NORMAN K. MOON, District Judge.
The Plaintiff Sarah C. Yarney ("Plaintiff"), pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 56, seeks summary judgment as to liability on all claims asserted in her complaint. Plaintiff alleges that Defendants Wells Fargo Bank N.A., as Trustee for SABR 2008-1 Trust ("Wells Fargo"), and its loan servicer, Ocwen Loan Servicing, LCC ("Ocwen"), attempted to collect on her home mortgage loan after she had settled the debt with Wells Fargo. Plaintiff brings three claims for relief in her March 2012 complaint: two under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("FDCPA"), 15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq., and one under state law for breach of contract. A hearing on Plaintiff's motion for partial summary judgment took place on February 25, 2013, in Charlottesville, VA. For the following reasons, I grant Plaintiff's motion for partial summary judgment.
This case stems from a settlement agreement between Plaintiff and Wells Fargo, which was finalized on March 18, 2011. The agreement resolved a 2009 suit Plaintiff had brought against Wells Fargo, Statewide Mortgage, Equifirst Corporation, and Shaffer Title & Escrow, which had been removed to federal court under the case name Yarney v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. et al., 3:09-cv-00050. Around September 2010, Plaintiff received notice that Ocwen had become the new servicer of her Wells Fargo mortgage loan, which had been in default since 2008. Under the terms of the March 18, 2011 settlement agreement, Wells Fargo agreed to accept Plaintiff's deed in lieu of foreclosure, and Plaintiff agreed to dismiss her suit against Wells Fargo with prejudice. Also, Wells Fargo's servicer (Ocwen) was required to instruct the deletion of all trade lines associated with Plaintiff's account — in other words, remove all credit reporting relating to Plaintiff's mortgage loan — as of March 2009, the date Plaintiff's lawsuit was filed in state court.
Plaintiff executed a deed in lieu of foreclosure on the day of the settlement, and mailed it to counsel for Wells Fargo.
Despite these bills and notices, Wells Fargo admits that Ocwen received notice of the March 18, 2011 agreement as early as April 4, 2011. On May 6, 2011, Plaintiff also advised Ocwen representatives by
Plaintiff's counsel also contacted Ocwen. In an October 20, 2011 letter, counsel informed Ocwen that Plaintiff had representation, and provided Ocwen with a copy of the March 18, 2011 settlement agreement. Docket No. 23-23 (Pl.'s Ex. 21). Further, Ocwen's transaction log for November 5, 2011, confirms that it received a voicemail from Plaintiff's attorney, again stating that Ocwen was not to send any more collection letters or call plaintiff directly. Plaintiff's attorney also demanded that Ocwen send a letter to counsel's office stating that Ocwen would no longer contact the borrower by mail or phone. See Docket No. 23-22 at 2 (Pl.'s Ex. 20) (Ocwen transaction log, 11/5/2011 notes).
Still, Plaintiff states that she received numerous phone calls in December 2011 from individuals identifying themselves as Ocwen representatives, sometimes multiple times per day. Ocwen's transaction logs describe one conversation, from December 30, 2011, during which Plaintiff informed Ocwen about the settlement agreement. See Docket No. 23-14 (Pl.'s Ex. 12) (Ocwen transaction log, 12/30/11 notes) ("Bwr stated she had worked out a settlement agreement year 2011 with Wells Fargo Bank and was upset as she was getting calls from Ocwen about the pmt...."). Plaintiff contacted Ocwen again on January 3, 2012, and reiterated that there was a settlement agreement in place, and that she should no longer be receiving payment notices. Plaintiff recalls a conversation that took place on January 26, 2012, during which an Ocwen representative refused to speak to her attorney, despite Plaintiff's efforts to give him her attorney's name and contact information.
Despite these communications between Plaintiff, her counsel, and Defendants, Plaintiff continued to receive bills directly from Ocwen until February 11, 2012, when Ocwen informed her that they were researching her loan, and would respond within 20 days. Then, on March 8, 2012, Ocwen sent Plaintiff another notice stating that they were continuing to research her loan. In the meantime, however, Ocwen sent payoff quotes to Plaintiff's counsel. On February 12, 2012, Ocwen emailed Plaintiff's counsel stating that she still owed a total of $297,472.82 on her mortgage loan. On March 5, 2012, Ocwen emailed Plaintiff's counsel with another payoff quote, this time totaling $297,605.45. On March 14, 2012, Ocwen emailed Plaintiff's counsel a third payoff quote, totaling $299,068.34. Plaintiff states that she never requested any payoff quote, but as detailed above, through various communications, only informed Ocwen of the settlement agreement and that she did not owe any money. As a result of Ocwen's actions, Plaintiff contends that she is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on her FDCPA claims.
