mortgage from MERS to U.S. Bank); Count II, fraud (related to "robosigning" of other affidavits and assignments); Count III, violation of M.C.L. § 600.3205a; Count IV, quiet title; Count V, breach of mortgage contract; Count VI, conversion; Count VII, defendants are not holders of the original notes; and Count VIII, defendants are not real parties in interest. Plaintiff seeks a declaration from the court that the foreclosure sale is void, in addition to damages. Defendants have moved to dismiss the complaint in its entirety.
The court finds that dismissal is appropriate because Plaintiff lacks standing to challenge the foreclosure sale after the expiration of the redemption period.
In order to overcome this hurdle and toll the redemption period, Plaintiff must demonstrate fraud or irregularity in connection with the foreclosure sale. "The law in Michigan does not allow an equitable extension of the period to redeem from a statutory foreclosure sale in connection with a mortgage foreclosed by advertisement and posting of notice in the absence of a clear showing of fraud, or irregularity."
Plaintiff contends that the assignment of mortgage and note from MERS to U.S. Bank is fraudulent because it contains "robosigned" or forged signatures, because MERS did not have an ownership interest in the note, so it could not properly assign it, and because MERS did not have the authority to assign the mortgage.
Plaintiff's claims of fraud fail for several reasons. First, in general, a non-party lacks standing to challenge the validity of an assignment.
Plaintiff asserts that he is entitled to challenge the assignment because he may be subject to double liability from the "actual note holder (a New York trust) and the fictional note holder (U.S. Bank)." Again, however, the parties to the assignment have not challenged its validity. Further, there is no allegation that anyone else has attempted to collect on the note, which has been in default for over two years. Plaintiff's contention that he may be subject to double liability is mere conjecture, unsupported by any concrete factual allegations.
Plaintiff's contention that MERS did not have the authority to assign the mortgage is similarly unpersuasive and has been rejected repeatedly by judges in this district.
In short, Plaintiff lacks standing to challenge either the foreclosure sale or the assignment of mortgage from MERS to U.S. Bank. As a result, his complaint cannot survive Defendants' motions to dismiss.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Defendants' motions to dismiss [docket nos. 7 and 18] are GRANTED.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Plaintiff's complaint is DISMISSED.