BMO Bank N.A. v. Jarnail Singh

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedDecember 23, 2025
Docket1:25-cv-00725
StatusUnknown

This text of BMO Bank N.A. v. Jarnail Singh (BMO Bank N.A. v. Jarnail Singh) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
BMO Bank N.A. v. Jarnail Singh, (E.D. Cal. 2025).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 8 9 BMO BANK N.A., Case No. 1:25-cv-00725-JLT-EPG 10 Plaintiff, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS THAT PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR 11 v. DEFAULT JUDGMENT BE GRANTED, IN PART 12 JARNAIL SINGH, (ECF No. 17) 13 Defendant. OBJECTIONS, IF ANY, DUE WITHIN 14 FOURTEEN DAYS 15 16 Plaintiff BMO Bank N.A. moves for default judgment against Defendant Jarnail Singh on 17 a state law breach of contract claim.1 (ECF No. 17). While the motion also seeks default judgment 18 as to K & K Trans Inc, as will be explained later, K & K Trans Inc has since been dismissed from 19 this case as a defendant. (See ECF Nos. 29, 30). 20 For the reasons given below, the Court will recommend that Plaintiff’s motion for default 21 judgment be granted, in part. Specifically, the Court will recommend that the motion be granted 22 as to Singh for a total award of $269,441.37 with an additional award of pre-judgment interest as 23 specified below. 24 I. BACKGROUND Plaintiff filed its complaint on June 13, 2025. (ECF No. 1). It alleges that it entered into 25 three agreements with K & K Trans Inc (a commercial trucking company) for the purchase of 26 27 1 The matter was referred to the undersigned pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B) and Local Rule 28 302(c)(19). 1 vehicles (e.g., “2017 Vanguard Refrigerated Vans: 53’”), resulting in loans of (1) $158,881; (2) 2 $247,295.40; and (3) $205,315.80, with Defendant Singh (the owner and CEO of K & K Trans 3 Inc) guaranteeing the loans. (Id. at 2-4). In connection with the loans, K & K Trans Inc granted 4 Plaintiff a first-priority security interest in the vehicles. (Id. at 4). K & K Trans Inc and Singh defaulted under the terms of the loans and guaranties by 5 failing to make loan payments. (Id. at 4). Plaintiff asserts that, under the terms of the loans, it is 6 owed interest, certain fees, costs, and attorney’s fees. (Id. at 5-6). The complaint alleges a breach 7 of contract claim against K & K Trans Inc and another against Singh. (Id. at 7-8). 8 After K & K Trans Inc and Singh failed to respond to the complaint, Plaintiff obtained a 9 clerk’s entry of default against them under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55(a). (ECF Nos. 10, 10 11). Plaintiff moved for default judgment on September 24, 2025. (ECF No. 17). In support of its 11 motion, it has filed the declaration of its attorney, Ken Ito, regarding costs and attorney’s fees and 12 the declaration of its litigation specialist, Whitney Oliver, regarding damages. (ECF Nos. 18, 19). 13 The Court ordered supplemental briefing regarding whether K & K Trans Inc and Singh 14 were properly served. (ECF No. 23). After supplemental briefing, the Court noted that service did 15 not appear proper as to K & K Trans Inc, and Plaintiff voluntarily dismissed it as a Defendant on 16 December 8, 2025. (ECF Nos. 25-30). 17 Thus, this case proceeds against Singh alone. 18 II. LEGAL STANDARDS 19 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55(b)(2) permits a court to enter a default judgment 20 against a defendant who has failed to defend a case. Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(b)(2). Whether to enter a 21 default judgment lies within the Court’s discretion. Draper v. Coombs, 792 F.2d 915, 925 (9th 22 Cir. 1986). Factors (i.e., the Eitel factors) that may be considered in determining whether to enter 23 default judgment include the following: (1) the possibility of prejudice to the plaintiff; (2) the merits of the plaintiff’s 24 substantive claim; (3) the sufficiency of the complaint; (4) the sum of money at stake 25 in the action; (5) the possibility of a dispute concerning material facts; (6) whether the default was due to excusable neglect; and (7) the strong policy underlying the 26 Federal Rules of Civil Procedure favoring decision on the merits. 27 Eitel v. McCool, 782 F.2d 1470, 1471-72 (9th Cir. 1986). 28 “The general rule of law is that upon default the factual allegations of the complaint, 1 except those relating to the amount of damages, will be taken as true.” TeleVideo Sys., Inc. v. 2 Heidenthal, 826 F.2d 915, 917-18 (9th Cir. 1987) (citation omitted). Before awarding a default 3 judgment against a defendant, the Court must determine the adequacy of service of process and 4 the Court’s jurisdiction over the subject matter and the parties. In re Tuli, 172 F.3d 707, 712 (9th Cir. 1999) (“When entry of judgment is sought against a party who has failed to plead or 5 otherwise defend, a district court has an affirmative duty to look into its jurisdiction over both the 6 subject matter and the parties.”); see S.E.C. v. Internet Sols. for Bus. Inc., 509 F.3d 1161, 1165 7 (9th Cir. 2007) (“We review de novo whether default judgment is void because of lack of 8 personal jurisdiction due to insufficient service of process.”). 9 III. DISCUSSION 10 The Court first addresses its subject matter jurisdiction for entering a default judgment and 11 personal jurisdiction over Singh. The Court will then examine the Eitel factors and the terms of 12 the proposed judgment. 13 A. Jurisdiction and Service of Process 14 1. Subject matter jurisdiction 15 Plaintiff’s complaint alleges subject-matter jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1332, which 16 provides that “district courts shall have original jurisdiction of all civil actions where the matter in 17 controversy exceeds the sum or value of $75,000, exclusive of interest and costs, and is between 18 citizens of different States.” § 1332(a)(1). (ECF No. 1, p. 1). 19 The amount sought here is greater than $75,000. (Id. at 1; see ECF No. 17, p. 10). 20 Therefore, the minimum amount in controversy required for diversity jurisdiction is satisfied. 21 Plaintiff and Singh are also diverse in citizenship. National banking associations are 22 “deemed citizens of the States in which they are respectively located.” 28 U.S.C. § 1348. For 23 purposes of diversity jurisdiction, a bank is “located” in the state designated in its articles of association as its main office. Wachovia Bank v. Schmidt, 546 U.S. 303, 318 (2006). And under 24 § 1348, “a national bank is a citizen only of the state in which its main office is located.” Rouse v. 25 Wachovia Mortg., FSB, 747 F.3d 707, 709 (9th Cir. 2014). 26 27 28 1 In the complaint, Plaintiff states that it “is a national association with its main office, as 2 set forth in its articles of association, located in Chicago, Illinois.” (ECF No. 1, p. 2). Therefore, 3 for purposes of diversity jurisdiction, Plaintiff is located in Illinois and is a citizen of Illinois.

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BMO Bank N.A. v. Jarnail Singh, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bmo-bank-na-v-jarnail-singh-caed-2025.