Barnett v. Countrywide Bank, FSB

60 F. Supp. 3d 379, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 163282, 2014 WL 6603986
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedNovember 20, 2014
DocketNo. 14-cv-4270 (ADS)(AKT)
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 60 F. Supp. 3d 379 (Barnett v. Countrywide Bank, FSB) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barnett v. Countrywide Bank, FSB, 60 F. Supp. 3d 379, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 163282, 2014 WL 6603986 (E.D.N.Y. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER

SPATT, District Judge.

On April 1, 2014, the Plaintiff commenced this action in Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Nassau, asserting, among other claims, violations of the Truth in Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq., (“TILA”); the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act, Regulation Z (“HOEPA”); and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, 12 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq. (“RESPA”).

On July 11, 2014, the Defendants Countrywide Bank, f/k/a Countrywide Bank, FSB (“Countywide”) removed this action to the Federal District Court of the Eastern District of New York on the basis of federal question jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1331 and supplemental jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1367(a).

On July 14, 2014, this action was assigned to this Court.

On July 18, 2014, the Defendants Federal National Mortgage Association as Trustee for Securitized Trust Fannie Mae REMIC Trust 2008-14, the Federal National Mortgage Association s/h/a Fannie Mae, Green Tree Servicing LLC s/h/a Green Tree Servicing, and Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. s/h/a Mortgage Electronic Registration System (“MERS”) filed a notice consenting to the removal of this action.

That same day, Countrywide moved, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (“Fed. R. Civ.P.”) 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6), to dismiss the complaint as against it for, respectively, lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim.

On July 29, 2014, the Defendants Federal National Mortgage Association as Trustee for Securitized Trust Fannie Mae REMIC Trust 2008-14, the Federal National Mortgage Association s/h/a Fannie Mae, Green Tree Servicing LLC s/h/a Green Tree Servicing, and MERS joined in Countrywide’s motion to dismiss.

On September 8, 2014, after the expiration of the time for the Plaintiffs to respond to the motions to dismiss, the Court granted those motions as unopposed and closed the case.

On September 11, 2014, upon a letter request by the Plaintiffs, the Court vacated the orders dismissing this action as unopposed “in the interest of justice” and directed the Clerk of the Court to re-open the case and to reinstate the motions to dismiss. (Doc. No. 27.)

The Plaintiffs subsequently filed opposition papers to the pending motions to dismiss.

I. BACKGROUND

Unless stated otherwise, the following facts are drawn from the complaint and construed in a light most favorable to the non-moving parties, the Plaintiffs.

[384]*384On December 26, 2007, the Plaintiffs obtained a loan in the amount of $405,500 from Countywide secured by a mortgage on their residence located at 267 Moore Avenue in Freeport, New York.

The mortgage, which is attached to the complaint as Exhibit 2, indicates that MERS is the nominee for the lender and the lender’s successors and assigns. (Mortgage, at 1.) Under the mortgage, the Plaintiffs agreed that MERS had the “the right ... to exercise any or all” rights of the lender and “to take any action required” of the lender. (Id. at 2). The mortgage was also freely transferable and assignable. See (Compl., Ex. 4, ¶ 1)(“I understand that the Lender may transfer this Note. The .Lender or anyone whom takes this Note by transfer and who is entitled to receive payments under this Note is called the ‘Note Holder.’ ”); (Mortgage, at ¶ 20.)(“The Note, or an interest in the Note, together with this Security Instrument, can be sold one or more times. I might not receive any prior notice of these sales.”).

At some point, the mortgage was assigned to a securitized trust known was. Guaranteed REMIC Pass-Through Certificates Fannie Mae REMIC Trust 2008-14. The trustee of that trust is the Defendant Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”).

According to the Plaintiffs, the assignment of the mortgage to the securitized trust violated the terms of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement (the “PSA”) governing the trust. However, the Plaintiffs do not allege that they are either signatories or third-party beneficiaries to the PSA, intended or otherwise.

Countrywide subsequently merged into Bank of American, N.A, another named defendant.

On December 1, 2011, servicing of the loan transferred from Countrywide to the Defendant Greentree Servicing LLC.

As stated above, on April 1, 2014, this action ensued. As best as can be gleaned from the complaint, the Plaintiffs mount a challenge to the securitization process and the assignment of their mortgage to the securitized trust; assert claims for fraudulent inducement and concealment; for breach of fiduciary duty; for intentional infliction of emotional distress; and for violations of TILA, HOEPA, and RESPA. The Plaintiffs seek damages, declaratory relief, and rescission of the underlying loan and mortgage.

Presently pending before the Court are the motions by the Defendants to dismiss the complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and/or for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.

II. DISCUSSION

As an initial matter, the Court notes that the complaint appears to be a form complaint nearly identical to the complaint in at least three other cases that were dismissed as a matter of law. Simmons v. Bank of Am., N.A., No. CIV. 13-0733(PJM), 2014 WL 509386, at *2 (D.Md. Feb. 6, 2014) (dismissing substantially identical complaint that “appear[ed] to be a form complaint, an amalgam of vague statements and legal conclusions, even naming what she believes are malefactor entities, none of which are sued in this action.”); Somarriba v. Greenpoint Mortgage Funding, Inc., 13-CV-072 (RWT), 2013 WL 5308286, at *3 (D.Md. Sept. 19, 2013) (dismissing substantially identical complaint and noting that “[ejven a high-powered magnifying glass equipped with the finest convex lens would not allow the Court to identify specific factual allegations sufficient to save the Plaintiffs’ Complaint from dismissal.”); see also Zbitnoff [385]*385v. NationStar Mortg. LLC, No. C 13-05221(WHA), 2014 WL 2119875, at *4 (N.D.Cal. May 21, 2014).

The Court further notes that, in their opposition to the motion to dismiss, the Plaintiffs fail to address the Defendants’ arguments in support of those parts of their motions to dismiss the claims for fraud in the inducement; fraudulent concealment; intentional infliction of emotional distress; violations of TILA, HOEPA, and RESPA; and rescission. “[A]rgu-ments not made in opposition to a motion for summary judgment are deemed abandoned.” Plahutnik v. Daikin Am., Inc., 912 F.Supp.2d 96, 104 (S.D.N.Y.2012); see Jain v. McGraw-Hill Cos., Inc., 827 F.Supp.2d 272, 280 (S.D.N.Y.2011) (holding that the plaintiff abandoned six claims when her opposition papers failed to respond to defendants’ arguments on those claims); Senno v. Elmsford, Union Free Sch. Dist.,

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Bluebook (online)
60 F. Supp. 3d 379, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 163282, 2014 WL 6603986, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barnett-v-countrywide-bank-fsb-nyed-2014.