Bazemore v. U.S. Bank, N.A.

167 F. Supp. 3d 1346, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29761, 2016 WL 889676
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedMarch 8, 2016
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 1:14-CV-3310-AT
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 167 F. Supp. 3d 1346 (Bazemore v. U.S. Bank, N.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bazemore v. U.S. Bank, N.A., 167 F. Supp. 3d 1346, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29761, 2016 WL 889676 (N.D. Ga. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER

Amy Totenberg, United States District Judge

This matter is before the Court on the attached Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation (“R & R”) [Doc. 47] recommending Defendant’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings be GRANTED and Plaintiffs’ claims be DISMISSED. Plaintiffs, who are proceeding pro se, have filed objections [Doc. 50] to the Magistrate Judge’s R & R. (Doc. 50.) Defendant has filed a response to Plaintiffs’ objections. (Doc. 52.)

Under 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1), the Court reviews the Magistrate Judge’s R & R for clear error if no objections are filed to the report. 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). If a party files objections, however, the district court must determine de novo any part of the Magistrate Judge’s disposition that is the subject of a proper objection. Fed. R. Civ. P. 72(b); 28 U.S.C. § 636(b). As Plaintiffs filed timely objections to virtually the entirety of the R & R, the Court reviews the' Magistrate Judge’s findings and recommendations on a de novo basis.

The Court has done a thorough, de novo review of briefs in this case as well as the Magistrate Judge’s recommendations and findings. The Court agrees and adopts without alteration the analysis in Judge Walker’s R & R on each of the issues in this case — bar one.

That issue is tender. The Magistrate Judge recommended a finding that a borrower asserting a Georgia law or TILA rescission claim must allege either that she has tendered (under Georgia law) or that she can and will tender (under TILA) the amount due under the loan in order to state those respective claims. (R & R at 13-14.) Based on this law, the Magistrate Judge found that “Plaintiffs have not alleged that they tendered the amounts loaned to them and due under the Note, and therefore are not entitled to equitable relief through declaratory judgment under Georgia law or TILA.” (Id. at 14.)

There are two main problems with this recommendation. First, tender under Georgia law is not always required. Specifically, if the entity that carried out the foreclosure was not the secured creditor entitled to receive payments on the loan, then no tender would be owed to that entity. See Williamson v. Bank of America, N.A., No. 1:n-CV-1161 (N.D.Ga. July 7, 2011); Wright v. Intercounty Props., Ltd., 238 Ga. 492, 233 S.E.2d 160, 161 (1977). The Magistrate Judge’s categorical statement therefore could be misleading, and, as the Magistrate Judge correctly found, the Georgia law claim in Count 1 fails anyway both: (1) because Plaintiffs’ argument that the deed is not recordable does not impact whether the deed is effective as between the parties; and (2) because Plaintiffs cannot challenge the assignment of the deed between MERS and Defendant. (R & R at 11-12.)

Second, the Magistrate Judge appears to conflate the concept of tender under Georgia state law with that of tender under TILA Tender under TILA is its own beast. Jesinoski v. Countryivide Home

[1350]*1350Loans, Inc., — U.S. -, 135 S.Ct. 790, 793, 190 L.Ed.2d 650 (2015) (citing 15 U.S.C. § 1635(b)) (“[T]he Act disclaims the common-law condition precedent to rescission at law that the borrower tender the proceeds received under the transaction.”). In addition, the Magistrate Judge appears to assume that a borrower must allege ability and willingness to tender, but that is far from clear. The Eleventh Circuit has not decided this issue, and district courts in this Circuit are split. Compare Webb v. Suntrust Mortgage, Inc., No. 1:10-CV-0 307-TWT-CCH, 2010 WL 2950353, at *4 (N.D.Ga. July 1, 2010), report and recommendation adopted, No. 1:10-CV307-TWT, 2010 WL 2977950 (N.D.Ga. July 23, 2010) (“As laid out ... in 12 C.F.R. § 226.23(d), the third step in rescission [under TILA] is tender by the creditor of the money or property received in the rescinded transaction. Here, Plaintiffs have not alleged an intent or an ability to tender the money loaned to them by Defendant! ]. Thus, they have not alleged a plausible claim that they are entitled to, or able to complete, rescission under TILA.”); with Berry v. Beneficial Mortgage Co. of Georgia, No. 1:10-CV-3259-GET-WEJ, 2011 WL 12828772, at *4 (N.D.Ga. May 4, 2011) (“This ... standard permits, but does not mandate, the Court to require plaintiffs to plead their ability to tender loan proceeds in a rescission under TILA.”) report and recommendation adopted, No.. 1:10-CV03259-MHS, 2011 WL 12828835 (N.D.Ga. June 27, 2011). Moreover, other circuits have decided that a plaintiff need not allege ability to tender in order to state a claim for violation of TILA’s rescission provisions. See, e.g., Merritt v. Countrywide Fin. Corp., 759 F.3d 1028, 1031 (9th Cir.2014) (“Like some other district courts in this circuit, the district court in this case extended Yama-moto to require that plaintiffs plead ability to tender in their complaint. See Botelho v. U.S. Bank, NA., 692 F.Supp.2d 1174, 1180 (N.D.Cal.2010) (collecting cases). We reject this extension.”).

Even if the Court were to apply the Ninth Circuit rule, though, the claim is still due to be dismissed for the same reason Plaintiffs’ other TILA claims were recommended for dismissal. That is, the “one-year limitations period [for failing to properly respond to a TILA rescission request] runs from twenty days after a plaintiff gives notice of rescission.” Frazile v. EMC Mortgage Corp., 382 Fed.Appx. 833, 839 (11th Cir.2010). The Magistrate Judge found that “Plaintiffs clearly allege that their rescission request was made in February 2011 or February 2012, well over a year before their complaint was filed. (Am. Compl. ¶ 23; See. Am. Compl. ¶ 28).” (R & R at 17.) The Magistrate Judge also found that Plaintiffs “have not alleged any facts in support of their conclusory petition for equitable tolling to apply.” (Id.) Thus, both claims made under Count 1 are due to be dismissed, despite the fact that the Magistrate Judge’s recommendation as to tender is NOT ADOPTED.

The remainder of the R & R is ADOPTED. For the reasons stated in the R & R — as well as the reasons stated in Defendant’s Response to Plaintiffs’ objections and those above — the Court GRANTS Defendant’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings [Doc. 22]. Plaintiffs’ claim for declaratory judgment under Georgia law in Count 1 is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE and their claims for fraud and violations of the Truth in Lending Act are DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE. Plaintiffs’ Motion to Amend [Doc. 31] is DENIED, and both Plaintiffs’ Motion for Partial Summary [1351]*1351Judgment [Doc. 43] and Defendant’s Motion to Strike Plaintiffs’ Improperly Filed Third Amended Complaint [Doc. 44] are DENIED AS MOOT.

The Clerk is DIRECTED to close the case.

IT IS SO ORDERED this 8th day of March, 2016.

MAGISTRATE JUDGE’S ORDER AND FINAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

LINDA T.

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167 F. Supp. 3d 1346, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29761, 2016 WL 889676, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bazemore-v-us-bank-na-gand-2016.