Along with these continued billings and communications, despite the terms of the March 18, 2011 settlement agreement, Ocwen also reported Plaintiff's account to credit bureaus as delinquent. Plaintiff's file with Ocwen contains an April 6, 2011 note that a request was submitted "to have entire trade [line] deleted per below settlement terms." However, on April 12, 2011,
Summary judgment under Rule 56 should be granted if the pleadings, the discovery and disclosure materials on file, and any affidavits show that "there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a); see also Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). "As to materiality ... [o]nly disputes over facts that might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law will properly preclude the entry of summary judgment." Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). If the evidence of a genuine issue of material fact "is merely colorable or is not significantly probative, summary judgment may be granted." Id. at 249-50, 106 S.Ct. 2505.
In considering a motion for summary judgment, a court must view the record as a whole and draw all reasonable inferences in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Prods., Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 150, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000). The party seeking summary judgment bears the burden of showing an absence of evidence to support the non-moving party's case. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 325, 106 S.Ct. 2548. If the moving party sufficiently supports its motion for summary judgment, the burden shifts to the non-moving party to set forth specific facts illustrating genuine issues for trial. Emmett v. Johnson, 532 F.3d 291, 297 (4th Cir.2008) (citation omitted). On those issues for which the non-moving party has the burden of proof, it is his or her responsibility to oppose the motion for summary judgment with affidavits or other admissible evidence specified in the rule. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c); Mitchell v. Data Gen. Corp., 12 F.3d 1310, 1315-16 (4th Cir.1993). See also Cheatle v. U.S., 589 F.Supp.2d 694, 698 (W.D.Va.2008) ("Indeed, the non-moving party cannot defeat a properly supported motion for summary judgment with mere conjecture and speculation.") (citation omitted).
The court's role is to determine whether there is a genuine issue based upon the facts, and "not ... weigh the evidence and determine the truth of the matter." Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249, 106 S.Ct. 2505. Ultimately, the trial court has an "affirmative obligation" to "prevent `factually unsupported claims [or] defenses' from proceeding to trial." Felty v. Graves-Humphreys Co., 818 F.2d 1126, 1128 (4th Cir.1987) (quoting Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323-24, 106 S.Ct. 2548).
The FDCPA protects consumers from abusive and deceptive practices by debt collectors, and protects non-abusive debt collectors from competitive disadvantage. U.S. v. Nat'l Fin. Servs., Inc., 98 F.3d 131, 135 (4th Cir.1996) (citing 15 U.S.C. § 1692e). To establish a violation of the FDCPA, three requirements must be satisfied: (1) the plaintiff who has been the target of collection activity must be a "consumer", as defined in § 1692a(3); (2) the defendant collecting the debt must be a "debt collector", as defined in § 1692a(6); and (3) the defendant must have engaged
In evaluating alleged violations of the Act, the Fourth Circuit has embraced "the least sophisticated consumer" standard, whose basic purpose is "to ensure that the FDCPA protects all consumers, the gullible as well as the shrewd." Nat'l Fin. Servs., Inc., 98 F.3d at 136. The standard for the least sophisticated consumer "`is low, close to the bottom of the sophistication meter.'" Morgan v. Credit Adjustment Bd., Inc., 999 F.Supp. 803, 805 (E.D.Va.1998) (quoting Avila v. Rubin, 84 F.3d 222, 226 (7th Cir.1996)); see also Gammon v. GC Servs. Ltd. P'ship, 27 F.3d 1254, 1257 (7th Cir.1994) ("Stated another way, [the least sophisticated consumer] is the single most unsophisticated consumer who exists.").
First, in this case, Plaintiff is a consumer under the FDCPA, which defines the term as "any natural person obligated or allegedly obligated to pay any debt." 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(3). A debt is defined as "any obligation or alleged obligation of a consumer to pay money arising out of a transaction in which money, property, insurance, or services which are the subject of the transaction are primarily for personal, family, or household purposes...." 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(5). An obligation to make mortgage payments, as well as fees, penalties, and interest on that mortgage, constitutes a "debt" under the FDCPA. See Wilson v. Draper & Goldberg, P.L.L.C., 443 F.3d 373, 376 (4th Cir.2006).
