California Court Finds That the Plaintiff’s Complaint Should be Dismissed as Defendant Owed no Fiduciary Duty

The court in deciding Lawrence v. Sadek, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153074 (C.D. Cal. Oct. 21, 2013) dismissed the plaintiff’s claims.

The plaintiff’s complaint alleged that defendant breached a fiduciary duty by allowing the plaintiff to enter the loan agreement knowing that she would default.

Plaintiff claimed, defendant owed her a fiduciary duty because Quick Loan, plaintiff’s lender, was a “client” of Peterson’s employer and co-defendant ETS Services. Peterson in response, argued that (1) she did not owe a fiduciary duty to plaintiff because neither she nor her employer ETS Services were parties to the loan transaction, and (2) even if she or her employer were parties to the transaction, lenders generally do not owe a fiduciary duty to borrowers.

Defendant Peterson filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to FRCP 12(b)(6). The Court held a hearing and after considering the parties’ arguments, the court found that the plaintiff’s claim should be dismissed because Peterson did not owe a fiduciary duty to plaintiff.

California Court Dismisses Plaintiffs Suit Brought for Wrongful Foreclosure Defendants Bank of America & Freddie Mac

The court in deciding Bergman v. Bank of Am., N.A., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153173 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 23, 2013) dismissed the plaintiff’s complaint.

Most of plaintiffs’ claims were based on one of two legal theories.

First, the plaintiffs based their arguments on the alleged sale of the DOT from Bank of America to the Securitized Trust, the plaintiffs argued that the sale divested Bank of America of its beneficial interest in the DOT. Plaintiff also alleged that because the DOT was never properly assigned, the Securitized Trust also did not hold the beneficial interest. They alleged that, accordingly, the true beneficiaries are the Securitized Trust’s certificate holders.

Second, the plaintiffs based their argument on the alleged involvement of PK Properties in illegal bid-rigging activities, including activities that allegedly tainted the trustee’s sale for the Property.

The court, after considering the arguments provided by the plaintiff, granted the defendants’ motion and dismissed the complaint.

Michigan Dissmisses Plaintiff’s Action Seeking to Set Aside Sale of His Residence

The court in deciding Liddell v. Deutsche Bank Nat’l Trust Co., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153897 (E.D. Mich. Oct. 28, 2013) granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s complaint.

Plaintiff commenced the action seeking to set aside a sheriff’s sale of his residential property. Plaintiff’s Complaint raised the following claims: Count I, Fraudulent Misrepresentation; Count II, Estoppel; Count III, Negligence; Count IV, Violation of Michigan’s Occupational Code, Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 339.915 and .918; and Count V, Violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1692k.

Defendants maintained that all of plaintiff’s claims challenging the foreclosure sale were subject to dismissal because plaintiff failed to redeem the property within the redemption period. Defendants further argued that even if plaintiff’s claims were not barred by the expiration of the statutory redemption period, his claims were subject to dismissal because he failed to state any valid claims upon which relief can be granted.

The Court agreed that plaintiff’s complaint failed to allege any claims upon which relief may be granted.

California Court Determines Plaintiff’s Claims are Barred by Res Judicata

The court in deciding Maxwell v. Deutsche Bank Nat’l Trust Co., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 155930, 2013 WL 5882457 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 30, 2013) concluded that the plaintiff’s claims were barred by res judicata and therefore granted [with prejudice] the defendant’s motion to dismiss.

Plaintiffs brought this action against defendants Deutsche, OneWest, and MERS. Plaintiff alleged various violations of California and federal consumer protection statutes. The plaintiff asserted a claim for an invalid transfer of a trust deed, and sought declaratory and injunctive relief.

The defendants moved to dismiss the proceedings, arguing that the claims were barred by res judicata. The court, after considering the evidence presented, concluded that the plaintiff’s claims were barred by res judicata. Accordingly, the court granted the defendant’s motion to dismiss.

Northern District of California Court Dismisses Plaintiff’s Claims for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction

The court in deciding Murphy v. Bank of N.Y. Mellon, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 155923, 2013 WL 5883675 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 29, 2013) dismissed the plaintiff’s action without prejudice.

The plaintiff in this case brought this action against defendants [Bank of New York Mellon and MERS] for (1) violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1001; (2) violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1341; (3) violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”); (4) violations of California’s Business and Professions Code Section 17200; (5) slander of title; (6) cancellation of void instruments; (7) quiet title; and (8) wrongful foreclosure. Compl., ECF No. 1.

The plaintiff’s complaint revolved around the main theory that the defendants lacked the authority to execute any foreclosure proceedings. After considering the plaintiff’s arguments, the court first concluded that the plaintiff’s action must be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Second, the court found that the federal claims in the operative complaint failed as a matter of law.

Georgia Court Affirms That The Holder of a Deed to Secure Debt is Authorized to Exercise the Power of Sale in Accordance With the Terms of the Deed

The court in deciding Sanford v. Bank of Am., N.A., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 156084, 2013 WL 5899238 (N.D. Ga. Oct. 31, 2013), found that each of the plaintiff’s arguments lacked merit and subsequently granted defendant’s motion to dismiss.

Plaintiff’s claim for wrongful foreclosure against BANA was based on three theories: (1) invalid assignment of the security deed; (2) improper notice under O.C.G.A. § 44-14-162.2; and (3) BANA’s lack of authority to foreclose as a non-secured creditor.

The court rejected plaintiff’s second and third arguments based on previous case law. The court cited a previous holding, noting that “the holder of a deed to secure debt is authorized to exercise the power of sale in accordance with the terms of the deed even if it does not also hold the note or otherwise have any beneficial interest in the debt obligation underlying the deed.”

Furthermore, the court noted that the notice requirement is satisfied if the notice identifies the individual or entity with full authority to negotiate, amend, and modify the terms of the mortgage, regardless of whether that entity is a secured creditor, note holder, deed holder, or none of the above.

Michigan Court Dismisses Plaintiff’s State Law Based Claims of Wrongful Foreclosure

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division after considering the arguments in Ashford v. Bank of Am., N.A., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 156159, 2013 WL 5913411 (E.D. Mich. Oct. 31, 2013), dismissed the plaintiff’s complaint, with prejudice.

Plaintiff alleged claims against Defendant BANA for breach of contract (Count I), wrongful foreclosure/declaratory judgment (Count II), wrongful foreclosure (Count III), and violation of the Michigan Mortgage Brokers, Servicers, and Lenders Licensing Act, Mich. Comp. Laws § 445.1651 et seq. (Count IV). Defendant BANA filed the instant Motion.

Defendant argued that Plaintiff’s complaint should be dismissed because there is no valid basis to overturn the sale of the Property after the redemption period terminated. The Court agreed and found the rest of the plaintiff’s claims lacking or without merit.