RICHARD H. KYLE, District Judge.
This case arises from Plaintiffs Robert and Melissa Pohl's inability to obtain a loan modification for their mortgage and the subsequent foreclosure by Defendant CitiMortgage, Inc. ("CitiMortgage"). Plaintiffs brought suit in the Wright County, Minnesota District Court, and CitiMortgage removed the action to this Court; it now moves to dismiss. For the reasons that follow, the Motion will be granted.
Plaintiffs live at 1011 Loveland Circle, Montrose, Minnesota ("the Property"). (Compl. at ¶¶ 3, 6.) When they fell behind on their mortgage payments, they were unable to obtain a loan modification and CitiMortgage foreclosed. (
Plaintiffs then filed suit in Wright County, Minnesota, asserting three causes of action: (1) quiet title; (2) unjust enrichment; and (3) breach of implied agreement/specific performance. CitiMortgage removed the action to this Court, and it now moves to dismiss under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 8 and 12(b)(6). Plaintiffs have not responded to the Motion and failed to appear at a hearing on May 15, 2012.
To avoid dismissal, a complaint must include "enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face."
As an initial matter, CitiMortgage argues that this action should be dismissed because the Complaint fails to satisfy Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8, which requires "a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Although Rule 8 is not a requirement for "detailed factual allegations," it does require "more than an unadorned, the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation."
Plaintiffs' claims all rest on the assertion that CitiMortgage's refusal to enter into a loan-modification agreement violated a duty that it owed them. (
In any event, even if Plaintiffs had satisfied their Rule 8 obligations, the Complaint must still state a claim for which this Court may grant relief. Plaintiffs' first claim arises under Minn. Stat. § 559.01, which provides:
In the present case, CitiMortgage foreclosed on Plaintiffs mortgage in August 2011, and purchased the sheriff's certificate for $79,900. The redemption period expired five weeks after the date of sale, under Minn. Stat. § 580.07, subd. 2.
Even viewing the Complaint in a light most favorable to Plaintiffs, it contains no legal or factual allegations that establish their right to a loan modification or entitle them to possession or title of the Property. CitiMortgage purchased the sheriff's certificate on August 18, 2011, and the statutory period of redemption expired five weeks later.
Plaintiffs also assert a claim for unjust enrichment. However, "unjust enrichment claims do not lie simply because one party benefits from the efforts or obligations of others, but instead it must be shown that a party was unjustly enriched in the sense that the term `unjustly' could mean illegally or unlawfully."
Plaintiffs' final claim is styled as a "Breach of Implied Agreement/Specific Performance." However, Plaintiffs plead no facts regarding the existence of an implied contract. Moreover, a claim based on an implied agreement to modify a loan is governed by Minnesota's statute of frauds, Minn. Stat. § 513.33, subd 2, which provides that a debtor "may not maintain an action on a credit agreement unless the agreement is in writing, expresses consideration, sets forth the relevant terms and conditions, and is signed by the creditor and the debtor."
Plaintiffs do not allege the existence of a written agreement to modify their mortgage, nor do they offer any evidence that necessarily implies the existence of one. The have alleged no stated consideration or material terms. In short, nothing in the Complaint supports this claim.
Lastly, the Court notes that, in Paragraph 22 of the Complaint, Plaintiffs assert "a superior claim to the interest in the subject property because of their Fee Simple Absolute and Unjust Enrichment, Breach of Implied Agreement, Misrepresentation, Fraud and Constructive Trust
As stated above, no facts support claims of unjust enrichment and breach of implied agreement. And at common law, both fraud and misrepresentation claims require a showing of fraudulent intent, or an intent to mislead.
Based on the foregoing, and all the files, records, and proceedings herein,