Second, Ocwen, the loan servicer in this case, is a debt collector under the meaning of the FDCPA. Under the statute, "[f]or an entity that did not originate the debt in question but acquired it and attempts to collect on it, that entity is either a creditor or a debt collector depending on the default status of the debt at the time it was acquired." Bridge v. Ocwen Federal Bank, FSB, 681 F.3d 355, 359 (6th Cir.2012). "The same is true of a loan servicer, which can either stand in the shoes of a creditor or become a debt collector, depending on whether the debt was assigned for servicing before the default or alleged default occurred." Id. (citations omitted). Accordingly, while there is no statutory definition for loan servicer under the FDCPA, "a loan servicer will become a debt collector under 1692a(6)(F)(iii) if the debt was in default or treated as such when it was acquired." Id. at 360 n. 4. See also Castrillo v. American Home Mortg. Servicing, Inc., 670 F.Supp.2d 516, 524 (E.D.La.2009) ("If AMHSI took the mortgage for servicing before Castrillo was in default, it is not a debt collector subject to the FDCPA. If it took the mortgage after Castrillo's default, it would be a debt collector.") (internal citations omitted). In summary, mortgage servicers are considered debt collectors under the FDCPA if they became servicers after the debt they service fell into default. At the time Ocwen became the servicer on Plaintiff's home loan, the loan was already in default. Therefore, Ocwen is a debt collector seeking to collect an alleged debt for the purposes of FDCPA liability in this case.
The FDCPA prohibits debt collectors from using false, misleading, or
One type of misrepresentation prohibited by § 1692e(2)(A) is the false representation that a debt exists. See Ross v. RJM Acquisitions Funding, LLC, 480 F.3d 493, 495 (7th Cir.2007) (holding that a debt collector who demands payment from a debtor whose debts are discharged in bankruptcy makes a false claim and violates the statute); Vitullo v. Mancini, 684 F.Supp.2d 747, 758 (E.D.Va.2010) (finding debt collector's attempt to collect from a non-debtor spouse constituted a false statement actionable under the FDCPA). See also McCollough v. Johnson, Rodenburg & Lauinger, LLC, 637 F.3d 939, 949-50 (9th Cir.2011) (holding a debt collector violated FDCPA by seeking attorney's fees to which it was not entitled). Accordingly, as Plaintiff notes, attempting to collect on debts that have been settled may be a violation of the FDCPA. See, e.g., Fetters v. Paragon Way, Inc., 2010 WL 5174989, at *3-*4 (M.D.Pa. Dec. 15, 2010) ("[W]hen a debt collector asserts that there is an obligation to be paid, whether true or not, the protections of the FDCPA are triggered.") (citations omitted). Plaintiff contends that Defendants' undisputed conduct in this case, which include clear attempts to collect on a debt after it had been settled, gives rise to liability under the FDCPA.
On the other hand, Defendants argue that actions following the March 2011 settlement agreement are not protected under the FDCPA. In support, Defendants cite Gorbaty v. Portfolio Recovery Assoc., LLC, 355 Fed.Appx. 580 (3d Cir.2009), which held that certain post-debt conduct was not covered by the FDCPA. See id. at 582 ("When a debt is cancelled, there is no debt and there can be no debt collection."). However, the facts of Gorbaty are vastly different from the case at hand, and the holding is not applicable either. In Gorbaty, the plaintiff received two "Cancellation of Debt" notices on an IRS 1099-C form from the defendant, Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC. The notices contained a description of the cancelled debt, the date the debt was cancelled, the amount, and a description of potential penalties from the IRS if the cancelled debt was not accurately reported as taxable income. The plaintiff sent a letter to Portfolio requesting verification of the alleged debt, and when he didn't receive a response, he filed suit. The plaintiff claimed that in sending the 1099-C forms and failing to verify their contents, Portfolio violated the FDCPA. Id. at 580-81.
Significantly, the court in Gorbaty noted that "there is no allegation that Portfolio was seeking the payment of any money in connection with the cancelled debt, or ever made any attempt to collect a debt from Gorbaty." Id. at 581 (citation omitted) (emphasis added). Furthermore, the court continued, "[n]or has Gorbaty offered any facts to support his allegations that Portfolio used false, unconscionable, or deceptive forms in the collection of a debt." Id.
Defendants also cite Posso v. ASTA Funding, Inc., 2007 WL 3374400 (N.D.Ill. Nov. 9, 2007), in support of its claim that the FDCPA does not apply to the alleged "post-debt" activities in this case. As in Gorbaty, the plaintiff in Posso based her § 1692e claim on an IRS 1099-C form she received from the defendant, after her debt had been settled. Id. The plaintiff argued that "because the Tax Form allegedly had information relating to her debt, it constitutes conduct in connection with the collection of her debt." Id. at *4 (internal quotations and citation omitted). However, as in Gorbaty, the court simply noted that the defendant was not taking any collection action at all. Id. at *3 ("In this case, [plaintiff's] own complaint makes it abundantly clear that there was no debt collection proceeding....").
