Bodrick v. Chase Home Finance, Inc. (In re Bodrick)

498 B.R. 793
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedOctober 8, 2013
DocketBankruptcy No. 07-42377; Adversary No. 13-4057
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 498 B.R. 793 (Bodrick v. Chase Home Finance, Inc. (In re Bodrick)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bodrick v. Chase Home Finance, Inc. (In re Bodrick), 498 B.R. 793 (Ohio 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION REGARDING MOTION TO DISMISS COMPLAINT

KAY WOODS, Bankruptcy Judge.

This cause is before the Court on Motion to Dismiss Complaint (Doc. # 9) filed by Defendant JP Morgan Chase Bank, National Association, successor by merger to Chase Home Finance, LLC (“Chase”), on August 15, 2013. Debtor/Plaintiff Doreen Bodrick (“Debtor”) filed Memorandum in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Summary of Argument [sic] (“Memo in Opposition”) (Doc. # 16) on September 23, 2013. On October 3, 2013, Chase belatedly filed Reply in Support of Motion to Dismiss Complaint (“Reply”) (Doc. # 17).1

The Motion to Dismiss seeks dismissal of Complaint for Violation of the Automatic Stay (“Complaint”) (Doc. # 1) on the basis that the Complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6).

This Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334 and the general orders of reference (Gen. Order Nos. 84 and 2012-7) entered in this district pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(a). Venue in this Court is proper pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1391(b), 1408 and 1409. This is a core proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2). The following constitutes the Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law pursuant to Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 7052.

J. STANDARD OF REVIEW FOR MOTION TO DISMISS

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), made applicable to this proceeding by Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 7012(b), allows a defendant to move for dismissal of a complaint that fails “to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) (West 2013). The motion to dismiss will be denied if the complaint contains “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). “A claim has facial plausibility [796]*796when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (citation omitted). Thus, “to survive a motion to dismiss, the complaint must contain either direct or inferential allegations respecting all material elements to sustain a recovery under some viable legal theory.” Eidson v. Tenn. Dep’t of Children’s Servs., 510 F.3d 631, 634 (6th Cir.2007) (citation omitted).

When evaluating a motion to dismiss, the court must “construe the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, accept its allegations as true, and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the plaintiff.” Tam Travel, Inc. v. Delta Airlines, Inc. (In re Travel Agent Comm’n Antitrust Litig.), 583 F.3d 896, 903 (6th Cir.2009) (quotation marks and citation omitted). However, “conclusory allegations or legal conclusions masquerading as factual allegations will not suffice.” Watson Carpet & Floor Covering, Inc. v. Mohawk Indus., Inc., 648 F.3d 452, 457 (6th Cir.2011) (quotations marks and citation omitted).

Accordingly, for purposes of determining this Motion to Dismiss, the Court accepts all facts pled in the Complaint as true.

II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The Debtor filed a voluntary petition pursuant to chapter 13 of Title 11 of the United States Code on September 25, 2007, which was denominated Case No. 07-42377 (“Main Case”). That same day, she filed her chapter 13 plan (“Plan”) (Main Case Doc. #2), which was confirmed on December 3, 2007 when the Court entered Order Confirming Plan (“Confirmation Order”) (Main Case Doc. # 19). With respect to the Debtor’s note and mortgage on her residence (collectively “Mortgage”), the Plan provided for (i) the chapter 13 trustee (“Trustee”) to pay the default claim to “Washington Mutual”; and (ii) the Debtor to pay the ongoing Mortgage payments directly to “Washington Mutual.” (Plan ¶¶ 5-6.)

On October 17, 2007, Washington Mutual Bank, as Servicer for Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, as Trustee for Long Beach Mortgage Loan Trust 2006 WL-1 (“Washington Mutual”), filed a proof of claim, denominated Claim No. 4-1, in the secured amount of $131,937.25, with an arrearage amount of $6,560.34. Washington Mutual filed amended Claim No. 4-2 on March 10, 2008, asserting a secured claim in the total amount of $131,781.24, with an arrearage claim of $6,404.33. Claim No. 4 was amended yet again on March 25, 2008 (Claim No. 4-3) to assert a total secured claim of $132,506.24, with an arrearage claim of $7,129.33.2 Transfer of Claim Other Than for Security (Main Case Doc. # 44) was filed on May 6, 2011, which stated that Claim No. 4 was transferred from Washington Mutual to Chase.

On April 29, 2008, Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, as Trustee for Long Beach Mortgage Loan Trust 2006-WL 1 (“Deutsche Bank”) filed a proof of claim, denominated Claim No. 15-1 (“Claim No. 15”), in the secured amount of $3,376.01 for “supplemental arrears.” Washington Mutual Mortgage3 is listed as the party and address where payment should be [797]*797sent. Nothing on the docket indicates that Claim No. 15 was ever transferred.

On September 17, 2012, the Trustee filed Notice of Final Cure Payment on Residential Mortgage (“Final Cure Notice”) regarding Claim No. 15-1 (Main Case Doc. # 64), which stated that Claim No. 15-1 filed by Washington Mutual Mortgage in the amount of $3,376.01 had been paid in full. That same day, the Trustee filed Final Cure Notice (Main Case Doc. # 65) stating that Claim No. 4-3 filed by Chase in the amount of $7,129.33 had been paid in full. Both Final Cure Notices were filed pursuant to Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 3002.1(f).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
498 B.R. 793, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bodrick-v-chase-home-finance-inc-in-re-bodrick-ohnb-2013.