JOSE L. LINARES, District Judge.
This matter comes before the Court by way of Defendant Capital One, N.A.
The Second Amended Complaint alleges that, on or about May 31, 2007, Plaintiff and his wife, Leticia Leon, executed a note (the "Note") in favor of GreenPoint Mortgage Funding, Inc. ("GMF") in the amount of $300,000.00, and Plaintiffs granted a mortgage (the "Mortgage") to GMF, secured by the property at 63 Market Street, Passaic, New Jersey (the "Property") (collectively the "Loan"). (ECF No. 33, Second Amended Complaint ("SAC") ¶¶ 29-31; see also ECF No. 36-2, Exs. A (Note) and B (Mortgage) to Defendant's Brief.)
Plaintiff commenced this action on January 13, 2015 against U.S. Bank N.A. and Aurora Loan Services, LLC. (ECF No. 1.) Because it was determined that neither U.S. Bank N.A. nor Aurora Loan Services, LLC had any interest in the Property or Loan, in August 2015 the Court dismissed Plaintiffs original Complaint without prejudice with right to refile against the appropriate defendant. (ECF Nos. 16, 17.) On November 17, 2015, Plaintiff filed a three-count Amended Complaint naming Capital One as Defendant. (ECF No. 21.) On January 28, 2016, Capital One moved to dismiss the Amended Complaint. (See ECF No. 28-1 ("Mov. Br.").) On March 1, 2016, the Court granted the motion and dismissed Plaintiffs Amended Complaint without prejudice, and gave Plaintiff "a final opportunity" to amend his complaint to state a claim. (ECF Nos. 30, 31.)
On April 6, 2016, Plaintiff filed the operative Second Amended Complaint. (ECF No. 33.) On May 4, 2016, Defendant filed the instant motion to dismiss. (See ECF No. 36-1 ("Mov. Br.").) On May 12, 2016, Plaintiff filed opposition. (ECF No. 37 ("Opp. Br.").) On May 27, 2016, Defendant filed a reply. (ECF No. 38 ("Reply Br.").) The matter is now ripe for resolution.
To withstand a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, "a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to `state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.'" Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell At!. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). "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 (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556). "The plausibility standard is not akin to a `probability requirement,' but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully." Id.
To determine the sufficiency of a complaint under Twombly and Iqbal in the Third Circuit, the court must take three steps: first, the court must take note of the elements a plaintiff must plead to state a claim; second, the court should identify allegations that, because they are no more than conclusions, are not entitled to the assumption of truth; finally, where there are well-pleaded factual allegations, a court should assume their veracity and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement for relief. See Connelly v. Lane Const. Corp., 809 F.3d 780, 787 (3d Cir. 2016) (citations omitted). "In deciding a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, a court must consider only the complaint, exhibits attached to the complaint, matters of the public record, as well as undisputedly authentic documents if the complainant's claims are based upon these documents." Mayer v. Belichick, 605 F.3d 223, 230 (3d Cir. 2010).
The Court also notes that pleadings submitted by pro se litigants are subject to liberal construction. See Higgs v. Att'y Gen., 655 F.3d 333, 339 (3d Cir. 2011). The Court is required to accept a pro se plaintiffs well-pleaded factual allegations as true while drawing reasonable inferences in his or her favor. Capogrosso v. Sup. Ct. of N.J., 588 F.3d 180, 184 (3d Cir. 2009). However, a pro se complaint must still contain sufficient factual matter to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face. See Franklin v. GMAC Mortgage, 523 F. App'x 172, 173 (3d Cir. 2013).
As noted, on March 1, 2016, the Court dismissed Plaintiffs Amended Complaint without prejudice, and gave Plaintiff "a final opportunity" to amend his complaint to state a claim. (ECF Nos. 30, 31.)
On April 6, 2016, Plaintiff filed the operative Second Amended Complaint, again asserting breach of contract, fraud in the concealment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. (ECF No. 33.) Significantly, as noted by Defendants, the Second Amended Complaint is essentially identical to the Amended Complaint that was previously dismissed by this Court. (See ECF No. 36-1, Mccumber Cert., Ex. C (redline comparison).) Plaintiff only made changes to the "Introduction," deleting one paragraph, and adding three others.
The Court hereby incorporates and adopts its Opinion dated March 1, 2016 (ECF No. 30), and dismisses the Second Amended Complaint for the same reasons set forth in the Court's March 1, 2016 Opinion. The Court notes that in his opposition brief, Plaintiff abandons his breach of contract claim, and requests leave to amend, ostensibly, the fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims.
Dismissal is with prejudice. The March 1, 2016 made clear that Plaintiff had "a final opportunity" to amend his allegations address the deficiencies identified in the March 1, 2106 Opinion. (See id. at 8-9.) As Plaintiff did not actually amend his allegations, dismissal with prejudice is warranted, because it is clear that further amendment would be futile.
For the reasons above, and for the reasons stated in this Court's March 30, 2016 Opinion, (ECF No. 30), the Court grants the Motion to Dismiss. (ECF No. 36.) Plaintiff's Second Amended Complaint is dismissed with prejudice. An appropriate Order accompanies this Opinion.
§ 29. Liability of Accommodation Party, ULA APPENDIX I, UNIF.COMMERCIAL CODE UNIL § 29. For purposes of this Motion to Dismiss only, and because the Court dismisses on other grounds, the Court concludes that Plaintiff has standing. See Harrison v. M. R. A., Ltd., 278 F.2d 539, 541 (9th Cir. 1960) ("The essential feature of an accommodation party to a negotiable instrument is a loan of credit or financial standing to an accommodated principal party.") (citations omitted); In re Boles, 150 B.R. 733, 735 (Bankr. W.D. Mo. 1993) ("Standing under § 523(a)(2)(B) includes situations where an accommodation party on a loan is subrogated to the creditor's rights or has a right of contribution against the debtor.") (citation omitted).