The district court in Fetters, 2010 WL 5174989, explains this distinction in further detail. There the plaintiff alleged that the defendant corporation continued its attempt to collect on an alleged debt after a settlement agreement had been reached. Unlike in Gorbaty, the plaintiff's claim in Fetters was not based on a communication he received informing him that the debt had been cancelled. Rather, as in the present case, the plaintiff in Fetters alleged that the defendants continued to communicate (incorrectly) that his debt was open, and continued to take coercive action to collect on the alleged amount. Fetters, 2010 WL 5174989, at *3. The court explained:
Id. (internal quotations omitted). The Fetters court proceeded to distinguish Posso on these grounds as well, see id. at *4, and denied defendants' motion for judgment as a matter of law.
In the present case, after signing a settlement agreement, executing a deed
In doing so, Ocwen falsely represented the character and legal status of Plaintiff's debt, which had been absolved under the terms of the settlement agreement. With apparent regard to the materiality of those representations, Defendants contend that Plaintiff cannot show that she was deceived or misled by Ocwen's conduct, because she knew that her debt had been settled, had capable counsel, and never attempted to pay the alleged debt or return money she received in the previous settlement agreement.
In regards to her second claim under the FDCPA, Plaintiff contends that "Ocwen communicated with [her] in connection with the collection of the alleged debt, although it knew that she was represented by an attorney and knew the attorney's name and address, in violation of 15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a)(2)." The FDCPA prohibits a debt collector from communicating with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt "if the debt collector knows the consumer is represented by an attorney with respect to such debt and has knowledge of, or can readily ascertain, such attorney's name and address," unless the attorney fails to respond within a reasonable period of time or unless the consumer or her attorney consents to the debt collector directly contacting the consumer. See 15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a). Plaintiff notes that an informal notification of representation is sufficient for the purposes of the statute. See, e.g., Pearce v. Rapid Check Collection, Inc., 738 F.Supp. 334, 337-38 (D.S.D.1990) (holding that a phone call was sufficient to notify debt collector that debtor had counsel); Goins v. JBC & Assoc., 352 F.Supp.2d 262, 272-73 (D.Conn.2005) (holding debt collector violated 1692c(a)(2) by contacting debtor directly after debtor had previously sued debt collector over debt at issue, and thus debt collector knew that debtor was represented by counsel).
In this case, Ocwen's transaction log from November 5, 2011, indicates that it received a voicemail from Plaintiff's counsel stating that Ocwen was not to send Plaintiff collection letters or call her due to the settlement agreement, and requesting a letter confirming that Ocwen would no longer contact Plaintiff, to be sent to Plaintiff's counsel.
To establish a breach of contract claim under Virginia law, a plaintiff must prove: "(1) a legally enforceable obligation of [the] defendant to [the] plaintiff; (2) the defendant's violation or breach of that obligation; and (3) injury or damage to the plaintiff caused by the breach of obligation." Filak v. George, 267 Va. 612, 619, 594 S.E.2d 610, 614 (2004) (citations omitted). Plaintiff contends that Wells Fargo breached its agreement with Plaintiff, through the action of its agent, Ocwen, by failing to accept her deed in lieu of foreclosure or failing to absolve her of any deficiency on her mortgage loan. Plaintiff states that the March 18, 2011 settlement agreement she signed constituted a valid and enforceable agreement between Plaintiff and Wells Fargo. The agreement states, in pertinent part:
Docket No. 23-9 at 1 (Pl.'s Ex. 7).
Plaintiff complied with these terms by executing a deed in lieu of foreclosure for the 718 West Street property, which Wells Fargo recorded in Charlottesville Circuit Court, and dismissing her claims against Wells Fargo.
By attempting to collect payments from Plaintiff on behalf of Wells Fargo, Ocwen acted as Wells Fargo's agent with respect to the original mortgage loan.
Nor did Ocwen comply with the provision of the agreement requiring the deletion of all trade lines associated with Plaintiff's mortgage loan. While Ocwen's transaction logs indicate that personnel did take action to delete the trade lines in early April 2011, six days later Ocwen again reported Plaintiff's account as delinquent, and continued to do so regularly until April 2012.
In response, Defendants contend that the only legally enforceable obligation required
For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiff's motion for partial summary judgment is granted. This case is scheduled for a jury trial on April 9, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. in Charlottesville, VA, at which time Plaintiff will have the opportunity to testify in regards to any damages she may be entitled to in this matter.
The clerk of the court is hereby directed to send a certified copy of this memorandum opinion to all counsel of record.